Corporate Sustainability Reporting Practice in an Emerging Market: A Case of Listed Companies in Nigeria

Azərbaycanın İqtisadi və Sosial Araşdırmalar Jurnalı, Volume 3, Number 1, 2016

12 Pages Posted: 5 Dec 2015 Last revised: 18 May 2016

See all articles by Rasaq Olanrewaju

Rasaq Olanrewaju

Lagos State Polytechnic

Samuel F. Johnson-Rokosu

University of Lagos - Department of Accounting

Date Written: December 3, 2015

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the trend in sustainability reporting practice in an emerging market. The study involves critical assessment of the current level of sustainability reporting disclosures. To achieve this, content analysis was used on data sourced from the corporate annual reports of selected listed companies quoted in Nigerian Stock Exchange. The analysis identifies the extent to which sustainability reporting has been in line with global best practices in disclosing the three sustainability reporting metrics (environmental, social and governance). Finding revealed that the selected listed companies are more highly disposed to disclosing governance and social information than environmental disclosure. Corporations also attempt to manage stakeholder impressions by self-servingly biasing the language and verbal tone used in their environmental disclosures. The study found that the greatest proportions of location of corporate social and environmental disclosure of the sampled companies are disclosed in the chairman‘s statement and directors‘ report.

Keywords: sustainability reporting, legitimacy theory, corporate sustainability, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder theory

JEL Classification: M41

Suggested Citation

Olanrewaju, Rasaq and Johnson-Rokosu, Samuel F., Corporate Sustainability Reporting Practice in an Emerging Market: A Case of Listed Companies in Nigeria (December 3, 2015). Azərbaycanın İqtisadi və Sosial Araşdırmalar Jurnalı, Volume 3, Number 1, 2016, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2698901

Rasaq Olanrewaju

Lagos State Polytechnic ( email )

Ikorodu, Lagos State
Ikorodu, Lagos, LA +234
Nigeria

Samuel F. Johnson-Rokosu (Contact Author)

University of Lagos - Department of Accounting ( email )

Akoka,
Yaba
Lagos
Nigeria

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
108
Abstract Views
820
Rank
453,810
PlumX Metrics