Purpose

A substantial amount of research has examined the firm value impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Nevertheless, the findings have been inconsistent, prompting researchers to identify contingencies under which the impact varies. This study examines how information technology (IT)-enabled knowledge capabilities moderate the relationship between CSR and firm value.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis on a sample of S&P 500 companies spanning from 2010 to 2017. We employed additional methods to test the robustness of the results, including the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator and the two-stage least squares (2SLS) method.

Findings

The results show that IT-enabled absorptive capability (IT-AC) and IT-enabled social integration capability (IT-SIC) positively moderate the CSR–value relationship. Further, their moderating effects vary in distinct ways when environmental dynamism changes, hinting at the distinct underlying rationales behind the moderating roles of IT-AC and IT-SIC.

Research limitations/implications

This study improves the understanding of the business value of CSR and IT. It has limitations in generalizability due to the use of secondary data.

Practical implications

This study provides practical guidelines to managers about how to strategically leverage IT resources for the creation of CSR value.

Social implications

Encouraging businesses to enhance their CSR efforts and uphold sustainability extends beyond our immediate benefit and impacts future generations as well. However, due to an imbalance between costs and returns, companies often refrain from being wholeheartedly devoted to CSR. Our insights on guiding companies to derive more value from CSR can inspire their greater investment in CSR. Meanwhile, companies can obtain additional returns from deployed IT.

Originality/value

This study extends the IT business value literature by revealing how IT generates firm value in the context of CSR. It also adds critical insights into the mixed findings in previous research regarding the CSR–firm value link. The study’s findings offer useful guidance on the strategic deployment and utilization of IT resources to facilitate the creation of CSR value.

中文翻译：

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企业社会责任与企业价值：探索信息技术驱动的知识能力的调节作用

 目的

大量研究探讨了企业社会责任 (CSR) 对公司价值的影响。然而，研究结果并不一致，促使研究人员确定影响各不相同的突发事件。本研究探讨了信息技术 (IT) 支持的知识能力如何调节企业社会责任与企业价值之间的关系。

设计/方法论/途径

我们对 2010 年至 2017 年的标准普尔 500 强公司样本进行了普通最小二乘 (OLS) 回归分析。我们采用了其他方法来测试结果的稳健性，包括广义矩法 (GMM) 估计器和二元法阶段最小二乘法 (2SLS)。

 发现

结果表明，信息技术支持的吸收能力（IT-AC）和信息技术支持的社会融合能力（IT-SIC）正向调节企业社会责任与价值的关系。此外，当环境活力发生变化时，它们的调节作用会以不同的方式变化，暗示 IT-AC 和 IT-SIC 调节作用背后的不同根本原理。

研究局限性/影响

这项研究增进了对企业社会责任和 IT 商业价值的理解。由于使用二手数据，它的普遍性受到限制。

 实际影响

本研究为管理者如何战略性地利用 IT 资源创造企业社会责任价值提供了实用指南。

 社会影响

鼓励企业加强企业社会责任并维护可持续发展，不仅会为我们带来直接利益，还会影响子孙后代。然而，由于成本与回报的不平衡，企业往往无法全心全意地致力于企业社会责任。我们关于引导企业从企业社会责任中获取更多价值的见解可以激发他们对企业社会责任进行更大的投资。同时，企业还可以从部署的IT中获得额外的回报。

 原创性/价值

本研究通过揭示 IT 如何在企业社会责任背景下产生企业价值，扩展了 IT 业务价值文献。它还为先前有关企业社会责任与企业价值联系的研究中的混合结果添加了重要见解。该研究结果为IT资源的战略部署和利用以促进企业社会责任价值的创造提供了有用的指导。