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Sustainability disclosures of hybrid organizations: Swedish state-owned enterprises

Author

Listed:
  • Daniela Argento
  • Giuseppe Grossi
  • Kamilla Persson
  • Theres Vingren

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the content of the sustainability reports of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the factors influencing the sustainability information they disclose. Design/methodology/approach - Drawing upon the literature on sustainability disclosure, institutional logics and hybrid organizations, several hypotheses were deduced. By means of a quantitative content analysis, the sustainability disclosure index of 45 Swedish SOEs was calculated. Statistical analyses were conducted to test which variables affected the sustainability disclosures of the selected SOEs. Findings - The findings reveal that only state ownership and corporate size significantly affect SOEs’ sustainability disclosures. Fully state-owned SOEs disclose less sustainability information than partially state-owned SOEs. Large SOEs disclose more sustainability information than small SOEs. However, there are weak indications that having a public policy assignment (PPA) (activity) negatively influences environmental sustainability disclosures, and that having a majority of female directors on the board decreases the total sustainability information disclosed. In addition, the statistical analyses show that having state representatives on the board and being profitable may positively affect the disclosures. Originality/value - Accountability is particularly important in SOEs, and their complex hybrid nature has an impact on sustainability disclosures in a surprising way. State ownership and control do not necessarily imply an increased amount of sustainability disclosure.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniela Argento & Giuseppe Grossi & Kamilla Persson & Theres Vingren, 2019. "Sustainability disclosures of hybrid organizations: Swedish state-owned enterprises," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(4), pages 505-533, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:medarp:medar-07-2018-0362
    DOI: 10.1108/MEDAR-07-2018-0362
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Nicolo, Giuseppe & Zampone, Giovanni & Sannino, Giuseppe & Tiron-Tudor, Adriana, 2023. "Worldwide evidence of corporate governance influence on ESG disclosure in the utilities sector," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    2. Petra F. A. Dilling & Peter Harris & Sinan Caykoylu, 2024. "The Impact of Corporate Characteristics on Climate Governance Disclosure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-31, February.
    3. Ruggiero, Pasquale & Bachiller, Patricia, 2023. "Seeing more than reading:The visual mode in utilities' sustainability reports," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    4. Mariasole Bannò & Emilia Filippi & Sandro Trento, 2023. "Women in top echelon positions and their effects on sustainability: a review, synthesis and future research agenda," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(1), pages 181-251, March.
    5. Bauer, Philumena & Traxler, Albert Anton & Greiling, Dorothea, 2023. "Management control by municipal utilities for value creation to achieve the sustainable development goals," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    6. Chiara Mio & Luciana Oranges Cezarino, 2023. "Competencies for Sustainable Development Goals Accounting: Educating public management for disclosure and reporting," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2023(2 Suppl.), pages 133-160.
    7. Yaghoub Abdi & Xiaoni Li & Xavier Càmara‐Turull, 2022. "How financial performance influences investment in sustainable development initiatives in the airline industry: The moderation role of state‐ownership," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(5), pages 1252-1267, October.
    8. Ritika Gupta & Pankaj Kumar, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility disclosure: a study on NIFTY 100 companies," Global Business and Economics Review, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 27(4), pages 492-515.
    9. Adeyemi Adebayo & Barry Ackers, 2023. "Theorising hybridity in state-owned enterprises (SOEs)," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(4), pages 1249-1275, December.

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