Published Corporate Social Responsibility Reports Research Articles

Trends in Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting. The Case of Chinese Listed Companies

Compared with Western developed countries, corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation in China started relatively late, but so far, its development has been going on for more than ten years. Therefore, the development process of CSR reporting as a vital tool to reflect the CSR related information of Chinese listed companies is worth studying. It has been asserted in a large amount of literature that the government of a country has an important influence on the development of CSR reporting. Thus, in this paper, we aim to study the trends in CSR reporting practices of Chinese listed companies through statistical analysis methods and then consider the role of the government in it. The results show that the number of CSR reports issued by Chinese listed companies has increased year by year; notably, the number of voluntary CSR disclosure and environmental information disclosure has increased significantly. However, the overall disclosure rate of CSR reports is low and shows no upward trend, the published CSR reports lack third-party certification, and the information disclosure level of most CSR reports is concentrated at a relatively low level. The findings provide some useful references for the future development of Chinese CSR related laws, regulations, and guidelines.

The Corporate Social Responsibility of Polish Energy Companies

If corporate social responsibility (CSR) is expected to work efficiently, there should be a standardised approach for implementation of the CSR concept for all businesses, including companies operating in the energy sector. Although many companies declare compliance with CSR standards, further investigation should be undertaken to evaluate if and how those standards have been applied in practice. The aim of this research is to examine the level of standardisation of the CSR activities within Polish energy companies and explore the good practices developed by those companies. The Polish energy companies have been selected for the investigation as the literature review we conducted demonstrates that there is limited research in this area and there is a knowledge gap regarding how Polish energy companies apply CSR regulation in practice. To accomplish the stated aims, the following research questions were developed: (1) What is the essence of applying the CSR concept in Polish energy companies, and at what level of development is the concept applied? (2) To what extent do Polish energy companies have a common approach to the CSR concept, and in what areas are there differences? (3) To what extent have Polish energy companies applied global CSR standards and solutions? (4) Is there a gap between the declared measures of CSR and their actual implementation in Polish energy companies? The research methodology of this study is based on a systematic literature review of the sources acquired from databases such as ProQuest, Emerald, SCOPUS and the Jagiellonian University Library. The multiple case study approach was identified as the most suitable research tool. Companies for the study were selected according to their affiliation to the energy sector and listing on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. These two assumptions allowed us to base this study on the largest Polish energy companies that have international status. Six areas of CSR annual report disclosures have been identified and used for the investigation and analysis. This research looks at similarities and difference between these six aspects of CSRs disclosed by Polish energy companies. The investigation allows us to conclude that the top three energy companies use similar tools to build their CSR strategies: formalised CSR concept, published CSR reports, disclosure of CSR information on the company website, CSR related activities offered to stakeholders, obtained CSR certificates, and CSR awards. This indicates the existence of a standardised approach to CSR across Polish energy companies.

Responsible CSR Communications: Avoid “Washing” Your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports and Messages

With the rise of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting, questions have emerged regarding its true utility; CSR reports may more closely resemble marketing materials than financial statements as much of the data companies provide can be cherry picked. For example in 2011, only 20% of S&P 500 companies published CSR reports vs 85% in 2017 and 90% in 2019. Why is this relevant for communicators? Because the responsibility of producing and promoting CSR reports very often falls under the responsibility of the corporate communications team. How to avoid "CSR-washing" and all the other “washing” incidents – green-washing, blue-washing, rainbow-washing, vegan-washing,...? How to focus on portraying the organization as a truly and authentic dedicated corporate citizen? In-depth interviews with 15 senior communication practitioners in Canada helped identify what are “authentic” and “responsible” communications in the CSR space: using facts and testimonials, being transparent, showing authenticity as well as demonstrate the clear alignment with the organization’s purpose.

The Pay Dispersion within Top Managers and Corporate Environmental Responsibility Information Disclosure

Because of the large scale of listed companies, they are often the main responsible parties for environmental problems. Therefore, from the perspective of compensation incentive, this study made an empirical test on how the pay dispersion within top managers affects corporate environmental responsibility information disclosure. By selecting A-share companies listed in Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchange which published corporate social responsibility reports from 2008 to 2018 as research samples, a multivariate regression analysis model was established. The results showed that there is a significant inverted U-shaped relationship between executive compensation gap and corporate environmental responsibility information disclosure. Further research found that this relationship was only significant in state-owned enterprises.

Exploring the connections among CSR performance, reporting, and external assurance: Evidence from the hospitality and tourism industry

This study explores the connections among corporate social responsibility performance, reporting, and external assurance in the hospitality and tourism industry by incorporating the Global Reporting Initiative framework. The originality of the study is that it tests signaling theory and the greenwashing tendency by examining different facets of corporate social responsibility engagement using a holistic approach with a cross-country sample. The data for the study were derived from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database for the years between 2012 and 2018. A panel data analysis with a Random-Effects estimator was run to test the hypothesized associations. Several conclusions were drawn based on the study. First, higher corporate social responsibility performers among hospitality and tourism companies have a higher propensity to publish corporate social responsibility reports. Second, higher corporate social responsibility achievements are a significant driving force behind the Global Reporting Initiative framework adoption. Third, among corporate social responsibility reporters, higher corporate social responsibility performers are more likely to assure their corporate social responsibility reports externally. Fourth, among corporate social responsibility reporters, Global Reporting Initiative framework adopters are more likely to assure their corporate social responsibility reports externally. Overall, the results verified the signaling theory but reject a greenwashing tendency in the hospitality and tourism sector. The proven links among the four dimensions of CSR incorporated into the study models indicate complementarity among the indicators. Besides, it should be noted that there is still a gap for improvement, particularly for non-corporate social responsibility reporters and for non-Global Reporting Initiative adopters.

An analysis of the adherence of Brazilian organizations to GRI as a method of disclosure of corporate social responsibility

Purpose: Organizations have published corporate social responsibility reports aimed at spreading their social responsibility. In this sense, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) develops structured models of sustainability reports that help organizations design and disseminate them. The objective of this paper is to analyze the evolution of GRI adherence and the quality of CSR reports provided by Brazilian organizations.
 Methodology: Data for all Brazilian organizations that adhered to GRI, in the period 2000-2017, were collected for a total of 461 organizations and 2,142 observations. Descriptive analyses and tests for the difference in proportions have been processed.
 Results: The results show that there was a significant increase in the number of Brazilian organizations that joined GRI, with an average annual growth of around 48%. Business organizations are the ones that most disclose social action through GRI, although there are also organizations of other nature. There is a strong predominance of large companies. About the quality of information, it is perceived that about 90% of the statements already follow GRI guidelines, and more than half are not yet subject to an external audit. Although slight, there has been observed a breakthrough in the disclosure of reports that integrate financial and social information.
 Contributions of the Study: The study about CSR report disclosure in GRI format provides to academic community information on how this disclosure tool has been deemed relevant by business organizations or not in Brazil. The work provides additional contribution by presenting a detailed analysis of GRI reporting disclosure evolution by Brazilian organizations. In addition, the study contributes by pointing out that GRI has been established as an important channel for the dissemination of information on social actions and sustainability for Brazilian organizations. Regarding the academic point of view, the research collaborates in advancing the studies related to voluntary disclosure and in deepening the analysis of the quality of GRI reports drafted by organizations.

How should mining firms invest in the multidimensions of corporate social responsibility? Evidence from China

Although it is widely accepted that mining firms should be involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, we do notice that CSR engagement is relatively high-cost, especially considering the fact that mineral products have suffered from an extended period of lower and volatile commodity prices. Therefore, we explore how mining firms “do well by doing good”. Using a sample of listed mining firms in China over the period covering 2008 to 2017 and fuzzy-set/qualitative comparative analysis, we explore which configurations of CSR dimensions result in different levels of return on equity (ROE). Our empirical results provide compelling evidence that 1) although 34% of listed mining firms have published CSR reports, their CSR level has more room for improvement; 2) mining firms do more in product dimensions than other CSR dimensions; 3) it is more likely to affect profitability by investing in the multidimensions of CSR in a combined way, and four patterns result in high ROE, while one pattern leads to not-high ROE; and 4) doing more in community and CSR governance is more likely to enhance profitability, while in diversity and products, it does the opposite.

Information asymmetry in CSR reporting: publicly-traded versus privately-held firms

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the motivations behind the publication of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, and particularly the effect of information asymmetry between firms and their owners.Design/methodology/approachA natural experiment contrasting the CSR reporting of private vs public firms is used to test whether the degree of information asymmetry is a significant factor in the decision to publish CSR reports. Using a hand-collected sample of the 239 largest US private companies matched with publicly-traded firms, the effect of these inherently different information environments on CSR reporting is tested through logistic regression. Factors suggested by stakeholder and legitimacy theories are tested for their differential impact on private vs public firms’ decisions to publish a CSR report.FindingsResults indicate that private firms are less likely to publish a CSR report than similar public firms. Public firms also follow Global Reporting Initiative guidelines more frequently, consistent with signaling report quality to dispersed investors. A subsample of private companies facing greater information asymmetry is found to be similar to public firms in their reporting behavior, reinforcing the link between information asymmetry and CSR disclosure. Further analysis suggests that non-owner stakeholders play an important role in private companies’ CSR reporting decisions.Practical implicationsIn addition to accounting and governance scholars, the findings should interest private firm managers preparing for an initial public offering (IPO), as the evidence suggests that CSR reporting is used to communicate information to dispersed investors. The insight into reporting motivations should be useful to accountants engaged in CSR consultation and assurance.Social implicationsWith the growing attention paid to the CSR performance of firms, demonstrated by the growth in socially responsible investing, the study provides evidence that effective communication of CSR information to investors may play a key role in CSR-engaged firms’ disclosure strategies.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to analyze the CSR reporting decisions of a large sample of publicly-traded and privately-held firms. The results add to our understanding of what motivates firms to publish CSR reports, highlighting the importance of information asymmetry between the firm and its owners.

Translating (im)personalisation in corporate discourse. A corpus-based analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility reports in English and Italian

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports constitute a relatively new form of corporate disclosure used by companies to present their values and philosophy with respect to socially relevant themes on which they may have an impact, mainly the environment, the community and employees. Companies thus publish CSR reports to communicate with a variety of stakeholders and provide information about their sustainability initiatives, with the ultimate aim of building, reinforcing, and promoting their corporate image. Personalisation plays an important role in the discursive construction of identity and in the definition of relationships between social actors. The personification of the company – obtained through 1 st person plural deixis within corporate reports – is a very powerful rhetorical tool to convey a collective subject which takes responsibility for the actions and results it is giving account of, indicating and enacting a specific relationship with the reader. As a sociopragmatic item, however, it is largely language/culture-dependent, and thus represents an interesting locus to observe the impact of translation strategies on the meaning conveyed to the target audience. This paper sets out to analyse how CSR reports translated into English from Italian compare – as regards personalisation – with reports originally produced in English, in order to detect differences in the way corporate identity is construed and conveyed. The study is based on a bilingual corpus which includes translated English reports and their Italian source texts, as well as comparable originals in English and Italian. Corroborating previous research conducted on similar genres, the study shows that (im)personalisation patterns are considerably different in original and translated English CSR reports, largely due to a tendency for the latter to reproduce Italian conventions in this form of specialised discourse.

Building Corporate Reputation Through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports: The Case of Extractive Industries

Large corporations and industry groups have always used mass communication media to inform and educate important stakeholders and the general public on issues where corporate reputation and public trust are intertwined, and where any deterioration in the linkage can have significant negative consequences. An emerging trend in this direction has been the explosive growth in the voluntary publication of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. These reports, however, are vulnerable to corporate embellishments, which may erode their value as reputation-building instruments. To examine this situation, this paper provides a detailed and systematic analysis of 48 of the world’s largest corporations in the extractive industry (i.e., mining and minerals, oil and gas, and support services) that have published CSR reports in 2012. The extractive industry’s operations invariably raise important environmental, sociopolitical, and governance issues that are subject to heightened levels of public and regulatory scrutiny. Hence, their CSR reports carry a heavy burden of providing high-quality information that would engender public trust. Our examination of CSR reports of corporations is conducted through an analytical structure called the CSR-Sustainability Monitor® – the first system of its kind in the world that enables overall evaluations and comparisons of each CSR report with any other CSR report or group of CSR reports in our database. Our analysis shows that these companies’ CSR reports generally provide extensive information on major environmental, social, and governance issues. But they are less forthcoming on many controversial aspects of their operations that impact the public domain. This is unfortunate because it reduces public trust in the quality of these reports and undermines the value of one of the most important instruments of public communication available to the companies. Finally, we provide some suggestions that companies may incorporate into their CSR reports going forward.

Community Institutions and Initial Diffusion of Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in China's Banking Industry

ABSTRACTThe existing literature does not provide adequate insight into the initial diffusion of new management practices, especially those that yield no immediate economic benefits, and have not yet gained legitimacy. We study how firms’ local institutional environments influence early adoption behavior, examining the spread of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports in China's banking industry from 2006 to 2011. We find that banks are more likely to be first movers of CSR reporting if they operate in communities where more companies publish CSR reports or where there are guidelines encouraging CSR reporting, and the impacts of these two institutional factors are further moderated by the length of time that banks have operated in communities. Our study highlights the usefulness of institutional theory in understanding the initial adoption of new management practices, when the organizational field is defined as a geographic community instead of an industry sector and its supply chain.

Rethinking corporate social responsibility within the sustainability agenda

Purpose– This investigation is guided by the following research questions: employing Hart and Milstein’s (2003) Sustainable Value Framework as analytic tool, what is the extent of the integration of sustainability focused strategies by Asian-based companies in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives? How can the ethics of responsibility of Hans Jonas help rethink the current understanding and doing of CSR in Asia towards achieving a truly responsible and sustainable corporate identity?Design/methodology/approach– This research uses Centering Resonance Analysis (CRA), which is a relatively sophisticated form of content analysis methodology suitable for studying formal written communication such as the published CSR reports. To accomplish the complex task of CRA, the Crawdad Text Analysis System 1.2 is used. The Crawdad Text Analysis Software is an analytical software package developed specifically to perform CRA.Findings– Using the Hart and Milstein Sustainable Value Framework as a diagnostic tool, the empirical findings reveal that Asian-based companies’ CSR projects exhibit a very low degree of integration of sustainability strategies. This paper proposes a theoretical process model that explains the planned development of CSR initiatives – through a CSR tract elucidated as corporate sustainability and responsibility – a holistic management approach aimed at providing impetus for companies in Asia to pursue the goal of becoming responsible and sustainable companies. It reconciles the concepts of CSR and corporate sustainability using Hans Jonas’ ethics of responsibility as the philosophical footing.Research limitations/implications– The primary objective of this study, therefore, is to examine how companies located in Asia embrace sustainability in their CSR engagement. It stems back to the fundamental question, “How do companies in Asia manage their CSR” – i.e. as a strategic response to changing circumstances and new corporate challenges? This question drives this study’s search for empirically based conclusions on current CSR program thrusts and the advancement of sustainability strategies of firms operating in Asia.Practical implications– Building upon the empirical results gained from the above objective is the equally important goal of the study to advance Hans Jonas’ ethics of responsibility as a basis for a blueprint to a revitalized view of CSR amongst Asian firms in their pursuit to become responsible and sustainable corporations. The integration of philosophical theory adds foundational depth to the study.Social implications– Building upon the empirical results gained from the above objective is the equally important goal of the study to advance Hans Jonas’ ethics of responsibility as a basis for a blueprint to a revitalized view of CSR among Asian firms in their pursuit to become responsible and sustainable corporations. The integration of philosophical theory adds foundational depth to the study.Originality/value– This multidisciplinary study seeks to contribute to CSR literature in two ways. First, it highlights the significance of the need for empirical descriptions of firm-level CSR structures and practices that may give a more thorough account of the overall quality of business involvement of Asian-based firms on sustainability issues. Second, this investigation underscores the need for conceptual robustness to guide CSR initiatives undertaken by firms within a sustainability paradigm. A grounded theoretical model is henceforth presented in this paper to enrich the discussion on the strategic management of ecological responsibility through a holistic approach to CSR.

소비자 이슈에 대한 CSR 활동의 산업별 차이분석

Purpose: This study aims to develop measuring tools for 'Consumer Issues' of ISO 26000, the international standards for corporate social responsibility(CSR), and propose strategic suggestions on the CSR implemention by analyzing the differences among various industries. Methods: In order to test the research models, structured questionnaires were used and nationwide surveys were conducted targeting at customers who have had experiences in using the products and services from the companies which published CSR reports. In addition, for the empirical analysis of data, the models were verified with AMOS confirmatory factor analysis(CFA). Results: From the result of the analysis of differences among industries, it was shown that level of CSR activities was high in public sectors, followed by service industries and manufacturing. It was also shown high in air transport and the electrical and electronic industries, while it was confirmed low in energy and environment related industries such as energy, automobile and chemical industries. As a result, strategic approaches are suggested, considering the different characteristics of each industry in implementing CSR. Conclusion: This study has developed measuring tools for 'Consumer Issues' to research the core subjects and issues of ISO 26000, the international standards for CSR. It has confirmed the characteristics and differ- ences regarding 'Consumer Issues ' among industries and proved that industries can provide guidelines for the implementation of CSR activities through approaching and researching various issues from interested parties. This study has also suggested the importance of customer awareness of CSR activities and active communications by industries.

Exploring the corporate social responsibility reporting: A case study in Thai listed companies

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) pertains to the idea that business activities can affect the environment, society, and economy. The environment and social performance is an important driver of long-term sustainability and growth. The concept of CSR has become increasingly popular for sustainable development. There are calls for CSR information. However, Thai listed companies rarely published CSR reports because of difficulty in collecting CSR information. To understand information presentation practice on CSR reports in Thailand, two listed companies, the Siam Cement public company limited and PTT public company limited were selected for examination. Based on information disclosed in 2010, it was found that firms applied Global Report Initiatives (GRI) guideline while disclosing their CSR information. Most of information presented was qualitative in nature. It includes narrative information, indictors, graphic, and visualize data. So, it is difficult to make comparison about CSR activities across firms. The results suggest need for innovation development of information system and database of CSR reporting. Key words: Corporate Social Responsibility report, corporate social responsibility, social performance, performance indicator, voluntary disclosure.

Occupational Safety and Health Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Japanese Companies Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) First Section

Recently, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming widely recognized as an issue for Japanese companies. Corporate responsibility for employees is considered important by various stakeholders, and occupational safety and health is regarded as one of these responsibilities. The present authors examined this issue from the viewpoint of corporate management by analysis of statements found in CSR-related reports. For companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), we searched for CSR-related reports, and titles and contents, based on two established guidelines: the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines 2002 as the international reference and the Environmental Reporting Guidelines of the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan, as the domestic reference. Corporations that published CSR reports were 26.3% (416/1,581) of the total, and large differences were recognized by type of industry. Comparing the numbers of pages for various contents, more concern was shown about the environment than about social activity, indicating the environment to be the main issue of CSR in Japan. In the items included in the guidelines, many matters about occupational accidents were mentioned, but it was found that statements regarding HIV/AIDS, which is not of such strong social concern in Japan, and statements regarding the costs of safety that are difficult to calculate were few. However, statements regarding mental health, which is of high interest socially, were many, even though this issue is not included in the two guidelines used. In revising the guidelines, these matters should be reviewed. In the future, continuance of analysis of CSR-related reports with regard to changes and comparisons with overseas reports will help improve occupational safety and health.