Jūlija Bistrova

CSR Initiatives Introduction Status in Central and Eastern Europe and Their Importance for the Equity Investor

The chapter discusses and analyzes the implication status of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and their relevance to the stock investors in the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Three broad aspects are considered in the chapter: the corporate governance quality, earnings quality and ownership structure specifics. The research results suggest that all of the aforementioned CSR system components are relevant if considered in the context of the stock exchange: (1) well-managed companies are able to deliver superior returns in the long term; (2) poor earnings quality negatively influences market returns; (3) concentrated ownership appears to be the best ownership model suitable for CEE companies to offer higher long-term shareholder value.