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As sustainability reporting (SR) practices have being increasingly adopted by corporations over the last twenty years, most of the existing literature on SR has stressed the role of external determinants (such as institutional and stakeholder pressures) in explaining this uptake. However, given that recent evidence points to a broader range of motives and uses (both external and internal) of SR, we contend that its role within company-level activities deserves greater academic attention. In order to address this research gap, this paper seeks to provide a more detailed examination of the organizational characteristics acting as drivers and/or barriers of SR integration within corporate sustainability practices at the company-level. More specifically, we suggest that substantive SR implementation can be predicted by assessing the level of fit between the organization and the SR framework being adopted. Building on this hypothesis, our theoretical model defines three forms of fit (technical, cultural and political) and identifies organizational characteristics associated to each of these fits. Finally, implications for academic research, businesses and policy-makers are derived.

The study aims to discuss the impact of the analysis of events after the reporting date (subsequent events) on management decision-making. In the interval between the end of the reporting period and the publication of the annual financial report, company management may learn about events that either occurred during the reporting period but were previously unknown or occurred when the financial report was already prepared but not approved. The consequences of these events can be so serious that they require adjustments to the financial statements, changes in the company's strategy and tactics, and radical management transformations. The paper structures such events depending on their impact on business performance and the procedure for reporting and identifies the determinants and mechanisms for their analysis and correct accounting. To assess the complex impact of events after the reporting period on the financial results of a company, an integral indicator is proposed, a set of management measures is defined in accordance with the values of this indicator, and the mechanism for its calculation and use is demonstrated on the example of a hypothetical scenario. The sensitivity analysis of this indicator to fluctuations in the weighting coefficients of its components was performed using the Monte Carlo method. In an environment where transparency, accountability, trust between key stakeholders, adaptability, and proactivity are crucial for effective management, this indicator can be used as an effective metric that is taken into account by auditors, regulators, clients, investors, company management, etc.

The European Commission's draft of the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is intended to extend European sustainability reporting standards to cover all companies falling under the scope of the directive. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of non-financial statements of German companies and supplemented by expert interviews, this policy paper formulates proposals for the design of these standards in order to improve company reporting on environmental topics. In particular, the paper addresses the requirements to be met in reporting on environmental targets, actions, and indicators. In addition to specifying requirements for the various individual aspects, the paper also focuses on the achievement of a consistent, "big picture" approach, thus allowing the results of the various measures and their effectiveness to be more easily understood and interpreted. Additionally, we address the topic of greenhouse gas (GHG) neutrality; here, recommendations are made to align reporting on GHG neutrality more closely with global and European climate targets and to make this reporting more meaningful. In particular, our point of reference should be the Net-Zero standard of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), under which the voluntary compensation of CO2 emissions is not a permitted option for neutralization. Finally, the paper focuses on how to make reporting on environmental topics compatible with disclosure requirements for the financial industry. At the very least, the standards should incorporate all of the adverse environmental indicators mandated for reporting by the so-called Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). Reporting for each of the environmental topics should be mandatory; however, the level of detail with regard to topic-related strategies, policies, targets, and actions should be based on the relevance of the respective topic for the reporting entity.

This article aims to analyze how companies strive to understand their social environment expectations. Environmental performance reporting is used as the phenomenon in this article to better understand the dynamics of social relations and their effect on company legitimacy. This article employs a theoretical framework consisting of legitimacy theory as the main framework supported by other social system-oriented theories such as PET, institutional theory, and stakeholder theory as parts of the legitimacy theory framework. This study uses an interpretive qualitative method for data collection and analysis. This article shows that it is not easy for companies to gain legitimacy from stakeholders. Legitimacy is highly subjective depending on the party observing companies. In addition, different understanding on environmental performance reports as an external communication tool often occurs. Consequently, a very detrimental legitimacy gap for companies occurs as well. Therefore, the identification process of stakeholder expectations plays an important role in bridging the gap. This article explains the strategies used by the Rajawali company in minimizing different understandings with the government in terms of environmental performance reports.

Drawing on the legitimacy theory framework, this study introduces an alternative means to spot "fuzzy reporting" signals as a way to detect greenwashing at the firm level. Its approach is based on the way the sustainability reporting process can mislead stakeholders after critical incidents take place. In order to do so, a single environmental incident, which took place in Colombia, is analyzed in light of what happened before, during and afterwards, with special emphasis on the corporate disclosure process performed by the company involved. Results obtained give support to the assumption that fuzzy reporting can be objectively detected not only through the analysis of annual sustainability reports, but also by tracking other forms of corporate messages when a specific concern is carefully followed. This study's contribution is two-fold. First, it builds on the theoretical notions of greenwashing and fuzzy reporting by illustrating a practical and objective way to identify some deceiving corporate practices. Second, it empirically evaluates this approach in a sensitive context in order to obtain better illustration and prepare the groundwork for further studies.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to find out how the influence of the disclosure of sustainability reporting on the value of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). ; RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: The research approach used quantitative. This research sample selection method uses a purposive sampling method with a total of 8 SOEs listed in IDX that meet the criteria. ; RESULTS: sustainability reporting has a significant negative effect on firm value, this indicates that the disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by the company reduces the value of state-owned companies listed on the BEI. Most companies only focus on financial factors and companies pay less attention to non-financial factors such as CSR, it can be seen that the level of CSR disclosure made by the company is very low. ; LIMITATIONS: Data limitations then this study only uses a sample of SOEs listed in IDX and does not add good corporate governance variables to improve the relationship between sustainability reporting and company's value. ; CONTRIBUTION: based on stakeholder theory to improve the relationship between stakeholder and company, SOEs must disclose CSR activities to improve the organization image and impact on the increasing value of the firms. Adding GCG as a moderation variable can maximize sustainability reporting in SOEs. ; peer-reviewed

AbstractFinancial leverage as reported by a consolidated financial statement may differ substantially from leverage for the parent company. To assess the financial risk for the parent (not the consolidated entity), employing consolidated data is hazardous; the problem is magnified by the fact that virtually all firms report only consolidated data. Consolidated leverage almost always equals or exceeds parent leverage for a wholly owned subsidiary, and many firms reporting only consolidated data have betas significantly greater than otherwise comparable firms that report both consolidated and parent company information.

This paper examines the case of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, chartered in 1823, to gain perspective on how a 19th century corporation obtained financing, communicated with shareholders, and sparked technological innovations in the years before the ascendance of railroads in America. Helping to expand the accounting history literature on canals, we examine the annual reports issued during the firm's first decade of existence. Despite early problems, management continually cast an optimistic view of the company's future in these reports. And, after initially increasing the amount of financial and other information disclosed, the annual reports subsequently became less forthcoming and transparent.