IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijfss/v8y2020i1p16-d330452.html

The Role of ‘Digitalization’ in German Sustainability Bank Reporting

Author

Listed:
  • Florian Diener

    (Department of Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics in Prague, Churchillovo nám. 4, 137 00 Praha 31, Czech Republic)

  • Miroslav Špaček

    (Department of Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics in Prague, Churchillovo nám. 4, 137 00 Praha 31, Czech Republic)

Abstract

The financial services sector, particularly with respect to today’s banking industry, is aiming to make a digital transition. Sustainable reporting is a holistic new reporting approach in banking and has only become partially mandatory for the sector. Thus, this paper makes a contribution to the current analysis approach and further development of the German Sustainability Code as well as associated legal approaches. It concerns the assessment of mandatory sustainable reporting in the light of constantly changing market conditions and stricter legal requirements for stakeholder data responsibility. In specific, it focuses on a digital evolving business environment and is intended to provide an insight into the perception of the topic of digitalization in the banking sector. The assessment is based on the structure of the German Sustainability Code. Based on 113 bank reports, a multiple regression analysis of 1410 codings of the keyword ‘digital’ is carried out. The results show that banks partly and not fully address digital issues in their reporting. It transpires that the emphasis is on seven criteria, while social elements are totally ignored. The paper shows a structural inequality within sustainable bank reporting with regard to digitalization. It also shows that issues are not adequately addressed and covered in legal reporting standards and that the provision of information to stakeholders on specific issues is largely undefined.

Suggested Citation

  • Florian Diener & Miroslav Špaček, 2020. "The Role of ‘Digitalization’ in German Sustainability Bank Reporting," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijfss:v:8:y:2020:i:1:p:16-:d:330452
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/8/1/16/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/8/1/16/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rodolphe Durand & Robert M. Grant & Tammy L. Madsen & Eric Yanfei Zhao & Greg Fisher & Michael Lounsbury & Danny Miller, 2017. "Optimal distinctiveness: Broadening the interface between institutional theory and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 93-113, January.
    2. Gregor Dorfleitner & Lars Hornuf & Matthias Schmitt & Martina Weber, 2017. "FinTech in Germany," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-319-54666-7, March.
    3. Mary Barth & Wayne Landsman, 2010. "How did Financial Reporting Contribute to the Financial Crisis?," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 399-423.
    4. Clayton M. Christensen & Rory McDonald & Elizabeth J. Altman & Jonathan E. Palmer, 2018. "Disruptive Innovation: An Intellectual History and Directions for Future Research," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(7), pages 1043-1078, November.
    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. Yingzhao Xiao & Liuyang Xue & David Ahlstrom & Chundong Zheng & Xiling Hao, 2024. "To Conform or Not to Conform? The Role of Social Status and Firm Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(3), pages 655-677, September.
    2. Indriyana Puspitosari & Hadri Kusuma & Johan Arifin, 2026. "Macroeconomic Determinants of Tax Avoidance and the Moderating Role of Public Governance," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 1, pages 20-37.
    3. Mark Knell & Simone Vannuccini, 2022. "Tools and concepts for understanding disruptive technological change after Schumpeter," Jena Economics Research Papers 2022-005, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    4. Wang, Pengfei & Shi, Yanlin, 2025. "Shoot the moving target: A dynamic perspective on optimal distinctiveness and strategic repositioning," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    5. Yichen Wang & Christopher Marquis, 2025. "Does Product Market Competition Promote or Reduce Firms’ Corporate Social Responsibility Behavior? How Stakeholder Attention Shapes Responsiveness to Stakeholders," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 200(4), pages 867-896, September.
    6. repec:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2012-010 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Mateja Gorenc, 2024. "Artificial Intelligence and Benford Law as Useful Tools for Detecting Accounting Fraud," MakeLearn 2024: Artificial Intelligence for Human-Technologies-Economy Sustainable Development,, ToKnowPress.
    8. Torben Klarl & Alexander S. Kritikos & Knarik Poghosyan, 2025. "Complementary funding: how location links crowdfunding and venture capital," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 65(4), pages 2639-2661, December.
    9. Krzeminska, Anna & Lundmark, Erik & Härtel, Charmine E.J., 2021. "Legitimation of a heterogeneous market category through covert prototype differentiation," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(2).
    10. Aurel Burciu & Rozalia Kicsi & Simona Buta & Mihaela State & Iulia Burlac & Denisa Alexandra Chifan & Beatrice Ipsalat, 2023. "The Study of the Relationship among GCI, GII, Disruptive Technology, and Social Innovations in MNCs: How Do We Evaluate Financial Innovations Made by Firms? A Preliminary Inquiry," FinTech, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-42, August.
    11. Yuliia Kyrdoda & Marco Balzano & Donata Vianelli, 2025. "The formation of a sustainable organizational identity: Insights from Brazilian coffee producers," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 1-18, January.
    12. Schwarz Claudia & Karakitsos Polychronis & Merriman Niall & Studener Werner, 2015. "Why Accounting Matters: A Central Bank Perspective," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 1-42, March.
    13. Langley, Paul & Rieple, Alison, 2021. "Incumbents’ capabilities to win in a digitised world: The case of the fashion industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    14. Kristina Stoiber & Kurt Matzler & Julia Hautz, 2023. "Ambidextrous structures paving the way for disruptive business models: a conceptual framework," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1439-1485, May.
    15. Paulo Cesar de Melo Mendes & Jorge Katsumi Niyama & Cesar Augusto Tiburcio Silva, 2018. "The Perception of Auditors in the Measurement of Instruments Financial Institutions at Fair Value in Financial Institutions," Brazilian Business Review, Fucape Business School, vol. 15(4), pages 363-381, July.
    16. Phillips, Duygu & Edwards, Bryan D. & Rutherford, Matthew W., 2025. "Conformity or Differentiation: Optimal distinctiveness through mediating channels," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    17. Silva, Aldy Fernandes da & Weffort, Elionor Farah Jreige & Flores, Eduardo da Silva & Silva, Glauco Peres da, 2014. "Earnings management and economic crises in the Brazilian capital market," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 54(3), May.
    18. Tian Heong Chan & Yonghoon G. Lee & HeeJung Jung, 2021. "Anchored Differentiation: The Role of Temporal Distance in the Comparison and Evaluation of New Product Designs," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(6), pages 1523-1541, November.
    19. Croce, Annalisa & Toschi, Laura & Ughetto, Elisa & Zanni, Sara, 2024. "Cleantech and policy framework in Europe: A machine learning approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    20. Rory M. McDonald & Ryan T. Allen, 2022. "A Spanner in the Works: Category-Spanning Entrants and Audience Valuation of Incumbents," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(3), pages 190-209, September.
    21. Dushyantkumar Vyas, 2011. "The Timeliness of Accounting Write‐Downs by U.S. Financial Institutions During the Financial Crisis of 2007–2008," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 49(3), pages 823-860, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:gam:jijfss:v:8:y:2020:i:1:p:16-:d:330452. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.