IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v26y2017i4p438-450.html

Integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Disclosure for a Sustainable Development: An Australian Study

Author

Listed:
  • Chitra Sriyani De Silva Lokuwaduge
  • Kumudini Heenetigala

Abstract

Addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues has become a critical part of business strategy. This article explores the extent of ESG reporting of metal and mining sector companies listed in the Australian Securities Exchange to determine the nature of ESG indicators in use in the sector. The current study argues that stakeholder engagement is the key to enhance company environmental policy and sustainable development. According to the results of this study, ESG reporting motives are highly influenced by reporting regulations. Given the diversity in reporting of ESG, comparability of ESG strategic performance is problematic. This study contributes towards developing an ESG disclosure index, which companies could use as a legitimacy tool that external stakeholders could use to reliably measure and compare the ESG performance of companies. It also reveals there is an increased demand for more empirical research on integration of sustainability into strategic planning process. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Suggested Citation

  • Chitra Sriyani De Silva Lokuwaduge & Kumudini Heenetigala, 2017. "Integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Disclosure for a Sustainable Development: An Australian Study," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 438-450, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:26:y:2017:i:4:p:438-450
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.1927
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1927
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.1927?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ralph Hamann, 2003. "Mining companies' role in sustainable development: The 'why' and 'how' of corporate social responsibility from a business perspective," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 237-254.
    2. Patten, Dennis M., 2005. "The accuracy of financial report projections of future environmental capital expenditures: a research note," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 457-468, July.
    3. Emma Sjöström & Richard Welford, 2009. "Facilitators and impediments for socially responsible investment: a study of Hong Kong," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(5), pages 278-288, September.
    4. Neu, D. & Warsame, H. & Pedwell, K., 1998. "Managing public impressions: environmental disclosures in annual reports," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 265-282, April.
    5. Muhammad Azizul Islam & Craig Deegan, 2008. "Motivations for an organisation within a developing country to report social responsibility information," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(6), pages 850-874, August.
    6. Jeremy Galbreath, 2013. "ESG in Focus: The Australian Evidence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(3), pages 529-541, December.
    7. Ataur Rahman Belal & David L. Owen, 2007. "The views of corporate managers on the current state of, and future prospects for, social reporting in Bangladesh," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(3), pages 472-494, June.
    8. Alberto Romolini & Silvia Fissi & Elena Gori, 2014. "Scoring CSR Reporting in Listed Companies – Evidence from Italian Best Practices," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(2), pages 65-81, March.
    9. Les Coleman, 2011. "Losses from Failure of Stakeholder Sensitive Processes: Financial Consequences for Large US Companies from Breakdowns in Product, Environmental, and Accounting Standards," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 98(2), pages 247-258, January.
    10. Corinna Dögl & Michael Behnam, 2015. "Environmentally Sustainable Development through Stakeholder Engagement in Developed and Emerging Countries," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 583-600, September.
    11. Thomas Dyllick & Kai Hockerts, 2002. "Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(2), pages 130-141, March.
    12. Aerts, Walter & Cormier, Denis, 2009. "Media legitimacy and corporate environmental communication," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 1-27, January.
    13. Heledd Jenkins, 2004. "Corporate social responsibility and the mining industry: conflicts and constructs," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(1), pages 23-34, March.
    14. Peter Tulip, 2014. "The Effect of the Mining Boom on the Australian Economy," RBA Bulletin (Print copy discontinued), Reserve Bank of Australia, pages 17-22, December.
    15. Marta de la Cuesta & Carmen Valor, 2013. "Evaluation of the environmental, social and governance information disclosed by Spanish listed companies," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 9(2), pages 220-240, May.
    16. Denis Cormier & Michel Magnan, 2015. "The Economic Relevance of Environmental Disclosure and its Impact on Corporate Legitimacy: An Empirical Investigation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 431-450, September.
    17. Asit Bhattacharyya & Lorne Cummings, 2015. "Measuring Corporate Environmental Performance – Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(5), pages 309-325, July.
    18. Cho, Charles H. & Patten, Dennis M., 2007. "The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: A research note," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(7-8), pages 639-647.
    19. Cory Searcy, 2016. "Measuring Enterprise Sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 120-133, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rongbing Huang & Yubo Huang, 2020. "Does Internal Control Contribute to a Firm’s Green Information Disclosure? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-23, April.
    2. Thanh Hung Nguyen & Quang Trong Vu & Duc Minh Nguyen & Hoang Long Le, 2021. "Factors Influencing Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Its Impact on Financial Performance: The Case of Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, July.
    3. Denis Cormier & Michel Magnan, 2015. "The Economic Relevance of Environmental Disclosure and its Impact on Corporate Legitimacy: An Empirical Investigation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 431-450, September.
    4. 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.
    5. Jennifer Chen & Charles Cho & Dennis Patten, 2014. "Initiating Disclosure of Environmental Liability Information: An Empirical Analysis of Firm Choice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 681-692, December.
    6. Radhakrishnan, Suresh & Tsang, Albert & Liu, Rubing, 2018. "A Corporate Social Responsibility Framework for Accounting Research," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 274-294.
    7. Camélia Radu & Claude Francoeur, 2017. "Does Innovation Drive Environmental Disclosure? A New Insight into Sustainable Development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 893-911, November.
    8. Khan, Habib Zaman & Bose, Sudipta & Johns, Raechel, 2020. "Regulatory influences on CSR practices within banks in an emerging economy: Do banks merely comply?," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    9. Charles H. Cho & Jonathan Maurice & Emmanuelle Nègre & Marie-Anne Verdier, 2016. "Is environmental disclosure good for the environment? A meta-analysis and research agenda," Post-Print halshs-01369422, HAL.
    10. Teerooven Soobaroyen & Collins G. Ntim, 2013. "Social and environmental accounting as symbolic and substantive means of legitimation: The case of HIV/AIDS reporting in South Africa," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(2), pages 92-109, June.
    11. María Luisa Pajuelo Moreno & Teresa Duarte-Atoche, 2019. "Relationship between Sustainable Disclosure and Performance—An Extension of Ullmann’s Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-33, August.
    12. Andrea Pérez & Carlos López & María del Mar García-De los Salmones, 2017. "An empirical exploration of the link between reporting to stakeholders and corporate social responsibility reputation in the Spanish context," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(3), pages 668-698, March.
    13. Angus W. H. Yip & William Y. P. Yu, 2023. "The Quality of Environmental KPI Disclosure in ESG Reporting for SMEs in Hong Kong," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-26, February.
    14. Gary Peters & Andrea Romi, 2014. "Does the Voluntary Adoption of Corporate Governance Mechanisms Improve Environmental Risk Disclosures? Evidence from Greenhouse Gas Emission Accounting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 637-666, December.
    15. Denis Cormier & Marie-Josée Ledoux & Michel Magnan, 2010. "The Informational Contribution of Social and Environmental Disclosures for Investors," Post-Print hal-00481571, HAL.
    16. Arménio Rego & Miguel Pina e Cunha & Daniel Polónia, 2017. "Corporate Sustainability: A View From the Top," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(1), pages 133-157, June.
    17. Tafadzwa Mark Wasara & Fortune Ganda, 2019. "The Relationship between Corporate Sustainability Disclosure and Firm Financial Performance in Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Listed Mining Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-23, August.
    18. Denis Cormier & Walter Aerts & Marie‐Josée Ledoux & Michel Magnan, 2010. "Web‐Based Disclosure About Value Creation Processes: A Monitoring Perspective," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 46(3), pages 320-347, September.
    19. Andrew C. Stuart & Jean C. Bedard & Cynthia E. Clark, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures and Investor Judgments in Difficult Times: The Role of Ethical Culture and Assurance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(3), pages 565-582, July.
    20. Islam, Muhammad Azizul & van Staden, Chris J., 2018. "Social movement NGOs and the comprehensiveness of conflict mineral disclosures: evidence from global companies," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1-19.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:26:y:2017:i:4:p:438-450. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.