Application of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Principles for Measuring Quality of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Disclosure: Evidence from Pakistan

Hina Ismail, Muhammad A. Saleem, Sadaf Zahra, Muhammad S. Tufail and Rao Akmal Ali
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Hina Ismail: Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad 40000, Pakistan
Muhammad A. Saleem: Asia Pacific College of Business and Law, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Dr, Darwin, NT 0810, Australia
Sadaf Zahra: Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad 40000, Pakistan
Muhammad S. Tufail: Institute of Management Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60000, Pakistan
Rao Akmal Ali: Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad 40000, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-19

Abstract: CSR Reporting is an essential mechanism for ensuring the transparency and accountability of companies towards sustainability performance. To further promote that sustainable development agenda, CSR-related regulations and policies have emerged worldwide, including in Pakistan. Therefore this study assesses the quality of corporate social responsibility in annual reports issued by firms listed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange. This study has operationalized the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) principles for examining the quality of CSR disclosures. The paper sample comprised 540 annual reports of 90 financial or non-financial companies from the years 2012 to 2017. Content analysis is performed to look for six quality principles and measures, i.e., balance, comparability, accuracy, clarity, reliability, and timeliness. Results suggested that most Pakistani firms provide precise and on-time information and put less emphasis on the balance of information and comparable information. Moreover, this study also highlighted that organizations should implement the GRI principle for disclosing qualitative CSR report.

Keywords: disclosure quality; CSR disclosure; global reporting initiative; developing countries; Pakistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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