Search results
1 – 10 of 93Eric McLaren, Dimitrios Salampasis, Richard Busulwa, Rico Johannes Baldegger and Pascal Wild
Even though extant research highlights the crucial role some stakeholders play in helping corporations understand, manage and mitigate the occurrence of modern slavery in their…
Abstract
Purpose
Even though extant research highlights the crucial role some stakeholders play in helping corporations understand, manage and mitigate the occurrence of modern slavery in their supply chains and operations, there is a fundamental lack of understanding of all the relevant stakeholder groups and the specific roles they play. By adopting a stakeholder theory approach, this study aims to identify all the key stakeholders and their associated roles towards supporting corporations’ modern slavery monitoring, detection and disclosure activities.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was conducted by following the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant literature included scholarly work focusing on the identification of key stakeholders and the roles they play in enabling corporations’ modern slavery monitoring, detection and disclosure activities.
Findings
Nine stakeholder groups and their roles were identified, such as governments, workers, IGOs, NGOs and suppliers. Examples of performed activities include conducting audits, providing training, monitoring occurrences of modern slavery, enforcing regulations, reporting on labour issues and evaluating corporations’ modern slavery reports.
Practical implications
A comprehensive understanding of key stakeholders and their roles enables better collaboration towards achieving transparency within corporations’ supply chains and operations. Other stakeholders can leverage these findings to enhance modern slavery reporting activities.
Social implications
Clarity regarding key stakeholders and their roles may improve quality and quantity of reported modern slavery information, enhancing corporations’ public accountability.
Originality/value
This study adopts a stakeholder theory approach to provide a comprehensive understanding of key stakeholders and their roles in enhancing corporations’ modern slavery reporting activities.
Details
Keywords
Waris Ali, J. George Frynas and Jeffrey Wilson
This research investigates the influence of corporate–NGO collaborations on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure measured in three different ways (i.e. extent, level…
Abstract
Purpose
This research investigates the influence of corporate–NGO collaborations on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure measured in three different ways (i.e. extent, level and quality) in low-income developing economies. Additionally, it examines the moderating effect of corporate profitability in the relationship between corporate–NGO collaborations and CSR disclosure.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses multivariate regression analysis based on data collected from 201 non-financial firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE).
Findings
The findings reveal that corporations with NGO partnerships are more likely to disclose CSR information and provide high-quality information regarding workers, the environment and community-related issues. Further, corporate profitability positively moderates the corporate–NGO collaborations and CSR disclosure relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Research limitations are presented in the conclusion section.
Practical implications
The findings underline the crucial significance of NGOs and their associated normative isomorphism logics for CSR disclosure in low-income countries with weak law enforcement and relatively ineffective state institutions, which were previously believed to lack such institutions.
Originality/value
While some research has suggested that companies in developing countries perceive significant pressure from NGOs to adopt social disclosure, no study has specifically explored how internally driven corporate–NGO collaboration (as opposed to external NGO activist pressures) promotes CSR disclosure specifically in developing economies.
Details
Keywords
Abeer Elshater and Hisham Abusaada
This review article advocates for a holistic approach to interpreting and addressing urban poverty through the proposal of “poverty-free urbanism” (PFU). By introducing PFU as a…
Abstract
Purpose
This review article advocates for a holistic approach to interpreting and addressing urban poverty through the proposal of “poverty-free urbanism” (PFU). By introducing PFU as a holistic approach to measuring poverty from a deprivation perspective, this article confronts the multifaceted challenges of urban poverty, transcending mere material limitations.
Design/methodology/approach
Through an exhaustive qualitative literature review and content analysis, the study identifies six qualitative normative factors: availability, productivity, innovativeness, diversity, fairness, and well-being.
Findings
While promising, the applicability and effectiveness of PFU across diverse urban contexts necessitate further refinement and empirical validation. Future research endeavors should prioritize clarifying the concept of PFU, exploring its practical implementation in varied urban settings, and offering actionable recommendations for fostering inclusive and equitable urban development.
Originality/value
These factors, rooted in critical processes such as ensuring essential services, promoting entrepreneurial activities, fostering bottom-up community development, facilitating dynamic typo-morphological transformations, addressing social exclusion and inequality, and promoting healthy communities, offer a holistic approach for policymakers and practitioners in devising sustainable poverty alleviation strategies.
Details
Keywords
Wei Cai, Min Bai and Howard Davey
This paper aims to examine the impact of corporate environmental transparency (CET) on corporate financial performance under a mandatory environmental disclosure policy in China…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of corporate environmental transparency (CET) on corporate financial performance under a mandatory environmental disclosure policy in China, the largest carbon-emitting country. It aims to clarify the concept of CET and investigate its short-term financial implications for key pollutant-discharging entities (KPEs).
Design/methodology/approach
A multidimensional model is used to construct a comprehensive CET index for KPEs in China. Empirical tests are conducted to assess the relationship between CET and corporate financial performance.
Findings
The study finds a negative relationship between CET and corporate financial performance in the short term. Increased environmental transparency necessitates higher environmental resource allocation, adversely affecting profits. The results remain unchanged from a battery of robustness tests. Despite mandatory disclosure, companies tend to provide general and vague information rather than specific and meaningful environmental data.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide rich practical implications for policymakers to improve a mandatory environmental disclosure policy. The paper also contributes to the existing knowledge by developing a measure of CET and presenting new evidence to the debate on whether corporate environmental disclosure can be regarded as transparency.
Practical implications
Policymakers are advised to refine mandatory environmental disclosure regulations to ensure genuine transparency and to implement policy measures that alleviate the financial burdens of companies with high CET levels, thereby encouraging sustainable practices.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the existing knowledge by developing a measure of CET and providing new evidence on the debate over whether environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure equates to transparency. It emphasizes the complexity of transparency and the inadequacy of current environmental disclosure practices among KPEs. The study underscores the need for financial support for companies with high CET levels to alleviate short-term financial strains and promote long-term sustainability.
Details
Keywords
International business research is showing an increasing interest in the link between international business and human rights. Despite extensive coverage of corporate social…
Abstract
International business research is showing an increasing interest in the link between international business and human rights. Despite extensive coverage of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, the analysis and discussion of why multinational corporations include human rights in corporate reporting is still in its early stages. This chapter develops an analytical framework on corporate human rights reporting, with special emphasis on international business. The conceptual part of the framework draws on legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and signalling theory. The analytical part distinguishes between factors inside the corporation and the external environment of business organisations operating internationally.
Details
Keywords
Alireza Rohani and Mirna Jabbour
This study investigates whether carbon media legitimacy is influenced by carbon performance and/or carbon disclosure using a direct measure of carbon media legitimacy in UK…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates whether carbon media legitimacy is influenced by carbon performance and/or carbon disclosure using a direct measure of carbon media legitimacy in UK context.
Design/methodology/approach
To test this study's hypotheses, the authors employ Tobit regression analysis of 95 UK companies listed in FTSE350. The authors use balanced panel data (475 observations in total) to reduces the noise introduced by unit heterogeneity.
Findings
The authors find that while corporate carbon performance is not reflected in carbon media legitimacy, carbon media legitimacy is positively and significantly affected by voluntary carbon disclosure (irrespective of its quality). Thus, voluntary carbon disclosure is shown to be an effective tool in legitimising corporate activities.
Research limitations/implications
The results show a certain degree of naivety on the part of the media in assessing corporate carbon behaviour, since it values carbon disclosure (irrespective of its quality) more than carbon performance. Such media behaviour may hinder future improvement in carbon performance of firms.
Practical implications
This study's results indicate that the existing UK carbon disclosure policy does not address the heart of climate change and global warming. Thus, tougher regulations should be considered by policy-makers in relation to voluntary carbon disclosure in the UK.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine whether carbon media legitimacy is associated with both carbon performance and carbon disclosure using a direct measure of carbon media legitimacy, and to use the UK context when addressing this association. It also examines the effectiveness of quality of carbon disclosure as legitimation tool.
Details
Keywords
Muhammad Bilal Farooq, Rashid Zaman, Stephen Bahadar and Fawad Rauf
This study aims to examine whether the adoption of the International Integrated Reporting Council’s Integrated Reporting Framework (IIRC Framework) influences the extent of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine whether the adoption of the International Integrated Reporting Council’s Integrated Reporting Framework (IIRC Framework) influences the extent of forward-looking disclosures provided by reporters.
Design/methodology/approach
This study captures forward-looking disclosures of Australian and New Zealand-based reporters by analysing integrated and annual reports over a period of 10 years from 2010 to 2019 using a machine learning algorithm. This study uses signalling theory to frame the analysis.
Findings
This study finds that the adoption of the IIRC Framework has a significant positive impact on the extent of forward-looking disclosures provided by reporting entities. The primary evidence suggests that while listing status alone negatively influences the extent of forward-looking disclosures, the additional analysis reveals that the acceptance of the IIRC Framework by listed entities is positively associated with an increase in forward-looking information. These results remain valid when subjected to a variety of robustness (alternative variables and country fixed effect) and endogeneity (system generalised method of moments and entropy balancing estimations) tests.
Practical implications
The findings have practical implications as regulatory agencies (including stock exchanges and standard setters), seeking to promote greater forward-looking disclosures, may want to encourage the adoption of the IIRC Framework.
Social implications
The IIRC’s Framework promotes greater forward-looking disclosures benefiting stakeholders who gain a better understanding of the reporters’ future risks and opportunities (including social, economic and environmental risks) and how these are being managed/addressed.
Originality/value
This study provides novel evidence by highlighting the role played by the IIRC Framework in promoting forward-looking disclosures.
Details
Keywords
Faisal Hameed, Trevor Wilmshurst and Claire Horner
Studies in corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure were initially focused more on disclosure “Quantity” than “Quality” and while they have started to explore “Disclosure…
Abstract
Purpose
Studies in corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure were initially focused more on disclosure “Quantity” than “Quality” and while they have started to explore “Disclosure Quality”, their assessment mechanisms are found to be immature. Thus, while a number of papers have sought to assess the quality of CSR disclosure, this paper aims to suggest an approach tied closely to both expectations in assessing “quality” derived from the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting (revised 2018) and the global reporting initiative. The outcome is to offer a best practice approach to assessing CSR disclosure quality.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, prior literature is reviewed, qualitative characteristics from the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting (revised 2018) and globally recognised guidelines such as the GRI are reviewed. The framework for a “CSR disclosure quality index” as an assessment tool to assess CSR disclosure quality is developed from qualitative characteristics and criteria identified.
Findings
The proposed CSR disclosure quality index is developed in stages from the qualitative characteristics identified in the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting (revised 2018) and criteria identified from the guidelines discussed. A table was then developed linking the qualitative characteristics to criteria providing a Likert scale approach to assessing the disclosures made by companies to make an assessment of the quality of the companies’ reports. It is argued this provides a robust assessment, being a direct and comprehensive measure of disclosure quality.
Research limitations/implications
As with most qualitative work, there are alternative approaches to establishing an index, but the authors believe this is an approach offering links (and, therefore, credibility) to globally recognised guidelines in the assessment of CSR disclosure quality. Future work could enhance the alignment of this index with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), building on the preliminary connections established in this study.
Practical implications
At a practical level this index offers an approach to reviewing the quality of CSR disclosures which could prove useful to policymakers and in the future development and expansion of this framework offering greater objectivity to assessments and justification for proposed improvement in reporting practice. Also, this index serves as a benchmarking tool for companies to meet the disclosure expectations of stakeholders.
Social implications
This approach has the potential to substantially fulfil stakeholder expectations by addressing the growing demand for transparency in this area, while avoiding practices that could be perceived as superficial or misleading (greenwashing). Focusing on social issues enables stronger connections between companies and their stakeholders. Furthermore, the index helps companies link their CSR efforts with SDGs and show their commitment to long-term social value building in discussion of governance factors to show accountability expectations are being met.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to CSR disclosure quality literature and provides a reliable method of assessing the quality of CSR disclosures. Opportunities for further and broader developments can be envisaged while offering a credible and reliable approach.
Details
Keywords
Multinational enterprises (MNEs) own and control technological resources and capabilities that make them critical actors in accelerating the transition toward net zero. Even…
Abstract
Multinational enterprises (MNEs) own and control technological resources and capabilities that make them critical actors in accelerating the transition toward net zero. Even beyond the energy sector, stakeholders are putting increasing pressure on MNEs to reduce the carbon intensity of their operations, that is, to improve their carbon performance. While there is unambiguous evidence that national climate policy is a critical catalyst for long-term carbon performance improvements, there is limited research on how MNEs’ carbon strategies react to climate policies. This chapter reviews the concepts, drivers, and strategies connected to carbon performance in the broader sustainability and management literature to clarify potential complementarities to international business (IB). The authors then highlight how MNEs will face increasing institutional complexity along two dimensions: (1) the structural diversity of institutional environments and (2) institutional dynamism, primarily reflected by public policy. The proposed conceptual framework maps these two dimensions to national and subnational levels, and the authors present two data sources that allow the quantitative analysis of country differences in the diversity and dynamism of national climate policy. The authors conclude that there are ample opportunities for IB researchers to explore MNEs’ strategic reactions to climate policy and to inform policymakers about the consequences of national climate policy in the global economy.
Details