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The role of audit committees in social responsibility and environmental disclosures: evidence from Chinese energy sector

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  • Junhui Wang

    (China University of Petroleum)

  • Jerry Sun

    (University of Windsor)

Abstract

This study investigates the role of Chinese audit committees in social responsibility and environmental disclosures. We examine whether audit committee characteristics are related to the disclosures. By using a balanced panel dataset of Chinese energy firms and firm fixed-effects regressions, we find that audit committees’ female representation is positively associated with the likelihood of issuing social responsibility reports and the level of environmental disclosures. Nevertheless, there is no consistent evidence that some conventional measures of audit committee effectiveness including audit committee independence and financial expertise can positively affect the disclosures. The findings suggest that female audit committee members are more effective in enhancing the disclosures than their male counterparts, which may pose a demand for the presence of more female directors on Chinese audit committees. Meanwhile, there is room for Chinese audit committee members to extend their oversight role. This study enriches the research on the role of audit committees in social responsibility and environmental disclosures, which has been little addressed in the literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Junhui Wang & Jerry Sun, 2022. "The role of audit committees in social responsibility and environmental disclosures: evidence from Chinese energy sector," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(1), pages 113-128, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:ijodag:v:19:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1057_s41310-021-00131-3
    DOI: 10.1057/s41310-021-00131-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Benedict Valentine Arulanandam & Christo Selvan & Goh Xin Tong, 2023. "Critical Factors Influencing Firms' Risk-Taking Behaviour: CEO Characteristics and the Moderating Role of the Audit Committee," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2023(5), pages 1-41.
    2. Vitolla, Filippo & Raimo, Nicola & Campobasso, Francesco & Giakoumelou, Anastasia, 2023. "Risk disclosure in sustainability reports: Empirical evidence from the energy sector," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    3. Nadia Gulko & Catriona Hyde, 2022. "Corporate perspectives on CSR disclosure: audience, materiality, motivations," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(4), pages 389-412, December.
    4. Nurshahirah Abd Majid & Amar Hisham Jaaffar, 2023. "The Effect of Women’s Leadership on Carbon Disclosure by the Top 100 Global Energy Leaders," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-26, May.
    5. Haseeb Ur Rahman & Muhammad Zahid & Amin Jan & Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh Al‐Faryan & Khaled Hussainey, 2024. "Is it the mere female directors or their attributes that matter for the quality of corporate sustainability disclosures?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 661-678, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Audit committees; Directors; Social responsibility; Environmental disclosures;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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