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A cross‐national comparison of transparency signaling in corporate social responsibility reporting: The United States, South Korea, and China cases

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  • Hyejoon Rim
  • Jisu Kim
  • Chuqing Dong

Abstract

In response to growing public scrutiny of ethical business practices, corporations have become actively engaged in reporting their social and environmental performances publicly. Drawing on the institutional theory to explain the growing diffusion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting on a global, yet distinctively specific level of adoption, this study examines the level of transparency signaling in CSR reports in three countries: the United States, South Korea, and China. In addition, within each country, the study compares the level of transparency signaling between environmentally sensitive and nonsensitive industries. Using a computer‐aided content analysis program, DICTION 7.0, the study analyzed 181 CSR reports from 2014 to 2017. Results show that the three dimensions of transparency signaling—participation, substantial information, and accountability—in CSR reports varied across different countries. Firms in the United States and South Korea showed higher scores in the participation and accountability dimensions than China, whereas firms in China showed relatively high scores in the substantial information dimension. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyejoon Rim & Jisu Kim & Chuqing Dong, 2019. "A cross‐national comparison of transparency signaling in corporate social responsibility reporting: The United States, South Korea, and China cases," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1517-1529, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:26:y:2019:i:6:p:1517-1529
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1766
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    2. Lorena Para‐González & Carlos Mascaraque‐Ramírez, 2020. "The six dimensions of CSR as a driver of key results in the shipbuilding industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 576-584, March.
    3. Felipe Lillo-Viedma & Pedro Severino-González & Valentin Santander-Ramírez & Leidy Y. García & Nataly Guiñez-Cabrera & Nicolás Astorga-Bustos, 2022. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Network Analysis: Unionized Workers’ Perceptions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-15, April.
    4. Yeuseung Kim, 2021. "Certified corporate social responsibility? The current state of certified and decertified B Corps," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1760-1768, November.
    5. Nicole Darnall & Hyunjung Ji & Kazuyuki Iwata & Toshi H. Arimura, 2022. "Do ESG reporting guidelines and verifications enhance firms' information disclosure?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1214-1230, September.

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