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Voluntary corporate social responsibility reporting: a study of early and late reporter motivations and outcomes

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  • Bhimani, Alnoor
  • Silvola, Hanna
  • Sivabalan, Prabhu

Abstract

Neo-institutional logics for the early adoption of innovations are often argued as more authentic than for late adopters. To what extent might this be so in relation to corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR)? We specifically focus on neo-institutionalist perspectives with an emphasis on isomorphism (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983) to illustrate alternative motivations, and verify our hypotheses using a mixed methods approach (survey data and field evidence from five organizations). We find that the rationale for early reporters entails a financial pragmatism that is absent in current debates surrounding corporate social responsibility (CSR). We also show that normative and coercive isomorphism interplay among early adopters to drive their adoption decision over time, and these facilitate the generation of different strategic postures to placate key external stakeholders. This contrasts with prior studies that have mainly argued for mimetic and normative isomorphism to dominate the decision to implement CSRR amongst adopters. Finally, we argue that late reporters choose not to engage earlier as (ironically) their strategic proximity to the phenomena being reported is intrinsically close, meaning most internal and external stakeholders assume the proper functioning of the phenomena being reported, and therefore do not demand it. This rationale for mimetic isomorphism is unique and its narrative more positive than that normally ascribed to it in the prior literature. Firms are subsequently less inclined to opportunistically validate or signal their sustainability ethos using formal reporting systems, and only do so superficially to engage in practices

Suggested Citation

  • Bhimani, Alnoor & Silvola, Hanna & Sivabalan, Prabhu, 2016. "Voluntary corporate social responsibility reporting: a study of early and late reporter motivations and outcomes," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 65762, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
  • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:65762
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/65762/
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    Cited by:

    1. Alvaro Plinio Pureza & Ki‐Hoon Lee, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility leadership for sustainable development: An institutional logics perspective in Brazil," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1410-1424, May.
    2. Pei‐Chi Kelly Hsiao & Charl de Villiers & Claire Horner & Hein Oosthuizen, 2022. "A review and synthesis of contemporary sustainability accounting research and the development of a research agenda," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4453-4483, December.
    3. Luis Enrique Valdez Juarez, 2017. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Its Effect on SMEs," Journal of Management and Sustainability, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 7(3), pages 75-89, September.
    4. Klarissa Lueg & Rainer Lueg, 2021. "Deconstructing corporate sustainability narratives: A taxonomy for critical assessment of integrated reporting types," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1785-1800, November.
    5. Frank Hubers & Thomas Thijssens, 2023. "Protect, respect, remedy, and report? Development of human rights reporting in the context of formal institutional settings," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 2783-2798, November.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

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