Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it aims to investigate the dynamic impact of board composition (board size, board independence and board diversity) on independent corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices (marketplace, environment, community and workplace). Second, it tends to examine the mutual effect of board composition and CSR practices on organizational returns (return on assets and Tobin’s Q) of 631 Malaysian PLCs listed on Bursa Malaysia during 2006-2017. Design/methodology/approach The dynamic model (system GMM) provided by Arellano and Bond (1991) and Arellano and Bover (1995) is used for estimations that control for potential dynamic endogeneity, reverse causality, unobserved heterogeneity and simultaneity problems. Findings Findings reveal weak linkage between board composition and CSR practices where only board diversity is found to be positively linked to marketplace practices of CSR. Further, the mutual impact of board composition and CSR practices on organizational returns suggests board size be positive and board independence to be negative with Tobin’s Q. Board diversity is negative with ROA and positive with Tobin’s Q. Conversely, CSR practices indicate marketplace practices are positive and community practices are negative with Tobin’s Q, environment practices are insignificant with performance, whereas workplace practices are positive with ROA and negative with Tobin’s Q. Practical implications This research is practically considerable for Bursa Malaysia, Securities Commission Malaysia, policymakers, stakeholders, investors and managers. For academia, the theoretical linkages between agency theory, resource dependence theory, resource-based view and stakeholder theory are highlighted. Moreover, methodological underpinnings are also novel for academicians as well as for practitioners. Originality/value The paper uncovers multiple aspects: first, it elaborates the dynamic relationship between board composition and CSR practices; second, it examines the combined effect of board composition and CSR practices on company’s accounting and market gains; finally, the study controls for dynamic endogeneity that is the main econometric problem for CG-CSR-performance relationships.

The aims of this study are to investigate the determinants of credit risk and to examine the impact of earnings management on credit risk prediction. The results showed that the liquidity ratio was significant in determining credit risk before and after earnings management was adjusted. Meanwhile, the productivity ratio was significant in the unadjusted model, while the profitability ratio was significant in the adjusted model. The overall percentage of correct prediction showed that the unadjusted model predicted better than the adjusted model. This study provides knowledge about the effect of earning management on bankruptcy prediction.

This article serves two purposes. First, it attempts to examine the joint impact of corporate governance mechanisms and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice on firm performance. Second, the moderating role of board independence is investigated on 588 non-financial Malaysian firms listed on Bursa Malaysia during the period 2006–2017. Both accounting-based return on assets (ROA) and market-based (Tobin’s Q) performance measures have been used for measuring performance. Dynamic model using Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) has been employed on the data set to control for potential endogeneity, reverse causality and dynamic heterogeneity. Findings indicate that ROA is a better determinant of firm performance than Tobin’s Q, where ownership concentration, managerial ownership and money spent on CSR negatively affect ROA; however, an insignificant relationship is observed with Tobin’s Q. Finally, board independence negatively moderates governance-CSR and firm performance relationship. Findings of this article have implications for Bursa Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia to reset the limit of independent directors on board so that their unnecessary interference in operations of management may be avoided. Furthermore, companies need to reassess their CSR strategies whether they are spending on CSR activities or hiding their financial malfeasance in the name of money spent on CSR.

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The financial crises over the past two decades were identified as the main reason for the economic collapse. Malaysia suffered the same fate when many organisations crumpled from inappropriate compliance of governance mechanisms and corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure practices. Given this condition, this study intends to examine the effects of governance mechanisms and CSR practice on firm performance and the moderating effect of board independence is investigated on corporate governance-CSR (CG-CSR) and performance nexus of 588 Malaysian companies listed on Bursa Malaysia between 2006 and 2017. Both accounting-based (ROA) and market-based (Tobin’s Q) performance measures have been used for measuring performance. Dynamic model using Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) has been employed on the dataset to control for potential endogeneity, reverse causality, and dynamic heterogeneity. Findings indicate that ownership concentration negatively affects ROA; chief executive officer (CEO) duality positively affects ROA and negatively affects Tobin’s Q. Moreover, investment on CSR is negatively related to both performance measures. Finally, board independence negatively moderates the CG mechanisms, CSR practice, and performance relationship. Findings of the study have implications for Bursa Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia to reset the limit of independent directors on board so that their unnecessary interference in operations of management may be avoided. Furthermore, companies need to reassess their CSR strategies whether they are spending on CSR activities or hiding their financial malfeasance in the name of investment on CSR.

Sustainability risk management (SRM) is an approach that manages the broad spectrum of risks arising from sustainability issues such as climate change, resource depletion and natural catastrophes. SRM is an extension to Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) that aims to maximize environmental, social and economic performances for a company's survival. In an SRM practice, knowledge management is a strategic resource for companies to sustain in the rapidly-evolved business environment. It provides a solution to address the unknown risks associated with environmental complexity. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine the moderating effect of knowledge management on the relationship between SRM critical factors (ERM bases and organizational resilience) and company survival among public listed companies (PLCs) in Malaysia. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique is used to analyze the hypothetical model which is developed in this study. The result shows that knowledge management moderates the relationship between organizational resilience and company survival. This finding signifies that knowledge management is an important strategic resource to assist companies to develop effective risk management strategy. This will lead to better decision-making and risk controls which influence stakeholder value and company reputation. The study also finds that ERM bases and organizational resilience were significant towards company survival. Companies with strong ERM bases such as procedures, infrastructure and methods have higher chances of successful SRM implementation. Organizational resilience refers to the ability of a company to manage crises and disaster risks, which is crucial for a company's survival. This study has both theoretical and practical implications. The result of this study provides relevant insights on the value of knowledge management to meet stakeholder expectations. It also provides a better understanding of the relationship between SRM implementation, its critical factors and company survival.

The prime objective of this study is to investigate the legitimate role of corporate boards and corporate social responsibility on the performance of Malaysian listed companies during 2006–2017. Elements of corporate boards include board size, board independence and board diversity, whereas corporate social responsibility (CSR) dimensions constitute marketplace, environment, community and workplace. Both accounting-based (return on assets [ROA], return on equity [ROE]) and market-based (earnings per share [EPS]) performance measures have been employed for measuring performance. Pooled ordinary least squares method (OLS) and multiple regressions are used to estimate the dataset. Findings reveal larger board size and higher board independence positively affect firm performance and significantly legitimise the board role in firms. However, the presence of women on Malaysian corporate boards does not legitimate the performance due to their lower percentage on board, hence insignificantly affecting firm value. Additionally, out of four CSR dimensions, only marketplace is positively and significantly related to EPS and negatively and significantly related to ROA. Conversely, environment, community and workplace are insignificantly related to all performance measures, leaving firms in a questionable legitimate state. This study embraces support from agency theory, resource dependence theory, legitimacy theory and stakeholder theory. However, this research raises questionable insights for regulatory bodies and academicians in the form of corporate legitimacy.

This paper aims to provide an insight of the Malaysian experience in terms of Risk Management practices and the integration of the sustainability as part of the enterprise risk management (ERM). Contribution/ OriginalityThis contributes in the existing literature by highlighting the significance of integrating ERM and corporate sustainability practices in mitigating both known and unknown risks for longer term of survival in the industry in addition to addressing the potential opportunities for improvement in the ERM practices.