Impact of Assurance and Assurer's Professional Affiliation on Financial Analysts' Assessment of Credibility of Corporate Social Responsibility Information

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Pflugrath ◽  
Peter Roebuck ◽  
Roger Simnett
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Financial Analysts ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Behavioral Experiment ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Corporate Social

SUMMARY This study reports the results of a behavioral experiment examining whether financial analysts from Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom perceive a difference in the credibility of stand-alone corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports depending on whether they are assured, and the type of assurance provider (professional accountants versus sustainability consultants). We further examine whether the perceived credibility differs for financial analysts from the different countries and whether results hold for companies from different industries. The overall results show the credibility of a CSR report is greater when it is assured and when the assurer is a professional accountant. While assurance increases the credibility of the information in each of the three countries included, the relative impact is context-specific. Information is perceived to be more credible when a company is from an industry where assurance is more commonplace, and by financial analysts from the United States when the assurer is a professional accountant. Financial analysts from Australia and the United Kingdom perceive little difference in the enhanced credibility provided by the different assurance providers. Data Availability: Contact the first author about the availability of the data.

Business News Framing of Corporate Social Responsibility in the United States and the United Kingdom: Insights From the Implicit and Explicit CSR Framework

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae Ho Lee ◽  
Daniel Riffe
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
News Framing ◽  
Business News ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Explicit Csr ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of business news coverage of corporate social responsibility (CSR) within a comparative international context by investigating two business newspapers, The Wall Street Journal from the United States and The Financial Times from the United Kingdom. Drawing on the news framing research and the implicit and explicit CSR framework of Matten and Moon, this content analysis shows that business news coverage of CSR in the United States and in the United Kingdom differs in terms of news framing (thematic vs. episodic), motive attributions of CSR as a concept, motive attributions of referenced companies in relation to CSR, general tone toward the concept of CSR, and the general tone toward referenced companies in relation to CSR. Most significantly, findings suggest that business news plays different roles in constructing and legitimizing CSR in the two countries. In the United States, CSR’s legitimacy and its conceptual positivity may be more implied through the coverage of singular events or actors (episodic framing), whereas in the United Kingdom, CSR’s illegitimacy and its conceptual negativity may be more exposed for further discussion through the coverage of larger societal contexts (thematic framing). Other theoretical as well as practical implications are also discussed.

scholarly journals Corporate Social Responsibility In The United States And Europe: How Important Is It? The Future Of Corporate Social Responsibility

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almerinda Forte
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
The Future ◽  
Stakeholder Model ◽  
Corporate Social

Corporate social responsibility plays an important role in a firms life in the U.S.today. It is not enough for companies to generate a profit. U.S. citizens expect them to generate a profit and conduct themselves in an ethical and socially responsible manner. The U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines help organizations facilitate this expectation, which is vital for corporate growth and maintaining a competitive edge. Managers who deal with ethical and social responsibility problems often times arent dealing with optimal solutions. Managers often settle forsolutions that suffice or cause the least harm. Managers charged with choosing the ethical or socially responsible path often face problems with no clear solution.Since the formation of the European Union, corporate social responsibility has garnered heightened attention in Europe. This isevidenced by their development of sustainability strategies. The Sustainable Development Strategy for Europe was approved in June 2001. It stated that social cohesion, environmental protection, and economic growth must coexist. This paper compares corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Europe to CSR in the United States. It also examines todays three corporate social responsibility models: the shareholder value model, the stakeholder model and the business ethics model.This paper also addresses Wayne Vissers (2010) five principles which he considers the future of corporate social responsibility, Aras and Crowthers(2011) theory that an organization should be held accountable to the external environment, and the rationale for new paradigms for the future in companies worldwide.

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