Exploring ESG performance and market reaction during the Covid-19 pandemic

The way firms communicate to their stakeholders is continuously evolving. Recent trends in the broader business environment including globalisation, financial crisis, and changes in regulation have increased stakeholders’ and investors’ expectations on corporate reporting and communication. In response to these growing needs, the ways organizations report their annual performances are currently being questioned, debated, and redesigned throughout the world, and the use of voluntary information is increasing to ensure transparency, accountability, and access to useful information. The concepts of triple bottom line, financial materiality, and double materiality, together with a live debate on sustainability standards stress the importance of combining financial and non-financial measures when evaluating the overall performance of an organization. Within this debate, this project investigates the role of ESG performance in mitigating stock market reaction during the Covid-19 pandemic.