The moderating role ofShariahcompliance on the relationship between firm profitability and CSR activities

Purpose: There is a debate between soundShariah-compliant firms engaging in social good as a moral obligation and behaving ethically in terms of increasing corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and those firms that are notShariah-compliant. The purpose of the present study is to contribute to this debate by empirically investigating the effect of the profitability of firms on CSR activities and shareholders’ dividends and the interaction effect of a firm’sShariahcompliance with religious and ethical principles. Design/methodology/approach: The data used in this study were collected from the annual financial reports of 74 Pakistani listed companies over 2012-2016 (N = 370). An epistemological model of the unity of knowledge was applied to determine the contribution ofShariah-compliant enterprises to community well-being. Furthermore, the Tawhidi string relation methodology was used to establish the circular causal model. To check the robustness of our findings, we also analysed the data using fixed and random effects regression models to test the effect of firm profitability on CSR activities and dividends, whereas moderation regression analysis was applied to test the moderating effect ofShariah-compliant firms. Findings: The results show that the profitability of firms has a significant impact on shareholders’ dividends in bothShariahand non-Shariahfirms. Furthermore, the relationship between firm profitability and CSR is stronger for non-Shariah-compliant firms thanShariah-compliant firms. This indicates thatShariahfirms are less involved in doing CSR activities than non-Shariahfirms. This implies thatShariahstatus does not play an important role in ensuring managers’ ethical behaviour. Practical implications: The results suggest that the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan should attach more importance toShariahcompliance by firms in developing their CSR policies to improve social development and human well-being. These findings have important implications for many Islamic countries irrespective of whether they are developed or developing. Originality/value: The present study provides a new addition to the prior literature by investigating the relationship between profits and CSR activities and the interaction effect ofShariah-compliant firms. From an Islamic ethical perspective, this study can also contribute to the growing discussion onShariahcompliance and CSR activities.