IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v30y2021i8p3839-3853.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Climate change mitigation: Carbon assurance and reporting integrity

Author

Listed:
  • Binh Bui
  • Muhammad Nurul Houqe
  • Mahbub Zaman

Abstract

Concern about climate change has increased the pressure on firms to be accountable for social impact and to report on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. Focusing on the view that sustainability‐oriented firms are likely to consider wider stakeholder interests and pursue high financial reporting integrity, this paper examines the association between carbon assurance and earnings management. Using a sample of firms listed on the New York Stock Exchange, we find voluntary adoption of carbon assurance (level), carbon disclosure and gender diverse boards are negatively associated with earnings management. Additional tests using different components of carbon assurance (percent and verification) confirm our main results. Our results suggest that firms that voluntarily invest in carbon assurance, carbon disclosure and gender diverse boards are less likely to engage in earnings management and thus have higher reporting integrity. This aligns with the view that firms' ethical concerns translate into higher quality reporting.

Suggested Citation

  • Binh Bui & Muhammad Nurul Houqe & Mahbub Zaman, 2021. "Climate change mitigation: Carbon assurance and reporting integrity," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3839-3853, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:30:y:2021:i:8:p:3839-3853
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2843
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2843
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.2843?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. Bin Srinidhi & Ferdinand A. Gul & Judy Tsui, 2011. "Female Directors and Earnings Quality," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1610-1644, December.
    2. Hansen, Lars Peter, 1982. "Large Sample Properties of Generalized Method of Moments Estimators," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(4), pages 1029-1054, July.
    3. Quick, Reiner & Inwinkl, P., 2020. "Assurance on CSR Reports: Impact on the Credibility Perceptions of Non-Financial Information by Bank Directors," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 124765, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    4. Binh Bui & Olayinka Moses & Muhammad N. Houqe, 2020. "Carbon disclosure, emission intensity and cost of equity capital: multi‐country evidence," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(1), pages 47-71, March.
    5. Theodore J. Mock & Sunita S. Rao & Rajendra P. Srivastava, 2013. "The Development of Worldwide Sustainability Reporting Assurance," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 23(4), pages 280-294, December.
    6. Ji Li & Fuqiang Zhao & Silu Chen & Wanxing Jiang & Tao Liu & Shengping Shi, 2017. "Gender Diversity on Boards and Firms’ Environmental Policy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 306-315, March.
    7. Ishmael Tingbani & Lyton Chithambo & Venancio Tauringana & Nikolaos Papanikolaou, 2020. "Board gender diversity, environmental committee and greenhouse gas voluntary disclosures," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2194-2210, September.
    8. Mohamed H. Elmagrhi & Collins G. Ntim & Ahmed A. Elamer & Qingjing Zhang, 2019. "A study of environmental policies and regulations, governance structures, and environmental performance: The role of female directors," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 206-220, January.
    9. Andrei Shleifer, 2004. "Does Competition Destroy Ethical Behavior?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 414-418, May.
    10. Bui, Binh & de Villiers, Charl, 2017. "Business strategies and management accounting in response to climate change risk exposure and regulatory uncertainty," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 4-24.
    11. Al-Shaer, Habiba & Zaman, Mahbub, 2016. "Board gender diversity and sustainability reporting quality," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 210-222.
    12. Gul, Ferdinand A. & Srinidhi, Bin & Ng, Anthony C., 2011. "Does board gender diversity improve the informativeness of stock prices?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 314-338, April.
    13. Jeffrey S. Harrison & Douglas A. Bosse & Robert A. Phillips, 2010. "Managing for stakeholders, stakeholder utility functions, and competitive advantage," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 58-74, January.
    14. Bozzolan, Saverio & Fabrizi, Michele & Mallin, Christine A. & Michelon, Giovanna, 2015. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Earnings Quality: International Evidence," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 361-396.
    15. Roychowdhury, Sugata, 2006. "Earnings management through real activities manipulation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 335-370, December.
    16. David G Hyatt & Nicholas Berente, 2017. "Substantive or Symbolic Environmental Strategies? Effects of External and Internal Normative Stakeholder Pressures," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1212-1234, December.
    17. Bui, Binh & Houqe, Muhammad Nurul & Zaman, Mahbub, 2020. "Climate governance effects on carbon disclosure and performance," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    18. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Nazim Hussain & Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero & Emiliano Ruiz‐Barbadillo, 2019. "Impact of disclosure and assurance quality of corporate sustainability reports on access to finance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 832-848, July.
    19. Paul A. Griffin & David H. Lont & Estelle Y. Sun, 2017. "The Relevance to Investors of Greenhouse Gas Emission Disclosures," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(2), pages 1265-1297, June.
    20. Patrick Velte, 2021. "Environmental performance, carbon performance and earnings management: Empirical evidence for the European capital market," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 42-53, January.
    21. Khaled Alsaifi & Marwa Elnahass & Aly Salama, 2020. "Carbon disclosure and financial performance: UK environmental policy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 711-726, February.
    22. Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R. & Rajgopal, Shiva, 2005. "The economic implications of corporate financial reporting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(1-3), pages 3-73, December.
    23. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    24. Arun, Thankom Gopinath & Almahrog, Yousf Ebrahem & Ali Aribi, Zakaria, 2015. "Female directors and earnings management: Evidence from UK companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 137-146.
    25. Chung, Richard & Firth, Michael & Kim, Jeong-Bon, 2005. "Earnings management, surplus free cash flow, and external monitoring," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(6), pages 766-776, June.
    26. Wendy Green & Shan Zhou, 2013. "An International Examination of Assurance Practices on Carbon Emissions Disclosures," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 23(1), pages 54-66, March.
    27. Luluk Widyawati, 2020. "A systematic literature review of socially responsible investment and environmental social governance metrics," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 619-637, February.
    28. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    29. Ying Cao & Linda A. Myers & Thomas C. Omer, 2012. "Does Company Reputation Matter for Financial Reporting Quality? Evidence from Restatements," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(3), pages 956-990, September.
    30. Ali Meftah Gerged & Lara Mohammad Al-Haddad & Meshari O. Al-Hajri, 2020. "Is earnings management associated with corporate environmental disclosure?," Accounting Research Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 33(1), pages 167-185, January.
    31. Cohen, Daniel A. & Zarowin, Paul, 2010. "Accrual-based and real earnings management activities around seasoned equity offerings," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 2-19, May.
    32. Samuel Buertey & Eun‐Jung Sun & Jang Soon Lee & Juhee Hwang, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility and earnings management: The moderating effect of corporate governance mechanisms," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 256-271, January.
    33. Akrum Helfaya & Tantawy Moussa, 2017. "Do Board's Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Orientation Influence Environmental Sustainability Disclosure? UK Evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1061-1077, December.
    34. Ana Zorio & Maria A. García‐Benau & Laura Sierra, 2013. "Sustainability Development and the Quality of Assurance Reports: Empirical Evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(7), pages 484-500, November.
    35. Jennifer Martínez-Ferrero & Shantanu Banerjee & Isabel María García-Sánchez, 2016. "Corporate Social Responsibility as a Strategic Shield Against Costs of Earnings Management Practices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 305-324, January.
    36. Habiba Al‐Shaer & Mahbub Zaman, 2018. "Credibility of sustainability reports: The contribution of audit committees," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 973-986, November.
    37. Giovanna Michelon & Dennis M. Patten & Andrea M. Romi, 2019. "Creating Legitimacy for Sustainability Assurance Practices: Evidence from Sustainability Restatements," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 395-422, March.
    38. Robyn Moroney & Ken T. Trotman, 2016. "Differences in Auditors' Materiality Assessments When Auditing Financial Statements and Sustainability Reports," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(2), pages 551-575, June.
    39. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fahad Khalid & Juncheng Sun & Jiawei Guo & Mohit Srivastava, 2024. "Green corporate image: Assessing the effects of climate change management practices on corporate reputation," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 1786-1801, May.
    2. Ayman Issa & Jalal Rajeh Hanaysha, 2023. "Achieving sustainable business: The nexus between external sustainability assurance, CSR strategy and emission reduction," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 3095-3109, November.
    3. Khanh Hoang, 2022. "Silent but deadly: Political corruption and voluntary ESG disclosure in the United States," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(7), pages 2775-2793, October.
    4. Elbardan, Hany & Uyar, Ali & Kuzey, Cemil & Karaman, Abdullah S., 2023. "CSR reporting, assurance, and firm value and risk: The moderating effects of CSR committees and executive compensation," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    5. Le Luo & Qingliang Tang & Hanlu Fan & Jamie Ayers, 2023. "Corporate carbon assurance and the quality of carbon disclosure," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(1), pages 657-690, March.
    6. Muhammad Nurul Houqe & Reza M. Monem & Tony van Zijl, 2023. "Business strategy, cash holdings, and dividend payouts," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 3999-4035, December.
    7. Rasmi Meqbel & Mohammad Alta'any & Salah Kayed & Ahmed Al‐Omush, 2024. "Earnings management and sustainability assurance: The moderating role of CSR committee," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 1769-1785, May.
    8. Habib Zaman Khan & Muhammad Nurul Houqe & Ielemia K Ielemia, 2023. "Organic versus cosmetic efforts of the quality of carbon reporting by top New Zealand firms. Does market reward or penalise?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 686-703, January.
    9. Abbasi, Kaleemullah & Alam, Ashraful & Borhan Uddin Bhuiyan, Md. & Tariqul Islam, Md, 2024. "Does female director expertise on audit committees matter for carbon disclosures? Evidence from the United Kingdom," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    10. Prianto Budi Saptono & Gustofan Mahmud & Intan Pratiwi & Dwi Purwanto & Ismail Khozen & Muhamad Akbar Aditama & Siti Khodijah & Maria Eurelia Wayan & Rina Yuliastuty Asmara & Ferry Jie, 2023. "Development of Climate-Related Disclosure Indicators for Application in Indonesia: A Delphi Method Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-25, July.
    11. Maslinawati Mohamad & Noor Raida Abd Rahman & Hairul Suhaimi Nahar & Coky Fauzi Alfi, 2023. "What Can We Glean from the Past Seven Decades of Voluntary Carbon Emissions Disclosure Research?," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(5), pages 83-97, September.
    12. Jing Lu & Kathleen Rodenburg & Lianne Foti & Ann Pegoraro, 2022. "Are firms with better sustainability performance more resilient during crises?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3354-3370, November.
    13. Maximilian Hettler & Lorenz Graf‐Vlachy, 2024. "Corporate scope 3 carbon emission reporting as an enabler of supply chain decarbonization: A systematic review and comprehensive research agenda," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 263-282, February.

    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. Habiba Al‐Shaer, 2020. "Sustainability reporting quality and post‐audit financial reporting quality: Empirical evidence from the UK," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2355-2373, September.
    2. Abbasi, Kaleemullah & Alam, Ashraful & Borhan Uddin Bhuiyan, Md. & Tariqul Islam, Md, 2024. "Does female director expertise on audit committees matter for carbon disclosures? Evidence from the United Kingdom," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    3. Muhammad Asad & Saeed Akbar & Sabur Mollah, 2024. "The role of independent directors’ tenure and network in controlling real-earnings management practices," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 63(4), pages 1251-1279, November.
    4. Alaa Mansour Zalata & Collins Ntim & Ahmed Aboud & Ernest Gyapong, 2019. "Female CEOs and Core Earnings Quality: New Evidence on the Ethics Versus Risk-Aversion Puzzle," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 515-534, December.
    5. Siddique, Md Abubakar & Akhtaruzzaman, Md & Rashid, Afzalur & Hammami, Helmi, 2021. "Carbon disclosure, carbon performance and financial performance: International evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    6. Alok R. Saboo & Anindita Chakravarty & Rajdeep Grewal, 2016. "Organizational Debut on the Public Stage: Marketing Myopia and Initial Public Offerings," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(4), pages 656-675, July.
    7. Bhuiyan, Md. Borhan Uddin & Rahman, Asheq & Sultana, Nigar, 2020. "Female tainted directors, financial reporting quality and audit fees," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(2).
    8. Isabel‐Maria García‐Sánchez & Nazim Hussain & Sana Akbar Khan & Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero, 2020. "Managerial entrenchment, corporate social responsibility, and earnings management," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1818-1833, July.
    9. David K. Ding & Christo Ferreira & Vu Minh Ngo & Phuc V. Nguyen & Udomsak Wongchoti, 2024. "Corporate social responsibility and myopic management practice: Is there a link?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 271-308, January.
    10. O’Connor, Matthew & Rafferty, Matthew & Sheikh, Aamer, 2013. "Equity compensation and the sensitivity of research and development to financial market frictions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 2510-2519.
    11. Ammar Ali Gull & Ammar Abid & Rashid Latief & Muhammad Usman, 2021. "Women on board and auditors’ assessment of the risk of material misstatement," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 11(4), pages 679-708, December.
    12. Pallab Kumar Biswas & Larelle Chapple & Helen Roberts & Kevin Stainback, 2023. "Board Gender Diversity and Women in Senior Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(1), pages 177-198, January.
    13. El Diri, Malek & Lambrinoudakis, Costas & Alhadab, Mohammad, 2020. "Corporate governance and earnings management in concentrated markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 291-306.
    14. Dina El Mahdy & Fatima Alali, 2023. "Female CFOs and managerial opportunism," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 1161-1207, April.
    15. María‐Florencia Amorelli & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2021. "Trends in the dynamic evolution of board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 537-554, March.
    16. Isabel-María García-Sánchez & Nicola Raimo & Víctor Amor-Esteban & Filippo Vitolla, 2023. "Board committees and non-financial information assurance services," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(1), pages 1-42, March.
    17. Nguyen Vinh Khuong & Vu Tran Trong Tai & Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao & Pham Minh Tuan & Tran Tuan Dung & Vo Tuong Khanh, 2024. "Corporate governance and corporate carbon disclosures: The moderating role of earnings management," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4596-4611, September.
    18. Cristhian Mellado-Cid & Surendranath R. Jory & Thanh N. Ngo, 2018. "Real activities manipulation and firm valuation," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 1201-1226, May.
    19. Jagvinder Singh & Varda Sardana & Shubham Singhania, 2024. "Beyond compliance: the business case for gender diversity on boards and sustainability reporting in India," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 15(6), pages 2284-2293, June.
    20. Manish Kumar & Madhu Vij & Rishabh Goswami, 2021. "Effect of Real Earnings Management on Firm Performance: Evidence from India," Vision, , vol. 27(3), pages 386-396, June.

    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:30:y:2021:i:8:p:3839-3853. 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.