Show me? Inspire me? Make me? An institutional theory exploration of social and environmental reporting practices

IF 2.4 Q2 BUSINESS, FINANCE
Jacqueline Jarosz Wukich, Erica L. Neuman, Timothy J. Fogarty
{"title":"Show me? Inspire me? Make me? An institutional theory exploration of social and environmental reporting practices","authors":"Jacqueline Jarosz Wukich, Erica L. Neuman, Timothy J. Fogarty","doi":"10.1108/jaoc-01-2023-0013","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Purpose Albeit gradual and uneven, the emergence of social and environmental reporting by publicly held corporations has been a major development in the last few decades. This paper aims to explore patterns of the emergence of these disclosures. Using an institutional theory lens, this paper considers mimetic, normative and coercive possibilities. Design/methodology/approach US publicly traded company data from 2013 to 2019 is used to test the hypotheses. Mimetic forces are proxied with corporate board interlock frequency. Normative ones use the extent of gender diversity on corporate boards. Measures of business climate and industry regulatory sensitivity proxy coercive potentiality. Findings Studied in isolation, each of the three forces through which organizations pursue the heightened legitimacy of enhanced environmental and social disclosures has credibility. The strongest support exists for mimetic and normative mechanisms, perhaps because the US government has been reluctant to make these expanded disclosures mandatory. Research limitations/implications In the world of voluntary action, more attention to diffusion is needed. For these purposes, better proxies will be needed to study change. Social and environmental information should be separated for individual analysis. Practical implications At least in the USA, companies are attentive to what other companies are doing. There is something to be said for the ethical dimension of corporate transparency. Social implications Governmental action in this area has not been effective, at current levels. Corporate leadership is essential. Critical information is shared about disclosure by board members. Originality/value Although institutional theory makes several appearances in this area, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is the first empirical archival study to examine the three forces simultaneously, providing evidence as to the relative magnitude of each institutional force on environmental and social disclosures. Should these disclosures not be mandated by government, this study shows pathways for enhanced disclosures to continue to spread.","PeriodicalId":46141,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Organizational Change","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Accounting and Organizational Change","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jaoc-01-2023-0013","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS, FINANCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose Albeit gradual and uneven, the emergence of social and environmental reporting by publicly held corporations has been a major development in the last few decades. This paper aims to explore patterns of the emergence of these disclosures. Using an institutional theory lens, this paper considers mimetic, normative and coercive possibilities. Design/methodology/approach US publicly traded company data from 2013 to 2019 is used to test the hypotheses. Mimetic forces are proxied with corporate board interlock frequency. Normative ones use the extent of gender diversity on corporate boards. Measures of business climate and industry regulatory sensitivity proxy coercive potentiality. Findings Studied in isolation, each of the three forces through which organizations pursue the heightened legitimacy of enhanced environmental and social disclosures has credibility. The strongest support exists for mimetic and normative mechanisms, perhaps because the US government has been reluctant to make these expanded disclosures mandatory. Research limitations/implications In the world of voluntary action, more attention to diffusion is needed. For these purposes, better proxies will be needed to study change. Social and environmental information should be separated for individual analysis. Practical implications At least in the USA, companies are attentive to what other companies are doing. There is something to be said for the ethical dimension of corporate transparency. Social implications Governmental action in this area has not been effective, at current levels. Corporate leadership is essential. Critical information is shared about disclosure by board members. Originality/value Although institutional theory makes several appearances in this area, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is the first empirical archival study to examine the three forces simultaneously, providing evidence as to the relative magnitude of each institutional force on environmental and social disclosures. Should these disclosures not be mandated by government, this study shows pathways for enhanced disclosures to continue to spread.
给我吗?激发我吗?让我吗?社会和环境报告实践的制度理论探索
虽然是渐进的和不平衡的,但上市公司社会和环境报告的出现在过去几十年里是一个重大的发展。本文旨在探讨这些披露的出现模式。运用制度理论的视角,本文考虑了模仿、规范和强制的可能性。设计/方法/方法使用2013年至2019年美国上市公司的数据来检验假设。模拟力以公司董事会联锁频率表示。规范性的评估则使用公司董事会性别多样性的程度。衡量商业环境和行业监管敏感性的代理强制潜力。孤立地研究,组织通过这三种力量来追求加强环境和社会披露的合法性,每一种力量都具有可信度。最有力的支持是模仿和规范机制,或许是因为美国政府一直不愿强制要求这些扩大的披露。在自愿行动领域,需要更多地注意传播问题。出于这些目的,需要更好的代理来研究变化。社会和环境信息应分开进行单独分析。至少在美国,公司会关注其他公司在做什么。关于企业透明度的道德层面,我们有话要说。在目前的水平上,政府在这方面的行动并不有效。企业领导力至关重要。董事会成员分享有关披露的关键信息。原创性/价值虽然制度理论在这一领域多次出现,但据作者所知,本研究是第一个同时考察这三种力量的实证档案研究,为每种制度力量对环境和社会披露的相对程度提供证据。如果这些信息披露不被政府强制执行,这项研究显示了加强信息披露继续传播的途径。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
CiteScore
4.80
自引率
15.80%
发文量
30
期刊介绍: The main objective of the journal is to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners from multiple disciplines to disseminate information on organizational and accounting systems change. To achieve this, the journal will be directed at mapping out contemporary changes in the new global business environment. It will seek to explain the new techniques, processes, and philosophies associated with the rise of strategy-oriented accounting and information systems.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信