Faizul Haque

This paper investigates the influence of firm-level corporate governance on financial performance of the listed firms in Bangladesh. Agency theory suggests that better corporate governance reduces expropriation costs, which, in turn, enhances investors’ confidence in the firm’s future cash flow and growth prospects, leading to higher firm valuation. Likewise, a decrease in private benefits is likely to cause an improved operating performance. This paper uses a questionnaire survey-based corporate governance index (CGI), comprising of the three dimensions – shareholder rights, independence and responsibilities of the board and management, and financial reporting and disclosures. The study results partly confirm the prediction of the agency theory, with a statistically significant positive relationship between a firm’s corporate governance quality and its valuation, even though the relationship between firm level corporate governance and operating performance seems inconclusive.

Keywords: corporate governance index, agency theory, financial performance, Bangladesh.
JEL Classification: G32, G34, G38, O16

The aim of this paper is to illuminate the role of the socio-economic, cultural and religious context in shaping corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of banks in Bangladesh. The authors utilize content analysis of annual reports and websites of banks to identify CSR activities in healthcare, education and financial inclusion sectors. Structuration theory (ST) is used to explain how interactions between bank managers (as agents) with the social structures (institutions and government) shape CSR practices. The findings show that banks’ engagement in CSR activities is embedded in the social fabric of Bangladesh and not a result of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). It is also noted that Islamic banks focus their CSR activities on social justice, while other banks target education and other humanitarian issues. The authors contribute to the literature on the determinants of CSR by revealing the rationalizations of different actors in the production and reproduction of CSR practices in Bangladesh, an insight attributed to ST. The researchers conclude that Islamic beliefs influenced managers to mitigate poverty through CSR investments.