IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlogis/v2y2018i3p13-d160585.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Has Carbon Disclosure Become More Transparent in the Global Logistics Industry? An Investigation of Corporate Carbon Disclosure Strategies Between 2010 and 2015

Author

Listed:
  • David M. Herold

    (Institute for Transport and Logistics Management, WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria)

Abstract

Global logistics companies are increasingly disclosing carbon related information due to institutional and stakeholder pressures. Existing research, however, is limited to categorizing these pressures and their influences on corporate carbon disclosure strategies. In particular, literature to date has not distinguished between different carbon disclosure strategies and how they may have changed over time. In response, this paper: (1) proposes a framework that depicts four different carbon disclosure responses and strategies based on internal and external pressures; and (2) subsequently analyzes and compares corporate carbon disclosure strategies between 2010 and 2015. Using a sample of 39 leading global logistics companies, carbon disclosure strategies are categorized based on the analysis of 25 applied carbon management practices from Bloomberg ESG to see if carbon management practices and the associated strategies have changed. The findings show overall shifts to more transparent corporate carbon disclosure strategies between 2010 and 2015 with an increase of applied carbon management practices in both internal and external actions.

Suggested Citation

  • David M. Herold, 2018. "Has Carbon Disclosure Become More Transparent in the Global Logistics Industry? An Investigation of Corporate Carbon Disclosure Strategies Between 2010 and 2015," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-16, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlogis:v:2:y:2018:i:3:p:13-:d:160585
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/2/3/13/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/2/3/13/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Olga Hawn & Ioannis Ioannou, 2016. "Mind the gap: The interplay between external and internal actions in the case of corporate social responsibility," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(13), pages 2569-2588, December.
    2. de Villiers, Charl & Alexander, Deborah, 2014. "The institutionalisation of corporate social responsibility reporting," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 198-212.
    3. Sue Hrasky, 2011. "Carbon footprints and legitimation strategies: symbolism or action?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 25(1), pages 174-198, December.
    4. Ans Kolk & Paolo Perego, 2010. "Determinants of the adoption of sustainability assurance statements: an international investigation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(3), pages 182-198, March.
    5. Beattie, Vivien, 2014. "Accounting narratives and the narrative turn in accounting research: Issues, theory, methodology, methods and a research framework," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 111-134.
    6. Vivien Beattie & Bill McInnes & Stella Fearnley, 2004. "A methodology for analysing and evaluating narratives in annual reports: a comprehensive descriptive profile and metrics for disclosure quality attributes," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 205-236, September.
    7. Stephen Chen & Petra Bouvain, 2009. "Is Corporate Responsibility Converging? A Comparison of Corporate Responsibility Reporting in the USA, UK, Australia, and Germany," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 87(1), pages 299-317, April.
    8. Ans Kolk & David Levy & Jonatan Pinkse, 2008. "Corporate Responses in an Emerging Climate Regime: The Institutionalization and Commensuration of Carbon Disclosure," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 719-745.
    9. Linnenluecke, Martina K. & Griffiths, Andrew, 2010. "Corporate sustainability and organizational culture," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 357-366, October.
    10. 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.
    11. David M. Herold & Ki-Hoon Lee, 2017. "The Influence of the Sustainability Logic on Carbon Disclosure in the Global Logistics Industry: The Case of DHL, FDX and UPS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-21, April.
    12. Ozden Tozanli & Gazi Murat Duman & Elif Kongar & Surendra M. Gupta, 2017. "Environmentally Concerned Logistics Operations in Fuzzy Environment: A Literature Survey," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 1(1), pages 1-42, June.
    13. Ki-Hoon Lee & David M. Herold, 2016. "Cultural relevance in corporate sustainability management: a comparison between Korea and Japan," Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-21, December.
    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. Breeda Comyns, 2016. "Determinants of GHG Reporting: An Analysis of Global Oil and Gas Companies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 349-369, June.
    2. Le Luo & Qingliang Tang & Hanlu Fan & Jamie Ayers, 2023. "Corporate carbon assurance and the quality of carbon disclosure," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(1), pages 657-690, March.
    3. Roger Leonard Burritt & Katherine Leanne Christ & Hussain Gulzar Rammal & Stefan Schaltegger, 2020. "Multinational Enterprise Strategies for Addressing Sustainability: the Need for Consolidation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(2), pages 389-410, June.
    4. Daniel C. Matisoff & Douglas S. Noonan & John J. O'Brien, 2013. "Convergence in Environmental Reporting: Assessing the Carbon Disclosure Project," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(5), pages 285-305, July.
    5. Giorgio Mion & Cristian R. Loza Adaui, 2019. "Mandatory Nonfinancial Disclosure and Its Consequences on the Sustainability Reporting Quality of Italian and German Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-28, August.
    6. Mohammed Adel Elzahaby, 2023. "Corporate narrative disclosure practices in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: a systematic literature review," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(3), pages 296-315, September.
    7. Carmelo Reverte, 2021. "Do investors value the voluntary assurance of sustainability information? Evidence from the Spanish stock market," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(5), pages 793-809, September.
    8. Patrizia Di Tullio & Matteo La Torre & Diego Valentinetti & Michele A. Rea, 2021. "Toward performance measurement systems based on business models," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2021(suppl. 1), pages 97-122.
    9. Tiffany Cheng-Han Leung & Robin Stanley Snell, 2021. "Strategies for Social and Environmental Disclosure: The Case of Multinational Gambling Companies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(3), pages 447-467, January.
    10. Rong Ma & Rakesh B. Sambharya, 2024. "International diversification and corporate social responsibility disclosure quality: Employee versus environmental dimensions," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4248-4264, September.
    11. Mumtaheena Anwar & Sohanur Rahman & Md. Nurul Kabir, 2021. "Does national carbon pricing policy affect voluntary environmental disclosures? A global evidence," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 23(2), pages 211-244, April.
    12. Kathleen Herbohn & Ru Gao & Peter Clarkson, 2019. "Evidence on Whether Banks Consider Carbon Risk in Their Lending Decisions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 155-175, August.
    13. Tsalis, Thomas A. & Nikolaou, Ioannis E. & Konstantakopoulou, Fotini & Zhang, Ying & Evangelinos, Konstantinos I., 2020. "Evaluating the corporate environmental profile by analyzing corporate social responsibility reports," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 63-75.
    14. Warren Maroun, 2020. "A Conceptual Model for Understanding Corporate Social Responsibility Assurance Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 187-209, January.
    15. Chiara Mio & Marco Fasan & Carlo Marcon & Silvia Panfilo, 2021. "Carrot or stick? An empirical analysis of the different implementation strategies of the EU directive on nonfinancial information across Europe," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1591-1605, November.
    16. Ismail N.B. & Sébastien Alcouffe & Galy N & Ceulemans K, 2020. "The impact of international sustainability initiatives on Life Cycle Assessment voluntary disclosures: The case of France’s CAC40 listed companies," Post-Print hal-03082800, HAL.
    17. Malgorzata Wegrzynska, 2021. "Linking of Financial Data with Non-Financial Information on CSR of Companies Listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(3), pages 851-873.
    18. Michelon, Giovanna & Pilonato, Silvia & Ricceri, Federica, 2015. "CSR reporting practices and the quality of disclosure: An empirical analysis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 59-78.
    19. Souad Moufty & Basil Al‐Najjar & Abdulhadi Ibrahim, 2024. "Communications of sustainability practices in the banking sector: Evidence from cross‐country analysis," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(1), pages 135-161, January.
    20. Miras Rodríguez, María del Mar & Escobar Pérez, Bernabé, 2016. "Há Influência do ambiente institucional nas práticas de divulgação de RSC? O papel da governança," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 56(6), November.

    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:gam:jlogis:v:2:y:2018:i:3:p:13-:d:160585. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.