Abstract
This paper aims to assess the degree of comprehensiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports of Brazilian companies and its determinants. Literature suggests that a report is considered comprehensive when it contains three types of information for each CSR item published: vision and objectives; management actions; and performance indicators. A content analysis of 272 CSR reports of Brazilian companies that follow the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines was conducted for the period from 2010 to 2013. Results indicate that, despite the still low coverage of contents in CSR reports, there has been an increase in the degree of comprehensiveness over the period of study. Some firm attributes affect the comprehensiveness degree of CSR reports: ownership concentration in hands of the main shareholder; company presence in the ISE (Corporate Brazilian Sustainability Index); the environmental risk of firm industry; firm size and profitability.
Highlights
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) notions allude to the companies’ abilities to respond to the expectations of a broad spectrum of stakeholders that present different demands
In order to obtain an indication of CSR items disclosed by companies and the comprehensiveness of the information that accompanied each item –declared in terms of vision and objectives, management approach, and performance indicators– the content analysis table developed by Bouten et al (2011) was used. is instrument enabled us to evaluate the comprehensiveness of the information about social responsibility that was disclosed in the annual reports of the companies
Results show that CSR reports disclosed by Brazilian companies via Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) have a higher proportion of information disclosed than of non-disclosure for all sustainability dimensions. e less contemplated is the economic sustainability dimension, maybe due to the fact that companies might be prioritizing more speci c social and environmental aspects of sustainability, which may be seen as the main objective of the report
Summary
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) notions allude to the companies’ abilities to respond to the expectations of a broad spectrum of stakeholders that present different demands. A KPMG’s (2013) study shows that the number of CSR reports published has increased, as well as the volume of the information disclosed, internationally and in Brazil Despite this growth, it must be assessed if the respective reports provide objective information that allows for a precise estimate of the companies’ social performance (Adams, 2004; Archel, Fernández, & Larrinaga, 2008; Bouten, Everaert, Van Liedekerke, De Moor, & Christiaens, 2011; Hopwood, 2009; Tschopp & Huefner, 2015; Unerman, 2000). Is work aims to appraise the level of comprehensiveness in CSR reports of Brazilian companies For such approach, the degree of comprehensiveness of the reports was evaluated considering the three types of information and its correspondence with each item disclosed: vision and objectives; management actions; and performance indicators. Environmental risk, positively affects the degree of comprehensiveness of CSR reports, as well as the size and rm pro tability
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