Skip Navigation Links
Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management
António Mendes Lopes (editor), Jiazhong Zhang(editor)
António Mendes Lopes (editor)

University of Porto, Portugal

Email: aml@fe.up.pt

Jiazhong Zhang (editor)

School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710049, China

Fax: +86 29 82668723 Email: jzzhang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn


An Implementation Assessment of Corporate Environmental Disclosure: An Empirical Study of CAC 40 Listed Companies

Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management 5(4) (2017) 273--284 | DOI:10.5890/JEAM.2017.12.001

Ali Ahmadi; Abdelfettah Bouri

Faculty of Economics and Management of Sfax, Airport Road Km 4, 3018 Sfax, BP 1088 Tunisia

Download Full Text PDF

 

Abstract

The environmental accounting is an important tool for understanding the role played by the natural environment in the economy. Based on a content analysis approach this paper aims to understand the potential effect of some environmental attributes and financial characteristics on corporate environmental disclosure. Content analyses had been carried out on the 2013-2015 annual reports of the leading French firms Listed on CAC 40. The Research results that indicate that the environmental disclosure is positively associated to environmental attributes such as a low amount of hazardous waste, the voluntary adoption of environmental initiatives. Financial attributes, such as firm size, the need for capital, profitability and capital spending, are positively associated with environmental disclosure quality.

References

  1. [1]  Ahmadi, A. and Bouri, A. (2017), The relationship between financial attributes, environmental performance and environmental disclosure: Empirical investigation on French firms listed on CAC 40, Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal 28(4), 490-506
  2. [2]  Al-Tuwaijri, S.A., Christensen, T.E. and Hughes II, K.E. (2004), The relations among environmental disclosure, environmental performance, and economic performance: a simultaneous equations approach, Accounting, Organizations and Society 29(5/6), 447- 471
  3. [3]  Barros, T. (2008). A Divulgação de Informação sobre Responsabilidade Social nas Páginas Web das Empresas Portuguesas. Porto: Universidade do Porto
  4. [4]  Beck, A.C., Campbell, D. and Shrives, P.J. (2010), Content analysis in environmental reporting research: enrichment and rehearsal of the method in a British-German context, The British Accounting Review 42(3), 207-222
  5. [5]  Belkaoui, A. and Arpik, P.G. (1989), Determinants of the corporate decision to disclose social information, AAA Journal 2(1): 36-51
  6. [6]  Bewley, K. and Li, Y. (2000), Disclosure of environmental information by Canadian manufacturing companies: a voluntary disclosure perspective, Advances in Environmental Accounting and Management 1, 201-226
  7. [7]  Burritt, R.L. (2002), Stopping Australia Killing the Environment: Getting the Reporting Edge, Australian CPA 73(3), 70-72
  8. [8]  Cho, C.H., and Patten, D.M. (2007), The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: a research note, Accounting, Organizations and Society 32(7/8), 639-647
  9. [9]  Cho, C., Robets, R. and Patten, D. (2010), The Language of US Corporate Environmental Disclosure, Accounting, Organizations and Society 35, 431-443
  10. [10]  Clarkson, P.M., Li, Y. and Richardson, G.D. (2004), The market valuation of environmental capital expenditures by pulp and paper companies, The Accounting Review 79(2), 329-353
  11. [11]  Clarkson, P.M., Li, Y., Richardson, G.D. and Vasvari, F.P. (2008), Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: an empirical analysis, Accounting, Organizations and Society 33(4/5), 303-327
  12. [12]  Clarkson, P.M., Li, Y., Richardson, G.D. and Vasvari, F.P. (2011), Does it really pay to be green? Determinants and consequences of proactive environmental strategies, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 30(2), 122-144
  13. [13]  Cormier, D. and Magnan, M. (1997), Investors’ assessment of implicit environmental liabilities: an empirical investigation, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 16, 215-241
  14. [14]  Cormier, D. and Gordon, I.M. (2001), An examination of social and environmental reporting strategies, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal 14(5), 587-617
  15. [15]  Cormier, D. and Magnan, M. (2003), Environmental reporting management: a European Perspective, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 22(1), 43-62
  16. [16]  Cushing, K., Heather, M. and Hongyan, L. (2005), Understanding ISO 14001 adoption and implementation in China, International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development 4, 246-268
  17. [17]  Dawkins, C. and Fraas, J.W. (2011), Coming clean: The impact of environmental performance and visibility on corporate climate change disclosure, Journal of Business Ethics 100, 303-322
  18. [18]  Freedman, M. and Stagliano, A.J. (2008), Some new evidence on the effectiveness of authoritative environmental reporting guidance, Advances in Public Interest Accounting 13, 1-15
  19. [19]  Giannetti, B.F., Prevez, L., Agostinho, F. and Almeida, C.M.V.B. (2016), Greening A Cuban Local Mango Supply Chain: Sustainability Options and Management Strategies, Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management 4(3), 251-266
  20. [20]  Gray, R. (2006), Does Sustainability Reporting Improve Corporate Behaviour? Wrong Question? Right Time? Accounting and Business Research 65-88
  21. [21]  Hackston, D. and Milne, M. (1996), Some determinants of social and environmental disclosures in New Zealand companies, AAA Journal 9(1), 77-108
  22. [22]  Hooks, J. and van Staden, C. (2011), Evaluating environmental disclosures: The relationship between quality and extent measures, The British Accounting Review 43, 200-213
  23. [23]  Hughes, K.E. (2000), The value relevance of non-financial measures of air pollution in the electric utility industry, The Accounting Review 209-228
  24. [24]  Hughes, S.B., Anderson, A. and Golden, S. (2001), Corporate environmental disclosures: are they useful in determining environmental performance? Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 20(3), 217-240
  25. [25]  Kim, E.H. and Lyon, T.P. (2011), Strategic Environmental Disclosure: Evidence from the DOE’s Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Registry, Journal of Environment Economics and Management 61, 311-326
  26. [26]  Knox, S., Maklan, S. and French, P. (2005), Corporate Social Responsibility: Exploring Stakeholder Relationships and Programme Reporting across Leading FTSE Companies, Business Ethics 61, 7-28
  27. [27]  Lang, M. and Lundholm, R. (1993), Cross-Sectional Determinants of Analyst Ratings of Corporate Disclosures, Journal of Accounting Research 31, 246-271
  28. [28]  Liu, X. and Anbumozhi, V. (2009), Determinant factors of corporate environmental information disclosure: an empirical study of Chinese listed companies, Journal of Cleaner Production 17(6), 593-600
  29. [29]  Luken, R., van Rompaey, F. and Zigova, K. (2008), The determinants of EST adoption by manufacturing plants in developing countries, Ecological Economics 66(1), 141-152
  30. [30]  Magness, V. (2006), Strategic posture, financial performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical test of legitimacy theory, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal 19(4), 540-563
  31. [31]  Patten, D.M. (2002). The relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: a research note, Accounting, Organizations and Society 27(8), 763-773
  32. [32]  Roberts, R.W. (1992), Determinants of corporate social responsibility disclosure: an application of stakeholder theory, Accounting, Organizations and Society 17(6), 595-612
  33. [33]  Sahay, A. (2004), Environmental Reporting by Indian Co. CSR and Environmental Management, 11, 12-22
  34. [34]  Sánchez, J. and Sotorrio, L. (2007), The Creation of Value through Corporate Reputation, Business Ethics 76, 335-346
  35. [35]  Suwaidan, M.S., Al-Omari, A.M. and Haddad, R.H. (2004), Social responsibility disclosure and corporate characteristics: the case of Jordanian industrial companies, International Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Performance Evaluation 1(4), 432- 447
  36. [36]  Tapang, A.T., Bassey, B.E. and Bessong, P.K. (2012), Environmental Activities and its implications on the profitability of oil companies in Nigeria, International Journal of Physical and Social Sciences 2(3), 285-302
  37. [37]  Teoh, S., Welch, I. and Wong, T. (1998), Earnings management and the long-run market performance of initial public offerings, Journal of Finance 53, 1935-1974
  38. [38]  Videras, J. and Alberini, A. (2000), The Appeal of Voluntary Environmental Programs: Which Firms Participate and Why? Contemporary Economic Policy 18(4), 449-461
  39. [39]  Zeng, S.X., Hu, X.D., Yin, H.T. and Tam, C.M. (2012), Factors that drive Chinese listed companies in voluntary disclosure of environmental information, Journal of Business Ethics 109(3), 309-321.