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Environmental expenditure disclosure strategies in a regulated context
[Stratégies de publication des dépenses environnementales dans un cadre réglementaire]

Author

Listed:
  • Florence Depoers

    (CEROS - Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur les Organisations et la Stratégie - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre)

  • Tiphaine Jérôme

    (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland)

Abstract

Environmental expenditures (EE) are used to assess and monitor corporate environmental performance. Legislators are aware of the informative potential of this indicator, and listed firms are required to disclose their EE. Our research draws on legitimacy theory to identify and explain the strategic responses of a sample of French listed companies to the requirement to disclose this item. A content analysis identifies three different strategies: no response, a "facade" response, and a substantive response. Tests reveal several determinants of these strategies: environmental criticism, the existence of SRI shareholders, and the business sector. Our research contributes to both academic and regulatory debates on standardization of environmental disclosures, by revealing and explaining how firms behave in response to the law.

Suggested Citation

  • Florence Depoers & Tiphaine Jérôme, 2017. "Environmental expenditure disclosure strategies in a regulated context [Stratégies de publication des dépenses environnementales dans un cadre réglementaire]," Post-Print hal-01576195, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01576195
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