Corporate Social Disclosures by Indonesian Listed Companies: A Pilot Study

Abstract

PurposeAs one of the world's leading producers of energy resources, offering a large domestic market and workforce, Indonesia is susceptible to the issue of corporate social responsibility. As this research area is considered relatively new in the Indonesian context, the purpose of this paper is to provide useful information and describe early pictures of corporate social disclosure (CSD) practices in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the extent of CSD in Indonesian listed companies. Content analysis method is applied to analyse the companies' annual reports. An exploratory study was also carried out to find the motivation of the companies in making CSD, as well as the perceived importance of CSD information by Indonesian stakeholders. Finally, some preliminary independent variables were selected to be examined in their relationships to the extent of CSD.FindingsThe results show that the most important information on CSD perceived by the stakeholders is about “products” while information about “community” is perceived as the least important. However, “community” is considered as the most influence party of CSD for the companies. Additionally, there are three main motives for the Indonesian listed companies in conducting CSD: “to create positive image”, to “act accountability” and to “comply with stakeholders' needs”. This study also indicates that the extent of CSD in Indonesian listed companies is very low. Further, the correlation examinations demonstrate that the majority of null hypotheses were accepted.Originality/valueThere is currently a level of research or invent CSD practices in developing countries. This paper helps to fill some of this gap.