Structural analysis of factors influencing environmental disclosure

Abstract

Environmental management issues have become a global concern and many governments have developed policies that include environmental regulations. Under this framework, companies have become responding to the demands of all different parties to legitimize their actions. Studies have increased in the field of environmental reporting, but unfortunately, this does not indicate an increase in companies’ awareness of the factors that determine the preparation of sustainability reports and the disclosure of environmental information. This paper uses the qualitative research technique to study the factors influencing environmental information disclosure. A structural analysis approach is applied to establish the interrelationship between the various factors. From our analysis, it has been found that profitability, gender diversity and board independence are the important and critical factors that influence environmental information disclosure. At the end of the research, technical use restrictions of interpretive structural modeling were discussed, and then proposals for developing the research were discussed.

Keywords:

• Corporate social responsibility
• interpretive structural modeling (ISM)
• Fuzzy MICMAC
• environmental information disclosure
• structural analysis

JEL Classification:

• F31
• G14

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Our research is part of the debate on corporate social responsability. The objective of our research was to use the qualitative research technique to study the factors influencing environmental information disclosure. A structural analysis approach is applied to establish the interrelationship between the various factors. From our analysis, it has been found that profitability, gender diversity and board independence are the important and critical factors that influence environmental information disclosure. Under this framework, companies have become responding to the demands of all different parties to legitimize their actions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Garoui Nassreddine

Garoui Nassreddine is an Assisstant Professor of Finance. He is also an Associate editor of the Journal of Behavioral Economics, Finance, Entreprneurship, Accounting and transport. He is also a reviewer in many international journals such as: Contomporary Economics, Business and Economic Horizons and Africain Journal of Business and Management. His papers have been published by international journals: Contomporary Economics, Environmental Economics, Cogent Economic and Finance, Applied Mathematics, The Romanian Economic Journal, International Review of Business and Management Research, International Journal of Economic Finance and Administrative Science …. His domain of research is oriented mainly to Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility, Accounting Disclosure, Cognitive Maps and Managerial Decision Making.