scholarly journals Science-Based Targets: On Target?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1657
Author(s):  
Jannik Giesekam ◽  
Jonathan Norman ◽  
Alice Garvey ◽  
Sam Betts-Davies
Keyword(s):  
Poor Quality ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
Target Setting ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Carbon Reduction ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Technical Advisory Group ◽  
Corporate Social

Companies are increasingly seeking to align their actions with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Over 1000 such companies have committed to the science-based targets initiative which seeks to align corporate carbon reduction targets with global decarbonisation trajectories. These ‘science-based targets’ are developed using a common set of resources and target-setting methodologies, then independently assessed and approved by a technical advisory group. Despite the initiative’s rapid rise to public prominence, it has received little attention to date in the academic literature. This paper discusses development of the initiative based upon a quantitative assessment of progress against each component of the science-based targets set by 81 early adopters, using information gathered from company annual reports, corporate social responsibility websites and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) responses. The analysis reveals a mixed picture of progress. Though the majority of targets assessed were on track and, in some cases, had already been achieved, just under half of the companies assessed were falling behind on one or more of their targets. Progress varied significantly by target scope, with more limited progress against targets focused on Scope 3 emissions. Company reporting practices were highly variable and often of poor quality. This paper concludes with a range of recommendations to improve the transparency, consistency and comparability of targets within this key agenda-setting initiative.

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.

scholarly journals Business Responsibility Reports- A Case Study of ITC Ltd.

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 306
Author(s):  
Ankita Kashyap
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Un Global Compact ◽  
Iso 26000 ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Voluntary Guidelines

<div><p><em>The paper focuses on the various National/ international guidelines that exist globally on Corporate Social Responsible Behaviour. These guidelines include National Voluntary Guidelines on Social, Economic and Environmental Responsibility (NVGs), ISO 26000, GRI G3.1 Sustainability Guidelines, AccountAbility’s AA 1000 Standards and UN Global Compact. The author has tried to compare the above mentioned guidelines in order to find out the additional elements that should be included in Business Responsibility Reports to make disclosures and reporting on CSR more comprehensive.</em></p><p><em>The Business Responsibility Report of ITC Ltd. is studied and analyzed to find out the missing elements in its disclosures. The study specifically analyses the disclosures made by the company with respect to Principle 2, 4 and 9 of National Voluntary Guidelines. I have tried to analyse the disclosure made by the company on the basis of these five parameters 1) Disaggregated information 2) Sustainability quantification 3) Stakeholder engagement 4) customer engagement and 5) Consumer satisfaction.</em></p><p><em>This paper tries to find out the quality of disclosures made by ITC Ltd. in its BRR with respect to social, economic and environmental responsibilities. The main aim of the paper is to analyze the effect of social responsibility practices on different stakeholders. Does the BRR submitted by the companies as part of their Annual Reports really lead to value creation for the stakeholders? Or the reports try to create only a façade of their social responsibility practices to deceive the stakeholders? We try to lift this veil behind their reporting practices to find out their actual social behavior.</em></p></div>

Corporate Social, Environmental, and Governance Reporting and Firm's Characteristics

2019 ◽  
pp. 697-721
Author(s):  
Md. Nazrul Islam ◽  
Mohammad Ashraful Ferdous Chowdhury ◽  
Mehedi Hasan Tuhin ◽  
Md. Masud Sarker
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Corporate Social

The study aimed to explore the social, environmental and governance (SEG) reporting practices of Banking sector of Bangladesh. In conducting the study, the longitudinal data has been used over the period 2000-2015 taking all the 30listed private commercial banks in Dhaka Stock Exchange Limited. Three separate reporting index for social, environmental and governance have been developed to measure reporting practices using the dichotomous method from the published annual reports of banks. The analysis found that corporate social, environmental and governance reporting has been increased over the study period. The statistical measure showed that social, governance and environmental reporting were made 46%, 49% and 1% respectively over the period while total SEGwas 39% over the period. The econometrics models using fixed effects showed that corporate profitability, size, age and leverage have positive impact on SEG reporting. The main cause of low SEG reporting could be due to the insufficient laws and framework of SEG reporting.

scholarly journals Do stakeholders or social obligations drive corporate social and environmental responsibility reporting? Managerial views from a developing country

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Moazzem Hossain ◽  
Manzurul Alam ◽  
Muhammad Azizul Islam ◽  
Angela Hecimovic
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Environmental Responsibility ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore senior managers’ perception and motivations of corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) reporting in the context of a developing country, Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 senior managers of companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. Publicly available annual reports of these companies were also analysed. Findings – The results indicate that senior managers perceive CSER reporting as a social obligation. The study finds that the managers focus mostly on child labour, human resources/rights, responsible products/services, health education, sports and community engagement activities as part of the social obligations. Interviewees identify a lack of a regulatory framework along with socio-cultural and religious factors as contributing to the low level of disclosures. These findings suggest that CSER reporting is not merely stakeholder-driven, but rather country-specific social and environmental issues play an important role in relation to CSER reporting practices. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes to engagement-based studies by focussing on CSER reporting practices in developing countries and are useful for academics, practitioners and policymakers in understanding the reasons behind CSER reporting in developing countries. Originality/value – This paper addresses a literature “gap” in the empirical study of CSER reporting in a developing country, such as Bangladesh. This study fills a gap in the existing literature to understand managers’ motivations for CSER reporting in a developing country context. Managerial perceptions on CSER issues are largely unexplored in developing countries.

scholarly journals CORPORATE SOCIAL REPORTING PRACTICES OF FRENCH AND BRAZILIAN COMPANIES: A COMPARISON BASED ON INSTITUTIONAL THEORY

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (18) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelle Colares Oliveira ◽  
João Ésio Ponte Junior ◽  
Oderlene Veira Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Company Size ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Corporate Social Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
United Nations Publication

<p>The objective of this study is to determine whether or not social information disclosure practices of the top 15 Brazilian and top 15 French companies listed in the Forbes global ranking differ due to company size, country of origin, using the 16 indicators of the United Nations publication ‛Guidance on Corporate Responsibility Indicators in Annual Reports’ as benchmark. The empirical evidence is further analyzed using Institutional Theory as support. The study is based on a literature review and documents issued by the companies in the selected sample. The methodology is exploratory, quantitative and qualitative. The results revealed that disclosure practices by companies in both countries are similar, with no statistical significance connected to company size or country of origin. This result can further be explained by institutionalism in each country, a key featured that made it possible to use Institutional Theory as an important support to the main empirical results of the study</p>

The effect of award on CSR disclosures in annual reports of Malaysian PLCs

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 831-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdirahman Anas ◽  
Hafiz Majdi Abdul Rashid ◽  
Hairul Azlan Annuar
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The paper aims to examine the determinants of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures in the annual reports of Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs). In 2006, Bursa Malaysia Berhad (BMB) launched its CSR Framework (effective in 2007) which is supposed to guide the Malaysian PLCs’ CSR disclosures. It is believed that this CSR framework may influence CSR disclosures to be more systematic, yet there is no evidence whether this framework influences the extent and quality of CSR disclosures. Thus, this study examines this area of research. The study also tests the influence of award on CSR disclosures. Design/methodology/approach – CSR disclosure checklist was developed to analyse the extent and quality of CSR information disclosures in the year 2008 annual reports of the Malaysian PLCs. Findings – Malaysian PLCs disclose more CSR information related to community and environment than workplace and marketplace CSR themes. On the other hand, the quality of disclosure practices was minimal when it is compared to the extent of disclosure practices. Finally, the study also found that the award’s variable has a significant positive relationship with both the extent and quality of CSR disclosure practices of the Malaysian PLCs. Research limitations/implications – The recently developed BMB’s CSR framework seems to have impact on the level and systematic CSR reporting practices of Malaysian PLCs. However, the quality of CSR disclosures is considered minimal. Practical implications – The results of the study bring some practical implications to the regulators, particularly Bursa Malaysia. First, it is good to observe that most companies have practiced specific disclosure in a separate statement with regard to CSR. However, the format of presentation and the extent of disclosure vary among the firms. Second, further guidelines need to be developed to provide a clearer framework of disclosure for CSR information. At the moment, Bursa Malaysia only listed down general principles of CSR themes. In addition, the regulators should also look into the evolving issues in CSR, such as the issue of climate change reporting. For example, the Climate Disclosure Standards Board has issued a voluntary Climate Change Reporting Framework. Originality/value – This study examined both the traditional (i.e. firm size and profitability) and non-traditional (i.e. award) factors influencing management’s decision to disclose CSR information in the annual reports of the Malaysian PLCs. Furthermore, the study reported how Malaysian PLCs comply with the recently implemented CSR framework issued by BMB.

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.

On the linkage between CEOs’ statements and CSR reporting: an analysis of visuals and verbal texts

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Khan ◽  
Rahizah Binti Sulaiman
Keyword(s):  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Words And Images ◽  
Executive Officers ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose Research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting highlights an increasing lack of transparency in the information reported along with concerns surrounding overall reporting practices. One area that needs exploration is how chief executive officers (CEOs) convey messages in relation to CSR. This paper aims to investigate the linkage between CEO’s statements (words and images) in relation to CSR and the performativity of such communication. Design/methodology/approach The study analysed CEOs statements from five Malaysian companies contained in 2016, 2017 and 2018 standalone sustainability and annual reports. The texts and visuals are analysed by using discourse analysis. Findings The findings uncover three main discourses (economic, environmental and social) along with other discourses (achievements and recognition and challenges). The texts and images are found to be lacking in clarity and consistency and in many ways leave the stakeholders to make their own conclusions about the reported information. Originality/value The research indicates that while the leaders can be more direct to their stakeholders, however, the opportunity is not always capitalised. Overall, the analysis suggests an increasing scientism in CEOs messaging in relation to CSR as a tool to enhance perceived accountability of the business. The study also suggests avenues for improvement. This paper contributes to the emergence of different types of discourses that are being upheld by CEOs in their statements on CSR in Malaysian context. The discourses identified provide interesting insights into how CSR is perceived by the leaders.

scholarly journals Social accounting & social responsibility reporting in the Jordanian industrial companies listed in Amman stock exchange market

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-471
Author(s):  
Zaid AL-Hawatmah ◽  
Osama Samih Shaban
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Social Accounting ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Industrial Companies ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility Report ◽  
Amman Stock Exchange ◽  
Accounting Reports ◽  
Corporate Social

This study examines practice of social accounting and the reporting of social responsibility in the industrial Jordanian companies listed in Amman Stock Exchange. As operations of industrial companies have significant impact on the society, they should be accountable to the environment, and members of societies in which they operate. The method adopted to figure out the state of current social accounting and reporting practices was carried out by analyzing the annual reports of 30 randomly selected Jordanian industrial companies for the year 2016. The study found that 73% of industrial companies in Jordan are disclosing their activities of social responsibility in the annual reports. This study also found that 50% of these companies use the director’s reports as the main outlet for disclosing their activities related to social responsibility, 36% companies use the corporate social responsibility report and finally 14% are use the notes or schedule to financial statement to inform general people about their commitment to social responsibility. The study recommended that as there are many types and techniques of reporting, the Jordanian securities commission, as a government regulatory entity, should work on establishing uniformity for disclosing social accounting reports, and the outlet for such disclosure should be clearly specified.

Corporate Social, Environmental, and Governance Reporting and Firm's Characteristics

2018 ◽  
pp. 139-162
Author(s):  
Md. Nazrul Islam ◽  
Mohammad Ashraful Ferdous Chowdhury ◽  
Mehedi Hasan Tuhin ◽  
Md. Masud Sarker
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Corporate Social

The study aimed to explore the social, environmental and governance (SEG) reporting practices of Banking sector of Bangladesh. In conducting the study, the longitudinal data has been used over the period 2000-2015 taking all the 30listed private commercial banks in Dhaka Stock Exchange Limited. Three separate reporting index for social, environmental and governance have been developed to measure reporting practices using the dichotomous method from the published annual reports of banks. The analysis found that corporate social, environmental and governance reporting has been increased over the study period. The statistical measure showed that social, governance and environmental reporting were made 46%, 49% and 1% respectively over the period while total SEGwas 39% over the period. The econometrics models using fixed effects showed that corporate profitability, size, age and leverage have positive impact on SEG reporting. The main cause of low SEG reporting could be due to the insufficient laws and framework of SEG reporting.

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