Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: An Empirical Study of Polish Listed Companies

Justyna Dyduch and Joanna Krasodomska
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Justyna Dyduch: Department of Economics, Finance and Environmental Management, AGH University of Science and Technology, Gramatyka 10, 30-067 Krakow, Poland
Joanna Krasodomska: Department of Financial Accounting, Cracow University of Economics, Rakowicka, 27, 31-510 Krakow, Poland

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 11, 1-24

Abstract: In this paper we explore whether a number of elements influence the levels of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in the annual reports of Polish companies. These elements include the following: company size, profitability, financial leverage, industry environmental sensitivity, board size, women on the board, internationalization, and reputation. We use content analysis to determine the quality of CSR disclosures. We test our hypotheses using a Tobit regression analysis on a sample of 60 reports from Polish companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. We find industry environmental sensitivity to have significant influence on CSR disclosures. Our research findings also reveal a relationship between company turnover, duration of the stock exchange listing, inclusion in the Respect Index portfolio and foreign capital share, and the level of CSR disclosures. This study extends the scope of previous studies by including non-commonly used independent variables: the company’s internationalization and reputation. To the authors’ knowledge, it is the primary step to investigating CSR reporting practices coupled with the corporate characteristics in a Central and Eastern European country such as Poland. The paper contributes to the understanding of determinants of CSR disclosure and offers findings which are potentially useful for both theory and practice.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR; disclosure; Directive 2014/95/EU; Poland; management commentary; annual report (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (66)

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