The linkages among intellectual capital, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of present study is to explore the linkages among Intellectual Capital (IC), Corporate Governance (CG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through direct and indirect empirical inquiry. Design/methodology/approach – The main setting is designed for exploring the relationship among IC, CG and CSR. Therefore, these three constructs are examined directly in which their statistical relation is evaluated among themselves and indirectly in which their possible effects are examined onto firms’ unsystematic factors such as cash flow, short-term solvency, long-term solvency, profitability and asset utilization. Findings – Empirical investigation is conducted on manufacturing firms listed in Istanbul Stock Exchange from 2007 to 2011. Empirical results do support a positive relationship among these important constructs. Research limitations/implications – The empirical research is carried out in manufacturing firms only. Originality/value – IC, CG and CSR are three demanding research areas to study. This is the first attempt here to examine their possible linkages based on so-called direct and indirect empirical inquiries. The primary reason behind this attempt is that these concepts are assumed to be important for all stakeholders.