Godswill Osemeke

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) communications have proliferated across Fortune 500 companies, yet no validated frameworks exist for systematically distinguishing authentic from superficial positioning. This study develops and validates the Dynamic Authenticity Evaluation Model (DAEM), measuring three interactive dimensions of ESG communication authenticity: operational alignment, temporal consistency, and communication specificity. Through dual-evaluator protocols applied to eight mega-cap companies , DAEM achieves excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.85; Krippendorff's α = 0.83). An event study analysis across sixteen major ESG announcements reveals no significant correlation between communication authenticity and abnormal stock returns (r = 0.289; p = 0.491), with effects being bounded below ±0.30% cumulative abnormal returns through equivalence testing. Preliminary stakeholder analysis suggests differential authenticity sensitivity , with employee engagement showing a stronger association with DAEM scores (r = 0.423) than market reactions (r = 0.289). Results indicate that authentic ESG communications influence non-market stakeholders more than short-term stock prices, suggesting that market value creation requires operational rather than symbolic approaches, while authentic communication remains important for stakeholder relationship management.

From the theoretical perspectives of stakeholder, agency and slack resources, and using fixed effects and random effects models, this study investigates the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial performance. The study adopts fixed and random effects panel estimates which deal with unobserved heterogeneity not addressed by OLS. The result is positive between CSR and Tobin’s q. This strengthens the argument that CSR creates value for stakeholders. The implications of this study lie in the common knowledge that Nigerian companies should address CSR from a strategic context of meeting stakeholder needs, in addition to satisfying shareholder expectations. Given that Nigeria’s economy by GDP is the largest in Africa, findings in this study have far-reaching implications in the African context.