Do gender-diverse boards over-invest in corporate social responsibility (CSR)?

Ramdhony, Dineshwar; Rashid, Afzalur; Gow, Jeff

doi:10.1080/09718524.2021.1880038

Cited by 9 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…While local companies communicate CSR activities using various media, including social reports, websites, TV/radio, and press releases, we rely on annual reports from 2007 to 2018. In line with prior work (Ntim and Soobaroyen, 2013;Ramdhony et al 2021a;Ramdhony et al, 2021b;Nuskiya et al 2021), a reliance on the annual report is motivated on the basis that the company has editorial control over content (excluding the mandatory/statutory accounting and financial sections) and is a well-publicised document both in print and online. As such, it remains the most commonly circulated public document and is typically free from intermediate (i.e., journalistic) distortions (Guthrie and Parker, 1989).…”

Section: Samplementioning

confidence: 98%

“…A company is expected to spend the proceeds of the levy (2% of profits) on CSR projects or remit the funds to the tax authorities. While the policy has faced reforms from 2015 (mainly in terms of how the proceeds of the levy may be spent), it has nonetheless fostered deeper engagement by firms and their employees (Ramdhony et al, 2021a). At the same time, there has been no attempt to mandate specific models of CSR disclosure and the local use of international reporting models (e.g., GRI; IR) remains scant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The evolution and determinants of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in a developing country: extent and quality

Soobaroyen

Ramdhony

Rashid

et al. 2022

JAEE

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PurposeThis paper examines the evolution and determinants of the extent and quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in a developing country (Mauritius).Design/methodology/approachCSR disclosures from annual reports of all listed companies were hand-collected for a 12-year period (2007–2018). The extent of disclosure was measured using a dichotomous index (41 items) while the quality of each disclosure item was assessed on a three-point scale. We rely on organisational legitimacy and resource dependence theories to investigate (1) trends in CSR disclosure extent and quality (2) the role of selected board and firm characteristics, namely the business qualifications of board members, extent of cross-directorships and the firm’s use of employee volunteering scheme, on CSR disclosure.FindingsCSR disclosure extent, notably in relation to environment and human resources, gradually increased to an overall score of 45%. Comparatively, the quality of disclosures was low, with an average score of 20%. The proportion of business-qualified directors is only positively associated with CSR disclosure extent. The extent of cross-directorships is negatively associated with CSR disclosure quality while employee volunteering is positively associated with disclosure extent and quality.Originality/valueThe findings reveal the relatively low quality of information being disclosed, and in spite of CSR and governance reforms, there seems to be limited influence from the board of directors and their networks; prompting a call to foster greater board engagement on CSR matters. The results also highlight the need for a multi-dimensional assessment of CSR disclosure.

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Section: Samplementioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution and determinants of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in a developing country: extent and quality

Soobaroyen

Ramdhony

Rashid

et al. 2022

JAEE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Firm size is calculated as a natural log of total assets of company i year t (D'Amato and Falivena, 2020); profitability was measured using (ROA), calculated as net income divided by total assets of a company i in year t (Chen et al , 2018). Studies have shown that profitability does influence human rights reporting (Baker et al , 1985; Hamid, 2004), specifically, profitable firms have comparatively more resources to undertake social programmes and hence more disclosures (Ramdhony et al , 2021). We measured board size as the total number of directors on the board (Galbreath, 2018).…”

Section: Methods and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have shown that profitability does influence human rights reporting (Baker et al, 1985;Hamid, 2004), specifically, profitable firms have comparatively more resources to undertake social programmes and hence more disclosures (Ramdhony et al, 2021). We measured board size as the total number of directors on the board (Galbreath, 2018).…”

Section: Control Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does board chairperson experience matter? Examining the relationship between board attributes and human rights reporting in Kenya

Tarus

Tuwey

Yego

2022

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Purpose Using the resource dependence and legitimacy theories, this research aims to examine the relationship between board attributes and human rights reporting, as well as the interaction effect of board chairperson experience on the relationship among listed firms at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Design/methodology/approach This study collected data from annual reports of firms listed on the NSE from 2009 to 2019 using content analysis to examine how boards influence human rights reporting. A total of 547 firm-year observations were used to test the hypotheses. This study used a hierarchical regression model to examine the relationship. Findings This study found that board attributes are important predictors of human rights reporting. This study shows that both board diversity and board independence have a positive impact on human rights reporting. Furthermore, the interaction results revealed that having a highly experienced chairperson strengthens the effect of board independence on human rights reporting; however, this study found that experienced chairperson reduces the influence of board diversity on human rights reporting. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that board diversity and independence are essential attributes to which listed companies should pay attention when appointing board members. Moreover, the chairperson's leadership on the board is critical in ensuring that publicly trading companies adopt policies that disclose human rights information. Originality/value This paper provides insights into Kenya's human rights disclosure practices. It also analyzes how boards influence human rights disclosures, an empirical test that has received little attention in the previous literature. This study emphasizes the importance of board members and the chairperson in advocating for human rights reporting to improve corporate sustainability.

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“…Several academics and practitioners have studied female representation on executive boards (Greene et al , 2020; Kirsch, 2018; Lewellyn and Muller-Kahle, 2020; Løyning, 2021; Lückerath-Rovers, 2015; Matsa and Miller, 2013; Mensi-Klarbach et al , 2019; Nguyen et al , 2020; Ramdhony et al , 2021), motivated by either an economic (Carter et al , 2010; Jeong and Harrison, 2016; Joecks et al , 2013; Reguera Alvarado et al , 2015) or corporate social responsibility rationale (Ben-Amar et al , 2017; Liao et al , 2018; Yarram and Adapa, 2021). Despite these studies associating increased gender representation with improved organizational, financial and non-financial performance, women remain underrepresented on executive and non-executive boards.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of female underrepresentation on executive boards in the Dutch hotel industry through an ethical lens

Lereculey-Péran

Lombarts

Brannon

2022

JHTI

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PurposeThis paper elucidates female underrepresentation on executive boards in the Dutch hotel industry through a “feminist” stakeholder perspective, which persists despite public opinion and government initiatives to resolve this enigma. It contributes to this discussion by examining Rhenish governance structures through a “feminist” stakeholder-focused rationale, complementing prevailing Anglo-Saxon shareholder-focused governance research.Design/methodology/approachEleven in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with hotel executive board representatives and five with sublevel management representatives. Saturation was achieved by interviewing all females on Dutch hotel corporate boards regarding their career experiences compared with those of female general managers and male counterparts.FindingsThis paper finds a prevailing “masculinist” perspective of an idealized shareholder-orientated executive and a “feminist” perspective of a humanized stakeholder-orientated executive expressed within the interviews. While the former sacrifices family for their career, the latter balances their family with their career. The former fosters presupposed gender norms, with females commonly sacrificing their careers while males sacrifice their families. Notably, most executives predominantly supported the humanized stakeholder-orientated executive, while recognizing that micro-, meso- and macro-structural barriers remain.Originality/valueThis paper addresses a lacuna in the ethical literature in exploring female executive representation in Rhenish stakeholder-focused governance structures, as opposed to Anglo-Saxon shareholder-focused ones. It found a “masculinist” perspective of an idealized shareholder-focused executive archetype and a “feminist” perspective of a humanized stakeholder-focused executive archetype. Notably, contrary to perceived business norms, several interviewees rejected the former as it is incompatible with family and work, instead seeking the latter which balances between family and work.

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Do gender-diverse boards over-invest in corporate social responsibility (CSR)?

Cited by 9 publications

References 94 publications

The evolution and determinants of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in a developing country: extent and quality

The evolution and determinants of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in a developing country: extent and quality

Does board chairperson experience matter? Examining the relationship between board attributes and human rights reporting in Kenya

An exploration of female underrepresentation on executive boards in the Dutch hotel industry through an ethical lens

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