Corporate governance and environmental reporting: an Australian study
Top Cited Papers
- 6 April 2012
- journal article
- Published by Emerald in Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society
- Vol. 12 (2), 143-163
- https://doi.org/10.1108/14720701211214052
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between environmental reporting and corporate governance attributes of companies in Australia.Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a quantitative analysis approach. It examines the 2008 annual reports of the largest 100 Australian firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) to determine the amount of environmental reporting – these data are compared with various corporate governance measures.Findings: Analysis found a significant positive relationship between the extent of environmental reporting and the proportions of independent and female directors on a board. The analysis did not, however, support a negative relationship between the extent of environmental reporting and institutional investors and board size as has been previously predicted, rather, it showed a positive relationship.Originality/value: This paper offers insights to both regulators and company strategists. Regulators such as the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) could consider expanding its Corporate Governance Council guidelines to include consideration of the environment, which is increasingly considered to be an important aspect of corporate social responsibility, and one of the responsibilities of the board of directors. In addition, for companies which include a commitment to the environment in their mission and strategies, it suggests consideration of the impact of board structure and composition is important as both of these are shown to have a significant effect on the amount of environmental information disclosed by companies.Keywords
This publication has 56 references indexed in Scilit:
- From Member of the Company to Registered Auditor: The Role of the External Auditor in Corporate GovernanceAustralian Accounting Review, 2009
- Association between Ownership Structure and Public Announcements' DisclosuresCorporate Governance: An International Review, 2009
- The Effect of Board‐Related Reforms on Investors' ConfidenceAustralian Accounting Review, 2008
- Corporate Governance and Environmental Reporting: an Australian studyCorporate Governance: An International Review, 2007
- Do Better-Governed Firms Make More Informative Disclosures? Canadian EvidenceSSRN Electronic Journal, 2007
- Factors influencing the quality of corporate environmental disclosureBusiness Strategy and the Environment, 2006
- The relations among environmental disclosure, environmental performance, and economic performance: a simultaneous equations approachAccounting, Organizations and Society, 2004
- Gender Diversity in the BoardroomSSRN Electronic Journal, 2004
- The Modern Industrial Revolution, Exit, and the Failure of Internal Control SystemsThe Journal of Finance, 1993
- Separation of Ownership and ControlThe Journal of Law and Economics, 1983