This research examines sustainability assurance practices and more specifically whether media pressure influences companies' decision to implement a voluntary sustainability assurance. The sample consists of companies listed on the French SBF 120 over a period of four years (2007)(2008)(2009)(2010). The study conducts logistic regressions with longitudinal panel data to empirically test the influence of explanatory factors on the use of sustainability assurance. It appears that the variables related to media pressure explain the establishment of sustainability assurance. Moreover, the size of the company, the industry and the positioning of companies in corporate social responsibility also influence the use of assurance of sustainability information. On the theoretical level, the research contributes to a better understanding of practices of sustainability assurance by offering an explanatory model of this practice. On a managerial level, it contributes to the understanding of corporate behavior. This research may allow users of sustainability information to judge the relevance of sustainability reporting.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the practice of sustainability assurance and in particular the content of the assurance reports disseminated in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. The objective of the research is to study the evolution of the content of the assurance reports of French companies. Have the reports evolved as a result of the standardization and regulation of the audit? Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal study has been carried out on French companies publishing CSR reports and their sustainability information has been checked for several years. The sample is composed of 19 listed French companies and 135 assurance reports over a period from 2001 to 2015. Findings The results highlight a change in the content of assurance reports according to standardization and regulatory of sustainability auditing. The content evolves from a generic discourse to a normative discourse notably because of the realization of a majority of assurance missions by accounting professionals and the increasing use of ISAE 3000 as well as by the introduction of the Grenelle II Law. Practical implications This paper shows how assurance reports have evolved over time in a particular regulatory context of the introduction of a law specific to assurance, Grenelle II Law, using a sample of French companies. Originality/value Although some studies have attempted to provide a historical analysis of this practice, no research has focused on longitudinal analysis in a particular context of introduction of a law specific to the assurance mission. The lack in previous literature resides in the lack of longitudinal analysis of assurance reports in the light of the evolution of the normative and regulatory frameworks.

Firms using corporate social responsibility assurance (or CSRA) recruit an external and independent third party to undertake assurance of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) information that they disclose. From a theoretical perspective, CSRA may play a role within two distinct mechanisms: the signaling mechanism, whereby CSRA signals both the quality of the disclosed information and firms’ CSR performance, and the legitimizing mechanism, whereby CSRA is strategically used as a ‘sophisticated’ compliance exercise. Thus, while the signaling theory predicts that CSRA should provide the expected benefits for its intended users, studies based on the legitimacy theory question the effectiveness of CSRA. In an attempt to disentangle which mechanism is dominant, this study investigates how professional accountants, as assurance providers, perceive CSRA and its effectiveness. We use an online questionnaire survey involving a between-subjects experimental design with 104 French professional accountants as participants. The quantitative and qualitative results suggest, in line with legitimacy theory, that CSRA is used more as a compliance exercise than as an effective signal. We advance the idea that in the French setting, in which CSRA is mandatory, it is used by firms to create the illusion of transparency by complying with disclosure requirements. However, we offer an alternative interpretation by arguing that some professional accountants may in fact seek to resist the implementation of mandatory CSRA using a strategy of justification.

Résumé Quelle est l’influence de la structure de propriété et de la composition du conseil d’administration (CA) sur la vérification sociétale volontaire ? C’est à cette question de recherche que nous tentons ici de répondre. L’étude empirique porte sur les entreprises du SBF 120 et sur la période 2007-2008. Elle révèle que la décision de vérification sociétale est influencée par la gouvernance interne : dilution du capital, actionnariat salarié, taille et indépendance du CA, existence d’un comité spécialisé DD/RSE. Outre ces éléments, la décision de vérification sociétale dépend également du secteur d’activité.

L’objectif de cet article est de proposer un état de l’art sur le thème de la vérification sociétale (VS). Une analyse exhaustive des recherches relatives à la VS a abouti à un recensement de 56 articles publiés dans 33 revues, sur la période 1985-2015. Les principaux questionnements portent sur les cadres théoriques de référence et les problématiques qui s’y référent, à savoir la justification du recours à une VS, les normes de référence, le profil du vérificateur, ainsi que l’utilité et la qualité de cette pratique. L’analyse chronologique et de contenu de ces articles révèle qu’ils sont prioritairement publiés dans des revues comptables et qu’ils traduisent une évolution dans la terminologie employée. Cette revue de littérature traduit encore une cohérence entre les sujets abordés, les cadres théoriques mobilisés et les méthodologies employées. Un courant de recherche qui critique les cadres théoriques contractuels et institutionnels a émergé et montre que le management détourne l’intérêt de la VS à son avantage, au détriment des autres parties prenantes. L’insuffisante prise en compte de ces parties prenantes suggère un enjeu managérial majeur et une piste de recherche prioritaire.