Corporate Environmental Disclosure Practices in Different National Contexts: The Influence of Cultural Dimensions

The influence of different national contexts, including the effects of cultural environments, on corporate environmental disclosure practices has yet to be properly addressed in the literature. The purpose of this research is, therefore, to analyse how cultural factors affect the environmental disclosure practices of companies in different countries. This research is supported by the diversity of cultures across countries. Given that a cultural framework prompts different organisational actions and strategies, the question to be answered through this research is as follows: How do cultural aspects affect corporate environmental disclosure? Cultural factors are precisely those that can explain similarities and differences between stakeholders’ actions and preferences. The sample used in this research comprises companies in 28 countries and 9 economic sectors for the period 2004 to 2015. Our main findings show that companies operating in countries with individualist, masculine and indulgent cultures are less likely to disclose environmental information. Contrary to our predictions, cultures with a longterm orientation also discourage the reporting of environmental information, while uncertainty avoidance contexts tend to promote more environmental reporting

¿Reaccionan los analistas de riesgos comerciales de las empresas españolas ante los informes de auditoría calificados?: Un estudio empírico

En este trabajo se presenta un estudio empírico en el que se analiza si los informes de auditoría aportan información relevante en la evaluación de los riesgos comerciales de las empresas. Para ello se ha realizado un estudio experimental con 74 analistas de riesgos comerciales de empresas españolas. Los resultados indican que el tipo de informe de auditoría (favorable o con salvedades) sí que influye en las decisiones comerciales que toman los analistas de riesgos. Concretamente, aportan información relevante cuando los analistas deciden iniciar relaciones comerciales con otra empresa, cuando valoran el riesgo de la operación comercial, cuando exigen garantías adicionales a las habituales y, finalmente, cuando tienen que determinar la cantidad de riesgo asumible con una empresa. Por el contrario, los resultados han puesto de manifiesto que la naturaleza de las salvedades afecta relativamente a las cuatro decisiones analizadas

La influencia de las remuneraciones de los consejeros ejecutivos de las empresas del Ibex 35 en la rentabilidad financiera

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar cómo afecta la retribución de los consejeros ejecutivos de las empresas del Ibex 35 en la rentabilidad financiera. Como variables de control que podrían influir en la rentabilidad financiera de la empresa se han considerado el tamaño de la empresa, el ratio o nivel de endeudamiento, la rentabilidad económica, el número total de consejeros en el Consejo de Administración y, por último, el sueldo de los consejeros externos independientes. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la remuneración de los consejeros ejecutivos no es estadísticamente significativa, por lo tanto, no influye en la rentabilidad de los propietarios de las empresas. Por otra parte, el leverage o ratio de endeudamiento y la rentabilidad económica se asocian de manera positiva con la rentabilidad financiera. Los resultados también manifiestan que no existe una relación, tanto lineal como no lineal, entre el número total de consejeros y la rentabilidad financiera; no influyendo tampoco en la misma ni el tamaño de la empresa ni la remuneración de los consejeros externos independientes. Cabe destacar que hemos realizado el mismo análisis para una submuestra de empresas tras haber excluido a las entidades financieras, pudiendo afirmar que estas organizaciones no sesgan los resultados anteriores, es decir, la remuneración de los consejeros ejecutivos sin considerar a las entidades financieras tampoco influye en la rentabilidad financiera empresarial.The objective of this study is to analyze how executive director's remuneration of companiees in the IBEX 35 affects to the return on equity(ROE). As control variables that could affect the return on equity, we have considered the size of the company, the debt levels the return on assets (ROA), the total number of directors and, the remuneration of independent directors. The results show that the remunerationos executive directors is not statistically signiflcant; therefore, it does not affect the return on equity. On the other band, the laverage and the return on assets are positived associated with return on equity. The results also demostrated that there is not relationship, both linear and nonlinear, between the total number of directors and the return on equity, as a well as not affecting to the return on equity the company size and the remuneration of independent outside directors. Moreover, we performed the same analysis for a subsample of firms after excluding financial institutions and we can conclude that these firms do not bias the results above, i. e. The remuneration of executive directors, without taking into account financial firms, has no influence in the return on equity

Female directorship on boards and corporate sustainability policies: Their effect on sustainable development

We aim to explore whether board gender diversity, specifically women institutional directors, improves the sustainability development and stakeholder engagement of listed firms by affecting corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. Moreover, within female institutional directors we can differentiate between banks and insurance companies (pressure-sensitive female institutional directors) and mutual funds, investment funds, pension funds and venture capital firms (pressure-resistant female institutional directors). Thus, the effect of these categories of directors on CSR policies is also analysed. Our findings suggest that female institutional, as a whole, have a positive effect on CSR policies, the same behaviour that show pressure-resistant female institutional, while pressure-sensitive institutional do not impact on CSR policies. This research provides a new framework for the role played by certain types of female directors (female institutional directors, female pressure-sensitive directors and female pressure-resistant directors) in CSR policies and, thus, may help policymakers to promote CSR policies, and to take action to promote responsible behaviour among listed firms

The gender gap in pay in company boards

The aim of this study is to analyze whether a gender wage gap exists in the boards of directors (BD) of companies listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange from 2004 to 2011. We hypothesize that the percentage of female directors on a BD, the presence of female directors on the Nomination and Compensation Committee, the presence of well-qualified independent women directors on BD, the sector, and the geographical region, have an effect on the gender wage gap. The results show that the percentage of female directors on a BD and the geographical region have no effect on the gender wage gap. On the other hand, the finding reports that women’s presence on the Nomination and Compensation Committee increases the gender gap in pay, and it is reduced when there are independent female directors who have gained a degree on the BD, and when the company operates in the finance and real estate services sector. In addition, the results also demonstrate that the seniority of the female directors decreases the gender gap in pay, while there is a rise when the companies are bigger and the size of the BD and the return on assets increase. These conclusions should encourage regulatory bodies to adopt forceful rules to mitigate the gender gap in pay

Institutional directors and the quality of information: the role of directors appointed by banks

Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question: The objective of this paper is to study the impact that directors who represent institutional investors have on the quality of financial reporting. We focus on those who maintain business relations with the firm on whose board they sit (pressure sensitive directors), and analyze their influence both on Boards and Audit Committees. Additionally, we examine the specific role of bank directors on Boards and Audit Committees and examine their effects on the quality of information when they act as shareholders and directors. Research Findings/Insights: Our results suggest that institutional directors are an effective monitoring device that leads to higher quality of financial reporting and, therefore, to less likelihood of qualified audit reports. Consistent with the relevant role of business relations with the firm, we find that directors appointed by pressure sensitive investors, both in Boards and Audit Committees, have a higher impact on the unqualified audit opinion. Nevertheless, when analyzing separately, only savings banks representatives on the Board increase the pressure to issue a clean audit opinion. Theoretical/Academic Implications: The results confirm that Board characteristics have an important influence on financial reporting quality, in line with the views that have been expressed by several international bodies (e.g., FRC, 2003; OECD, 2004). The findings also suggest that both researchers and policy makers should no longer consider institutional investors as a whole, since directors appointed by different types of institutional investors have various implications on the audit opinion. Practitioner/Policy Implications: This study makes its core contribution by empirically showing that directors appointed by different types of institutional investors have diverse implications on the audit opinion. This evidence could be potentially helpful in providing a basis for regulatory actions, namely those aiming to influence the structure of the Board of directors. The results have significant implications for supervisors and regulators, whose role in safeguarding the financial system will benefit from an understanding of how the presence of savings banks and commercial banks in non-financial firms Boards impacts audit opinion in a bank-based system

The moderating effects of corporate social responsibility assurance in the relationship between corporate social responsibility disclosure and corporate performance

The aim of this research is to analyse the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure on corporate performance. It also analyses the moderating effect of CSR assurance on the association between CSR disclosure and corporate performance, contributing to knowledge in this area. The theoretical framework of the study is based on stakeholder theory and legitimacy theory. The sample used consists of 9861 international firm-year observations collected from the Thomson Reuters database between 2009 and 2018. Our model has been estimated using the generalised method of moments (GMM) estimator. The findings show that CSR disclosure is positively associated with corporate performance, as proposed in our hypothesis. Additionally, our evidence shows that CSR assurance plays a positive moderating role between CSR disclosure and corporate performance

Institutional shareholding as a corporate governance mechanism that drives ceo pay

We explore the effect of institutional directors on CEO pay (total, fixed and variable compensation). We delve particularly into the impact of pressure-sensitive and pressure-resistant institutional directors, who respectively represent institutional investors who maintain and investors who do not maintain a business relationship with the firm whose board they serve on. Focusing on CEO total pay, the findings show that institutional and pressure-resistant directors on boards behave similarly, affecting CEO total pay in a nonlinear way: as the presence of institutional and pressure-resistant directors on boards increases, the monitoring hypothesis prevails, and subsequently, better corporate governance decreases CEO total pay. However, when their presence on boards exceeds a critical point, the entrenchment hypothesis holds, thereby leading to an increase in CEO total pay. Contrary to our predictions, pressure-sensitive directors do not affect CEO total pay. Regarding the CEO's compensation structure (fixed and variable), the results suggest that institutional and pressure-resistant directors increase fixed compensation and reduce variable pay, while pressure-sensitive directors affect neither fixed nor variable compensation. This evidence supports the view that institutional directors should be considered as a heterogeneous collective

Hofstede's cultural dimensions and R&D instensity as an innovation strategy: a view from different intitutional contexts

The impact of all six of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term/short-term orientation, and restraint/indulgence) on business innovation practice has not, to the best of our knowledge, been hitherto examined. Past research has focused on four or five of these cultural dimensions. The aim of this study is therefore to analyse how corporate innovation policies are affected by all these dimensions in a sample of firms operating in different countries. The paper draws on institutional theory, whereby firms domiciled in the same institutional context will behave in a similar manner and their decisions on innovation practices will therefore also be similar. The findings show that the cultural dimensions of power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation are positively associated with innovation, while individualism has a negative effect, and indulgence has no effect whatsoever

The Role of CEO Power on CSR Reporting: The Moderating Effect of Linking CEO Compensation to Shareholder Return

The aim of this research was to provide further evidence of the impact of the power of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure. Additionally, we explore the moderating role of CEO compensation linked to shareholder return on the association between CEO power and CSR disclosure. The theories used follow agency theory and stakeholder theory and the sample comprised 9182 international firm-year observations collected from the Thomson Reuters database from 2009 to 2018. Our model was estimated using the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator. The results found that CEO power was positively associated with CSR disclosure, contrary to our expectations. Additionally, our evidence also shows that CEO compensation linked to shareholder return plays a positive moderating role on the relationship between CEO power and CSR reporting