Women-friendly policies disclosure by companies in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 857-869
Author(s):  
Shlesha Singh ◽  
Mrinalini Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Content Analysis Method ◽  
Harassment Policy ◽  
Made In

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the significance that companies give to women-friendly policies and practices. Thus, the disclosures on women-friendly policies made in annual reports by top listed companies in India have been examined. This paper also attempts to investigate the disclosure-level changes over a three-year period: 2014–2016. Design/methodology/approach This paper investigates the extent of women-friendly policies disclosure made by top 83 Bombay Stock Exchange listed companies in India in their annual report. The content analysis method is used to examine the annual reports of each organisation over a period of three years to determine the extent of disclosure. Findings The result points out that the sexual harassment policy is the most disclosed item, followed by a special committee for handling sexual harassment and maternity leave. Most of the companies have ignored policies such as job sharing, cafeteria benefit plan and differential referral payment programme. It was also found that over a period of three years the women-friendly policies disclosure by companies has increased. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on the annual reports published by the companies. A broader study can be done by using other reports issued by companies. Originality/value In terms of the knowledge of the researchers, this is the first-ever study in the area of women-friendly policies disclosure in the annual report by listed companies in India. Thus, it also adds to the scarce research on women-friendly policies by companies.

The longitudinal study of sufficiency economy philosophy reporting of listed companies in the Stock Exchange of Thailand

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-206
Author(s):  
Muttanachai Suttipun
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Stock Exchange Of Thailand ◽  
Sufficiency Economy Philosophy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent and pattern of the sufficiency economy philosophy (SEP) reporting of listed companies from the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) between 2012 and 2016, and to compare the SEP scores of reporting in the companies’ corporate annual reports during the period studied and between four groups of interest, based on ownership status, country of origin of company, type of auditor and type of industry. Design/methodology/approach Listed companies of the SET were used as the population, whereas a sample of 70 firms was investigated in the study. Content analysis by checklist was used to quantify the extent and pattern of SEP reporting in annual reports. Findings The results showed that the average score for SEP reporting was 44.28 out of a possible 64 categories of reporting included in the checklist. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the SEP reporting score during the period studied. The results also indicated that there was a significant difference in the SEP reporting scores between groups, based on country of origin, auditor type and industry type. Originality/value As the first longitudinal study of SEP reporting in Thailand, the study demonstrated the effective rule of SET to Thai listed companies providing higher voluntary information reporting during period being study.

Impact of corporate characteristics on human resource disclosures

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surinder Kaur ◽  
Venkat A. Raman ◽  
Monica Singhania
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Market Capitalisation

Purpose Human resource (HR) disclosures are voluntary in nature in most countries including India. The voluntary nature of HR disclosures results in discrepancy in the HR disclosure practices across companies and industries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of HR disclosures in annual reports of Indian listed companies and to identify their determinants in a three stage analysis. Design/methodology/approach In the first stage a 16 item human resource disclosure index (HRDI) has been constructed for the set of CNX 200 companies listed on National Stock Exchange. Thereafter the effect of various independent variables on HRDI is analysed descriptively. Finally in the third stage HRDI has been regressed against the independent variables using regression analysis technique to identify key determinants of HRDI. Findings The research reveals that there is high variation among sample companies as regard HRDI. The results of descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis establish that government’s participation in ownership and market capitalisation has positive significant effect on HRDI at 1 per cent, presence of separate HR directors committee, presence of more independent directors on board at 5 per cent and cross-list America and profit after tax at 10 per cent level. Implicitly HRDI is positively affected by size of company as measured by market capitalisation. Though contrary to expectations, other variables leverage, number of employees, assets, ownership concentration, type of auditor, age, complexity of business structure, employee expense to total operating expense ratio, industry affiliation, foreign investment and proportion of non-executive directors on board are found to have moderate though insignificant influence on HRDI. Research limitations/implications Cross-sectional design, dependence on annual reports as a primary document for disclosure and subjectivity in HRDI construction are the main limitations of the research. A longitudinal study may be carried to study the pattern of HR disclosures in future. Weighted ranking of different items of disclosures may be studied to improve the understanding of extent of disclosures. Practical implications The HRDI as constructed in the research may be used as a benchmark by companies to improve their HR disclosures. It can also be used by accounting bodies and company regulators while deciding about standards regarding HR disclosures. Investors can also use HR disclosures made by a company as a basis to understand its financial standing and future potentials. Originality/value The study adds to the existing literature by developing 16 item HRDI to measure the extent of disclosures by listed companies in India and thereafter by including some new propositions in the determinants of HRDI have never been tested in the existing studies. These propositions are government’s participation in ownership, separate HR committee of directors, board composition and foreign activity. These propositions have been empirically validated in this research except for foreign activity.

Indian companies ignoring HR issues

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 29-31
Author(s):  
Brian Beal
Keyword(s):  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Corporate Disclosure ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Employee Welfare ◽  
Content Analysis Method ◽  
The Difference

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent of corporate disclosure on human resources (HR) in the annual reports of top-performing Indian companies. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores the extent to which top 82 companies from India present information about HR in their annual reports. This paper examines the annual reports of each of the top Indian firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, using the “content analysis” method. Statistical tests have been performed to analyze the difference between the HR disclosure score across public and private sectors and disclosure variations among various industrial sectors. Findings In-house training programmers has been noticed to be the favorite item of disclosure followed by safety awards/certifications and statements regarding cordial relations with the employees/unions. A majority of the Indian firms have ignored significant HR issues such as employee welfare fund, maternity/paternity leaves, holiday benefits, employee loans, adopting old age homes, etc. Overall, the paper reflects low HR-related disclosures. Originality/value This is the first paper on the disclosure of HR by the Indian corporate sector in the CSR domain with a disclosure analysis for a period of nine years. This paper provides new directions for the literature in this area and may promote comparative studies on HR-based studies from different perspectives.

scholarly journals The impact of web marketing on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firms' performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Muneerali Thottoli ◽  
K.V. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Web Marketing ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Google Search ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe current study seeks to examine the impact of web marketing (through the company's website) on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firms' performance across companies listed in the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX), Oman.Design/methodology/approachThis research analyses qualitative and exploratory data taken from companies' website, annual reports (the financial year 2019), Google search and CSR report from 69 out of total 117 listed companies in the MSX to analyze the impact of web marketing on CSR and firms' performance proxied by return of assets (ROA), return of equity (ROE) and Tobin's Q (TQ).FindingsWeb marketing on CSR positively affects firms' performance. Especially, the positive effect of web marketing on firms' performance is stronger for listed companies. Web marketing enhances financial performance proxied by ROA, ROE and TQ.Practical implicationsThe research findings provide new insights that are able to enlighten governing bodies in Oman to make standardized compulsory CSR spending (say, 0.5% on profit after tax) by listed companies in MSX.Originality/valueThis research presents evidence that web marketing on CSR can increase firms' performance and brand image among stakeholders. This is the first study to examine the impact of web marketing on CSR and firms' performance using empirical data in Oman.

Corporate Social Disclosures by Indonesian Listed Companies: A Pilot Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juniati Gunawan
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Content Analysis Method ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeAs one of the world's leading producers of energy resources, offering a large domestic market and workforce, Indonesia is susceptible to the issue of corporate social responsibility. As this research area is considered relatively new in the Indonesian context, the purpose of this paper is to provide useful information and describe early pictures of corporate social disclosure (CSD) practices in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the extent of CSD in Indonesian listed companies. Content analysis method is applied to analyse the companies' annual reports. An exploratory study was also carried out to find the motivation of the companies in making CSD, as well as the perceived importance of CSD information by Indonesian stakeholders. Finally, some preliminary independent variables were selected to be examined in their relationships to the extent of CSD.FindingsThe results show that the most important information on CSD perceived by the stakeholders is about “products” while information about “community” is perceived as the least important. However, “community” is considered as the most influence party of CSD for the companies. Additionally, there are three main motives for the Indonesian listed companies in conducting CSD: “to create positive image”, to “act accountability” and to “comply with stakeholders' needs”. This study also indicates that the extent of CSD in Indonesian listed companies is very low. Further, the correlation examinations demonstrate that the majority of null hypotheses were accepted.Originality/valueThere is currently a level of research or invent CSD practices in developing countries. This paper helps to fill some of this gap.

The influence of board characteristics on sustainability reporting

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed M. Shamil ◽  
Junaid M. Shaikh ◽  
Poh-Ling Ho ◽  
Anbalagan Krishnan
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Characteristics

Purpose – Drawing on agency theory and legitimacy theory perspectives, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of board characteristics on sustainability reporting of listed companies in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 148 listed companies was drawn from the CSE using stratified random sampling method and data were collected from the 2012 annual reports. The proposed hypotheses were tested using a hierarchical binary logistic regression. Findings – This study documents that board size and dual leadership are positively associated with sustainability reporting and boards with female directors are negatively associated with sustainability reporting. This study also found that sustainability reporting is likely to be influenced by firm size and firm growth. Additionally, the study also reveals that younger firms are likely to adopt sustainability reporting. Originality/value – This is the first study to examine the influence of board characteristics on sustainability reporting in Sri Lanka, considered as a developing economy with an emerging equity market.

Voluntary disclosure in Italy

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Scaltrito
Keyword(s):  
Firm Size ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
General Information ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Industrial Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resource Information ◽  
Other Information

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of voluntary disclosure in the companies listed on the Italian Stock Exchange. Voluntary disclosure refers to the discretionary release of financial and non-financial information which companies are not obliged to disclose by a standard-setting accounting body. In particular, this paper analyses the effect that certain determinants (leverage, firm size, sector auditor, performance and ownership concentration) could have on voluntary information disclosed by Italian listed companies. In order to do this, 203 annual reports of Italian listed companies for the year 2012 were analysed. Design/methodology/approach – To assess the extent of voluntary disclosure, an index is created and used as a dependent variable in an OLS model to understand the relationship between the above-mentioned determinants. The disclosure score is composed mainly of 38 items per firm (a total of 7,714 items were collected and analysed) regarding firm performance, general information, forward-looking information, human capital, research and development projects, stock market information, segment reporting information and other information. In order to differentiate the information presented in annual reports, a score was assigned to each item on the index (2 points if an item was reported in qualitative and quantitative terms, 1 point if the item was reported in qualitative terms, 0 points if the item was absent). The score is not weighted because all items are equally important for the research purpose. Repeated information is considered only once. Findings – According to the research findings, human resource information is the voluntary disclosure item reported with the highest frequency, and both firm size and auditors positively affect the total amount of voluntary information disclosed by Italian listed companies. Financial firms provide a lower level of voluntary disclosure than do industrial firms. Originality/value – The paper contributes in improving knowledge about Italian firms’ voluntary disclosure of firm-specific determinants, analysing a wide number of items provided in 2012 annual reports.

A comparative study on strategy disclosure between emerging markets and developed markets

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-22
Author(s):  
Morungwa Lumka Phala ◽  
Yaeesh Yasseen ◽  
Nirupa Padia ◽  
Waheeda Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
New York Stock Exchange ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Johannesburg Stock Exchange ◽  
York Stock Exchange ◽  
Market Sample

Purpose This study aims to compare the extent of voluntary strategy disclosure in the annual/integrated reports of listed companies in an emerging market with the extent of strategy disclosure in the annual/integrated reports of listed companies in a developed market. Design/methodology/approach A developed market sample that was made up of the top 50 companies on the New York Stock Exchange and the Australian Stock Exchange was compared to an emerging market sample that was made up of the top 50 companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange. The comparison was conducted by scoring the amount of strategy disclosure reported in the annual/integrated reports of the companies for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013. Findings The emerging market companies had average to good strategy disclosures in their annual reports, whereas the annual reports of companies in the developed market showed low strategy disclosure. Originality/value This study expanded upon the limited research available on strategy disclosure by comparing the extent of strategy disclosures in two developmental markets (the developed and emerging market).

Environmental disclosure quality: examining the impact of the stock exchange of Malaysia’s listing requirements

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 904-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.H. Fatima ◽  
Norhayati Abdullah ◽  
Maliah Sulaiman
Keyword(s):  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Mandatory Reporting ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Disclosure Quality ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sensitive

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the environmental disclosure (ED) quality of public-listed companies (PLCs) in environmentally sensitive industries (ESI) in Malaysia in 2005 and 2009 (two years before and two years after the mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) requirement of Bursa Malaysia (BM)). BM (The Stock Exchange of Malaysia) has made CSR, including ED in annual reports mandatory since 2007. This study compares environmental reporting (ER) before and after the 2007 mandatory reporting requirement to determine if this command and control mechanism has had any effect on the quality of ED. Design/methodology/approach – The quality of ED was measured using a disclosure quality index adapted from various prior studies. The index consists of a total of 46 disclosure items grouped into 9 categories. Content analysis was utilized to extract data from the annual reports of 164 PLCs in ESI. Findings – Overall, the quality of ED improved in 2009 from that of 2005. More importantly, companies disclosed more quantitative environmental information in 2009 than in 2005. However, the average quality of ED was still low in 2009 compared to the overall potential score. Results provide some support for legitimacy as well as institutional theories. Research limitations/implications – The sample of the study consisted of listed companies in ESI only; the results cannot be generalized to other companies in non-environmentally sensitive sectors. Practical implications – Prior studies that used data before the mandatory CSR requirement by BM found ED in annual reports mainly declarative in nature, generally low on quality and with little quantifiable data. The results of the present study provide evidence of the positive impact of mandatory environmental reporting on ED quality. Originality/value – The use of a multi-theoretical perspective may offer a more meaningful explanation of ER behavior in Malaysia. The results of the study would provide the impetus for regulatory agencies in developing countries to perhaps consider legislating ER. The findings provide some evidence to support the influence of legitimacy and institutional factors behind improved ED of Malaysian PLCs. This outcome exhibits a positive influence on the government efforts in promoting sustainability. Finally, the study contributes to present a more up-to-date account of environmental commitment undertaken by Malaysian corporations through their environmental reporting, after the CSR mandatory listing requirement took effect in 2007.

Exploring financial risks disclosure: evidence from Indian listed companies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandani Khandelwal ◽  
Satish Kumar ◽  
Deepak Verma
Keyword(s):  
Financial Risk ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Financial Risks ◽  
Risk Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature on financial risk disclosure by examining a sample of non-financial Indian companies listed on the Bombay stock exchange (BSE) to explore the degree of information about financial risks contained in their annual reports. Design/methodology/approach To study the financial risk disclosure of Indian companies, a sample of 206 non-financial companies has been derived from the top 500 listed companies at BSE. The method used in this study to analyze risk disclosure is content analysis. A total of 1,854 annual reports are scanned through software Nvivo-12 to find different types of risk words. Overall, risk disclosure, category wise risk disclosure, year-wise risk disclosure and sector-wise risk disclosure are assessed. The risk disclosure index is also computed. Findings The results show that there are some risk disclosure practices in Indian companies. No general pattern is observed. Companies are following vague method of risk disclosure. In the true sense, Indian companies are now started risk disclosure practices since 2018. This may be because of pressure from regulating bodies and stakeholders with greater detail about their financial risks. Originality/value This study is carried out for Indian non-financial companies. The paper adds to the literature relating to financial risk disclosure in developing countries.

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