This study provides an extensive critical review of the theoretical perspectives applied on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure literature. From a CSR standpoint we review and discuss, in detail, legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory, social contract theory, and signalling theory to identify the situations that suit each of these perspectives. The findings show that there is no universal theory applicable on corporate social responsibility disclosure for all situations or societies. While legitimacy theory suggests CSR disclosures are part of a process of legitimation, stakeholder theory offers an explanation of CSR accountability to stakeholders. Legitimacy theory seems to be more suitable for organizations working in developed countries, on the other hand, stakeholder theory appears to be most suitable for organizations working in developing countries; where a corporation can manage its stakeholders and the pressure to comply with existing legislation is less as compared to the developed countries. Social contract theory is appropriate for developed/emerged economies, as CSR disclosure exists due to an implicit social contract between business and society, which implies some indirect obligations of business towards society. Signalling theory will suit a situation where firms are competing for resources. A firm willing to demarcate from other firms will engage in more CSR practices. It is also important that the signal reaches the target audience by reporting on CSR.

The results of Lamoureux and Lastrapes (Journal of Finance, 45, 221-29, 1990) are extended to the UK stock market, and the study examines, in particular, their finding that GARCH modelling captures the serial dependence in volume of trade. Using data on 50 UK companies, we find that although the parameter estimates of the GARCH model become insignificant when volume of trade is used in the conditional variance of returns, the autocorrelations of the squared residuals still exhibit a highly significant GARCH effects. Evidence is found that there is a strong association in the timing of innovational outliers in returns and volume. The results suggest that a threshold model for volume and returns could prove a useful route to pursue in future research.

Purpose Based on the institutional theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine institutional factors that affect the development of accounting practices in Jordan. Design/methodology/approach The current study surveys the perceptions of 306 participants and 20 interviewees. Findings First, the early formation of accounting practices in Jordan has been affected by the legacy of Ottoman Empire’s and the British Colony’s accounting systems. Second, the results indicate that government of Jordan (regulatory frameworks), pressures from international donors and large economic organizations (politico-economic factors), education and training/development (cultural inputs), and the efforts to attract foreign investments and getting access into the international fund and trade (economic factors) have been influential influences in the development of accounting practices and the adoption of International Accounting Standards/International Financial Reporting Standards (IAS/IFRS) in Jordan. Finally, the findings reveal that “Secrecy” construct (a culture input) has been a problematic in the implementation of IAS/IFRS. Practical implications The current study provides policy implications for the Jordanian policy makers and for other developing countries that are working hard to improve the quality of financial reporting of their business entities. Finally, the authors suggest some great opportunities for future research. Originality/value First, this paper contributes to Jordan’s policy developments including fundamental strategies in terms of attracting foreign investments to expand the economy and the international and regional trade. Second, it fills a gap in the international accounting research by empirically assessing how institutional factors affect the development of accounting practices in emerging country such as Jordan.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive and critical overview of the theoretical perspectives used in the accounting disclosure literature including economic theories, political and social theories. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews and discusses in details the positive accounting theory (PAT), agency theory, signalling theory, political economy theory (PET), stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and contingency theory to identify the situations suit each of these perspectives. Findings – The main finding shows that there is no universal theory applicable for all situations or societies. For example, PAT is probably used when a corporation believes that its primary responsibility is to use its resources and engage in activities designed to maximise its profits. On the other hand, the PET seems to better explain why some corporations appear to respond to government or public pressure for information about their social impact. The agency theory provides the required framework to evaluate accounting choices and disclosure decisions in market-based studies. While the legitimacy theory seems to be more suitable for multinational corporations working in developed/democratic countries, the stakeholder theory seems to be most suitable for multinational corporations working in developing/dictator countries; whereas a corporation can manage its stakeholders. The contingency theory supports our main finding that different theories are required for different situations, as it clearly indicates that management's preferences of reporting practices are related to the nature of environmental and organisational constraints rather than their relative income effects. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the limited body of literature concerning the accounting disclosure theories and to identify the main theoretical perspective that can be used in the accounting disclosure research.

No abstract