The organizational ecological resource framework of sustainability reporting: implications for corporate social reporting (CSR)

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to provide an integrated approach of organizational ecology, population ecology and selection mechanisms within the context of the resource-based view of the firm, evolutionary economics (EC) and transaction cost economics (TCE). It applies this framework to examine the interrelationships between corporate social reporting (CSR) and global reporting initiative.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology for this paper is library-based archival research. It is qualitative and analytically descriptive of prior academic research and published literature on the subject.FindingsCSR has the potential to provide functional credence to corporate social and environmental activities by legitimizing institutionalized corporate norms and behavior.Originality/valueAccounting scholars have recognized the need for an integrated approach in the social sciences to examine the multifaceted aspects of sustainability development and accounting. This research highlights that sustainability is related to ecosystems, environments, natural resources, demography, population, culture, political systems and history.

Corporate social reporting and assurance: The state of the art

Este trabajo realiza una revisión de la literatura sobre verificación y divulgación de información sobre responsabilidad social corporativa basada en 320 artículos en las 36 revistas principales indexadas en el Journal Citation Reports del Thomson Reuters InCities en las categorías de Business, Finance (Accounting), Management, Ethics y otras categorías relacionadas con Environmental Sciences/Planning and Development. El marco propuesto para el análisis se enfoca en los predictores de la verificación y divulgación de información social y medioambiental, categorizados en factores individuales, organizativos e institucionales; así como en los impactos, clasificándolos en externos (reacciones del mercado) o internos (resultado empresarial). Además, determinamos los moderadores y mediadores con el fin de examinar si la relación entre la verificación y la divulgación de información sobre responsabilidad social y sus predictores e impactos cambia. La revisión revela importantes lagunas en el estado actual de la investigación, permitiéndonos plantear sugerencias sobre futuras investigaciones. This research reviews the corporate social responsibility disclosure literature based on 330 articles in the 36 main journals in the Thomson Reuters InCities Journal Citation Reports categories of Business, Finance (Accounting), Management, Ethics and others related to Environmental Sciences/Planning and Development. The framework includes predictors of socially responsible disclosure and assurance related to individual, organizational and institutional factors, as well as impacts that we classify as external (i.e., market reactions) or internal (i.e., firm performance). In addition, we establish the moderator and mediator variables with a view to examining whether the relationship between social responsibility reporting/assurance services and its predictors and impacts change. The review reveals important research gaps that allow us to provide suggestions about future research in terms of empirical perspectives.

Emergence of corporate political activities in the guise of social responsibility: dispatches from a developing economy

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to investigate the emergence of corporate political activities (CPAs) in the form of social responsibility in the banking sector in Bangladesh. The use of institutional logics allows the authors to explore not only the motivations underlying this sudden shift in corporate approach towards corporate social reporting (CSR) disclosure but also to investigate whether a logical plurality exists in this new approach.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on 21 in-depth interviews with policymakers, regulatory bodies and top management and members of boards of directors in the banking sector.FindingsThe findings of this study are both consistent with and different to those of Uddin et al. (2018). While their findings show that Bangladeshi companies engage in CSR activities primarily to demonstrate their allegiance with the ruling political regime driven by notions of traditionalism, this study’s findings show the existence of a logical pluralism across industries in the manner they engage with CSR activities and disclosures. In addition to the dominant market logic, the authors also find the co-existence of community and family logics shaping the nature of CSR disclosures made by banking companies in Bangladesh.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the accounting and management literature by providing first-hand evidence of the motivations underlying the emergence of CPAs in the context of a developing country. The adoption of an alternative theoretical framework allows the authors to identify the multiple logics that dictate corporate attitude towards CSR engagement and disclosure.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)- AN INITIATIVE BY CORPORATE WORLD

Corporate Social Reporting does not have any precise or fixed definitions. Some description focused on corporate compliance with following the applicable laws and few strongly believe that Social Responsibility is minimizing the environmental impacts are essential to long term growth and returns to shareholders. Corporate social Responsibility was initiated by big corporate organization by adding corporate social responsibility Reports or Sustainability Reports in Early 1990’s. There was no such law or regulation in this regard at that time and no till time in most of the countries. The corporate imperative has gone from desirable to expect to require. India is the First Country which makes compulsory CSR for big Giant Corporate. The philosophy is that Corporations have a social and environmental impact in addition to their economic impact and these can enhance or diminish the collective good or wider societal progress. These new accountabilities are being demanded by civil societal groups with business leaders often responding to rather than leading the debate. CSR Reporting or Sustainability Reporting is a process whereby an organization publically discloses information about its interactions with and impact on the various societies and environments in which it operates. There are basically three pillars of sustainability Reporting: 1. Environmental Sustainability 2. Social Sustainability 3. Economic Sustainability.

Scientific review digitalization of corporate culture as a factor influencing ESG investment in the energy sector

The popularity of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance)-investing is growing rapidly all over the world. More and more investors are moving from the traditional investment paradigm to investing based on the principles of environmental social corporate responsibility. One of the most affected by this trend is the energy industry. The report discusses the possibilities of applying methods of digitalization of corporate culture to increase the attractiveness of enterprises in the energy industry for ESG investment. The study is based on the use of such methods of scientific knowledge as dialectical, a combination of historical and logical unity, structural analysis, traditional methods of economic analysis and synthesis, a review of both scientific sources describing ESG investment and the practical implementation of ESG approaches in the practice of corporations is carried out. The results are based on an analysis of current corporate policies and the implementation of ethical policies in corporate social reporting. The article provides an overview of theoretical studies in relation to corporate non-financial reporting and the principles of responsible investment, provides statistical data on the attitude of investors towards ESG investment, analyzes the best practices of energy companies in digitalization, improving corporate culture to make them more attractive for ESG investment.

Approbation of comprehensive methodology for assessing the involvement of business structures in the corporate social responsibility

The subject of this research is the assessment of management relations developed as a result of involvement of fishing industry enterprises in the corporate social responsibility. The object of this research is the processes of formation of corporate social responsibility in the fishing industry business as a sector promoting national interests. This article tests the original complex methodology for assessing the involvement of business structures in the corporate social responsibility based on calculation of the integrated index. Special attention is given to calculation of the index, which consists of the system of quantitative and qualitative elements of the corporate social responsibility of the business structure, as well as to the choice and justification of measures for implementation of these elements into the individual profile of the corporate social responsibility of the business structure for subsequent comparative analysis. Leaning on the approaches existing in the world scientific literature towards the concept of corporate social responsibility, the author identifies the need for definition and assessment of such indicator as the involvement of business structures in the corporate social responsibility. The author proposes to calculate this indicator according to the algorithm of methodology that takes into consideration the elements of corporate social responsibility determined on the basis of actions on the development of internal and external environment of the company. Approbation of methodology on the example of fishing industry business structures can serve as the foundation for comparative analysis of business structures of various sectors in the regions, taking into account their impact upon the regional development for determination of feasibility of state support and development of the unified structure of corporate social reporting.

Managing Corporate Social and Environmental Disclosure: An Accountability vs. Impression Management Framework

Institutional environment demands from organizations to be accountable for their social and environmental actions and to provide information allowing the assessment of their long-term prospects for profitability may lead organizations to adopt Impression Management (IM) tactics to manage perceptions. Consequently, organizations may provide accounts demonstrating that they are good corporate citizens and possess the intangible assets required for future good financial performance. Although organizations have increased their corporate social reporting, the quality and reliability of those reports have been questioned. The literature suggests that these disclosures tend to be selective and biased, and do not enhance corporate accountability. This study proposes a formal conceptual framework linking IM, social and environmental accountability, financial performance, and organizational legitimacy. The arguments in this study are of economic, societal, and ethical concern, as IM behaviors may undermine the transparency of social and environmental reporting, and the decoupling between the economic and social image offered by companies through reporting and the reality. These insights also point at the complexities for organizations in dealing with accountability to all stakeholders. The conceptual framework proposed is useful for future studies aiming at understanding how organizations use IM in their corporate social reporting in the accountability process.

Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Financial Performance

In the past few decades, business performance has been approached from a multidimensional perspective, because a pro-active corporate sustainability reporting system for assessing the financial performance of an organization should at least address impacts at the organization and community levels, as well as the resulting associated social impacts. The purpose of this research was to identify the accessibility of corporate sustainability reporting instruments for Romanian managers and their role in increasing the financial performance of organizations. This study concludes that corporate social reporting indicators can be integrated into the reporting of the financial performance of a company and can transform sustainability into tangible value for all interested parties. In addition, the empirical results contribute to the understanding of corporate social responsibility practices; although being non-financial, these seem to be financially meaningful at a certain level after other financial factors are controlled for.