scholarly journals Reliability of corporate environmental reports produced by listed South African companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-39
Author(s):  
Peter Nasiema Kamala
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
Corporate Environmental Reports

The aim of this research is to evaluate the reliability of environmental reports produced by the Top 100 listed South African (T100LSA) companies. A content analysis of environmental reports contained in the Integrated Annual Reports (IARs), sustainability reports and companies’ corporate websites was conducted using a control list. The findings of the study reveal that in general, the environmental reports produced by the T100LSA companies are reliable as most companies’ reports have a statement from the top management, describe the organization’s structures in place at various levels to deal with environmental matters, as well as the initiatives undertaken to mitigate environmental impacts. In addition, most companies disclose their external recognition for environmental achievement or their involvement with external parties on environmental matters. Furthermore, most of the companies’ reports contain third party commentary and indicate that the companies have adopted the best practice in environmental performance management and reporting. Besides, most companies report in a balanced manner including both positive and negative information pertaining to risks faced and the opportunities missed or seized, as well as their environmental policy, mission, objectives and strategies. However, there was a need for improvement, as only a half of the companies’ environmental reports had an assurance statement from an independent party, which mostly failed to indicate the procedures performed by the assuror

scholarly journals Relevance of corporate environmental reports produced by listed South African companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Nasiema Kamala
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Engagement Process ◽  
On Line ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
Corporate Environmental Reports

The broad aim of this research is to assess the relevance of environmental reports produced by the Top 100 listed South African (T100LSA) companies. The study is motivated by a lack of research on the relevance of environmental reports in South Africa, given the dramatic increase in the number of companies producing these reports as well as the expansion of the volumes of the reports produced. A content analysis of environmental reports contained in the Integrated Annual Reports (IARs), sustainability reports and companies’ corporate websites is conducted using a control list. The findings of the study reveal that in general, the environmental reports produced by the T100LSA companies are relevant as most companies have disclosed how they select stakeholders for engagement, their methods of engagement, engagement process and outcomes and how content reported on is selected. In addition, the companies have disclosed how they address and respond to key stakeholders’ concerns as well as their initiatives to encourage stakeholders to participate in the companies’ activities. Furthermore the companies disclose their general performance indicators. However, there is a need for improvement in the disclosure of metric to quantify the effectiveness of the stakeholder engagement and reference to GRI sector specific indicators when selecting content to report on. More importantly, there is a need to improve on the use of on-line features to enhance relevance of the reports such as encouraging users to be part of the writing process by enabling them to edit, analyze and share the reported information, and tracking their use of on-line reports

The impact of the Combined Code in Greek soft law

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 445-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michail Nerantzidis ◽  
John Filos ◽  
Anastasios Tsamis ◽  
Maria-Eleni Agoraki
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Specific Number

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of Combined code (2010) impact in the Greek soft law (SEV code, 2011) and the adoption of an overlapping set (between the two codes) of best practice provisions in Greece. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis was conducted to examine the similarities between the UK’s Combined code (2010) and the Greek SEV code (2011). Moreover, a sample of 219 Greek listed companies’ annual reports was analyzed, and their compliance with a specific number of provisions was evaluated. Findings – Through analyzing the content of both codes, it was found that from the total 64 provisions of the SEV code (2011), 45 were matched to at least one of the Combined codes (2010). From these 45 provisions, 26 were characterized as “in spirit” influence and 19 as “in letter”. Based on this evidence, 22 overlapping practices were selected to investigate the compliance and a quite low rate was revealed, an average percentage of 30.46 per cent. These findings indicate that while exogenous forces trigger the development and adoption of a code in Greece, in line with the UK’s, the endogenous forces tend to avoid the compliance with that “exogenous practices”. Moreover, the results support the idea that the Greek national code should be reshaped to fit the different country’s characteristics. Research limitations/implications – The research limitations are associated with the content analysis methodology, as well as the reliability of corporate governance (CG)statements. Originality/value – This study contributes to understanding in a more comprehensive manner the impact of Combined Code (2010) in Greek soft law. More specifically, based on a previous case study, this paper extends the seven analyzed factors of Koutoupis’ (2012) research to the total CG provisions of both codes. However, it goes further and develops a coding scheme to rate the level of compliance of the overlapping provisions.

Improving environmental performance through ISO 14001

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 540
Author(s):  
Max Goodwin
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Legal Compliance ◽  
Iso 14001 Standard

The International Standard for Environmental Management Systems, ISO 14001 (the Standard), has been around for nearly 20 years and 2015 saw its third revision. Various research papers in the early 2000s showed that adoption of—and certification to—the ISO 14001 standard did not have any significant bearing on organisations’ environmental performance, as measured in terms of the frequency of incidents and legal compliance. In this latest revision it is clear that concerns raised about the Standard have been taken on board, and it now provides for a more rigorous and effective environmental management system, which will ensure greater focus on the actual outcomes of the system, rather than the paperwork and procedures that are often the focus. New areas of focus include: environmental performance evaluation, leadership and commitment, life-cycle thinking, and addressing the needs of external stakeholders. Through experience gained over 20 years of working with the ISO 14001 standard in the oil and gas industry—including 10 years as a third-party certifier—the author discusses the benefits of adopting the revised ISO 14001 standard, and incorporates case study examples (from Australian oil and gas operators) of best practice as well as some of the pitfalls to avoid. In addition, the paper explores the potential for Australian oil and gas regulators to apply a ‘lighter touch’ to the regulation of ISO14001 certified operators.

scholarly journals Dissemination of annual report information on the internet by South African companies

2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 765-784
Author(s):  
F Naudé ◽  
A Du Toit
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Corporate Website ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Relationship

The Internet is a cost-effective and efficient way of distributing information to  all stakeholders in a transparent, globalised business environment. The aim of  this study was to determine the current state and level of adoption of the Internet  as a delivery and communication mechanism for disseminating online/digital  annual reports in the largest listed companies in South Africa. The population  selected for the survey was the 2001 Financial Mail top 300 (SA Giants)  companies. The research was conducted by analysing the corporate websites of  the selected companies, to establish the existence of a corporate website and  whether the full annual report was available electronically. The study also  investigated the relationship between digital annual reports and company  characteristics. The investigation revealed that those companies with websites  and digital annual reports are profitable companies.

scholarly journals EVIDENCIAÇÃO DO CAPITAL INTELECTUAL DE NATUREZA SOCIAL E AMBIENTAL: ESTUDO NOS RELATÓRIOS ANUAIS E NOS SITES DAS EMPRESAS LISTADAS NO PROGRAMA ‘EM BOA COMPANHIA’ DA BOVESPA

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harley Almeida Soares da Silva ◽  
Suliani Rover ◽  
Sandra Rolim Ensslin ◽  
Fabricia Silva da Rosa
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Secondary Source ◽  
Social Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sustainability Reports

This paper presents the results about voluntary disclosure of social and environmental Intellectual Capital (IC) in the 2006 Annual Reports and Sustainability Reports (henceforth, Annual Reports – ARs), and on the websites of the 39 companies that are listed on the "In Good Company" program of the São Paulo Stock Market (BOVESPA). The purpose of this study is to identify how the disclosure of both types of IC is performed and what elements are most frequently disclosed by the companies assessed. To perform the analysis, two matrices containing IC elements were designed – one for social IC, and another for environmental IC. This is a descriptive study, based on data from a secondary source, employing content analysis. The results indicate that environmental elements tended to be disclosed more frequently than social elements. Among the environmental IC elements, the most recurrent category was Internal Structure, both in the reports and on the websites. The same category is the most frequent in the social analysis of the reports; conversely, External Structure was the social IC category with the highest percentages of disclosure on the websites.

scholarly journals SOFTWARE, METHOD, AND ANALYSIS: REFLECTIONS ON THE USE OF ATLAS.TI IN A DOCTORAL RESEARCH STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-204
Author(s):  
Michael Adelowotan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Corporate Annual Reports ◽  
Data Analysis Software

This paper presents evidence from a user of a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) referred to as ATLAS.ti on its usefulness and challenges in the content analysis of corporate annual reports (CARs) of top South African companies. The paper illustrates how ATLAS.ti was employed to perform the content analysis of 60 corporate annual reports to determine the extent of human capital disclosures by the top South African companies. Useful reports generated from the “hermeneutic unit” known as “AdePhD” include the primary document list, the code list, the code families, the code summary, the code-primary document list, the codequotation list, and the network views. The reports from this qualitative analysis software facilitated the observations on the frequency of ninety-one human capital disclosure items analyzed from the corporate annual reports of companies in our sample. Findings indicate that the use of ATLAS.ti enabled a faster and robust analysis that would have taken a much longer time if done manually. It also facilitated more coherent results. Nevertheless, the major challenge is the lack of adequate institutional support for users when compared with the level of institutional support available for quantitative data analysis software such as the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

scholarly journals Does More Mean Better? Exploring the Relationship between Report Completeness and Environmental Sustainability

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10635
Author(s):  
Armando Calabrese ◽  
Roberta Costa ◽  
Nathan Levialdi ◽  
Tamara Menichini ◽  
Roberth Andres Villazon Montalvan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Eu Ets ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
The Relationship

The reliability of sustainability reporting can impact sustainable development and should provide relevant information to financial analysts, investors, and other stakeholders by reducing information asymmetry between them and management. Nevertheless, its utility is often undermined by a lack of the disclosure information’s trustability. This paper aims to evaluate if the completeness of the sustainability report’s environmental quantitative information is a reliable indicator of the company’s real commitment to environmental sustainability. The paper analyzes the relationship between the report’s completeness and the environmental performance evaluated by data of an independent third party. Fifty Italian companies that have submitted complete data on CO2 emissions to the European Union Emissions Trade Scheme (EU ETS) in the six years from 2008–2013 and published sustainability reports have been evaluated. Results indicate that reporting completeness is not correlated with better environmental performance, and consequently with greater commitment to environmental sustainability, thus suggesting the potential existence of credibility gaps.

Implementation, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable business practices: framework and empirical illustration

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 515-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria A.O. Dos Santos ◽  
Göran Svensson ◽  
Carmen Padin
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retail Chain ◽  
Strategic Approach

Purpose – This study aims to illustrate what and how a South African retail chain implements, monitors and evaluates its sustainable business practices using economic, ecological and social areas of indices. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on the content analysis of public documents, such as sustainability and annual reports, of a retail chain. An assessment of sustainability and annual reports for 2008-2011 has been considered to examine how and what this retail chain implements, monitors and evaluates in its sustainable business practices. Findings – Woolworths has a sustainability programme in place that assures that the efforts of sustainable business practices are implemented, monitored and evaluated properly and that their targets for each area of indices are accomplished. Research limitations/implications – The content analysis shows that the areas of indices are important in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Woolworths’ spectrum of efforts in sustainability business practices. Practical implications – The study demonstrates practically how Woolworths South Africa implements, monitors and evaluates its sustainable business practices using various areas of indices which fall under the three pillars of sustainability, namely, economic, environmental and social. Originality/value – This research provides insight on what and how a retail chain in South Africa implements, monitors and evaluates its sustainable business practices over time. It also offers an insight into the strategic approach beyond the company’s judicial frontiers and into the supply chain. Furthermore, it shows how a company’s business network can be committed to change towards sustainable business practices.

scholarly journals Do sharia compliance affect Islamic Banks performance? Evidence from Islamic Banks in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Inten Meutia ◽  
Mohammad Adam ◽  
Rulyanti Susi Wardhani
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Islamic Bank ◽  
Islamic Financial Institutions ◽  
Governance Instruments

Sharia compliance is very important for Islamic financial institutions. This study has two objectives, namely to determine the level of sharia compliance in Islamic banks in Indonesia, as well as to prove whether the sharia compliance affects the performance of Islamic banks in Indonesia. To prove this, the researcher observed the annual report of 11 Islamic banks in Indonesia for the period 2012 to 2016. Sharia compliance is measured through the level of sharia governance in Islamic banks. Sharia governance instruments used refer to Hasan (2011). While the performance of Islamic banks is measured by ROA and ROE. Content analysis is used to identify sharia governance disclosures in annual reports. The study revealed that, on average the level of sharia compliance of Islamic bank in Indonesia is at the level of best practice. While the results of statistical tests prove that there is no significant effect sharia compliance on the performance of Islamic banks both measured by ROA and ROE.

Formal and informal sustainability reporting: an insight from a mining company’s subsidiary in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwame Oduro Amoako ◽  
Isaac Oduro Amoako ◽  
James Tuffour ◽  
Emmanuel Opoku Marfo
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mining Company ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
Sustainability Reports

PurposeUsing a subsidiary of a multinational mining company in Ghana as a case, the purpose of this study is to examine the formal and informal forms and channels of sustainability reporting in the emerging economy’s context. Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted amongst managers and employees of the mining company and members of their host community. Based on the interview themes, archival data were extracted from the 2020 Integrated Annual Report of the case company to corroborate the results from the interviews. FindingsThe authors found that most of the stakeholders from the host community interviewed were not aware and, to an extent, not interested in formal sustainability reports. In place of that, the management of the mining subsidiary uses informal channels of communication, including meetings and durbars, to verbally engage the local community and their representatives on sustainability matters. Whilst the formal sustainability reports met the internal requirements set by the parent company, the informal engagements were critical for gaining external legitimacy from the host community and other interest groups. Hence, the authors argue that mining companies and their subsidiaries, particularly in developing economies, need to consider informal forms of sustainability reporting alongside the formal channels to engage local communities to address sustainability issues and avert disruptions to their operations. Originality/valueSustainability reporting studies have focussed mainly on annual reports published in print or corporate websites, ignoring informal forms of sustainability reporting. This study sheds light on the informal forms of sustainability reporting. This is important as formal forms of sustainability reporting may be less useful for engaging local mining communities in developing economy contexts.

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