scholarly journals Sustainability reporting in Fiji listed companies: A voluntary disclosure perspective using legitimacy theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3, special issue) ◽  
pp. 410-422
Author(s):  
Shivneil Kumar Raj ◽  
Mohammed Riaz Azam
Keyword(s):  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Content Analysis Method ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Corporate Social

The study examined the extent of sustainability reporting practices (voluntary disclosures — VD) of Fiji listed corporations. Using a theoretical framework informed by legitimacy theory, the authors predict the extent of both narrative and non-narrative VD. The study applied a content analysis method and examined archival data such as scholarly articles and 2019 annual reports data of listed companies. The means of triangulation was further augmented by backing the results of the study with prior literature on sustainability reporting. The findings highlight that narrative VD was evident in most annual reports. Non-narrative VD was adequate with a primary focus on corporate social responsibilities. From an overall perspective, VD was found to be very limited. The study contributes to providing insights into the paucity of literature in developing nations’ context on sustainability reporting practices

CSR and sustainability reporting practices in India: an in-depth content analysis of top-listed companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1033-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Aggarwal ◽  
Ajay Kumar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Industry Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively analyze the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability reporting (SR) practices of Indian companies in terms of disclosure quantity and quality, and to investigate the differences in SR practices by SR dimension, industry, ownership structure, firm size and profitability. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected from annual reports/business responsibility reports (BRR)/CSR/sustainability reports of 60 top-listed companies in India. A comprehensive sustainability reporting index is developed. Content analysis technique is used. Inter-coder reliability is established. Findings Altogether, 18 items of the index are not disclosed by the majority of companies in India. SR quality is found significantly lower than the SR quantity. Moreover, SR practices significantly differ by dimension/category, industry-type and firm-size but are not influenced by ownership structure. However, the study fails to establish any conclusive relationship between SR and profitability. Practical implications The present study has several implications for corporates, practitioners, policymakers and stakeholders. The findings underscore the need for amendments in the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines and BRR framework of the Securities and Exchange Board of India to avoid patchy disclosures and ensure complete reporting by companies. Originality/value This study is among the foremost studies in India evaluating SR practices of top-listed companies in the wake of the mandatory BRR requirement from a quantitative as well as qualitative perspective using a multidimensional index.

scholarly journals The Effect of Board Independence on the Sustainability Reporting Practices of Large U.S. Firms \

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 178 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Herda ◽  
Martin E. Taylor ◽  
Glyn Winterbotham
Keyword(s):  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
The United States ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Voluntary Reporting ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Reporting Decisions ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Sustainability Reports

As sustainability reporting becomes more commonplace, it is important to understand the factors that influence firms’ voluntary reporting decisions. This exploratory study examines whether board independence affects the sustainability reporting decisions of the 500 largest firms in the United States. We also investigate other factors that may be associated with sustainability reporting, including environmental performance and reputation. We find that<br />firms with a greater proportion of independent board members are: 1) more likely to publish standalone sustainability reports, and 2) more likely to publish higher quality sustainability reports. This paper contributes to prior literature that reports somewhat mixed results on the effect of board independence on voluntary disclosure.

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.

scholarly journals Environmental Reporting Practices of Top Public Listed Companies: Analyzing Pre-Post Corporate Social Responsibility Framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Haslinda Yusoff ◽  
Siti Hazwani Kamaruddin ◽  
Erlane K. Ghani
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Post Period

This study examines the environmental reporting practices of the top public listed companies in Malaysia, before and after the introduction of the Corporate Social Responsibility Framework. Specifically, this study examines the level of extensiveness of environmental disclosures among the top public listed companies. In addition, this study identifies the factors that influence the environmental reporting practices of the top public listed companies. The factors examined in this study include industry sector, ISO certification, size and profitability. Using content analysis on the corporate annual reports of 50 top publicly listed companies, this study shows that greater environmental reporting practices was found in the post-period of the framework. This study also shows that the factors influencing environmental reporting practices among the top public listed companies vary between the pre-period and the post-period. The findings of this study implicate that regulatory initiatives represent an influential factor in promoting environmental accountability via reporting practices among the companies in Malaysia.

scholarly journals Evolution of decision usefulness of sustainability reports

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
Peter Nasiema Kamala
Keyword(s):  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Dramatic Improvement ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
The Public ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Decision Usefulness ◽  
Sustainability Reports

This paper provides a historical context to sustainability reporting practices of listed companies by tracing their origin and developments to determine whether such developments have resulted in decision useful reports. Using a literature review, this paper highlights the developments in the sustainability reporting practices from the 1960s to date. The findings are interpreted using the lens of legitimacy theory. The findings indicate a dramatic improvement in the decision usefulness of sustainability reports produced by listed companies from the deceptive advertisements by companies in the 1960’s to relevant, reliable, timely, comparable, verifiable and understandable reports in year 2012. The findings further suggest a change in legitimizing strategies from manipulation of the public to an attempt to genuinely educate and inform the public, which confirms the explanatory power of legitimacy theory in explaining voluntary sustainability reporting. This paper makes a number of original contributions to the literature that attempts to explain the motives of sustainabi-lity reporting. First, it is one of the few studies that have employed legitimacy theory to explain the evolution of sustainability reports. Second, it is unique in that it uses legitimacy theory to explain the evolution of decision usefulness of sustainability reports

Sustainability reporting and integrated reporting perspectives of Thai-listed companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-694
Author(s):  
Neungruthai Petcharat ◽  
Mahbub Zaman
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices

Purpose This paper aims to examine the reporting on sustainability and the level of compliance with international best practice, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), aimed at improving communicative value to users. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative approach, comprising interviews with senior managers and analysis of disclosures in annual reports of Thai-listed companies, this paper contributes to the literature by providing evidence from an emerging market setting. Findings This study finds that sustainability reporting and integrated reporting perspectives of sampling companies are aiming to satisfy information needs to stakeholders and value creation to external users. Sustainability disclosures are related to some aspect of integrated reporting (IR) principles but not all. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study are based on the results from interviews and annual reports of five business sectors, and may therefore, not reflect the sustainability reporting practices and/or annual reports of other Thai-listed companies. Also, there is limited reporting on future outlook. Practical implications The findings suggest that while sustainability and IR is being adopted very widely, in many countries, there is much variation in reporting practice especially in our emerging country context adopting a “comply or explain” approach. Social implications For the Thai-listed companies, IR systems could be in their early stages and still have long way to go. The results can greatly encourage Thai-listed firms to incorporate integrated information in annual reports based on international standards thus building trust in capital markets and wider society. Originality/value The findings contribute to the literature on sustainability reporting and on the level of compliance with international best practice such as GRI by providing empirical analysis of non-financial disclosures within publicly available reporting in Thailand.

scholarly journals Coming in from the Cold: A Longitudinal Analysis of SDG Reporting Practices by Spanish Listed Companies Since the Approval of the 2030 Agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferran Curtó-Pagès ◽  
Enrique Ortega-Rivera ◽  
Marc Castellón-Durán ◽  
Eva Jané-Llopis
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Analysis ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Un Global Compact ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Corporate Sustainability Performance ◽  
2030 Agenda

Despite the apparent commitment of large Spanish corporations to the SDGs, information about their documented contribution to the 2030 Agenda is still scarce. This article aims to explore this gap by investigating the extent to which Spanish listed companies have been reporting on the SDGs since the approval of the 2030 Agenda. The paper contributes to the country-level analysis of SDG reporting by performing a longitudinal analysis over the 4-year period encompassing 2016 to 2019. It contributes to management science by assessing Corporate Sustainability performance through adherence to the SDGs and testing what the facilitators of SDG reporting have been during the first 4 years since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. Findings reveal a low commitment of Spanish listed companies to sustainability reporting. Nevertheless, they also uncover how those companies that publish non-financial reports are increasingly reporting on the SDGs. Additionally, there is also a growing tendency among CEOs to mention the SDGs in their letters to stakeholders. Furthermore, a positive link is established between the adoption of GRI reporting standards or being a signatory of the UN Global Compact and SDG reporting. Similarly, those companies that publish Integrated Reports are more likely to consider the SDGs in their disclosures than those that publish Standalone Reports or Annual Reports. Nonetheless, there is a growing tendency to gravitate from producing Integrated Reports to producing Annual Reports. Owing to the breadth of these results and their relevance to academics and practitioners alike, this study can help build future evidence-based accountability literature and policy on the SDGs at the Spanish and European levels.

Corporate social reporting and legitimacy in banking: a longitudinal study in the developing country

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tazul Islam ◽  
Katsuhiko Kokubu
Keyword(s):  
Banking Industry ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Social Perceptions ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Data Coding ◽  
Corporate Social Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the development of corporate social (CS) reporting in the developing country’s banking industry from the legitimacy theory perspective – Bangladesh as a case.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the longitudinal aspects and analyzes the content of annual reports using the ISO26000 standard with some country- and industry-specific adjustments as the method of data coding. All Dhaka Stock Exchange-listed banks (30 of 47, 2013) and 282 annual reports with 46 reporting items have been used for data analysis during a 10-year period (2004-2013). A CS reporting index has been constructed for this purpose of analysis.FindingsThe key findings are that the main impetus driving the development of CS reporting was the stakeholder initiatives; the CS reporting index was less than 20 in 2004, and it increased linearly and reached around 60 in 2013 because of the legitimization of the new banking process through social perceptions. This study explains that the contemplation of the legitimacy theory argument can similarly be applied to the developing countries as well as to the banking industry’s context.Research limitations/implicationsThe main implication of this study is the extension of the broader thrust of the legitimacy theory argument in the developing country’s banking industry, such as that of Bangladesh.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the documentation of the CS reporting practices of the developing country’s banking industry where there is a lack of published longitudinal studies from the legitimacy theory perspective.

Corporate Social Reporting Practices In India

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr Vipin Bihari Srivastava ◽  
Dr Manoj Kumar Mishra ◽  
Dr Wogari Negari
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Social Information ◽  
Social Reporting ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Corporate Social Reporting ◽  
Public And Private Sector ◽  
Corporate Social

"This paper aims to examine the extent of corporate social reporting practices in the annual reports of companies in India and to ascertain the differences if any, between public sector and private sector companies and to investigate what were the determinants of corporate social reporting . The study intends to answer the research questions which include: a) what variables could represent a Conceptual Model of Corporate Social Reporting consists of dependent variables and Independent variables? b) What are the factors of Corporate Social Reporting (COSOR) and how valid and reliable are these factors? c) What is the degree of COSOR by factors in public and private sector companies? d) What are the determinants of COSOR? What is the level of their influence on COSOR? A sample of 120 listed companies of National Stock Exchange of India was chosen and they were stratified in to public and private sector companies. A Corporate social reporting Index was constructed for data collection through content analysis from the annual reports. The results of the study revealed that social accounting information were disclosed in company’s annual reports, chairman’s speech, directors’ reports, notes to accounts, schedule to accounts and auditor’s report. The degree of corporate social reporting varies between public sector and private sector companies. The public sector companies have disclosed more corporate social reporting information than the private sector companies. The study found that higher the level of capital employed, earnings before depreciation and taxes, total assets and total sales higher was the level of corporate social reporting. However, the degree of influence of determinants on corporate social reporting was different among public and private sector companies. Most of the companies have disclosed corporate social information on voluntary basis. To improve the understandably, uniformity, and comparability of corporate social information, this study suggests making it mandatory. A standard format for disclosure of corporate social information shall be prescribed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs by amending the Indian Companies Act. The concept of social accounting is relatively new in India. This study suggests to include it in the commerce curriculum and also in the curriculum of CA/CWA/CS. Corporate Social Reporting is such a vast area of research that no single study can cover different dimensions related to it. Though some studies including the present study have been conducted on Corporate Social Reporting Practices in India, but still there is much potential of research in this area. Future research in this area will hopefully bring more brightening result measuring and analysing social costs and benefits data by manager as well as by other concerned. Since the subject is in the primary stage, an in-depth research is needed to be done in different sectors such as banking information technology, manufacturing etc. The results are specifically applicable to sample companies and generalisations can be made with caution. The results of the study are based on the data collected from published annual reports of sample companies using content analysis method. Corporate social reporting in company websites, brochures etc are not covered. Social cost and benefit analysis is not covered in this study.

Impact of Sustainability Reporting on Firm Performance of Companies in India

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Garg
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Marginal Lands ◽  
Great Ability ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Core Idea

The core idea of sustainability is that current decisions should not impair the prospects for maintaining or improving future living standards (Repetto, 1986). GRI (2006) defined sustainability as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The challenges of sustainable development are many and it is widely accepted that organizations have not only a responsibility but also a great ability to exert positive change on the state of the worlds economy, and environmental and social conditions. Further, the issue of environmental sustainability is intertwined with that of poverty and inequity. The causative relationship runs both ways- increased poverty and loss of rural livelihoods accelerates environmental degradation as displaced people put greater pressure on forests, fisheries, and marginal lands. The present study has made an attempt to investigate the relationship between sustainability reporting and financial performance of companies in India. Data have been collected with the help of annual reports of selected companies and Prowess Database. Collected data have been analyzed with the help of SPSS 16.0. The study shows that sustainability reporting practices of companies has improved over the time. Further, research reveals that sustainability reporting practices of a firm impact its performance negatively in short run while positively in long run.

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