The consequences of financial leverage: Certified B Corporations' advantages compared to common commercial firms

Firms usually need to attract debt to form and grow, but increasing financial leverage also entails increased risks and costs for stakeholders, such as customers and employees. Accordingly, past research suggests that for common commercial firms (CCFs), which prioritize profits, higher leverage lead...

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Autori: Paeleman, Ine (Autore) ; Guenster, Nadja Katharina 1978- (Autore) ; Vanacker, Tom (Autore) ; Siqueira, Ana Cristina O. (Autore)
Tipo di documento: Elettronico Articolo
Lingua:Inglese
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Pubblicazione: Springer 2024
In: Journal of business ethics
Anno: 2024, Volume: 189, Fascicolo: 3, Pagine: 507-523
Altre parole chiave:B B Corp social firms
B Entrepreneurial finance
B Aufsatz in Zeitschrift
B Social Entrepreneurship
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Riepilogo:Firms usually need to attract debt to form and grow, but increasing financial leverage also entails increased risks and costs for stakeholders, such as customers and employees. Accordingly, past research suggests that for common commercial firms (CCFs), which prioritize profits, higher leverage leads to lower sales growth and higher employment costs. However, Certified B Corporations (CBCs) distinguish themselves by having a credible prosocial mission and, therefore, might be better insulated against the adverse effects of higher leverage. Using a European multi-country matched sample of 136 CBCs and 136 CCFs, we find that the negative relationship between leverage and sales growth and the positive relationship between leverage and employment costs are weaker for CBCs than CCFs. Taken together, due to their certified prosocial mission, CBCs enjoy an advantage in debt financing compared to CCFs.
ISSN:1573-0697
Comprende:Enthalten in: Journal of business ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10551-023-05349-5