Corporate political connection and corporate social responsibility disclosures

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 725-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Badrul Muttakin ◽  
Dessalegn Getie Mihret ◽  
Arifur Khan
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
The State ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Political Connection ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Corporate Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the association of corporate political connection with the level of voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures to determine how the relationships between the state and the corporate sector influence CSR engagement. Design/methodology/approach Based on a neo-pluralist view of legitimacy theory, which conceptualizes the state as a concentration of power amenable to exploitation by the corporate sector, the study develops and empirically tests a hypothesis that CSR disclosures are inversely associated with political connection. A sample of 936 firm-year observations is used with data collected from annual reports of companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange in Bangladesh from 2005 to 2013. Findings Results indicate that corporate political connection is associated with reduced CSR disclosures. This finding suggests that the perceived need for CSR disclosures as a legitimation strategy diminishes for politically connected firms. The finding supports a neo-pluralist argument that political connection could enable firms to eschew stakeholder pressure associated with potential legitimacy threats originating from poor CSR performance. This conclusion challenges the pluralist view of legitimacy theory that considers the state as a neutral arbiter resolving conflict among stakeholder groups in society. Originality/value The study makes a significant contribution to the literature by developing a neo-pluralist theorization of voluntary CSR disclosures within legitimacy theory and empirically testing it. Because prior empirical CSR disclosure research is largely underpinned by the pluralistic conception of society, examining this phenomenon from a neo-pluralist perspective enables a more complete understanding of CSR disclosure behaviors of firms.

scholarly journals Corporate social responsibility through sport: a longitudinal study of the FTSE100 companies

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Bason ◽  
Christos Anagnostopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – Under growing public scrutiny of their behaviour, the vast majority of multinational enterprises (MNEs) have been undertaking significant investments through corporate social responsibility (CSR) in order to close legitimacy gaps. The purpose of this paper is to provide a descriptive account of the nature and scope of MNEs’ CSR programmes that have sport at their core. More specifically, the present study addresses the following questions. First, how do Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 firms utilise sport as part of their CSR agendas? Second, how do different industries have different approaches to CSR through sport? And third, can the types of CSR through sport be classified? Design/methodology/approach – Centred on legitimacy theory and exploratory in nature, the study employed a content analysis method, and examined three types of document from each of the FTSE100 firms, namely, annual reports, annual reviews and CSR reports over the ten-year period from 2003 to 2012. In total, 1,473 documents were content analysed, thereby offering a sound representation of CSR disclosure of the FTSE100. Findings – From the analysis, three main streams emerged: “Philanthropy”, “Sponsorships” and “Personnel engagement” with the first showing the smallest growth compared with the other main streams. Findings show the general rise in CSR through sport, thereby demonstrating that the corporate world has practically acknowledged that the sporting context is a powerful vehicle for the employment of CSR. Originality/value – Previous empirical studies have sought to investigate CSR through sport, yet they have generally suffered from sampling limitations which have, in turn, rendered the drawing of reliable conclusions problematic. Particularly, the lack of an explicit focus on longitudinality is a typical limitation, meaning that no conclusions can be made regarding the trend. The study outlined in this paper offers the most comprehensive longitudinal study of CSR through sport to date, and thus contributes to the increasing volume of literature that examines the application of CSR in relation to the sport sector.

Corporate social responsibility extent and quality: evidence from Jordan

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Belal Fayez Omar ◽  
Hani Alkayed
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This study aims to examine the extent and quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in Jordan for the time periods of 2005–2006 and 2014–2015, ultimately establishing whether there was a change in the extent and quality of disclosure practices before and after the new regulations for CSR. Furthermore, this study additionally seeks to determine if the regulations are a major factor in changing CSR disclosure practices, or whether there are other factors for such a change. Design/methodology/approach The annual reports of 55 manufacturing companies (11 sub-sectors) on the Amman Stock Exchange for the years 2005–2006 and 2014–2015 were selected, and a CSR checklist was measured via the construction an index covering 36 items in 4 themes: environmental; human resources; community; and products and others. The study measures the quantity of CSR via the number of sentences and the quality of CSR by the weighting approach (on a scale of 0–3); furthermore, the paired sample t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to establish whether there was a change in the extent and quality of CSR disclosure practices. Findings The results of the study revealed that there being a significant increase in the extent and quality of CSR for the period 2014–2015 compared to that of 2005–2006, the most optimal performance being in 2015, bragging an average of 61,41 total sentences per annual report and an average quality score of 1.423. Moreover, detailed analysis of CSR extent and quality by theme reveals that the highest percentage of CSR extent and quality was within the environmental theme, with an average score 28.6% of total sentences in 2014 (extent) and 1.743 in 2015 of total sentences (quality). Research limitations/implications The current study has some limitations, which have implications for future studies. First, this study examined the extent and quality of CSR for only two time frames: before and after regulation. However, a longitudinal study would have provided a wider scope of study. Second, the study focussed only on the industrial sector, thus limiting the results to only this area. Indeed, the exploration of the CSR extent and quality for other sectors (e.g. financial and services) would generalise the results further, allowing for the making of comparisons compare among different sectors. Moreover, the study at hand has focussed solely on annual reports, which could lead to subjectivity, thus reducing the reliability of results. Future studies should thus focus on other means of disclosure (e.g. websites; environmental reports). Practical implications The current mandatory requirements would suggest Jordanian regulators have begun specifying CSR disclosure requirements in an easier, more user-friendly and traceable format. Indeed, the increase in CSR extent and quality for the post-regulations period would increase the need to organise mandatory requirements in CSR. For managers, on the other hand, the study provides the CSR as a strategic tool for reflecting the actual environmental activities, comparing it with the society’s expectations. Moreover, when budgets are limited, managers prioritise CSR activities that yield a positive impact on financial performance by allocating the limited resources in a broad manner. Social implications The results additionally highlights the ways in which the Jordanian industrial companies increase their levels within the environmental theme in CSR for the post-regulations. It could be argued that a great number of companies in the past decade have started adopting environmentally friendly practices and strategies to protect the natural environment, such as greenhouses, extracting non-renewable resources and reducing amount of industrial waste. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is currently no existing study within Jordan exploring the change of CSR over time – specifically in terms of before and after the regulations. In addition, exploring the quality of CSR using a weighted approach (scale out of 3) is not conducted in Jordanian studies before.

Corporate governance effects on corporate social responsibility disclosure: empirical evidence from heavy-pollution industries in Iran

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali Fallah ◽  
Fayegh Mojarrad
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Heavy Pollution ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in a sample of 64 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange.Design/methodology/approachThis study opts for a descriptive-correlational method. To measure the extent of CSR disclosure and CG variables, companies’ annual reports and websites during 2014-2015 are content analyzed by applying a 64-item checklist. Boards’ size, age, tenure and independence, CEO duality, audit committee (AC) composition and ownership concentration are considered as CG variables. To ascertain the CG–CSR disclosure relationship, multivariate linear regression analysis is incorporated.FindingsBased on the results, audit committee composition, board tenure and ownership concentration positively influence CSR disclosure level with ownership concentration as the most influential variable, that is, in companies with majority shareholders ownership, managers tend to disclose more CSR information.Research limitations/implicationsOnly annual reports and company websites are analyzed. Researchers are encouraged to apply other methods such as interview and to consider other variables, such as board diversity, proportion of female members and the extent of shareholders activities, to measure CG.Practical implicationsThis paper provides implications at the policy level to identify governance mechanisms to increase CSR awareness of heavy-pollution industries in developing countries.Originality/valueStudies rarely examined CSR reporting in Iran, particularly among heavy-pollution companies. Besides, the paper highlights the role of majority shareholders and non-executive AC members in CSR disclosure.

scholarly journals Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility disclosure: evidence from Saudi Arabia

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murya Habbash
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Saudi Arabian ◽  
Arab Country ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This study aims to discover the corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure practices and the potential influence of corporate governance (CG), ownership structure and corporate characteristics in an emerging Arab country, Saudi Arabia. This study extends the extant literature by investigating the drivers of CSR disclosure in a country that lacks research in this area. Design/methodology/approach This study examines 267 annual reports of Saudi Arabian non-financial listed firms during 2007-2011 using manual content and multiple regression analyses and a checklist of 17 CSR disclosure items based on ISO 26000. Findings The analysis finds that the CSR disclosure average is 24 per cent, higher than 14.61 and 16 per cent found by Al-Janadi et al. (2013) and Macarulla and Talalweh (2012) for two Saudi Arabian samples during 2006-2007 and 2008, respectively. This improvement may be due to the application of Saudi CG code in 2007. The analysis also shows that government and family ownership, firm size and firm age are positive determinants of CSR disclosure, firm leverage is a negative determinant and effective AC, board independence, role duality, institutional ownership, firm profitability and industry type are found not to be determinants of CSR disclosure. Originality/value This study is important because it uses the agency theory to ascertain the influence of specific board characteristics and ownership structures on disclosure. As a result, it provides important implications for CG regulators and different stakeholders and provides an evaluation of the recently applied Saudi CG code from the CSR disclosure perspective.

scholarly journals The interrelationship of marketing, accounting and auditing with corporate social responsibility

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Muneerali Thottoli
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Corporate Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Google Search

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelationship of marketing, accounting and auditing with corporate social responsibility (CSR) to determine the benefit of CSR marketing, the responsibility of Board of Directors (BODs) with CSR accounting and the duty of external auditors with CSR that has influence on corporate sector. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses exploratory and qualitative data obtained from multiple research methods, to investigate benefit of CSR marketing, the responsibility of BODs with CSR accounting and the duty of external auditors with CSR and of its practices by companies’ websites, google search, annual reports and CSR reports from all listed companies in the Muscat Securities Market, Oman. The data are used to critically examine and revise a previously published explanatory framework that identifies interrelationship of CSR marketing, accounting with CSR and auditing with CSR. Findings Results indicate that CSR marketing, CSR accounting and CSR auditing are closely interrelated for accepting and implementing CSR requirements by corporates. This finding suggests that the benefit of CSR marketing, the responsibility of BODs with CSR accounting and the duty of external auditors with CSR has positively influence on corporate sector. The finding helps to build good image by corporates. Practical implications Organizations from developing countries such as Oman should be aware of CSR marketing, CSR accounting and CSR auditing that affects decisions with CSR adoption and implementation by organizations that could also lead to competitive advantage when it operates in developed countries. Though, organizations in developed countries are also equip for higher expectations by applying innovative CSR initiatives. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first academic literature review on interrelationship of marketing, accounting and auditing with CSR based on evidence from an Oman context. The paper contributes by exploring the benefit of CSR marketing, the responsibility of BODs with CSR accounting and the duty of external auditors with CSR which influence on corporate sector.

The complementarity between corporate social responsibility disclosure and institutional investor in Jordan

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Daas ◽  
Reem Alaraj
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Institutional Investor ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Market Capitalisation ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and its relation to institutional investor (INSV) of Jordanian private listed companies (PLCs).Design/methodology/approachA unique sample of 159 largest companies over “a period of 8-years” listed on the ASE in terms of market capitalisation during the 2005-2012 period. Testing of hypotheses has been conducted by applying multivariate regression techniques using longitudinal data analysis of companies’ annual reports.FindingsResults which confirmed earlier estimations indicated that there are positive and significant relationships between CSR disclosure (CSRD) and INSV. This result indicates that among the CSRD dimensions, INSVs are less concerned with companies engaging in community contribution practices and those related to the community involvement and product dimension in which the company operates.Practical implicationsJordanian PLCs should be encouraged to be involved in CSR activities as one of their program strategies in attracting investment, as well as to improve their reputation and image in their social activities.Originality/valueThis paper conducts a comprehensive empirical evidence on the development of the relationship between the CSRD dimensions and INSV in Jordanian PLCs as an emerging market, where much existing evidence exists on this issue that may help in explaining difference in prior work.

scholarly journals Factors influencing corporate social responsibility disclosures in Nepalese banks

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-224
Author(s):  
Gopi Bidari ◽  
Hadrian Geri Djajadikerta
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis paper examines the relationship between selected firm-specific variables and the extent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures made by Nepalese banks.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis approach of the banks' annual reports is applied using a CSR disclosure index based on the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines. The factors identified in this study – bank size, bank age and bank profitability – are analyzed against the extent of CSR disclosures in the Nepalese banks using multiple regression.FindingsThe main finding from the content analysis indicates that the extent of CSR disclosures made by Nepalese banks in their annual reports is mostly descriptive, with charity and donation being the most disclosed items. The main findings from the correlation and regression analyses show that there are positive and significant relationships between both bank size and profitability and the extent of CSR disclosures in the Nepalese banks, while bank age is a partial determinant.Originality/valueBanks have a significant role in the Nepalese economy. This study offers insights into the CSR disclosure practices of Nepalese banks, examines the potential factors affecting CSR disclosure and expands the pool of CSR knowledge in the developing country context, especially in the banking sector.

Corporate social responsibility disclosure and Islamic banks: a case study of Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal Zafar ◽  
Ahmad Azam Sulaiman
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Islamic Banking ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Government ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to gauge the level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure of Islamic banks of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The annual reports of Islamic banks of Pakistan from the year 2003 to 2017 were considered as the source of data. The content analysis method was used to gauge the level of CSR disclosure with the help of the CSR disclosure index. Islamic banks proclaim religiously motivated and ethical institutions; hence, full disclosure was expected from Islamic banks in the domain of CSR. Findings The average level of CSR disclosure of Islamic banks after a one-and-a-half decade of Islamic banking in Pakistan is 31.23%, which is far below the expected level of CSR disclosure and even below the mean level. The mean comparison analyzes show that the level of CSR disclosure differs among the Islamic banks, old and large Islamic banks are disclosing more information, in addition, the local Islamic banks have a relatively high level of CSR disclosure as compare to the foreign Islamic banks. Research limitations/implications The current CSR disclosure policy of the government regarding corporations in Pakistan is insufficient. There is a need to revise this policy which may result in higher CSR disclosure. The results indicate, that there is a difference in CSR disclosure among local and foreign Islamic banks, so this policy must address this aspect as well. Originality/value Islamic banking proclaims a new wave of the corporate that has higher social objectives, but a contradiction exists among the ideology and reality of social responsibility of Islamic banks. Then, this study also supports that the same dilemma of low CSR disclosure also prevails in the Islamic banks of Pakistan.

Does CSR disclosure enhance corporate brand performance in emerging economy? Evidence from India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumya Sarkar ◽  
Manali Chatterjee ◽  
Titas Bhattacharjee
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Brand Performance ◽  
Corporate Brand ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to delve into the influence of corporate social responsibility on the corporate brand performance of Indian business-to-business (B2B) companies. Design/methodology/approach The corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices have been measured through CSR disclosure index (CDI), generated by surveying annual reports/CSR reports/websites of 131 Indian B2B firms. The same was mapped to corporate brand performance of these firms, measured as customer-based corporate brand equity, which was measured through a questionnaire-survey of purchasing managers and users working in firms that are customers to the above-mentioned firms. Findings The result reveals the positive influence of CSR practices in shoring up corporate brand performance. Research limitations/implications CDI has been developed based on CSR reporting across the stakeholder groups. However, the impact has been mapped onto one stakeholder category, the customer. The sample period was only one year, and the data is cross-sectional. Future studies may investigate the long-term effect of CSR using longitudinal data on larger data sets. Practical implications This study will encourage Indian B2B firms to practice CSR not only for conforming to the regulatory requirements but also as a strategic tool in strengthening the competitive advantage. Originality/value It is the first study of its kind to evaluate the imprint of corporate social responsibility, measured based on CSR reporting by firms, on corporate brand performance. It looks into the return earned by firms from the resources invested in CSR activities.

Do creditors value corporate social responsibility disclosure? Evidence from Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Boachie ◽  
Joseph Emmanuel Tetteh
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Debt Financing ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose Drawing on risk mitigation theory, this study aims to examine the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and the cost of debt financing (CDF). In particular, this paper seeks to determine whether firms with higher CSR disclosure scores have a lower CDF. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a panel data analysis of non-financial Ghanaian firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange from 2006 to 2019. The CSR index constructed from firms’ annual reports and sustainability reports is used as a proxy for the extent of CSR information disclosures by Ghanaian companies. Findings The empirical results demonstrate that CDF is positively related to CSR disclosure scores. Besides, the results show that the levels of long-term debt increase with CSR disclosure in a highly risky industry. However, the finding does not meet the lenders’ expectations in terms of CSR attracting favourable debt financing sources. Research limitations/implications The research is based only on the quantity of the CSR information disclosed by Ghanaian companies and does not account for the quality of the CSR disclosures. The empirical model omits some control variables such as the age of the firm and external business conditions. The results should not be generalized, as the sample was based on three listed industries in Ghana for 2006–2019. Originality/value This study extends the scope of previous studies by examining the importance of CSR disclosures in financing decisions. More precisely, it focuses on the relatively little explored relationship between the extent of CSR disclosures and access to debt financing. Moreover, this study focuses on the rather interesting empirical setting of Ghana, which is characterized by its low level of CSR awareness. Achieving a better understanding of the effects of CSR information is useful for corporate managers desiring to meet lenders’ expectations and attract debt financing sources.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document