Strategic choices in going public: ESG performance implications in China

Abstract Choices in going public are important business strategies that can influence Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance through varying levels of regulatory scrutiny, investor expectations, governance improvements, public attention and strategic focus. We investigate the impact of listing approach on ESG performance in China over the period of 2009 to 2022, by comparing the ESG performance of firms going public via initial public offering (IPO) versus reverse merger (RM). Consistent with our institutional, legitimacy and averse‐selection hypotheses, we find that RM firms exhibit significantly lower ESG performance compared with IPO firms, a difference we attribute to the greater performance pressure, higher litigation risk, greater financing constraints and poorer internal controls experienced by RM firms. These factors likely reduce management's willingness to invest in and improve ESG outcomes. However, as time passed, the discrepancy in ESG performance between RM firms and IPO firms gradually diminished. Additionally, the nature of state ownership and reduced competitive pressure in the industry also serve to mitigate the negative impact of RMs on firms' ESG performance. To promote sustainable development, going public via IPO offers a better business strategy, creating shared value among a broader range of stakeholders, including socially responsible investors, advocacy groups and regulators.