The Socially Responsible Company distinctive as an element for the creation of economic value of a company

Purpose: The present investigation was designed to determine the possible relationship between obtaining the Socially Responsible Company distinctive and the generation of economic value by the obtaining companies. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 32 companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange that were awarded the Socially Responsible Company distinctive was drawn and two valuation focal points were considered: one before obtaining the distinctive and another subsequent to it. To establish the economic value of the companies, the free-cash-flow method was used. This study is considered, therefore, under the income approach of business valuation methods. Finally, the values obtained in both focal points were compared to determine the change in generated value attributable to the SRC distinctive. Findings: The results confirmed that obtaining the distinctive as a Socially Responsible Company does have an impact on the generation of economic value for the companies belonging to the sample -measured through the free-cash-flow method. This impact was determined at an average 6.26%, reasonably resembling the distribution of individual results a normal probabilistic distribution. Originality/value: This work adds value to the research on corporate social responsibility value measurement. This research study differentiates from others in the area due to the use of the CSR certification granted in Mexico by CEMEFI, as a social responsibility variable. In addition, the free-cash-flow method was used in the analysis, which is a novelty as it had not been applied to investigations of this type before. Likewise, this research work adds to past research in as much as it concludes that there is a positive relationship between corporate social responsibility and the generation of economic benefits.