Corporate Governance Towards Sustainability Performance Quality: A Case of Listed Firms in Malaysia

Abstract

The sustainable development according to the United Nation, listed firms throughout globally now routinely provide sustainability data. However, there is not enough information on Sustainability Performance Quality (SPQ) in the majority of emerging economies, including Malaysia. This study looks at how the SPQ of the top 100 Malaysian-listed businesses is affected by factors as connected with corporate governance (e.g., board meeting, board size, and board ethnic diversity). Utilizing 500 firm-year data, a longitudinal sample of 500 nonfinancial firms on the Bursa Malaysia for 2015-2019 is employed in this study. The findings from the analysis using the panel regression demonstrated that: ethnic diversity and board size has a positively significant impacts on SPQ of thee chosen enterprises. However, board meeting has a significant but negative influence. The descriptive study found that the average SPQ is 26%, which has to be improved despite the significant relationship pointing to a development in the calibre of sustainability disclosures. Bursa Malaysia’s necessary regulatory improvements and an effective board might result in this outcome. In addition, the study poses to develop a policy for the firms, stakeholders, government and regulators so as to rise the disclosure standard of corporate sustainability. Also, gaps are filled in the study by providing empirical evidences and new insights on the significance of board meeting, board ethnic diversity, and board size in the Malaysian firms’ sustainability disclosure – with the least attention for empirical research.