CEO Attributes and CSR Reporting in Jordan: New Insight From the COVID-19 Pandemic Period

Abstract

The global economy has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has placed greater responsibility on companies to fulfill their obligations to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) amid the crisis. This chapter investigates the role of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) attributes in improving a firm's CSR in the emerging economy of Jordan and how the COVID-19 pandemic modifies this relationship. Using a Jordanian sample of 655 firm-year observations during the 2014–2021 period, the research results show that older CEOs, well-educated CEOs, CEOs' remuneration, and CEOs' ownership positively correlate with CSR reporting. However, long-tenured CEOs are associated with lower CSR initiatives. The subsample analysis findings also validate the significance of CEO attributes in improving CSR practice during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the prepandemic period. These findings are beneficial for the regulatory setters to understand better whether CEO attributes are linked to engagement in CSR-related information. This research is among the limited number of studies that have explored how CEO attributes impact CSR reporting for the stakeholder's welfare. Moreover, it uniquely concentrated on contrasting the findings before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citation

Ghaleb, B.A., Qaderi, S.A. and Almaqtari, F.A. (2024), "CEO Attributes and CSR Reporting in Jordan: New Insight From the COVID-19 Pandemic Period", Hunjra, A.I. and Hussainey, K. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Ethical Finance and Corporate Social Responsibility, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 47-67. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-406-720241003