IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i15p9795-d883380.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Determinants and Value Relevance of Voluntary Assurance of Sustainability Reports in a Mandatory Reporting Context: Evidence from Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Heidi Vander Bauwhede

    (Department of Accounting, Corporate Finance and Taxation, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersplein 7, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Philippe Van Cauwenberge

    (Department of Accounting, Corporate Finance and Taxation, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersplein 7, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of sustainability report (SR) assurance and whether this assurance is value relevant within the context of the European Union (EU), where, under the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), sustainability reporting is mandatory for large public interest entities (PIE) as of fiscal year 2017. Using a sample of 1832 firm-year observations from 660 European listed companies over the period 2017–2020, the results of a logistic regression analysis indicate that firm size, environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and industry affiliation are important drivers of the demand for SR assurance. The value relevance regressions suggest that SR assurance is positively associated with the stock market value. The study contributes to the existing knowledge on SR assurance by documenting its determinants and value relevance in a context where sustainability reporting is mandatory and that is predominantly stakeholder-oriented. The results may be of interest to companies that consider to adopt SR assurance in such a context and to the European Commission (EC), which has included a mandatory SR assurance requirement in the proposed Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the successor to the NFRD.

Suggested Citation

  • Heidi Vander Bauwhede & Philippe Van Cauwenberge, 2022. "Determinants and Value Relevance of Voluntary Assurance of Sustainability Reports in a Mandatory Reporting Context: Evidence from Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:15:p:9795-:d:883380
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/15/9795/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/15/9795/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sylvie Berthelot & Michel Coulmont & Vanessa Serret, 2012. "Do Investors Value Sustainability Reports? A Canadian Study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(6), pages 355-363, November.
    2. Bixia Xu & Michel L. Magnan & Paul E. André, 2007. "The Stock Market Valuation of R&D Information in Biotech Firms," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(4), pages 1291-1318, December.
    3. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    4. Leuz, C & Verrecchia, RE, 2000. "The economic consequences of increased disclosure," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38, pages 91-124.
    5. Paolo Perego & Ans Kolk, 2012. "Multinationals’ Accountability on Sustainability: The Evolution of Third-party Assurance of Sustainability Reports," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(2), pages 173-190, October.
    6. Sylvie Berthelot & Michel Coulmont & Vanessa Serret, 2012. "Do Investors Value Sustainability Reports? A Canadian Study," Post-Print hal-02417765, HAL.
    7. James A. Ohlson, 2001. "Earnings, Book Values, and Dividends in Equity Valuation: An Empirical Perspective," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), pages 107-120, March.
    8. Collins, Daniel W. & Maydew, Edward L. & Weiss, Ira S., 1997. "Changes in the value-relevance of earnings and book values over the past forty years," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 39-67, December.
    9. 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.
    10. Renato Garzón-Jiménez & Ana Zorio-Grima, 2021. "Effects of Carbon Emissions, Environmental Disclosures and CSR Assurance on Cost of Equity in Emerging Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-11, January.
    11. Ignace De Beelde & Sanne Tuybens, 2015. "Enhancing the Credibility of Reporting on Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 190-216, March.
    12. Patrick Velte & Martin Stawinoga, 2017. "Empirical research on corporate social responsibility assurance (CSRA): A literature review," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(8), pages 1017-1066, November.
    13. Ball, Ray & Kothari, S. P. & Robin, Ashok, 2000. "The effect of international institutional factors on properties of accounting earnings," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 1-51, February.
    14. Elies Seguí-Mas & Fernando Polo-Garrido & Helena María Bollas-Araya, 2018. "Sustainability Assurance in Socially-Sensitive Sectors: A Worldwide Analysis of the Financial Services Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-21, August.
    15. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2008. "Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(4-5), pages 303-327.
    16. Maryna Gulenko, 2018. "Mandatory CSR reporting—literature review and future developments in Germany [Nichtfinanzielle Berichterstattungspflicht – Literaturzusammenfassung und Mögliche Entwicklungen in Deutschland]," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 3-17, December.
    17. Manuel Castelo Branco & Catarina Delgado & Sónia Ferreira Gomes & Teresa Cristina Pereira Eugénio, 2014. "Factors influencing the assurance of sustainability reports in the context of the economic crisis in Portugal," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 29(3), pages 237-252, February.
    18. Lopin Kuo & Po-Wen Kuo & Chun-Chih Chen, 2021. "Mandatory CSR Disclosure, CSR Assurance, and the Cost of Debt Capital: Evidence from Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sahar E-Vahdati & Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin & Mohd Shazwan Mohd Ariffin, 2023. "The Value Relevance of ESG Practices in Japan and Malaysia: Moderating Roles of CSR Award, and Former CEO as a Board Chair," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-17, February.
    2. MOROȘAN Adrian & GEMENEL Ioana & MARINA Alexandra-Gabriela, 2023. "Integrated Reporting - A Romanian Perspective," Revista Economica, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 75(3), pages 57-69, October.
    3. Tingting Hu & Kun You & Char-Lee Lok, 2025. "State ownership, political connection and ESG performance," Risk Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 27(1), pages 1-33, January.

    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. Bradbury, Michael & Jia, Jing & Li, Zhongtian, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility committees and the use of corporate social responsibility assurance services," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2).
    2. Alicia Girón & Amirreza Kazemikhasragh & Antonella Francesca Cicchiello & Eva Panetti, 2021. "Sustainability Reporting and Firms’ Economic Performance: Evidence from Asia and Africa," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 12(4), pages 1741-1759, December.
    3. Kılıç, Merve & Kuzey, Cemil & Uyar, Ali, 2021. "An international investigation on assurance of integrated reports: Institutions, assurance quality, and assurers," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    4. María del Mar Miras-Rodríguez & Roberto Di Pietra, 2018. "Corporate Governance mechanisms as drivers that enhance the credibility and usefulness of CSR disclosure," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(3), pages 565-588, September.
    5. Diogenis Baboukardos & Musa Mangena & Abdullahi Ishola, 2021. "Integrated thinking and sustainability reporting assurance: International evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1580-1597, May.
    6. Patrick Velte & Martin Stawinoga, 2017. "Empirical research on corporate social responsibility assurance (CSRA): A literature review," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(8), pages 1017-1066, November.
    7. Karaman, Abdullah S. & Orazalin, Nurlan & Uyar, Ali & Shahbaz, Muhammad, 2021. "CSR achievement, reporting, and assurance in the energy sector: Does economic development matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    8. 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.
    9. Elies Seguí-Mas & Fernando Polo-Garrido & Helena María Bollas-Araya, 2018. "Sustainability Assurance in Socially-Sensitive Sectors: A Worldwide Analysis of the Financial Services Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-21, August.
    10. Farinha, Jorge & Mateus, Cesario & Soares, Nuno, 2018. "Cash holdings and earnings quality: evidence from the Main and Alternative UK markets," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 238-252.
    11. Le Luo & Qingliang Tang & Juan Peng, 2018. "The direct and moderating effects of power distance on carbon transparency: An international investigation of cultural value and corporate social responsibility," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1546-1557, December.
    12. Roth, Victoria, 2021. "Talking is Silver, Doing is Gold? – The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility on Corporate Financial Performance," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 6(3), pages 637-672.
    13. 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.
    14. Vaz Ogando, Natalia & Ruiz Blanco, Silvia & Fernandez-Feijoo Souto, Belen, 2018. "El mercado de verificación de las memorias de sostenibilidad en España: un análisis desde la perspectiva de la demanda," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 48-62.
    15. Cuadrado-Ballesteros, Beatriz & Martínez-Ferrero, Jennifer & García-Sánchez, Isabel María, 2017. "Mitigating information asymmetry through sustainability assurance: The role of accountants and levels of assurance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 1141-1156.
    16. Lopin Kuo & Po-Wen Kuo & Chun-Chih Chen, 2021. "Mandatory CSR Disclosure, CSR Assurance, and the Cost of Debt Capital: Evidence from Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, February.
    17. Matthew Wegener & Réal Labelle, 2017. "Value Relevance of Environmental Provisions Pre‐ and Post‐IFRS," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(3), pages 139-168, September.
    18. Orazalin, Nurlan & Mahmood, Monowar, 2018. "Economic, environmental, and social performance indicators of sustainability reporting: Evidence from the Russian oil and gas industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 70-79.
    19. Abdul Rahman Al Natour & Rasmi Meqbel & Salah Kayed & Hala Zaidan, 2022. "The Role of Sustainability Reporting in Reducing Information Asymmetry: The Case of Family- and Non-Family-Controlled Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-17, May.
    20. María D. Odriozola & Elisa Baraibar‐Diez, 2017. "Is Corporate Reputation Associated with Quality of CSR Reporting? Evidence from Spain," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(2), pages 121-132, March.

    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:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:15:p:9795-:d:883380. 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.