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.

Is corporate governance relevant to the quality of corporate social responsibility disclosure in large European companies?

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Adel ◽  
Mostaq M. Hussain ◽  
Ehab K.A. Mohamed ◽  
Mohamed A.K. Basuony
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to report on the quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in S&P Europe 350 companies. The paper also examines the impact of corporate governance structure and other firm-specific characteristics on the quality of CSR disclosure in European companies. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a disclosure index adopted from Jizi et al. (2014). Moreover, the paper contributes to the CSR disclosure literature by developing a new index that includes all the aspects introduced by the Global Reporting Initiative version 4.The data of CSR reporting are manually collected from the firms’ reports. The population and sample of this study are related to 350 companies operating in 16 European countries. Tobit regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results reveal that directors’ ownership, the presence of a CSR committee and firm size positively affect the quality of CSR reporting. Further testing of the independent variables on each CSR sub-category is made. The CSR sub-categories used are, namely, community involvement, employees, environment, social product and service quality, supply chain sustainability and business ethics. The presence of a sustainability committee inside the company is the only factor that shows a strong positive effect on the disclosure of every CSR sub-category and the CSR inclusive index. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research are that it focuses exclusively on the effect of the internal corporate mechanisms on the quality of CSR reporting; disregarding the economic, institutional, political and cultural factors that can play a role in influencing sustainability reporting of the companies. Practical implications Better CSR disclosure leads to the firm having a better image in the society; this, in turn, has implications on firm performance, attracting funds, as well as recruiting and retaining high profile employees. Stakeholders are placing cumulative significance to corporate transparency particularly in the area of CSR. Managers should exert more efforts into not only improving the disclosure of the various facts of CSR but also into using the various media available for disclosure. Companies should take the initiative of establishing a CSR committee to ensure effective formation and implementation of CSR policies and disclosure of CSR activities. Social implications The CRS research itself bears the merit of social implications. Moreover, the findings of this research pave the way for future researches to examine the effect of the adoption of global CSR initiatives and frameworks on the quality of CSR reporting. Originality/value This paper contributes to the CSR disclosure literature by developing a new index that includes all the aspects of CSR and exploring the relation between the rarely explored “presence of sustainability committee” and CSR disclosure, as well as testing a vast number of CSR sub-categories that is not extensively covered in previous studies. Moreover, the paper covers a large sample of companies across 16 European countries, in terms of their stand-alone sustainability reports, dedicated chapters of CSR in annual reports, integrated reports, website CSR information and any attachments/links provided on the websites for further CSR documents, brochures or data sheets.

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.

The effect of managerial and institutional ownership on corporate social responsibility disclosure

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 979-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurleni Nurleni ◽  
Agus Bandang ◽  
Darmawati Darmawati ◽  
Amiruddin Amiruddin
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Institutional Ownership ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Managerial Ownership ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the effect of ownership structure that consists of managerial ownership and institutional ownership of the extensive of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure.Design/methodology/approachThe population in this study is manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI), as the manufacturing companies are considered to have great potential on environmental damage (Mathews, 2000). The selected sample were the companies which meet certain criteria (purposive sampling) which published the complete annual financial statements from 2011 to 2015. This study used an analysis method using partial least square (WarpPLS) to assess the effect of the structure of ownership consists of managerial ownership and institutional ownership on the extent of the CSR disclosure.FindingsThe results showed that there is a direct effect of a negative and significant correlation between managerial ownership on CSR disclosure, and there is a direct effect of a positive and significant correlation between institutional ownership on CSR disclosure.Originality/valueOriginality of this paper shows PLS (WarpPLS) that applied to determine the effect between variables managerial and institutional ownership on CSR disclosure. This research is collected data financial statements and annual reports of manufacturing companies obtained from the Indonesia Capital Market Reference Center (PRPM), which is located in the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), which there has not been research by the methods and the same location.

scholarly journals Application of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Principles for Measuring Quality of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Disclosure: Evidence from Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11409
Author(s):  
Hina Ismail ◽  
Muhammad A. Saleem ◽  
Sadaf Zahra ◽  
Muhammad S. Tufail ◽  
Rao Akmal Ali
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

CSR Reporting is an essential mechanism for ensuring the transparency and accountability of companies towards sustainability performance. To further promote that sustainable development agenda, CSR-related regulations and policies have emerged worldwide, including in Pakistan. Therefore this study assesses the quality of corporate social responsibility in annual reports issued by firms listed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange. This study has operationalized the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) principles for examining the quality of CSR disclosures. The paper sample comprised 540 annual reports of 90 financial or non-financial companies from the years 2012 to 2017. Content analysis is performed to look for six quality principles and measures, i.e., balance, comparability, accuracy, clarity, reliability, and timeliness. Results suggested that most Pakistani firms provide precise and on-time information and put less emphasis on the balance of information and comparable information. Moreover, this study also highlighted that organizations should implement the GRI principle for disclosing qualitative CSR report.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure of Nigeria’s Most Profitable Companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Abass Olabode Samuel ◽  
Umaru Zubairu ◽  
Bilkisu Abubakar
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Nigerian Government ◽  
One Year ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social

This study evaluated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure in the most profitable companies in Nigeria, a review was carried out on the annual reports and websites of the five most profitable companies in Nigeria according to the market cap list 2018. This research focused on the quantity and quality of CSR disclosures, provided by these companies. The method of analysis used was content analysis. The result of this study revealed that from the three dimensions constituting Community disclosure, Environmental disclosure and Human Resource disclosure, Community disclosure was the most disclosed dimension from the top profitable companies in Nigeria. Findings revealed that these companies disclosed a lot about the different CSR activities they had undertaken within the span of one year, but the quality of these disclosures were relatively low. CSR disclosure should be encouraged by the Nigerian government by publicly recognizing companies who disclose CSR activity, this will motivate other companies to practice and disclose CSR.

Corporate social responsibility disclosures in Malaysia: evidence from large companies

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelkader Sadou ◽  
Fardous Alom ◽  
Hayatullah Laluddin
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Government Ownership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is any improvement in the extent and quality of corporate social responsibility disclosures (CSRD) in Malaysia between 2011 and 2014 and to determine the factors that influence the extent and quality of CSRD in these two years. Also, this study examines the methods of disclosures and the items that largest Malaysian companies addressed. Design/methodology/approach A self-constructed CSR is utilised to measure the extent and quality of CSRD in the annual reports of the top 71 Malaysian companies listed in Bursa Malaysia for the years 2011 and 2014. Multiple regressions along with their associated toolkits for data verification and diagnostic tests are used to assess the improvement in CSRD between 2011 and 2014 and the factors that affect CSRD. Findings Results show a slight increase in the extent and quality of CSRD between 2011 and 2014. With regards to the factors influencing CSRD, only awards are found to be significant in determining the extent and quality of CSRD either in 2011 or in 2014. Board size, ownership concentration, independent non-executives and return on assets influence both the extent and quality of CSRD in 2011. Director ownership and firm size determine the extent and quality of CSRD in 2014. Government ownership only influences the extent of CSRD in 2011. Research limitations/implications Some traditional limitations are found to be considered in future research, such as the use of annual reports as the only source of CSRD information. Results support the legitimacy theory that assumes that Malaysian companies disclose CSR information as a reflection of the incidents that happen in that environment of the firm without ignoring the role of the government in pushing those companies towards being socially responsible by issuing regulations, or in motivating those companies by introducing awards and giving fiscal facilities. Practical implications The results help the policymakers to introduce more awards in some domains that were less addressed by Malaysian companies and also to examine the causes behind the non-influence of the new Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG 2012) on CSRD. Originality/value The study can be considered as one of the limited empirical studies that assess the changes in CSRD before and after the issuance of MCCG 2012 in Malaysia.

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 reporting of international oil companies in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-146
Author(s):  
Odhiambo Odera ◽  
Kieran James ◽  
Albert Scott ◽  
Jeff Gow
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This study aims to identify factors influencing corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR) practices of international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria. It aims at distinguishing CSRR levels by examining both the quantity and quality of reporting. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyses annual reports through content analysis. CSRR extent and type are measured by the number of sentences. CSRR are further classified into three subcategories according to whether they are negative, neutral or positive reports and then their proportions compared through descriptive analysis. Findings For the extent and quality of CSRR, community was the most reported category. The majority of the total CSRR in the IOCs is positive with little evidence of negative news. None of the IOCs in the sample reported on the environment in their annual reports. Research limitations/implications The measurement of CSRR focuses only on annual reports, without consideration of other reporting media such as standalone reports and corporate websites. CSRR are assumed to be voluntary for the companies and they may choose not to report any information in annual reports, as there are no regulations or reporting guidelines in Nigeria to be followed. Practical implications The results reveal the absence of environmental reporting in the CSRR of IOCs in Nigeria suggests that they are less concerned with meeting local demands for accountability. The study recommends the need for regulatory intervention on the part of the Nigerian Government. Social implications The findings of study indicate that predominant existence of positive CSRR news among all the IOCs suggests there’s an attempt to encourage stakeholders and the public to believe that they are conscious of society and the environment. Originality/value The main contribution of this study lies in identifying the factors that have led to diversity and uniqueness in CSRR in IOCs. As such, this study seeks to contribute to the development of understanding multiple factors that could give rise to changing patterns of CSRR.

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.

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