Comprehensiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility Reports of Brazilian Companies: An Analysis of its Evolution and Determinants

Abstract

This paper aims to assess the degree of comprehensiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports of Brazilian companies and its determinants. Literature suggests that a report is considered comprehensive when it contains three types of information for each CSR item published: vision and objectives; management actions; and performance indicators. A content analysis of 272 CSR reports of Brazilian companies that follow the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines was conducted for the period from 2010 to 2013. Results indicate that, despite the still low coverage of contents in CSR reports, there has been an increase in the degree of comprehensiveness over the period of study. Some firm attributes affect the comprehensiveness degree of CSR reports: ownership concentration in hands of the main shareholder; company presence in the ISE (Corporate Brazilian Sustainability Index); the environmental risk of firm industry; firm size and profitability.

Public Sector (Un)Sustainability: a study of GRI adherence and sustainability reporting disclosure standards in Public Institutions and State-Owned Companies of the Public Agency Sector

“…Most of these (69%) met some GRI standard (GRI G3, GRI G3.1, and GRI G4). Costa and Crisóstomo (2017) point out that it is pertinent to propose that good adherence to quality standards, such as the GRI guidelines and the external audit of reports, strongly contribute to the quality and comprehensiveness of the information disclosed. In reference to assurance aspects, it is possible to observe through the data analyzed whether Reports had engaged external assurance or not.…”

“…According to Costa and Crisóstomo (2017), whatever an organization's motivations for publishing SR may be, they must transmit enough information and quality to meet stakeholder demands so that the stakeholders may evaluate their actions. Goswami and Lodhia (2014) add that SR is an important means for assessing an organization's performance in relation to economic, social, and environmental issues.…”