Web-based corporate social responsibility information disclosure by Malawian commercial banks

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the level of online CSR disclosure by banks in Malawi and make a comparative analysis with the level of CSR disclosure in the annual reports. Furthermore, the study examined the influence of the listing status on CSR disclosure. CSR score was used in measuring the level of CSR disclosure and regression analysis in examining the influence of listing status. The results indicated low level of CSR disclosure by the sampled banks in Malawi. Relatively lower level was found for online reporting (0.14) compared to (0.4) for CSR reporting in annual reports, besides, significant difference was found between the two. The study also found that CSR disclosures were generally shallow, largely pictorial and unsystematic in both cases. Finally, study revealed that listing status have insignificant influence on the level of CSR disclosure. The results indicate that more need to be done to enhance CSR reporting among the banks in Malawi. The study recommends incorporation of the minimum CSR guidelines in the current corporate governance guidelines for the Malawian banks and monitoring compliance by the regulatory authorities to ensure comprehensiveness of the disclosures.