IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/bracre/v56y2024i1s0890838923000318.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corporate environmental reporting in the China context: The interplay of stakeholder salience, socialist ideology and state power

Author

Listed:
  • Qian, Wei
  • Parker, Lee
  • Zhu, Jingyu

Abstract

Research considers that the increase in corporate environmental reporting over the past decades has been a response to stakeholder demand and pressure within and beyond the boundaries of business operations. Recent empirical studies have begun to extrapolate the stakeholder concept and rationale into developing countries when explaining their growing reporting practices. However, how this global trend is played out in the particular institutional developing country context remains unanswered. This research addresses the issue by employing a case study of a leading mining company in China. The study finds that corporate managers do understand the importance of stakeholder communication and engagement. Such importance has been framed into national social obligations within the socialist ideology long embedded and more recently reinforced in the minds of managers. It reveals an imprinting process of ideological prioritisation through which imprinted socialist philosophies and values are entrenched in perceived stakeholder salience and responsibility for environmental reporting. This process is decoupled from delivering procedural compliance via accountability reporting because of the dominance of State power and national collective interests over individual rights. This study suggests that socially and politically embedded philosophies and ideology ingrained in a country can create another layer of criteria when managers interpret and determine the salience of individual stakeholders and make reporting decisions. It highlights that the extent to which the salience of stakeholders is understood and responded to in the environmental reporting process is conditioned by the structure and operation of a country's political and social system.

Suggested Citation

  • Qian, Wei & Parker, Lee & Zhu, Jingyu, 2024. "Corporate environmental reporting in the China context: The interplay of stakeholder salience, socialist ideology and state power," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(1).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bracre:v:56:y:2024:i:1:s0890838923000318
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bar.2023.101198
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890838923000318
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.bar.2023.101198?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dennis M. Patten & Yi Ren & Na Zhao, 2015. "Standalone Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in China: An Exploratory Analysis of its Relation to Legitimation," Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 17-31, April.
    2. Lopin Kuo & Chin‐Chen Yeh & Hui‐Cheng Yu, 2012. "Disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management: Evidence from China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(5), pages 273-287, September.
    3. Wei Qian & Ping Zhu & Carol Tilt, 2022. "Corporate environmental disclosure and local government environmental oversight in China," Pacific Accounting Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 34(2), pages 358-382, February.
    4. Olaf Weber, 2014. "Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(5), pages 303-317, July.
    5. Fuming Jiang & Tatiana Zalan & Herman H. M. Tse & Jie Shen, 2018. "Mapping the Relationship Among Political Ideology, CSR Mindset, and CSR Strategy: A Contingency Perspective Applied to Chinese Managers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 419-444, January.
    6. Ezzamel, Mahmoud & Xiao, Jason Zezhong, 2015. "The development of accounting regulations for foreign invested firms in China: The role of Chinese characteristics," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 60-84.
    7. Wei Qian & Carol Tilt & Ataur Belal, 2021. "Social and environmental accounting in developing countries: contextual challenges and insights," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 34(5), pages 1021-1050, April.
    8. van der Laan Smith, Joyce & Adhikari, Ajay & Tondkar, Rasoul H., 2005. "Exploring differences in social disclosures internationally: A stakeholder perspective," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 123-151.
    9. Vanessa Magness, 2008. "Who are the Stakeholders Now? An Empirical Examination of the Mitchell, Agle, and Wood Theory of Stakeholder Salience," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 83(2), pages 177-192, December.
    10. Belal, Ataur Rahman & Cooper, Stuart M. & Khan, Niaz Ahmed, 2015. "Corporate environmental responsibility and accountability: What chance in vulnerable Bangladesh?," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 44-58.
    11. Li, Teng & Belal, Ataur, 2018. "Authoritarian state, global expansion and corporate social responsibility reporting: The narrative of a Chinese state-owned enterprise," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 199-217.
    12. Benjamin Neville & Simon Bell & Gregory Whitwell, 2011. "Stakeholder Salience Revisited: Refining, Redefining, and Refueling an Underdeveloped Conceptual Tool," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(3), pages 357-378, September.
    13. Carlos Noronha & Si Tou & M. I. Cynthia & Jenny J. Guan, 2013. "Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in China: An Overview and Comparison with Major Trends," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 29-42, January.
    14. Hui-Cheng Yu & Lopin Kuo & Mao-Feng Kao, 2017. "The relationship between CSR disclosure and competitive advantage," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(5), pages 547-570, November.
    15. Markus J. Milne & Helen Tregidga & Sara Walton, 2009. "Words not actions! The ideological role of sustainable development reporting," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(8), pages 1211-1257, October.
    16. Yuan Yuan Hu & Yanhui Zhu & Jon Tucker & Yuxiao Hu, 2018. "Ownership influence and CSR disclosure in China," Accounting Research Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(1), pages 8-21, May.
    17. Lindkvist, Lars & Llewellyn, Sue, 2003. "Accountability, responsibility and organization," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 251-273, June.
    18. Roger L. Burritt & Stefan Schaltegger, 2010. "Sustainability accounting and reporting: fad or trend?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 23(7), pages 829-846, September.
    19. Teng Li & Ataur Belal, 2018. "Authoritarian state, global expansion and corporate social responsibility reporting: The narrative of a Chinese state-owned enterprise," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 199-217, June.
    20. Roberts, John, 1991. "The possibilities of accountability," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 355-368.
    21. Carlos Noronha & Tiffany Cheng Han Leung & On Ieng Lei, 2015. "Corporate social responsibility disclosure in Chinese railway companies," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(4), pages 446-474, November.
    22. Yang, Helen Hong & Craig, Russell & Farley, Alan, 2015. "A review of Chinese and English language studies on corporate environmental reporting in China," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 30-48.
    23. Hannah Charlotte Joos, 2019. "Influences on managerial perceptions of stakeholder salience: two decades of research in review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 69(1), pages 3-37, February.
    24. Olaf Weber, 2017. "Corporate sustainability and financial performance of Chinese banks," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(3), pages 358-385, July.
    25. Phillips, Robert, 2003. "Stakeholder Legitimacy," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(1), pages 25-41, January.
    26. Yi Han & Enying Zheng & Minya Xu, 2014. "The Influence from the Past: Organizational Imprinting and Firms’ Compliance with Social Insurance Policies in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 65-77, June.
    27. Olsen, Tricia D., 2017. "Political Stakeholder Theory: The State, Legitimacy, and the Ethics of Microfinance in Emerging Economies," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(1), pages 71-98, January.
    28. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2011. "Does it really pay to be green? Determinants and consequences of proactive environmental strategies," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 122-144, March.
    29. Stefan Schaltegger & Roger Burritt, 2018. "Business Cases and Corporate Engagement with Sustainability: Differentiating Ethical Motivations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 241-259, January.
    30. Sunee Ratanajongkol & Howard Davey & Mary Low, 2006. "Corporate social reporting in Thailand," Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 3(1), pages 67-83, January.
    31. Darnall, Nicole & Seol, Inshik & Sarkis, Joseph, 2009. "Perceived stakeholder influences and organizations' use of environmental audits," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 170-187, February.
    32. Christopher Marquis & Cuili Qian, 2014. "Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in China: Symbol or Substance?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(1), pages 127-148, February.
    33. Liu, Heng & Luo, Jin-hui, 2022. "Legacy of ideology: The enduring effect of CEOs’ socialist ideological imprint on private firms’ employee-related CSR," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 491-504.
    34. Qiu, Yan & Shaukat, Amama & Tharyan, Rajesh, 2016. "Environmental and social disclosures: Link with corporate financial performance," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 102-116.
    35. Modell, Sven & Yang, ChunLei, 2018. "Financialisation as a strategic action field: An historically informed field study of governance reforms in Chinese state-owned enterprises," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 41-59.
    36. Carol A. Tilt, 2018. "Making Social and Environmental Accounting Research Relevant in Developing Countries: A Matter of Context?," Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(2), pages 145-150, May.
    37. Li, Xinxiang & Soobaroyen, Teerooven, 2021. "Accounting, Ideological and Political Work and Chinese multinational operations: A neo-Gramscian perspective," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    38. Manuel Branco & Lúcia Rodrigues, 2008. "Factors Influencing Social Responsibility Disclosure by Portuguese Companies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 83(4), pages 685-701, December.
    39. Qian, Wei & Chen, Xuan, 2021. "Corporate environmental disclosure and political connection in regulatory and leadership changes: The case of China," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    40. Robbin Derry, 2012. "Reclaiming Marginalized Stakeholders," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 111(2), pages 253-264, December.
    41. Helen Tregidga & Markus J. Milne, 2006. "From sustainable management to sustainable development: a longitudinal analysis of a leading New Zealand environmental reporter," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(4), pages 219-241, July.
    42. Carol A. Tilt, 2016. "Corporate social responsibility research: the importance of context," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-9, December.
    43. Stefan Schaltegger & Jacob Hörisch, 2017. "In Search of the Dominant Rationale in Sustainability Management: Legitimacy- or Profit-Seeking?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 259-276, October.
    44. Jie Wu, 2015. "Differentiated Customer Pressures and Environmental Policies in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 175-189, March.
    45. J. Mahadeo & V. Oogarah-Hanuman & T. Soobaroyen, 2011. "A Longitudinal Study of Corporate Social Disclosures in a Developing Economy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(4), pages 545-558, December.
    46. Cho, Charles H. & Patten, Dennis M., 2007. "The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: A research note," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(7-8), pages 639-647.
    47. Yaning Du & Rob Gray, 2013. "The Emergence of Stand-Alone Social and Environmental Reporting in Mainland China: An Exploratory Research Note," Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 104-112, September.
    48. Christina He & Janice Loftus, 2014. "Does environmental reporting reflect environmental performance?," Pacific Accounting Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(1/2), pages 134-154, April.
    49. Milena Parent & David Deephouse, 2007. "A Case Study of Stakeholder Identification and Prioritization by Managers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 75(1), pages 1-23, September.
    50. Momin, Mahmood Ahmed & Parker, Lee D., 2013. "Motivations for corporate social responsibility reporting by MNC subsidiaries in an emerging country: The case of Bangladesh," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 215-228.
    51. Hui Situ & Carol Tilt, 2018. "Mandatory? Voluntary? A Discussion of Corporate Environmental Disclosure Requirements in China," Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(2), pages 131-144, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Qian, Wei & Chen, Xuan, 2021. "Corporate environmental disclosure and political connection in regulatory and leadership changes: The case of China," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    2. Wei Qian & Carol Tilt & Dinithi Dissanayake & Sanjaya Kuruppu, 2020. "Motivations and impacts of sustainability reporting in the Indo‐Pacific region: Normative and instrumental stakeholder approaches," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3370-3384, December.
    3. María Luisa Pajuelo Moreno & Teresa Duarte-Atoche, 2019. "Relationship between Sustainable Disclosure and Performance—An Extension of Ullmann’s Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-33, August.
    4. Li, Teng & Belal, Ataur, 2018. "Authoritarian state, global expansion and corporate social responsibility reporting: The narrative of a Chinese state-owned enterprise," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 199-217.
    5. Thomas Thijssens & Laury Bollen & Harold Hassink, 2015. "Secondary Stakeholder Influence on CSR Disclosure: An Application of Stakeholder Salience Theory," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(4), pages 873-891, December.
    6. Yongfeng Zhang & Peng Wang & Jongwook Kwon, 2021. "CSR in China: Does Being Close to the Central or Local Government Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-12, August.
    7. Yang Stephanie Liu & Xiaoyan Zhou & Jessica Yang & Andreas Hoepner, 2016. "Corporate Carbon Emission and Financial Performance: Does Carbon Disclosure Mediate the Relationship in the UK?," ICMA Centre Discussion Papers in Finance icma-dp2016-03, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    8. Bigoni, Michele & Mohammed, Sideeq, 2023. "Critique is unsustainable: A polemic," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    9. Hannah Charlotte Joos, 2019. "Influences on managerial perceptions of stakeholder salience: two decades of research in review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 69(1), pages 3-37, February.
    10. Helfaya, Akrum & Aboud, Ahmed & Amin, Essam, 2023. "An examination of corporate environmental goals disclosure, sustainability performance and firm value – An Egyptian evidence," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    11. Qian, Wei & Schaltegger, Stefan, 2017. "Revisiting carbon disclosure and performance: Legitimacy and management views," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 365-379.
    12. Zhenghui Li & Gaoke Liao & Khaldoon Albitar, 2020. "Does corporate environmental responsibility engagement affect firm value? The mediating role of corporate innovation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1045-1055, March.
    13. Waris Ali & Maha Faisal Alsayegh & Zubair Ahmad & Zeeshan Mahmood & Javed Iqbal, 2018. "The Relationship between Social Visibility and CSR Disclosure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-32, March.
    14. Li, Xinxiang & Soobaroyen, Teerooven, 2021. "Accounting, Ideological and Political Work and Chinese multinational operations: A neo-Gramscian perspective," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    15. Waris Ali & Jedrzej George Frynas & Zeeshan Mahmood, 2017. "Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Disclosure in Developed and Developing Countries: A Literature Review," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(4), pages 273-294, July.
    16. Anna Jessop & Nicole Wilson & Michal Bardecki & Cory Searcy, 2019. "Corporate Environmental Disclosure in India: An Analysis of Multinational and Domestic Agrochemical Corporations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-33, September.
    17. Waris Ali & Jedrzej George Frynas, 2018. "The Role of Normative CSR‐Promoting Institutions in Stimulating CSR Disclosures in Developing Countries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 373-390, July.
    18. Gregory D. Saxton & Charlotte Ren & Chao Guo, 2021. "Responding to Diffused Stakeholders on Social Media: Connective Power and Firm Reactions to CSR-Related Twitter Messages," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 172(2), pages 229-252, August.
    19. Cristina Gianfelici & Andrea Casadei & Federica Cembali, 2018. "The Relevance of Nationality and Industry for Stakeholder Salience: An Investigation Through Integrated Reports," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 541-558, June.
    20. Cao, Feng & Peng, Songlan (Stella) & Ye, Kangtao, 2019. "Multiple large shareholders and corporate social responsibility reporting," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 287-309.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:bracre:v:56:y:2024:i:1:s0890838923000318. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/the-british-accounting-review .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.