A Study of Corporate Philanthropic Traits among Major Malaysian Corporations

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to comprehend the whole phenomenon of corporate philanthropy in Malaysia by studying the traits of companies that make significant contributions to society. Specifically, it looks at firms' ownership structures and specific characteristics and their influe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Social responsibility journal Vol. 3; no. 4; pp. 21 - 30
Main Authors:	Bin Amran, Azlan, Lynn Ling, Lim, Sofri, Yahya
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Bingley Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01-11-2007
Subjects:	Corporate social responsibility Malaysia Philanthropy Social responsibility Philanthropy Corporate social responsibility Malaysia
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Purpose - The purpose of this study is to comprehend the whole phenomenon of corporate philanthropy in Malaysia by studying the traits of companies that make significant contributions to society. Specifically, it looks at firms' ownership structures and specific characteristics and their influence on the extent of corporate philanthropy.Design methodology approach - This study employs Agency theory as the basis for explaining philanthropic behaviour of Malaysian companies. A total of 100 public-listed companies were selected from the top 200 companies based on market capitalization as listed on the Bursa Malaysia. The ownership structures and firm characteristics of the selected companies were tested against the extent of corporate philanthropy in order to see the relationship among the variables. In addition, multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.Findings - The findings of this study reveal that ownership structure does have some influence on corporate philanthropic activities. This is consistent with the proposition of Agency theory. In addition, the size factor is also found to be a significant determinant of philanthropic tendency among Malaysian companies.Practical implications - In view of the increasing importance of corporate philanthropy in the overall context of corporate social responsibility and nation building, this study serves well in providing an insight into the determinants of corporate philanthropic tendencies in Malaysia. By doing this, it extends the horizon of the study done by Prathaban and Rahim on the levels of firm charitable contributions.Originality value - This paper offers an important explanation of the factors that influence corporate philanthropic tendency, particularly in the Malaysian context.
Bibliography:	ark:/67375/4W2-FP9HJ288-P original-pdf:3680030403.pdf href:17471110710840206.pdf istex:5398448C8E2C0E0A4FD580D6D5BBFCFFA76378A7 filenameID:3680030403
ISSN:	1747-1117 1758-857X
DOI:	10.1108/17471110710840206