企业信息披露中的模仿行为研究——基于制度理论的分析

本文在制度理论的分析框架下,研究合法性压力和不确定性条件下企业信息披露中的模仿行为及由此导致的制度同形现象.本文以2006-2010年我国重污染行业上市公司年报中的环境信息披露为研究对象,发现企业环境信息披露存在同形性和模仿行为,且属于模仿其它企业平均水平的频率模仿,而不是模仿领先者.本文将已有的信息披露研究从经济学分析的视角向经济社会学进行拓展,丰富了对信息披露过程中决策者认知过程和制度化过程的认识,同时也透过信息披露中的模仿行为从更加微观的层面为制度化过程中的趋同现象提供了新的证据.     

Transparency after 9/11: Balancing the “Right-to-Know” with the Need for Security

Mandatory and voluntary environmental information disclosure has grown dramatically over the past decade. The prevailing view had become that the public has a “right-to-know” the risks they face and that more information would ultimately lead to better societal decision-making. This all changed on September 11, 2001. The concern for homeland security has led to thousands of web pages and documents at public reading rooms being withdrawn. This article reports on a panel discussion with leading environmental information disclosure experts on the change in the transparency landscape post 9-11. Among the questions addressed: Have companies begun to rethink this trend post 9/11? What is the public's “right-to-know”? Does reducing the amount of information available to the public increase or decrease the risk to communities or emergency responders? Will the heightened threat of terrorist use of chemicals put pressure on companies to find alternative chemicals and processes?     

Environmental information disclosure and stakeholder involvement: Searching for common ground

In a recent national summit hosted by The Vanderbuilt Center for Environmental Management Studies, high level corporate, environmental, and government officials came together to discuss the growing trend towards the disclosure of environmental information as a tool to increase public accountability. Both regulators and environmentalists showed interest in continuing to utilize and, in many cases expeand, existing environmental information disclosure programs. The summit was viewed as a catalyst in the ongoing national discussion of the efficacy of this evolving area of government policy. This article highlights some of the key results of this event and offers suggested next steps to address credibility and effectiveness in environmental information disclosure.     

Financial Reporting,Private Disclosure and the Corporate Governance Role of Financial Institutions

This paper explores how large UK financial institutions (FIs) pursued a private corporate governance agenda with their portfolio companies. It also investigates the role of financial reporting in private and public corporate governance. The case financial institutions argued that the limited quality of public information, especially in financial reports, was a major constraint on their ability to act in fund management and corporate governance roles. However, the financial reporting cycle determined a private institutional and company meeting cycle and this created opportunities for private information collection and for governance influence by FIs. In addition, the perceived limitations of public governance mechanisms such as voting encouraged private governance approaches. As a result, the case financial institutions had the incentive and the means to improve the quality of their sources of corporate information and to obtain a competitive edge over other financial institutions and the market through their direct contact with companies. Despite the limitations of public information, the paper reveals how public disclosure in financial statements and the financial reporting cycle played a central role in corporate governance. Public sources of information were combined with private sources to create a financial institutional knowledge advantage. The institutions used this knowledge to diagnose problem areas in strategy, management quality, and the effectiveness of the board, and their impact on financial performance. The financial reporting cycle meant that the quasi insider financial institution had the access opportunity and the joint public/private insight to influence companies across a wide corporate governance agenda and in a range of corporate circumstances. The case institutions exploited these private access and knowledge advantages for investment purposes and for Cadbury style corporate governance purposes. Thus, the private governance process was critically dependent on the FI knowledge advantage, which in turn relied on both financial reports and private disclosure. This wide ranging governance behaviour by institutions corresponds to recommendations subsequently made by the Hampel report in 1998 concerning UK corporate governance. The paper ends by exploring how the private institutional and company meeting agenda can suggest new directions for financial reporting and public disclosure and how this can further improve public and private corporate governance.     

The Benefits and Costs of Disclosing Information about Risks: What Do We Know about Right‐to‐Know?

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency and other government agencies removed information from their web sites that they feared could invite attacks on critical public and private infrastructure. Accordingly, the benefits and costs of environmental information disclosure programs have come under increasing scrutiny. This article describes a framework for examining these benefits and costs and illustrates the framework through brief case studies of two information disclosure programs: risk management planning and materials accounting. The article outlines what we know and still need to find out about information disclosure programs in order to appropriately balance benefits and costs.     

Corporate social responsibility disclosure and market valuation: evidence from Spanish listed firms

Using a sample of listed Spanish companies pertaining to the IBEX35 index for the period 2007–2011, this paper examines whether those firms with higher CSR disclosure ratings are more valued by market participants. This study also complements the literature addressing the value relevance of CSR disclosure by further analyzing not only the direct effects of CSR reporting on stock prices but also its indirect effects through its interaction with main accounting variables (i.e., earnings and book value of equity). CSR reports can also affect stock price indirectly because the sustainability report may be perceived by investors to be a source of further and complementary information regarding the nature, composition and trends of the traditional value-relevant accounting variables. Finally, this study also analyzes whether CSR disclosure by firms operating in environmentally-sensitive industries is assessed differently by market participants than CSR disclosure by companies operating in other industries. By using a modified Ohlson (Contemp Account Res 1:661–687, 1995) model, it is found that CSR disclosure do have both a direct and indirect effect on stock prices by modifying the value-relevance of earnings and book value of equity. Moreover, CSR disclosure by companies operating in environmentally-sensitive industries is associated with higher market valuations than CSR disclosure by companies operating in nonsensitive industries. This may be due to the fact that CSR disclosures provide information that allow investors to make better assessments of the increased risk related to potential litigation and future environmental liabilities, thereby reducing information asymmetries and the risk of adverse selection.     

Providing reliable information to clients: The case of environmental remediation

This article provides an overview and discusses the implications for the recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure requirements for environmental remediation liabilities. The overview and discussion is based upon the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Statement of Position (SOP) 96-1 “Environmental Remediation Liabilities.” The article concludes with a discussion of the CPAs reporting responsibility and related issues with respect to this major contemporary issue. A primary goal of CPA firms is to provide quality service to clients, In the realm of financial reporting, quality service means providing clients with reliable information. An increasing number of small and large businesses are exposed to high costs and large potential liability for cleanup of environmentally hazardous material. Certified public accountants who provide compilation, review, or audit services with respect to a non-public entity's financial statements need to be aware of the disclosure and reporting implications of companies confronted with disposal and cleanup of hazardous material.     

Determinants of voluntary CSR disclosure: empirical evidence from Germany

Currently, companies spend a great deal of effort on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosures. CSR disclosure relates to the provision of information on companies’ environmental and social performance. From an economic perspective, companies might disclose this information to avoid or decrease potential political costs. We construct a CSR disclosure index based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. Using content analysis, we analyze 130 listed German companies’ CSR disclosures (470 firm-year observations) to investigate the determinants of these voluntary disclosure activities. Our results show that, consistent with the political cost theory, German companies’ disclosures of all CSR issues are affected by their visibility, shareholder structure, and relationship with their US stakeholders. In addition, higher profitability is associated with more environmental disclosures. Finally, size and industry membership affect the amount of CSR disclosure.     

基于演化博弈和优化理论的环境污染群体性事件处置机制

通过对环境污染群体性事件进行研究,以探寻环境污染群体性事件产生的原因并解决环境污染群体性事件引发的问题。首先,运用演化博弈理论研究环境污染引发群体性事件的博弈过程及相关的利益冲突,并考虑当群体间存在信息交互时,监管部门采用舆情引导的情况下环境污染群体性事件的演化特征。其次,运用优化理论探讨了监管部门从长远的角度考虑整体利益时应如何解决环境污染事件。研究表明监管部门加强舆情引导、避免发布错误信号、提高其公信力均有助于环境污染事件冲突的规避和解决;对于污染的治理问题则可以合理采用实物保护和警告处罚等方式。本文在综合考虑长远影响和整体利益的情况下,考虑信息交互并引入舆情引导,运用演化博弈和优化理论探讨监管部门应如何有效地处置环境污染群体事件这一问题。     

Valuing corporate environmental performance: Innovest's evaluation of the electric utilities industry

Investment analysts are often skeptical of any link between a company's environmental performance and business performance. However, a study of twenty-six electric utilities by Innovest shows a striking difference in share value between the best and worst environmental performers. Deregulations of the U.S. electric power industry has little noticed implications for environmental performance and risk. Add to that increasing regulatory pressure and public awareness, and environmental strategy emerges as a pivotal factor underlying success—or failure—in the industry. In the article, the authors show how forward-thinking companies are turning environmental threats into business opportunities, with shareholders pocketing the returns.     

Environmental pressures and marketing in the 1970s

Leadership in both private and public institutions is devoting considerable attention to the effects of rapidly increasing rates of environmental change on its areas of responsibility. To fulfill the requirements of their obligations to customers and the firm, marketing executives, particularly, must be aware of and responsive to events external to the business.The study upon which this article is based, sought to uncover the perceptions of senior marketing executives in leading U.S. industrial corporations concerning the importance of several environmental issues to their marketing strategies, tactics and operating performance expectations for the 1970s. Awareness and response tendencies of executives to the following items were investigated: (1) the role of marketing in the firm; (2) consumerism; (3) air and water pollution; (4) urban substandard housing; (5) deterioration of downtown areas; (6) consumer market changes; (7) distribution system changes; (8) civil rights movement; (9) nature and intensity of competition. The competition was completed just prior to the emergence of the energy crisis and the removal of price controls in the U.S.     

Heterogeneous Submission Behavior and its Implications for Success in Innovation Contests with Public Submissions

Innovation contests are increasingly adopting a format where submissions are viewable by all contestants and the information structure changes during the contest. In such an “unblind” format, contestants must weigh the costs of revealing their submissions against the benefits of improving their submissions through emerging information. We take a closer look at how contestants solve problems in innovation contests with public submission of solutions—that is, unblind contests, by examining the implications of their submission behavior for contest outcomes. We analyze the submission behavior in terms of three dimensions: the position of first submission by the contestant, the number of submissions the contestant makes, and the length of active participation by the contestant. The econometric analysis of a large dataset of unblind innovation contests and participating contestants indicates that, despite the potential for free riding and intellectual property loss from disclosure of submissions, contestants who have a lower position of first submission are more likely to succeed in the contest. Further, we find some evidence of a curvilinear relationship between a contestant's number of submissions and her likelihood of success, indicating a potential “quality–quantity” trade‐off in unblind innovation contests. Finally, our findings indicate that increasing the length of participation in a contest has a positive effect on a contestant's likelihood of success. Departing from prior studies on innovation contests, where a contestant's success is assumed to be a function of her prior experience and problem‐solving skills, our study provides new empirical evidence that, in innovation contests with public submissions, the submission behavior of a contestant also plays an explanatory role in a contestant's success.     

Greening the electricity industry: The dynamic logic of the Green-e certification program

With the advent of retail completion in the supply of electricity to end-use customers, individuals and businesses will be given the opportunity to purchase electricity from “green power” sources. Some customers are clearly willing to pay a premium for environmentally preferable sources of electricity supply. Yet, there have been concerns that customer confusion, vague marketing claims, and “apples and oranges” comparisons will limit the potential market penetration of green power products.Environmental certification programs are increasingly seen as important tools for achieving environmental objectives and are intended to alleviate some of the concerns listed above, as well as to increased product and marketer credibility. The Green-e Renewable Electricity Branding Program is the first U.S.-based effort to certify green power products that meet certain environmental standards. The voluntary Green-e program also helps create consumer confidence in these certified products through a marketer code of conduct, disclosure provisions, and a public education campaign. This article details the development, design and results of the Green-e program to date.     

Using Information: A Financial Stakeholders’ Perspective

Complete disclosure is fundamental to ensuring proper and efficient financial transactions. The call for greater levels of disclosure has been a central theme in the socially responsible investment community. However, in today's world, there are differing approaches to the issue of disclosure. On the one hand, there are calls for more disclosure in the wake of debacles such as that illustrated by Enron Corp. On the other hand, there are concerns about security and the possibility that more disclosure might compromise security. What is needed is the identification and exploration of opportunities where the socially responsible investment community collaborates with other stakeholders with the aim of leveraging environmental information to work for positive societal change. In this effort there is a need for new methodologies, new and more sophisticated models with greater predictive power, and increased emphasis on education for the next generation of business leaders.     

Corporate and managerial characteristics as drivers of social responsibility disclosure by state-owned enterprises

The public administration sector, including state owned enterprises (SOEs), has developed various types of information disclosure practice, in response to stakeholders’ demands, in parallel with developments in the private sector. This paper analyses the corporate social responsibility (CSR) information disclosed by SOEs and the influence exerted by the characteristics of the SOEs themselves (size, industry sector, degree of government ownership and number of years in operation) and by those of their managers (age, gender, CSR education profile and CSR responsibilities in the workplace). To do so, an index of CSR information disclosure was created, based on the responses made to a questionnaire in this respect. An empirical regression model was then applied to test and categorise the factors analysed. According to the results obtained, the size and sector of the SOE, together with the manager’s CSR responsibilities, are the factors that most significantly affect the online disclosure of CSR information.     

Regulation by disclosure: the case of internal control

In this paper we explore the use of disclosure as a regulatory tool, using as an illustration the current UK requirements regarding the disclosure of information about internal control. After discussing the broad concept of regulation by disclosure, we trace the evolution of concepts of internal control and its reporting, describing the background to the Turnbull guidance for directors on internal control reporting, the basis of current UK requirements. We then examine recent examples of internal control disclosures, identifying the range of ways in which they address the disclosure requirements and considering the possible impact of the disclosure requirements on corporate behaviour and on the audiences for disclosure. We conclude with some reflections on the disclosure life cycle. The paper contributes to the literature on disclosure by specifically considering the role of disclosure as a regulatory tool and by examining the nature of specific disclosures in an area of continuing interest, that of internal control.     

Democratizing Risk Management: Successful Public Involvement in Local Water Management Decisions

This paper discusses a successful public involvement effort that addressed and resolved several highly controversial water management issues involving environmental and flood risks associated with an electrical generation facility in British Columbia. It begins with a discussion of concepts for designing public involvement, summarizing research that indicates why individuals and groups may find it difficult to make complex choices. Reasons for public involvement, and the range of current practices are discussed. Next, four principles for designing group decision process are outlined, emphasizing decision-aiding concepts that include value-focused thinking and adaptive management. The next sections discuss the Alouette River Stakeholder Committee process in terms of objectives, participation, process, methods for structuring values and creating alternatives, information sources, and results. Discussion and conclusions complete the paper.     

Communicating environmental performance to the capital markets

Traditionally, the expected economic benefits of a company's proactive environmental has had little impact on how a firm is valued—unless of course the company is fighting a negative history reflected in fines, spills, violations, and other compliance indicators-all cost centers. CES is pleased to publish the work of Linda Descano and Bradford S. Gentry who discuss the implications of their studies on the importance of communicating “upside” environmental information to investors, and the implications for how information is collected, analyzed and communicated within the firm.