Corporate accountability for biodiversity and species extinction: Evidence from organisations reporting on their impacts on nature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer Hassan ◽  
Lee Roberts ◽  
Kimberly Rodger
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Species Extinction

scholarly journals Corporate Accountability Towards Species Extinction Protection: Insights from Ecologically Forward-Thinking Companies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Roberts ◽  
Monomita Nandy ◽  
Abeer Hassan ◽  
Suman Lodh ◽  
Ahmed A. Elamer
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Species Extinction ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Sixth Mass Extinction ◽  
Global Companies ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Mass Extinction Event ◽  
Pseudo Maximum Likelihood

AbstractThis paper contributes to biodiversity and species extinction literature by examining the relationship between corporate accountability in terms of species protection and factors affecting such accountability from forward-thinking companies. We use triangulation of theories, namely deep ecology, legitimacy, and we introduce a new perspective to the stakeholder theory that considers species as a ‘stakeholder’. Using Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) regression, we examine a sample of 200 Fortune Global companies over 3 years. Our results indicate significant positive relations between ecologically conscious companies that are accountable for the protection of biodiversity and species extinction and external assurance, environmental performance, partnerships with socially responsible organizations and awards for sustainable activities. Our empirical results appear to be robust in controlling for possible endogeneities. Our findings contribute to the discussion on the concern of species loss and habitat destruction in the context of corporate accountability, especially in responding to the sixth mass extinction event and COVID-19 crisis. Our results can also guide the policymakers and stakeholders of the financial market in better decision making.

scholarly journals Integrated extinction accounting and accountability: building an ark

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 750-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Atkins ◽  
Warren Maroun
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Environmental Accounting ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Species Extinction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Together ◽  
The Impact

Purpose We are currently experiencing what is often called the sixth period of mass extinction on planet Earth, caused undoubtedly by the impact of human activities and businesses on nature. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential for accounting and corporate accountability to contribute to extinction prevention. The paper adopts an interdisciplinary approach, weaving scientific evidence and theory into organisational disclosure and reporting in order to demonstrate linkages between extinction, business behaviour, accounting and accountability as well as to provide a basis for developing a framework for narrative disclosure on extinction prevention. Design/methodology/approach The paper is theoretical and interdisciplinary in approach, seeking to bring together scientific theories of extinction with a need for corporate and organisational accountability whilst recognising philosophical concerns in the extant environmental accounting literature about accepting any business role and capitalist mechanisms in ecological matters. The overarching framework derives from the concept of emancipatory accounting. Findings The outcome of the writing is to: present an emancipatory “extinction accounting” framework which can be embedded within integrated reports, and a diagrammatic representation, in the form of an “ark”, of accounting and accountability mechanisms which, combined, can assist, the authors argue, in preventing extinction. The authors suggest that the emancipatory framework may also be applied to engagement meetings between the responsible investor community (and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)) and organisations on biodiversity and species protection. Research limitations/implications The exploratory extinction accounting and accountability frameworks within this paper should provide a basis for further research into the emancipatory potential for organisational disclosures and mechanisms of governance and accountability to prevent species extinction. Practical implications The next steps for researchers and practitioners involve development and implementation of the extinction accounting and engagement frameworks presented in this paper within integrated reporting and responsible investor practice. Social implications As outlined in this paper, extinction of any species of flora and fauna can affect significantly the functioning of local and global ecosystems, the destruction of which can have, and is having, severe and dangerous consequences for human life. Extinction prevention is critically important to the survival of the human race. Originality/value This paper represents a comprehensive attempt to explore the emancipatory role of accounting in extinction prevention and to bring together the linkages in accounting and accountability mechanisms which, working together, can prevent species extinction.

The Short-Term and Long-Term Impacts of Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Composition and Characteristics of Corporate Board of Directors

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Halil Kaya ◽  
Gaurango Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Board Composition ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Corporate Board ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Dual Roles ◽  
Board Characteristics ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
Over Time

The paper examines the Sarbanes-Oxley (2002) Acts immediate impact on board composition and characteristics as well as possible reversals in its impact over time. Effects on directors age and tenure are analyzed over the 2001-06 sample period. Female participation in corporate boards is also studied in the pre-SOX and post-SOX periods. The dual roles of directors in being a member of the board as well as serving as either CEO, CFO, Chairman, Co-Chair, Founder, or Lead Director of their respective companies is also examined. We observe a short-term impact of SOX on board compositions due to changes seen in board characteristics between 2001 (pre-SOX), and 2003-05 short-term period (post-SOX). Also, we observe a reversal of board characteristics in 2006 to pre-SOX levels implying that the effects of SOX on board composition were short-lived, and needs to be monitored over time to ensure adherence to corporate accountability guidelines over the long-term.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Adelaide Martins ◽  
Delfina Gomes ◽  
Manuel Castelo Branco
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Organizational Legitimacy ◽  
Social Reporting ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social

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.

scholarly journals A study of ethnic perception gap on consumer boycott of Korean and Canadian University students

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mie Kyung Jae ◽  
Hyang Ran Jeon
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Parent Company ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Korean Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
Influential Variable

Purpose In this paper, the authors aim to offer a cross-cultural comparison of the boycott intentions of university students in Canada with those of students in Korea. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from students at Inje University and York University via self-administered questionnaire. A t-test found that Canadian students’ answers showed significantly greater scores in ethnocentrism, boycott attitudes prior to reading the target article and motivations related to self-enhancement compared to those acquired from Korean students. However, the motivation of counterarguments and the boycott intentions of Korean students’ toward Rogers, the parent company of Maclean’s magazine, showed significantly higher scores than those gained from Canadian students. Findings The boycott case used in the study is Maclean’s magazine, a Canadian news magazine, which published a controversial article called, “Too Asian? Some frosh don’t want to study at an “Asian” University”. A noticeable gap in each group of students’ boycott attitude and intentions toward Rogers, the parent company of Maclean’s magazine was found. Originality/value In the multiple regression analysis, the boycott motivation of self-enhancement was the most influential variable on boycott intentions. The boycott case examined in this paper is a practical case study of cross-national grouping as well as the perceptional difference of the locus of corporate accountability that comes from cross-cultural backgrounds.

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