Corporate social responsibility disclosure—choices of report and its determinants: Empirical evidence from firms listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand

Abstract

This research investigated the report choices used for corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and the determinants of CSR disclosure of firms listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Since 2014, firms listed on the SET have been required to disclose CSR in either an annual registration statement or a separate report called a sustainability report. It was, therefore, noteworthy to examine the choices these firms chose in the first year of disclosure. The independent variables were hypothesized under three dimensions—shareholder power (government ownership), corporate visibility (firm size and age), and economic performance (profitability and leverage). The results revealed that government-owned firms or large firms are more likely to prefer the sustainability report. In addition, content analysis of CSR disclosure was conducted in three industries: resources, technology and industrial products. Nine CSR components with 43 indices were developed and used to score the disclosure of firms in the three industries. The three highest CSR disclosure items found were declaring concerns of human rights and equality, having a policy of anti-corruption, and generous giving. Moreover, this study found a positive relationship between the number of CSR disclosure items and government ownership; however, neither firm age nor economic performance in the year before was related to the CSR disclosure. These research findings support the proposition of the stakeholder theory affirming that firms carry out CSR activities because of their stakeholders' influence, and regardless of economic performance. In Thailand, stakeholders' influence and corporate visibility are significant determinants of the CSR disclosure.