The influence of ESG initiatives on the decisions of qualified investors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-057x20252307.enPalabras clave:
reputation, financial performance, ESG initiatives, intention to invest in stocks, qualified investorsResumen
This article examines the relationship between investors’ perceptions of companies’ environmental, social, and governance initiatives and their intention to invest in stocks. In addition, it tests reputation and financial performance as antecedents of investors’ perceptions of those initiatives, as well as the moderating effect of risk aversion on the relationship between them and the intention to invest in stocks of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) companies. There is still a lack of studies that, from a behavioral perspective, address the relationship between ESG initiatives and intentions to invest in stocks. ESG initiatives have attracted growing interest in investment decisions and, by extension, in the business landscape. The results provide insights for financial institution managers to direct their efforts toward offering ESG-identified products and to guide companies in managing their reputations under ESG dimensions. The approach is quantitative and descriptive, using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Primary data are collected through a structured questionnaire completed by qualified investors. Evidence shows that reputation positively impacts ESG initiatives. Financial performance, on the other hand, has a positive relationship only with governance. Social and environmental initiatives are positively related to the intention to invest in ESG stocks, but the same is not true for the governance dimension. Finally, the moderating effects of risk aversion were not confirmed. This may indicate that ESG is an integrated set of actions, as expected, at least among qualified investors. That represents a theoretical contribution to the study of investor behavior.
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