TY - JOUR T1 - THE MEDIATING ROLE OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL IN THE ESG - PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIP: EVIDENCE FROM THE U.S. IT INDUSTRY AU - Demiraj, Enida PY - 2025 DA - July Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.17261/Pressacademia.2025.1982 JF - PressAcademia Procedia JO - PAP PB - Suat TEKER WT - DergiPark SN - 2459-0762 SP - 1 EP - 4 VL - 21 IS - 1 LA - en AB - Purpose- This study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance and financial performance, with a particular focus on the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC) in publicly traded IT firms in the United States.Methodology- The research uses a sample of 204 U.S.-based publicly listed IT firms, covering 917 firm-year observations from 2011 to 2022. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression models were employed to test the proposed hypotheses and assess the impact of ESG on Return on Assets (ROA) and the potential mediating role of intellectual capital (IC).Findings- The results indicate that intellectual capital partially mediates the relationship between ESG performance and financial performance. While IC contributes significantly to explaining the effect of ESG on ROA, it does not fully account for the relationship.Conclusion- This study highlights the importance of considering intellectual capital as a strategic asset in enhancing the financial returns of sustainability-oriented initiatives. The findings provide actionable insights for corporate leaders and policymakers seeking to align ESG practices with long-term financial goals. KW - ESG KW - intellectual capital KW - financial performance KW - IT sector KW - United States CR - Carnini Pulino, S., Ciaburri, M., Magnanelli, B. S., & Nasta, L. (2022). Does ESG Disclosure Influence Firm Performance? Sustainability, 14(13), 7595. CR - Demiraj, R., Demiraj, E., & Dsouza, S. (2025). The Moderating Role of Worldwide Governance Indicators on ESG–Firm Performance Relationship: Evidence from Europe. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 18(4), 213. CR - Demiraj, R., Dsouza, S., & Abiad, M. (2022). Working Capital Management Impact on Profitability: Pre-Pandemic and Pandemic Evidence from the European Automotive Industry. Risks, 10(12), 236. CR - Destyasa, E. W., & Bustaman, Y. (2024, December). The Effect of Intellectual Capital (IC), Good Corporate Governance (GCG) And Environmental, Social, And Corporate Governance (ESG) To Firm Value in Public Company in Indonesia. In 5th International Conference on Global Innovation and Trends in Economy 2024 (INCOGITE 2024) (pp. 843-857). Atlantis Press. CR - Dsouza, S., Demiraj, R., & Habibniya, H. (2023). Impact of liquidity and leverage on performance: Panel data evidence of Hotels and Entertainment services industry in the MENA Region. International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems, 16(3). CR - Eriany, P. A. V., & Widyawati, L. (2024). ESG and Financial Performance: The Moderating Role of Intellectual Capital. EQUITY, 27(2), 226-239. CR - Fathonah, A. N., Ali, M., & Apriliana, T. (2024). Do Intellectual Capital and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) on Financial Performance?Ekonomis: Journal of Economics and Business, 8(1), 497-500. CR - Gogan, L. M., Artene, A., Sarca, I., & Draghici, A. (2016). The impact of intellectual capital on organizational performance. Procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 221, 194-202. CR - Habibniya, H., Dsouza, S., Rabbani, M. R., Nawaz, N., & Demiraj, R. (2022). Impact of Capital Structure on Profitability: Panel Data Evidence of the Telecom Industry in the United States. Risks, 10(8), 157. CR - Nahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Academy of management review, 23(2), 242-266. CR - Pew Tan, Hong, David Plowman, and Phil Hancock. "Intellectual capital and financial returns of companies." Journal of Intellectual capital 8, no. 1 (2007): 76-95. CR - Pham, C. V., Liu, S. F., & Chen, S. H. (2024). Corporate ESG performance and intellectual capital: International evidence. Asia Pacific Management Review, 29(3), 306-346. CR - Pulic, A. (2004). Intellectual capital–does it create or destroy value?. Measuring business excellence, 8(1), 62-68. CR - Subramaniam, M., & Youndt, M. A. (2005). The influence of intellectual capital on the types of innovative capabilities. Academy of Management journal, 48(3), 450-463. CR - Sullivan, P. H. (1999). Profiting from intellectual capital. Journal of knowledge management, 3(2), 132-143. UR - https://doi.org/10.17261/Pressacademia.2025.1982 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/5100297 ER -