Strategic responses to hostile takeover threats: Empirical evidence on enhancing corporate social engagement

Understanding the dynamics between external corporate governance mechanisms and social engagement offers insights into how corporate strategies towards social capital are shaped. We explore the impact of hostile takeover threats on corporate social engagement by utilizing a measure of takeover vulnerability. This allows for a detailed examination of how exposure to takeover threats influences firms' engagement in social engagement initiatives. Our analysis reveals a positive and causal relation between the degree of takeover threats and the level of social commitments in firms, suggesting that the presence of hostile takeover threats enhances corporate social responsibility as a means of external governance and reduces agency costs. The findings support the hypothesis that the threat of hostile takeovers prompts firms to invest more in social commitments, potentially as a strategic defense mechanism.