IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i24p16849-d1300321.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Association of Board Characteristics and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Quality: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Faisal Hameed

    (Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7005, Australia
    International Pathway College, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7005, Australia
    UP Education Australia Pty Ltd., Sandy Bay Campus, Hobart, TAS 7005, Australia)

  • Mohammad Alfaraj

    (Department of Accounting, College of Business Studies, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Shuwaikh 70654, Kuwait)

  • Khizar Hameed

    (School of Information and Communication Technology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7005, Australia)

Abstract

Earlier research has shown that the makeup of the corporate board is a crucial predictor in meeting stakeholder accountability expectations through voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure. Though scholars have identified substantial relationships between board composition and CSR disclosure, the majority of their focus has been on the ‘quantity’ of CSR disclosure rather than the ‘quality’. Therefore, the present study considers the association of board characteristics (such as gender diversity, independence, female chairperson or/and female CEO, and board size) and the quality of CSR disclosure of the top 100 Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)-listed companies. We conducted content analysis of secondary Corporate Governance (CG) and CSR data extracted from the annual reports of PSX-listed companies across ten industrial sectors from the period 2017 to 2018. Our empirical investigation through univariate and multiple regression analysis with ordinary least squares (OLS) techniques revealed that all the board characteristics potentially had a significant association to lower CSR disclosure quality. Using the 2SLS regression model, we addressed the endogeneity issue of board characteristics and found robust results. One of the important implications of our findings is that policymakers and regulators in developing countries like Pakistan should review the value of board qualities as outlined in CG principles and develop stronger mechanisms to improve numbers of female directors and nonexecutive directors’ independence. We acknowledge several research limitations, including the study time period and selected board characteristics. While our study has provided some understanding of the association of board characteristics with CSR disclosure quality of PSX-listed companies, several research gaps still need to be addressed. Future investigators should examine this association through the pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 contexts and the inclusion of a systems theory perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Faisal Hameed & Mohammad Alfaraj & Khizar Hameed, 2023. "The Association of Board Characteristics and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Quality: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-24, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:24:p:16849-:d:1300321
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/24/16849/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/24/16849/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jason Zhang & Hong Zhu & Hung-bin Ding, 2013. "Board Composition and Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Investigation in the Post Sarbanes-Oxley Era," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(3), pages 381-392, May.
    2. Haniffa, R.M. & Cooke, T.E., 2005. "The impact of culture and governance on corporate social reporting," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 391-430.
    3. Mohamed M. Shamil & Junaid M. Shaikh & Poh-Ling Ho & Anbalagan Krishnan, 2014. "The influence of board characteristics on sustainability reporting," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(2), pages 78-97, July.
    4. Jean-Noël Chauvey & Sophie Giordano-Spring & Charles Cho & Dennis Patten, 2015. "The Normativity and Legitimacy of CSR Disclosure: Evidence from France," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(4), pages 789-803, September.
    5. Taïeb Hafsi & Gokhan Turgut, 2013. "Boardroom Diversity and its Effect on Social Performance: Conceptualization and Empirical Evidence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(3), pages 463-479, February.
    6. Lin Liao & Teng (Philip) Lin & Yuyu Zhang, 2018. "Corporate Board and Corporate Social Responsibility Assurance: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 211-225, June.
    7. Manuel Branco & Lúcia Rodrigues, 2006. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Resource-Based Perspectives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 69(2), pages 111-132, December.
    8. Trang Cam Hoang & Indra Abeysekera & Shiguang Ma, 2018. "Board Diversity and Corporate Social Disclosure: Evidence from Vietnam," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 833-852, September.
    9. Amama Shaukat & Yan Qiu & Grzegorz Trojanowski, 2016. "Board Attributes, Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy, and Corporate Environmental and Social Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(3), pages 569-585, May.
    10. Kemi C. Yekini & Ismail Adelopo & Panagiotis Andrikopoulos & Sina Yekini, 2015. "Impact of board independence on the quality of community disclosures in annual reports," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(4), pages 249-267, December.
    11. Fizzah Malik & Fangjun Wang & Muhammad Akram Naseem & Amir Ikram & Shahid Ali, 2020. "Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Related to CEO Attributes: An Empirical Study," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(1), pages 21582440198, January.
    12. Christine Mallin & Giovanna Michelon & Davide Raggi, 2013. "Monitoring Intensity and Stakeholders’ Orientation: How Does Governance Affect Social and Environmental Disclosure?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(1), pages 29-43, April.
    13. Azlan Amran & Shiau Ping Lee & S. Susela Devi, 2014. "The Influence of Governance Structure and Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Toward Sustainability Reporting Quality," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(4), pages 217-235, May.
    14. Dulacha Barako & Alistair Brown, 2008. "Corporate social reporting and board representation: evidence from the Kenyan banking sector," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 12(4), pages 309-324, November.
    15. Sohail Ahmad Javeed & Lin Lefen, 2019. "An Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance with Moderating Effects of CEO Power and Ownership Structure: A Case Study of the Manufacturing Sector of Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-25, January.
    16. Husam Aldamen & Janice Hollindale & Jennifer L. Ziegelmayer, 2018. "Female audit committee members and their influence on audit fees," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 58(1), pages 57-89, March.
    17. Maretno Harjoto & Indrarini Laksmana & Robert Lee, 2015. "Board Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(4), pages 641-660, December.
    18. Liu, Chelsea, 2018. "Are women greener? Corporate gender diversity and environmental violations," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 118-142.
    19. Roshima Said & Yuserrie Hj Zainuddin & Hasnah Haron, 2009. "The relationship between corporate social responsibility disclosure and corporate governance characteristics in Malaysian public listed companies," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 5(2), pages 212-226, June.
    20. Alessandro Zattoni, 2011. "Who Should Control a Corporation? Toward a Contingency Stakeholder Model for Allocating Ownership Rights," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 103(2), pages 255-274, October.
    21. Eng, L. L. & Mak, Y. T., 2003. "Corporate governance and voluntary disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 325-345.
    22. Murya Habbash, 2016. "Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility disclosure: evidence from Saudi Arabia," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(4), pages 740-754, October.
    23. Stephen Brammer & Stephen Pavelin, 2008. "Factors influencing the quality of corporate environmental disclosure," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(2), pages 120-136, February.
    24. Vivien Beattie & Sarah Jane Thomson, 2007. "Lifting the lid on the use of content analysis to investigate intellectual capital disclosures," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(2), pages 129-163, June.
    25. Wintoki, M. Babajide & Linck, James S. & Netter, Jeffry M., 2012. "Endogeneity and the dynamics of internal corporate governance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(3), pages 581-606.
    26. Sheila Ellwood & Javier Garcia-Lacalle, 2015. "The Influence of Presence and Position of Women on the Boards of Directors: The Case of NHS Foundation Trusts," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 69-84, August.
    27. Stephen Brammer & Andrew Millington & Stephen Pavelin, 2007. "Gender and Ethnic Diversity Among UK Corporate Boards," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(2), pages 393-403, March.
    28. Helena Isidro & Márcia Sobral, 2015. "The Effects of Women on Corporate Boards on Firm Value, Financial Performance, and Ethical and Social Compliance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 1-19, November.
    29. Stephen Bear & Noushi Rahman & Corinne Post, 2010. "The Impact of Board Diversity and Gender Composition on Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Reputation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(2), pages 207-221, December.
    30. Mohammad Jizi & Aly Salama & Robert Dixon & Rebecca Stratling, 2014. "Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Evidence from the US Banking Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 601-615, December.
    31. Nooraisah Katmon & Zam Zuriyati Mohamad & Norlia Mat Norwani & Omar Al Farooque, 2019. "Comprehensive Board Diversity and Quality of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Evidence from an Emerging Market," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(2), pages 447-481, June.
    32. Jeffrey Harrison & Joseph Coombs, 2012. "The Moderating Effects from Corporate Governance Characteristics on the Relationship Between Available Slack and Community-Based Firm Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(4), pages 409-422, June.
    33. Dr. R. Uma Devi, 2014. "An Overview on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development in India," Journal of Commerce and Trade, Society for Advanced Management Studies, vol. 9(1), pages 5-17, April.
    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. Lucrezia Songini & Anna Pistoni & Patrizia Tettamanzi & Fabrizio Fratini & Valentina Minutiello, 2022. "Integrated reporting quality and BoD characteristics: an empirical analysis," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(2), pages 579-620, June.
    2. 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.
    3. Elisa Menicucci & Guido Paolucci, 2022. "Board Diversity and ESG Performance: Evidence from the Italian Banking Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    4. Eduardo Ortas & Igor Álvarez & Eugenio Zubeltzu, 2017. "Firms’ Board Independence and Corporate Social Performance: A Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-26, June.
    5. Rania Beji & Ouidad Yousfi & Nadia Loukil & Abdelwahed Omri, 2021. "Board Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility: Empirical Evidence from France," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(1), pages 133-155, September.
    6. Giovanna Campopiano & Patricia Gabaldón & Daniela Gimenez-Jimenez, 2023. "Women Directors and Corporate Social Performance: An Integrative Review of the Literature and a Future Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(3), pages 717-746, January.
    7. Giuliana Birindelli & Stefano Dell’Atti & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Marco Savioli, 2018. "Composition and Activity of the Board of Directors: Impact on ESG Performance in the Banking System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, December.
    8. 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.
    9. Aladdin Dwekat & Elies Seguí‐Mas & Guillermina Tormo‐Carbó & Pedro Carmona, 2020. "Corporate Governance Configurations and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Audit Committee and Board characteristics," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2879-2892, November.
    10. Nicola Cucari & Salvatore Esposito De Falco & Beatrice Orlando, 2018. "Diversity of Board of Directors and Environmental Social Governance: Evidence from Italian Listed Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(3), pages 250-266, May.
    11. Jaime Guerrero-Villegas & Leticia Pérez-Calero & José Manuel Hurtado-González & Pilar Giráldez-Puig, 2018. "Board Attributes and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: A Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-22, December.
    12. María Consuelo Pucheta‐Martínez & Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez, 2019. "An international approach of the relationship between board attributes and the disclosure of corporate social responsibility issues," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 612-627, May.
    13. Chenxi Wang & Xincai Deng & Susana Álvarez-Otero & Muhammad Safdar Sial & Ubaldo Comite & Jacob Cherian & Judit Oláh, 2021. "Impact of Women and Independent Directors on Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance: Empirical Evidence from an Emerging Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, May.
    14. Nguyen, Thi Hong Hanh & Ntim, Collins G. & Malagila, John K., 2020. "Women on corporate boards and corporate financial and non-financial performance: A systematic literature review and future research agenda," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    15. Shuchi Pahuja & Anita Agrawal, 2023. "Board Attributes and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Perspectives," Indian Journal of Corporate Governance, , vol. 16(1), pages 108-138, June.
    16. Ahmed A. Sarhan & Basil Al‐Najjar, 2023. "The influence of corporate governance and shareholding structure on corporate social responsibility: The key role of executive compensation," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 4532-4556, October.
    17. Ge Wang & Huijin Zhang & Saixing Zeng & Xiaohua Meng & Han Lin, 2023. "Reporting on sustainable development: Configurational effects of top management team and corporate characteristics on environmental information disclosure," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 28-52, January.
    18. Nekhili, Mehdi & Nagati, Haithem & Chtioui, Tawhid & Nekhili, Ali, 2017. "Gender-diverse board and the relevance of voluntary CSR reporting," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 81-100.
    19. Renata Konadu & Gabriel Sam Ahinful & Samuel Owusu-Agyei, 2021. "Corporate governance pillars and business sustainability: does stakeholder engagement matter?," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(3), pages 269-289, September.
    20. Ayman Issa & Mohammad A. A. Zaid & Jalal Rajeh Hanaysha, 2022. "Exploring the relationship between female director's profile and sustainability performance: Evidence from the Middle East," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(6), pages 1980-2002, September.

    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:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:24:p:16849-:d:1300321. 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.