Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the disclosure pattern of corporate sustainability (CS) and the influence of sustainability reporting on firm performance of four countries in Asia – Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India. Design/methodology/approach The authors have collected the sustainability reports and annual reports of 111 firms from four Asian countries for a period of six years. Based on the framework of Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI, 3 and 3.1), content analysis is used for calculating the disclosure score of corporate sustainability performance (CSP). These scores are further used to examine the impact on firm performance by employing a panel data regression model. Findings The study finds that the average level and quality of disclosure are the highest for Japanese firms, followed by India and South Korea. However, in the case of Indonesia, the average score is very low. Further, the study finds a significant difference in the disclosure of overall sustainability as well as components of sustainability between the countries. The regression results indicate the positive impact of CSP (both in terms of level and quality) on MBR. Specifically, the outcome of the regression model reveals that both the level and quality disclosure of CS are crucial for enhancing firm value for both the developed and developing countries of Asia. Moreover, the relative influence of CSP (both in terms of level and quality) on firm performance is found to be more in developed countries than the developing countries of Asia. Originality/value This is the first comprehensive study in the Asian context to investigate the disclosure pattern of CSP and also examine the association between CSP and firm performance by employing the panel data model. The outcome of this study is useful for policy implication.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of corporate sustainability reporting on firm performance in four Asian countries – Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India – and to find out whether there is any significant difference between developed and developing countries of Asia with respect to the impact of such reporting on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on 36 listed nonfinancial companies from Japan, 28 from India, 26 from South Korea and 21 from Indonesia respectively, from 2009 to 2014. Content analysis (binary −0 and 1) is used to calculate the disclosure score of sustainability performance, based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) format. The outcome of the content analysis is further used to examine the impact of corporate sustainability reporting on firm performance employing a logistic regression model. Findings The study finds that the average level of disclosure is more in the case of Japanese companies (90 per cent), followed by India (88 per cent) and South Korea (85 per cent). On the other hand, the average level of disclosure is only 72 per cent for Indonesian firms. Regression results depict a significant positive association between sustainability reporting and firm’s performance. The study further finds that the relative impact of sustainability reporting on firm performance is more in developed countries than in developing countries of Asia. Originality/value This is the first comprehensive study in Asian context to examine the impact of the level of corporate sustainability disclosure on the firm performance by using the logistic regression model. The outcome of this study would not only help the corporate managers but also the policymakers to make a valuable decision, which will eventually contribute to the objectives of sustainable development.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a crucial research domain over the last decade due to the imperative that when CSR activities are communicated in the form of a report, it helps in improving firm performance. Thus, the main purpose of the present study is to analyse CSR disclosure trend in India and to investigate the association between CSR and the performance of the firm from 2008-2009 to 2013-2014. Content analysis is employed using Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework as a base to calculate the disclosure score relating to CSR and its components, that is, human related (HR) information, society related (SO) information and product related (PR) information. Firm performance is measured by Market to Book Ratio (MBR). CSR disclosure score is found to be increasing over the study period and regarding the components of CSR, the disclosure score of SO is found to be the highest (nearly 89 per cent) followed by HR (nearly 84 per cent) and PR (nearly 83 per cent). These scores are further utilised to find the influence of CSR (including its components) on firm performance using random generalised least squares (GLS) model. The results of the regression model indicate positive and significant impact of CSR (including its components) on firm performance.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to look into the sustainability practices of Indian firms in terms of the quality of disclosure, the impact of corporate sustainability performance (CSP) on firm performance and the appropriateness of the sustainability reporting guidelines followed by the firms. Design/methodology/approach The present study is based on secondary data collected from annual reports and corporate sustainability reports of 28 listed Indian non-financial firms from 2008-2009 to 2013-2014. Content analysis is used to calculate the score in terms of level (binary coding system) and quality of disclosure (four-point scale). These scores are further used to examine the impact of CSP on firm performance by using an appropriate regression model. Findings The study finds that the average level of disclosure is 88 per cent, whereas the quality of disclosure is nearly 80 per cent. The influence of CSP (in terms of level and quality disclosure) on firm performance is positive and significant. Moreover, the study also reveals that the Global Reporting Initiatives framework is not sufficient enough to publish the sustainability report of any business concern. The outcomes of the study, thus, indicate that sustainability practices of Indian firms are not myth but approaching toward reality. Originality/value It is the first comprehensive study in India to analyze the corporate sustainability reporting practices encompassing different dimensions of sustainability.

Purpose The purpose of this article is to explore the disclosure of corporate sustainability (CS) practices and to examine the association between sustainability performance and financial performance in Asian context considering firms from India and Japan. Design/methodology/approach The present study is based on secondary data collected from annual reports and CS reports of 28 and 35 listed non-financial firms from India and Japan from 2009 to 2014. Content analysis (binary coding system) is employed to calculate the sustainability disclosure score based on Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) framework. Market-to-book ratio is used to measure the financial performance. These scores are further used to examine the impact of CS performance on financial performance employing both the panel data model and logit regression model. Findings The study finds that the average level of disclosure is more in case of Japanese firm as compared to Indian firms. Using both the regression model, the study finds the influence of CS performance on financial performance is positive and significant for both the nations. However, the influence of CS performance is more in case of Japan than that of India. Moreover, the study also reveals that environmental factor is more dominating in influencing the financial performance in Japan. Whereas, in India, it is the social factor that dominates the financial performance. Originality/value It is the first comprehensive study in Asia analyzing the CS practices using both the panel data regression model and logit regression model.