Corporate social and environmental reporting practices

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore corporate social and environmental reporting (CSER) practices and motivations in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed-methods approach, the paper attempts to understand what corporate social and environmental issues Bangladeshi firms are reporting and why. The paper first explores the motivations for CSER in line with O’Dwyer’s (2003) proposed classifications of proactive and reactive motivations through interviews and frames its findings using stakeholder theory. To provide a more holistic view, content analysis adapted from CSR Asia (2008) categorization (broadly guided by GRI) was conducted to enhance findings from engagement-based interviews with managers. Findings The paper finds that “community investment and development” and “governance codes and policies” received the highest amount of disclosure, while the least amount of disclosure was found in the “workplace/human rights” category. Although a philanthropic tone was found behind “community investment”, such as poverty alleviation activities, disclosure in this area is mostly motivated by proactive rationales with enlightened self-interest and image-building activities. In terms of reactive motivations underpinning CSER, the paper finds that companies also report reactively to reduce pressure from powerful stakeholders such as international buyers and government agencies. Contrary to other studies regarding reactive motivations, the authors argue that a director’s proactive motivation is the prime determinant of CSER in a developing country. They also argue that low-level disclosures on workplace environment/human rights need to be given more importance by policymakers, management and other relevant stakeholders. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is one of the few engagement-based field studies that uses a mixed-methods approach to seek managerial perspectives in an attempt to understand CSER practices in an emerging country context.

Is Green Regulation Effective or a Failure: Comparative Analysis between Bangladesh Bank (BB) Green Guidelines and Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines

“…Researchers also used a mixed approach in the past in the reporting analysis. Hossain et al [54] and Nurunnabi [6] used interview and content techniques for environmental reporting. Moreover, in the content analysis techniques, general disclosure of content is mostly used in sustainability reporting.…”

“…Green reporting practices have been increasing in developing countries such as Bangladesh in the last few years. Prior research studies outlined that the absence of specific guidelines, weaker stakeholder engagement, and lack of social awareness are reasons for poor green reporting performance in Bangladesh [6,54,55]. Hossain et al [21] reveal that Bangladeshi banking companies' green disclosure level is poor even though it has improved since 2011 due to the initiatives of the central bank green guidelines.…”

What colour is the corporate social responsibility report? Structural visual rhetoric, impression management strategies, and stakeholder engagement

“…In practice, however, several studies have revealed the existence of information deficiencies (Asif, Searcy, dos Santos, & Kensah, 2013;Mio, 2010;Moseñe, Burritt, Sanagustín, Moneva, & Tingey-Holyoak, 2013;Rodrigue, 2014) that hinder decision-making by the different stakeholders (Fonseca, McAllister, & Fitzpatrick, 2012;O'Dwyer, Unerman, & Hession, 2005). Among other weaknesses, the fact that the information disclosed is minimal, of limited effectiveness and credibility, and rarely comparable, all limits corporate transparency (Amini, Bienstock, & Narcum, 2018;Boiral & Henri, 2017; Cubilla-Montilla, Nieto-Librero, Galindo-Villardón, Vicente Galindo, & Garcia-Sanchez, 2019;Hossain, Momin, Rowe, & Quaddus, 2017;Mio, 2010). In addition, it has been empirically demonstrated that the relevance of the NFI disclosed is associated with the existence of firms' incentives.…”

Environmental Information Transparency—Evidence from Romanian Companies

“…Hossain et al [48] have approached corporate social and environmental reporting (CSER) practices and motivations in Bangladesh. They found that community investment and development and governance codes and policies categories received the highest amount of disclosure, while the least disclosed was the workplace/human rights category.…”