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Voluntary assurance of sustainability reporting: evidence from an emerging economy

Author

Listed:
  • Abeer Hassan
  • Ahmed A. Elamer
  • Mary Fletcher
  • Nawreen Sobhan

Abstract

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the supply and demand side of sustainability assurance in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach - Drawing on signalling theory, a logistic regression model is used for a sample of 100 of the largest Bangladeshi companies to study the relationships between assurance, sustainability disclosure, industry membership and reporting format. Findings - Authors’ results show that companies which produce more sustainability information are more likely to get their sustainability assured, to be from non-carbon intensive industries, and are more likely to integrate their sustainability information with the financial annual reports. Authors’ results support the argument that organisations based in weaker legal environments are more likely to secure assurance as this adds to the credibility and reliability of sustainability reports. Research limitations/implications - This paper has limitations which raise some issues for future research. First, the authors have covered only large companies; therefore, future research could examine the differences between small and large companies in relation to assurance. Secondly, the authors’ data consist of company sustainability disclosure information in the fiscal year 2015. Longitudinal studies are recommended to extend this research. Finally, future research could examine the moderating effects of geographical location on the relationship between assurance (and its providers) and other variables. Practical implications - The findings of this paper will prove valuable to practitioners and researchers. Practitioners, including assurance providers and sustainability reporting managers will benefit from authors’ study as it covers both the demand and supply side characteristics of assurance. Researchers will benefit from the study as it investigates assurance practices in the developing country of Bangladesh. Originality/value - To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine both the supply and demand sides of sustainability assurance in Bangladesh. Authors also introduce reporting format when measuring the relationship between assurance and its determinant factors at micro level. The study also links assurance to signalling theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Abeer Hassan & Ahmed A. Elamer & Mary Fletcher & Nawreen Sobhan, 2020. "Voluntary assurance of sustainability reporting: evidence from an emerging economy," Accounting Research Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 33(2), pages 391-410, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:arjpps:arj-10-2018-0169
    DOI: 10.1108/ARJ-10-2018-0169
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Monika Kussetya Ciptani & Mila Reyes & Regitha Seshanda Azizah, 2024. "Balancing Audit Quality to Auditees Cash Reserves: A Phenomenon in Indonesia," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(4), pages 824-835, April.
    2. Siti Amalia & Dadang Lesmana & Yanzil Azizil Yudaruddin & Rizky Yudaruddin, 2022. "The Impact of Board Structure on Voluntary Environmental and Energy Disclosure in an Emerging Market," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 12(4), pages 430-438, July.
    3. Mohammed Hammam Mohammed Al-Madani & Yudi Fernando & Ming-Lang Tseng, 2022. "Assuring Energy Reporting Integrity: Government Policy’s Past, Present, and Future Roles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-24, November.
    4. Li‐Chun Kuo & Chia‐Lin Lee & Yun‐Ting Lee, 2022. "The impact of voluntary assurance of CSR reports on firms' operating performance: Evidence from Taiwan," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(8), pages 4041-4054, December.
    5. Parvez Alam Khan & Satirenjit Kaur Johl & Shireenjit K. Johl, 2021. "Does adoption of ISO 56002‐2019 and green innovation reporting enhance the firm sustainable development goal performance? An emerging paradigm," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 2922-2936, November.
    6. Saleh F. A. Khatib & Dewi Fariha Abdullah & Ahmed A. Elamer & Raed Abueid, 2021. "Nudging toward diversity in the boardroom: A systematic literature review of board diversity of financial institutions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 985-1002, February.
    7. George Lăzăroiu & Luminița Ionescu & Mihai Andronie & Irina Dijmărescu, 2020. "Sustainability Management and Performance in the Urban Corporate Economy: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-13, September.
    8. Mounia Boulhaga & Abdelfettah Bouri & Ahmed A. Elamer & Bassam A. Ibrahim, 2023. "Environmental, social and governance ratings and firm performance: The moderating role of internal control quality," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 134-145, January.
    9. Ayman Hassan Bazhair & Saleh F. A. Khatib & Hamzeh Al Amosh, 2022. "Taking Stock of Carbon Disclosure Research While Looking to the Future: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-24, October.
    10. Kazemi, Maha Zadeh & Elamer, Ahmed A. & Theodosopoulos, Grigorios & Khatib, Saleh F.A., 2023. "Reinvigorating research on sustainability reporting in the construction industry: A systematic review and future research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    11. Bradbury, Michael & Jia, Jing & Li, Zhongtian, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility committees and the use of corporate social responsibility assurance services," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2).
    12. Abeer Mohamed Hassan & Lee Roberts & Jill Atkins, 2020. "Exploring factors relating to extinction disclosures: What motivates companies to report on biodiversity and species protection?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1419-1436, March.
    13. Nugroho, Dwiyanjana Santyo & Pertiwi, Meilani Intan, 2021. "Stock Price Reaction when Covid -19 Exist: Moderating by Firm’s Operating Cash Flow," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 55(1), pages 71-85.
    14. Dinah Quacoe & Yusheng Kong & Daniel Quacoe, 2023. "Analysis of How Green Growth and Entrepreneurship Affect Sustainable Development: Application of the Quintuple Helix Innovation Model in the African Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-19, January.

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