An Empirical Investigation of Corporate Social Reporting in Iran: Practices, Needs and Perceptions Ali Mohammad Yaftian University of Wollongong
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University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2011 An empirical investigation of corporate social reporting in Iran: practices, needs and perceptions Ali Mohammad Yaftian University of Wollongong Recommended Citation Yaftian, Ali Mohammad, An empirical investigation of corporate social reporting in Iran: practices, needs and perceptions, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, University of Wollongong. School of Accounting & Finance, University of Wollongong, 2011. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/3239 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact Manager Repository Services: [email protected]. An Empirical Investigation of Corporate Social Reporting in Iran: Practices, Needs and Perceptions A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy From The University of Wollongong By Ali Mohammad Yaftian B.A Economics (Bus) UAT, Tehran, Iran MCom (Acc) UOW, Wollongong, Australia School of Accounting & Finance May 2011 Declaration I hereby certify that this thesis has not been submitted previously as part of the requirements of another degree and that it is the result of my own independent research. ---------------------------------------- Ali M Yaftian II Acknowledgments First of all, my thanks go to God who gave me the opportunity, strength and hope to complete this thesis. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Associate Professor Dr Kathie Cooper, for her guidance and support during completion of my PhD study. I am sincerely grateful for the time, effort and knowledge she has dedicated and the bright and optimistic nature that she has portrayed in pushing me ahead in this project. I feel that I was so privileged and fortunate to work under a supervisor of such fortitude, patience and devotion. Special thanks also extended to the many other people for their warm-hearted encouragement, help and advice during the last couple of years. In particular I am grateful to Professor Alan Farley and Dr Lalith Seelanatha for their most valuable statistical advice. Special mention must be made for Omid Shahani and Maryam Safari for their great help in the data collection and distribution of the questionnaire processes in Iran. My sincere appreciation goes to Ken Raff and Diana Crunden for their remarkable proofreading. I wish to express my very special gratitude to my mum, the late kind father, my brothers and sister. Mum, I specially thank you because whatever I am and have now is only the result of your sacrifices all along my whole life. Last, but not least, I would like thank to my family, my wife Soheila, sons Nima and Sina for their support and my lack of constant attention for a long time during the completion of this project. My success in this project was impossible without Soheila not only for her encouragement, support, and more importantly love but also for her contribution in this project as my second independent coder and her great professional advice on various issues of the research project. III Abstract A review of corporate social reporting (CSR) literature reveals that this area of accounting has been subject of various investigations in different countries particularly in developed countries. This study examines CSR practices in corporate annual reports and stakeholders’ CSR needs and perceptions in Iran. Two research methodologies have been used to collect and analyse the data. Content analysis was used to examine the extent of CSR disclosures and relationships between disclosure with four corporate characteristics, namely size, profitability, financial leverage and industry type. In this regard, a sample of 103 Iranian listed companies’ annual reports were selected and reviewed for their CSR disclosures (i.e. human resources, environmental performance and policies, community activities, energy consumption and customer satisfaction and product quality). A questionnaire survey was also conducted to collect data and to investigate stakeholders’ CSR information needs and perceptions. A sum of 333 respondents from six major stakeholder groups, namely academics, auditors, bank loan officers, business managers, stockbrokers and institutional investors participated in this survey. The results indicated that while all types of CSR information were reported by companies, it was also found human resources disclosure was the most common type of information in annual reports. The company size was the only characteristic that had a statistically significant relationship with the overall level of CSR disclosures. In further analyses by conducting multiple regression for each CSR theme individually, mixed results were found. IV In regard to stakeholders’ needs and perceptions, the results also indicated that annual reports were perceived as the main source of CSR information. Academics are shown to be the most interested group asking/expecting CSR information about or from companies. Environmental performance and policies information was ranked as the favourite type of CSR information to ask/expect about or from companies. Overall, the respondent groups believed that CSR information is insufficient. The mandatory CSR disclosures which were to be prepared according to the government guidelines was supported by the majority of respondents. V Table of Contents Declaration ................................................................................................................ II Acknowledgments ................................................................................................... III Abstract ................................................................................................................... IV Table of Contents .................................................................................................... VI List of Tables ........................................................................................................... IX List of Figures ......................................................................................................... XI List of Appendices ................................................................................................. XII List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................ XIII Chapter One ........................................................................................... Introduction 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 The Concept and Definition of Corporate Social Reporting ..................................... 4 1.3 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................... 9 1.4 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 11 1.5 Justification of the Study ....................................................................................... 12 1.6 Research Framework ............................................................................................ 14 1.7 Structure of the Thesis .......................................................................................... 15 Chapter Two .......................................... Corporate Reporting Environment in Iran 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 17 2.2 Geography, Population and History of Iran ........................................................... 23 2.3 The Economy ........................................................................................................ 34 2.4 The Legal System ................................................................................................. 49 2.5 The Capital Market and Stock Exchange .............................................................. 59 2.6 The Accounting Profession and Accounting Standards in Iran ............................. 62 2.7 Summary ............................................................................................................... 70 VI Chapter Three ................................................................................ Literature Review 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 72 3.2 Brief History of Corporate Social Reporting .......................................................... 74 3.3 Empirical Evidence on the Extent of CSR Disclosures and Company Characteristics ...................................................................................... 76 3.4 Users’ Perception .................................................................................................. 88 3.5 Theoretical Perspectives ....................................................................................... 95 3.6. Summary ............................................................................................................ 101 Chapter Four ....................................................................... Research Methodology 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 102 4.2 Overview and Expectations ................................................................................. 103 4.3 Data Source I – Corporate Annual