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Stakeholder pressures on corporate climate change-related accountability and disclosures: Australian evidence

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  • Haque Shamima
  • Islam Muhammad Azizul

    (School of Accountancy, Queensland University of Technology, B Block Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)

Abstract

This study investigates stakeholder pressures on corporate climate change-related accountability and disclosure practices in Australia. While existing scholarship investigates stakeholder pressures on companies to discharge their broader accountability through general social and environmental disclosures, there is a lack of research investigating whether and how stakeholder pressures emerge to influence accountability and disclosure practices related to climate change. We surveyed various stakeholder groups to understand their concerns about climate change-related corporate accountability and disclosure practices. We present three primary findings: first, while NGOs and the media have some influence, institutional investors and government bodies (regulators) are perceived to be the most powerful stakeholders in generating climate change-related concern and coercive pressure on corporations to be accountable. Second, corporate climate change-related disclosures, as documented through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), are positively associated with such perceived coercive pressures. Lastly, we find a positive correlation between the level of media attention to climate change and Australian corporate responses to the CDP. Our results indicate that corporations will not disclose climate change information until pressured by non-financial stakeholders. This suggests a larger role for non-financial actors than previously theorized, with several policy implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Haque Shamima & Islam Muhammad Azizul, 2015. "Stakeholder pressures on corporate climate change-related accountability and disclosures: Australian evidence," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 17(2), pages 355-390, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:buspol:v:17:y:2015:i:2:p:355-390:n:2
    DOI: 10.1515/bap-2014-0017
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    1. Paola Vola & Lorenzo Gelmini, 2022. "Climate change skills for the new CFOs. A preliminary analysis on TCFD by Italian listed companies," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2022(2 Suppl.), pages 189-209.
    2. Carmela Gulluscio & Pina Puntillo & Valerio Luciani & Donald Huisingh, 2020. "Climate Change Accounting and Reporting: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-31, July.
    3. Nusirat Ojuolape Gold & Fauziah Md. Taib & Yaxin Ma, 2022. "Firm-Level Attributes, Industry-Specific Factors, Stakeholder Pressure, and Country-Level Attributes: Global Evidence of What Inspires Corporate Sustainability Practices and Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-28, October.
    4. Fernández-Vázquez, José-Santiago & Sancho-Rodríguez, Ángel, 2020. "Critical discourse analysis of climate change in IBEX 35 companies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).

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