The Effect of ESG Ratings on Firm Performance with ESG Rating Disagreement as The Moderating Variable
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61132/ijems.v3i1.1135Keywords:
ESG Ratings, Firm Performance, ESG Rating Disagreement, Sustainability, InvestmentAbstract
This study examines the effect of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings on firm performance and the moderating role of ESG rating disagreement within the Indonesian capital market. Using a panel dataset of 63 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2021 to 2023 and employing a fixed-effects regression model, the analysis measures firm performance with Tobin’s Q, ESG ratings from Refinitiv Eikon, and ESG rating disagreement as the standard deviation between Refinitiv and Bloomberg scores. The empirical results indicate that ESG ratings do not have a statis-tically significant effect on firm performance, and ESG rating disagreement does not significantly moderate this relationship. These findings suggest that ESG-related information has not yet been fully internalized into firm valuation in Indonesia, with current ESG practices perceived as largely symbolic rather than substantively integrated into corporate strategy. The study concludes that both ESG ratings and rating disagreement fail to serve as effective mechanisms for enhancing firm performance in the Indonesian context, reflecting the early-stage development and compliance-driven nature of ESG adoption in emerging markets.
Downloads
References
Abdi, Y., Li, X., & Càmara-Turull, X. (2022). Exploring the impact of sustainability (ESG) disclosure on firm value and financial performance in the airline industry: The moderating role of size and age. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 24(4), 5052–5079. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01649-w
Albuquerque, R., Koskinen, Y., & Zhang, C. (2019). Corporate social responsibility and firm risk: Theory and empirical evidence. Management Science, 65(10), 4451–4469. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2018.3043
Aprianto, K., & Waspodo, L. (2025). Pengaruh kinerja environmental, social, and governance terhadap corporate financial performance dengan financial slack sebagai pemoderasi. Jurnal Ekonomi Bisnis dan Akuntansi, 5(2), 474–488. https://doi.org/10.55606/jebaku.v5i2.5428
Atan, R., Alam, M. M., Said, J., & Zamri, M. (2018). The impacts of environmental, social, and governance factors on firm performance: Panel study of Malaysian companies. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 29(2), 182–194. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-03-2017-0033
Avramov, D., Cheng, S., Lioui, A., & Tarelli, A. (2022). Sustainable investing with ESG rating uncertainty. Journal of Financial Economics, 145(2), 642–664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2021.09.009
Bahadori, N., Kaymak, T., & Seraj, M. (2021). Environmental, social, and governance factors in emerging markets: The impact on firm performance. Business Strategy and Development, 4(4), 411–422. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.167
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120.
Berg, F., Kölbel, J. F., & Rigobon, R. (2022). Aggregate confusion: The divergence of ESG ratings. Review of Finance, 26(6), 1315–1344. https://doi.org/10.1093/rof/rfac033
Bergh, D. D., Connelly, B. L., Ketchen, D. J., & Shannon, L. M. (2014). Signaling theory and equilibrium in strategic management research: An assessment and a research agenda. Journal of Management Studies, 51(8), 1334–1360. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12097
Bhandari, K. R., Ranta, M., & Salo, J. (2022). The resource-based view, stakeholder capitalism, ESG, and sustainable competitive advantage. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(4), 1525–1537. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2967
Biju, A. V. N., Geetha, S., Prasad, S., Sasidharan, A., & Jayachandran, A. (2025). ESG–firm performance nexus: Evidence from an emerging economy. Business Strategy and the Environment, 34(3), 3469–3496. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.4152
Brammer, S., & Pavelin, S. (2006). Voluntary environmental disclosures by large UK companies. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 33(7–8), 1168–1188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5957.2006.00598.x
Carlos, W. C., & Lewis, B. W. (2018). Strategic silence: Withholding certification status as a hypocrisy avoidance tactic. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(1), 130–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839217695089
Chatterji, A. K., Durand, R., Levine, D. I., & Touboul, S. (2016). Do ratings of firms converge? Implications for managers, investors, and strategy researchers. Strategic Management Journal, 37(8), 1597–1614. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2407
Chung, K. H., & Pruitt, S. W. (1994). A simple approximation of Tobin’s Q. Financial Management, 23(3), 70–74.
Eccles, R. G., Ioannou, I., & Serafeim, G. (2014). The impact of corporate sustainability on organizational processes and performance. Management Science, 60(11), 2835–2857. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1984
Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Agency theory: An assessment and review. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 57–74.
El Ghoul, S., Guedhami, O., Kwok, C. C. Y., & Mishra, D. R. (2011). Does corporate social responsibility affect the cost of capital? Journal of Banking & Finance, 35(9), 2388–2406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2011.02.007
Freeman, R. E., Dmytriyev, S. D., & Phillips, R. A. (2021). Stakeholder theory and the resource-based view of the firm. Journal of Management, 47(7), 1757–1770. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206321993576
Gerhart, B., & Feng, J. (2021). The resource-based view of the firm, human resources, and human capital. Journal of Management, 47(7), 1796–1819. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320978799
GSIA. (2022). Global sustainable investment review 2022.
Huang, D. Z. X. (2022). Environmental, social and governance factors and assessing firm value. Accounting & Finance, 62(S1), 1983–2010. https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.12849
Husada, E. V., & Handayani, S. (2021). Pengaruh pengungkapan ESG terhadap kinerja keuangan perusahaan. Jurnal Bina Akuntansi, 8(2), 122–144. https://doi.org/10.52859/jba.v8i2.173
Ihsani, A. N., Nidar, S. R., & Kurniawan, M. (2023). Does ESG performance affect financial performance? Wiga: Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu Ekonomi, 13(1), 46–61. https://doi.org/10.30741/wiga.v13i1.968
Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305–360.
Jensen, M. C., & Smith, C. W., Jr. (2005). Stockholder, manager, and creditor interests: Applications of agency theory. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.173461
Jitmaneeroj, B. (2016). Reform priorities for corporate sustainability. Management Decision, 54(6), 1497–1521. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-11-2015-0505
Jung, Y. L., & Yoo, H. S. (2023). ESG activities and firm performance. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 30(6), 2830–2839. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2518
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1992). The balanced scorecard—Measures that drive performance. Harvard Business Review, 70(1), 71–79.
Li, T. T., Wang, K., Sueyoshi, T., & Wang, D. D. (2021). ESG: Research progress and future prospects. Sustainability, 13(21), Article 11663. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111663
Liu, C., Wu, Q., & Lin, Y. E. (2025). ESG ratings and firm performance. Borsa Istanbul Review, 25(4), 816–823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2025.05.001
McWilliams, A., & Siegel, D. (2001). Corporate social responsibility: A theory of the firm perspective. Academy of Management Review, 26(1), 117–127.
POJK No. 51/POJK.03/2017.
POJK No. 60/POJK.04/2017.
Reber, B., Gold, A., & Gold, S. (2022). ESG disclosure and idiosyncratic risk in IPOs. Journal of Business Ethics, 179(3), 867–886. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04847-8
Serafeim, G., & Yoon, A. (2022). Stock price reactions to ESG news: The role of ESG ratings and disagreement. Review of Accounting Studies, 28(3), 1500–1530. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11142-022-09710-9
Servaes, H., & Tamayo, A. (2013). The impact of corporate social responsibility on firm value. Management Science, 59(5), 1045–1061. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1120.1630
Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374.
Tabur, M., & Bildik, R. (2025). ESG rating disagreement and financial performance. Borsa Istanbul Review, 25(3), 435–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2025.01.013
Taouab, O., & Issor, Z. (2019). Firm performance: Definition and measurement models. European Scientific Journal, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2019.v15n1p93
Wernerfelt, B. (1984). A resource-based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 5(2), 171–180.
Xu, Y., Wang, S., Wang, T., Fan, Q., & Wong, M. C. S. (2025). ESG ratings, agency cost and corporate performance. Sustainable Futures, 10, Article 101148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101148
Zumente, I., & Lāce, N. (2021). ESG rating—Necessity for the investor or the company? Sustainability, 13(16), Article 8940. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168940
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Economics and Management Sciences

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

