scholarly journals Muslim CEO, women on boards and corporate responsibility reporting: some evidence from Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Absdulsamad Alazzani ◽  
Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin ◽  
Michael Jones
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Upper Echelons ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Upper Echelons Theory ◽  
Women On Boards ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Csr Disclosure

PurposeVery limited research has been devoted to answering the question of whether the religious beliefs of the upper echelons of management and gender diversity have any impacts on the communication of corporate social responsibility (CSR) information in the marketplace. This study aims to fill the void in the literature by posing the two research questions: first, does the CEO religion affect a firm’s CSR behaviour?; second, do the women on the boards influence CSR reporting?Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed the tests on a sample of 133 firms listed in Bursa Malaysia that have analysts following using a self-constructed CSR disclosure index based on information in annual reports in 2009. A total of 23 per cent of the sample firms have Muslim CEOs, and women made up only 8 per cent of board members.FindingsThe authors find that Muslim CEOs are significantly associated with greater disclosure of CSR information. The authors also find a moderate relationship between board gender diversity and CSR disclosure. This is probably because of insufficient number of women on boards.Research limitations/implicationsThe disclosure index is based on unsubstantiated CSR information provided in annual reports, and the authors examine only two aspects of board diversity, namely, Muslim religiosity and gender mix.Originality/valueThis study advances the research on upper echelons theory by illuminating the importance of religious value in influencing the CSR behaviour of corporate leaders. This has been largely overlooked because of lack of data.

Board diversity and CSR reporting: an Australian study

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathyayini Rao ◽  
Carol Tilt
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Diversity Measure ◽  
Multiple Directorships ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance, in particular board diversity, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting among the top 150 listed companies in Australia over a three-year period. Design/methodology/approach The quantitative analysis involving a longitudinal study is used where content analysis is undertaken to analyse the extent of CSR disclosures in annual reports. Regression analysis using panel data is used to analyse the potential association between CSR disclosure and five important board diversity measures, specifically independence, tenure, gender, multiple directorships and overall diversity measure. Findings The results based on the regression analysis reveal that three of the board diversity attributes (gender, tenure and multiple directorships) and the overall diversity measure have the potential to influence CSR reporting. The relationship between independent/non-executive directors and CSR disclosure however is unclear. In addition, three of the control variables (firm size, industry and CEO duality) are found to have some influence on CSR disclosure, whereas board size and profitability are found to be insignificant. The results also indicate the existence of some possible interaction effects between gender and multiple directorships. Originality/value The paper has implications for companies, for policymakers and for the professional development needs of board members. Australian companies should consider identifying board attributes that enhance CSR disclosures, as it has been shown in previous studies that CSR disclosure in Australia is low when compared to other developed countries. Moreover, given that there is such limited research linking board diversity and CSR disclosure, the results of this paper provide scope for further research. Moreover the paper contributes to the existing literature on board composition and CSR disclosure by extending the literature to board diversity and provides preliminary evidence of the influence of board diversity on CSR disclosure in Australia.

scholarly journals Institutional and economic determinants of corporate social responsibility disclosure by banks

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-227
Author(s):  
Jonas da Silva Oliveira ◽  
Graça Maria do Carmo Azevedo ◽  
Maria José Pires Carvalho Silva
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Csr Disclosure

PurposeThis study aims to explore the firm’s and country-level institutional forces that determine banks’ CSR reporting diversity, during the recent global financial crisis.Design/methodology/approachSpecifically, this study assesses whether economic and institutional conditions explain CSR disclosure strategies used by 30 listed and unlisted banks from six countries in the context of the recent 2007/2008 global financial crisis. The annual reports and social responsibility reports of the largest banks in Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal were content analyzed.FindingsThe findings suggest that economic factors do not influence CSR disclosure. Institutional factors associated with the legal environment, industry self-regulation and the organization’s commitments in maintaining a dialogue with relevant stakeholders are crucial elements in explaining CSR reporting. Consistent with the Dillard etal.’s (2004) model, CSR disclosure by banks not only stems from institutional legitimacy processes, but also from strategic ones.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the importance of CSR regulation to properly monitor manager’s’ opportunistic use of CSR information and regulate the assurance activities (regarding standards, their profession or even the scope of assurance) to guarantee the proper credibility reliability of CSR information.Originality/valueThe study makes two major contributions. First, it extends and modifies the model used by Chihet al.(2010). Second, drawn on the new institutional sociology, this study develops a theoretical framework that combines the multilevel model of the dynamic process of institutionalization, transposition and deinstitutionalization of organizational practices developed by Dillardet al.(2004) with Campbell’s (2007) theoretical framework of socially responsible behavior. This theoretical framework incorporates a more inclusive social context, aligned with a more comprehensive sociology-based institutional theory (Dillardet al., 2004; Campbell, 2007), which has never been used in the CSR reporting literature hitherto.

Voluntary CSR disclosure works! Evidence from Asia-Pacific banks

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ameeta Jain ◽  
Monica Keneley ◽  
Dianne Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Maximum Improvement ◽  
Csr Disclosure

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting in six large banks each from Japan, China, Australia and India over the period of 2005-2011. Design/methodology/approach – CSR and banks’ annual reports and websites were analysed using a comprehensive disclosure framework to evaluate the themes of ethical standards, extent of CSR reporting, environment, products, community, employees, supply chain management and benchmarking. Findings – Over the seven years, bank CSR disclosure improved in all four countries. Australian banks were found to have the best scores and Indian banks demonstrated maximum improvement. Despite the absence of legislative requirements or standards for CSR, this paper finds that CSR reporting continued to improve in quality and quantity in the region on a purely voluntary basis. Research limitations/implications – This study indicates that financial institutions have a commitment to CSR activities. The comparison between financial institutions in developed and developing economies suggests that the motivation for such activities is complex. A review of the studied banks suggests that strategic rather than economic drivers are an important influence. Practical implications – Asia-Pacific Governments need not mandate bank CSR reporting standards as the banks improved their CSR reporting consistently over the seven years despite the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Originality/value – A disclosure framework index is used to assess the comprehensiveness of bank practice in relation to CSR reporting. This approach enables cross-sectional and cross-country comparisons over time and the ability to replicate and apply to other industries or sectors.

scholarly journals The association between board gender diversity and financial reporting quality, corporate performance and corporate social responsibility disclosure

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Consuelo Pucheta-Martínez ◽  
Inmaculada Bel-Oms ◽  
Gustau Olcina-Sempere
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose Companies, politicians, the mass media, legislators, scholars and society in general have shown a growing interest in how board gender diversity affects a firm’s decisions. This concept has been developed because some nations have introduced voluntary policies to regulate and increase the proportion of female directors on corporate boards. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to review previous research based on board gender diversity as a corporate governance mechanism and its effect on some firms’ business decisions: financial reporting quality (FRQ), firm performance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting. Design/methodology/approach The authors focus on the agency and stakeholder theory to examine the link between female directors on boards and FRQ, CSR disclosure and firm performance. Findings This review provides researchers a structure that can identify the benefits and disadvantages of including female directors on boards regarding three particular corporate outcomes (FRQ, firm performance and CSR reporting). Originality/value This study provides a review of past literature on firm performance, CSR disclosure and FRQ from 1975 to 2017, and it contributes to past research by giving a broad overview of the main results of the association between female board directors and corporate decisions. The findings have implications for governments, academics and company managers.

Executive directors' pay-performance link and board diversity: evidence from high free cash flow and low-growth firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chwee Ming Tee
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Least Squares Method ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Free Cash Flow ◽  
Executive Directors ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Growth Firms ◽  
And Gender

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether board diversity can attenuate weaker executive directors' pay-performance link in high free cash flow and low-growth firms (HFCF_LGRW).Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the Malaysian dataset from 2005 till 2016 and the fixed-effect model to investigate the developed hypotheses. The two-stage least squares method (2SLS) is employed to mitigate endogeneity issues.FindingsThis study finds that a positive association between executive directors' pay and firm performance is weaker in HFCF_LGRW firms. However, board diversity, namely ethnic and gender diversity, can mitigate weaker executive directors' pay-performance link, indicating effective monitoring.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to reveal that executive directors' pay-performance link is weaker in firms with HFCF_LGRW growth, consistent with Jensen's (1986) free cash flow hypothesis. However, findings suggest that this agency problem in HFCF_LGRW firms is attenuated by board diversity, namely ethnic and gender diversity. This supports the notion that diversity in corporate boards serves as an effective internal monitor.

The effect of award on CSR disclosures in annual reports of Malaysian PLCs

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 831-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdirahman Anas ◽  
Hafiz Majdi Abdul Rashid ◽  
Hairul Azlan Annuar
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The paper aims to examine the determinants of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures in the annual reports of Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs). In 2006, Bursa Malaysia Berhad (BMB) launched its CSR Framework (effective in 2007) which is supposed to guide the Malaysian PLCs’ CSR disclosures. It is believed that this CSR framework may influence CSR disclosures to be more systematic, yet there is no evidence whether this framework influences the extent and quality of CSR disclosures. Thus, this study examines this area of research. The study also tests the influence of award on CSR disclosures. Design/methodology/approach – CSR disclosure checklist was developed to analyse the extent and quality of CSR information disclosures in the year 2008 annual reports of the Malaysian PLCs. Findings – Malaysian PLCs disclose more CSR information related to community and environment than workplace and marketplace CSR themes. On the other hand, the quality of disclosure practices was minimal when it is compared to the extent of disclosure practices. Finally, the study also found that the award’s variable has a significant positive relationship with both the extent and quality of CSR disclosure practices of the Malaysian PLCs. Research limitations/implications – The recently developed BMB’s CSR framework seems to have impact on the level and systematic CSR reporting practices of Malaysian PLCs. However, the quality of CSR disclosures is considered minimal. Practical implications – The results of the study bring some practical implications to the regulators, particularly Bursa Malaysia. First, it is good to observe that most companies have practiced specific disclosure in a separate statement with regard to CSR. However, the format of presentation and the extent of disclosure vary among the firms. Second, further guidelines need to be developed to provide a clearer framework of disclosure for CSR information. At the moment, Bursa Malaysia only listed down general principles of CSR themes. In addition, the regulators should also look into the evolving issues in CSR, such as the issue of climate change reporting. For example, the Climate Disclosure Standards Board has issued a voluntary Climate Change Reporting Framework. Originality/value – This study examined both the traditional (i.e. firm size and profitability) and non-traditional (i.e. award) factors influencing management’s decision to disclose CSR information in the annual reports of the Malaysian PLCs. Furthermore, the study reported how Malaysian PLCs comply with the recently implemented CSR framework issued by BMB.

CSR website disclosure: the influence of the upper echelons

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Everaert ◽  
Lies Bouten ◽  
Annelien Baele
Keyword(s):  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Ethical Ideology ◽  
Upper Echelons ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Upper Echelons Theory ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Stakeholder View ◽  
Drivers Of Csr ◽  
Csr Disclosure

Purpose Using upper echelons theory (UET), the purpose of this paper is to unravel the influence of a CEO’s ethical ideology on the presence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure on corporate websites. It also considers the CEO’s perception of the importance of CSR (i.e. the extent of the CEO’s detachment from the stockholder-oriented logic and attachment to the stakeholder-oriented logic). Design/methodology/approach First, a survey was sent to CEOs of large unlisted Belgian companies. Its intention was to assess CEOs’ ethical ideology along the idealism and relativism dimensions and their perceptions on the importance of CSR (PRESOR-detachment-from-stockholder view; PRESOR-attachment-to-stakeholder view), and to gather some demographics. Second, a content analysis of corporate websites was conducted so as to classify companies as being either CSR disclosing or non-disclosing. Third, the annual accounts of these corporations were investigated and follow-up phone calls were conducted to obtain data on managerial discretion (MD). Findings CEOs’ ethical ideology influences the degree to which they detach from the stockholder-oriented logic and attach to the stakeholder-oriented logic. Moreover, when MD is high, the degree of these CEOs’ attachment to the stakeholder-oriented logic is the factor that influences the presence of CSR disclosure on their corporate websites. Finally, CEO’s idealism indirectly influences the presence of CSR disclosure through the effect of idealism on the degree to which CEOs attach to the stakeholder-oriented logic. Originality/value This paper shows that, when MD is high, CEOs’ values and perceptions influence CSR disclosure decisions. This study thereby enhances our knowledge regarding the internal drivers of CSR disclosure practices and offers UET as a lens through which the importance of CEOs’ personal characteristics in the decision-making process might be further explored.

The impact of board gender diversity on corporate social responsibility in the Arab Gulf states

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 577-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayman Issa ◽  
Hong-Xing Fang
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
Arab Gulf ◽  
Arab Gulf States ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of board gender diversity on the level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in the Arab Gulf states. Also, this research further aims to explore whether the impact of board gender diversity varies across the Arab Gulf states. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least squares regression is used in this study to test the impact of board gender diversity on the level of CSR disclosure. Manual content analysis is used to evaluate the extent of CSR disclosure in annual reports, stand-alone CSR reports, sustainability reports and website sections to examine the relationship between the extent of CSR reporting and board gender diversity. This study uses the global reporting initiative (GRI) fourth version reporting guidelines to design and define the classifications of CSR reporting checklist. Findings The findings show that there is a statistically significant relationship between the number of female directors and the level of CSR disclosure. The results show that board gender diversity is positively associated with the level of CSR reporting in two countries, namely, Bahrain and Kuwait. Also, the findings reveal that there is a weak positive relationship between the presence of women on the boards and CSR reporting index in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Originality/value This study attempts to fill the gap in the literature, in that no similar study covers the Arab Gulf countries as one economic unit. The study is unique in that it focuses on oil-rich countries. This study is, to the best of this researcher’s knowledge, the first to explore the impact of women’s boards on the extent of CSR reporting, as well as investigating the possible variation of board gender diversity impact on the extent of CSR reporting in the Arabian Gulf region.

Does the gender quota law affect bank performances? Evidence from Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1135-1158
Author(s):  
Romilda Mazzotta ◽  
Olga Ferraro
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Estimation Model ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Quota ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of an increasing board diversity on the performance of Italian listed banks for the period 2008–2014, taking into account the effects of the implementation of gender quota laws in Italy. The study also investigates the effects of this potential relationship during the crisis that Italy had to cope with since 2011, as well as the potential impact of female directors and their roles on bank boards. Design/methodology/approach To verify this relationship, the study uses a panel sample of 22 listed banks and applies fixed effects with the Driscoll-Kraay error. Considering the shareholders’ perspective, bank performance (BP) is measured by return on average equity. The robustness of results is verified through return on average assets, Tobin’s Q (a market measure from investors/stakeholders’ perspective) and an alternate estimation model, i.e. GMM. Findings The findings highlight a positive relationship between the performance accounting measures and gender diversity, a non-neutral impact of the presence of female directors on boards and a significant and negative effect on market measures. Research limitations/implications The results of the study, as far as accounting measures are concerned, support managerial and legislative efforts toward more gender-balanced boards and the appointment of female directors in executive or independent roles. As per market measures, the results suggest that the presence of women on boards should be considered advantageous in terms of value, so that the market can finally appreciate diverse bank boards. Originality/value First, previous studies did not provide exhaustive results to document the proposed relationship and did not examine this relationship during a financial crisis. Second, the role of female directors on boards is also taken into account. Third, the study highlighted that BP is a multi-dimensional construct, with accounting and market metrics being its distinct dimensions.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document