Financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality. A case in China.

This paper empirically examines whether there is an association between financial reporting disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality of the top 100 socially reputed Chinese listed firms. The paper computed financial disclosure quality by empirically combining earning qualities of acc...

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Main Authors: Indra Abeysekera, Feng Li, Yingjun Lu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250884
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author Indra Abeysekera
Feng Li
Yingjun Lu
author_facet Indra Abeysekera
Feng Li
Yingjun Lu
author_sort Indra Abeysekera
collection DOAJ
description This paper empirically examines whether there is an association between financial reporting disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality of the top 100 socially reputed Chinese listed firms. The paper computed financial disclosure quality by empirically combining earning qualities of accrual, persistence, predictability, and smoothness. Using content analysis and survey questionnaire research methods, it calculated sustainability quality by combining disclosure quantity (through quantitative weightings), disclosure type (through qualitative weightings), and disclosure item importance (through qualitative weightings) of economic, social, and environmental disclosures made in annual and sustainability reports, ascertained using the Global Reporting Initiative sustainability framework. The study finds that sustainability disclosure in the current period is sufficiently associated with financial disclosure quality of the current period and future period. Consistent with stakeholder theory, firms with a social reputation are perceived as trustworthy by stakeholders and shareholders. The findings lead to a cultural stakeholder theory where underlying values of societal culture create a condition supporting mutual stakeholder relationships between firm and various stakeholders. Demonstrating trustworthiness through disclosures can help boost consumer confidence and foreign trade relations for Chinese firms. The Chinese government can design innovative schemes to reward and promote trustworthiness in firms, such as regulating base-point reductions in interest rates on borrowing or raising funds.
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spelling doaj.art-bf338be0e23d438c93389e2c4b48f30e2022-12-21T19:10:13ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01165e025088410.1371/journal.pone.0250884Financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality. A case in China.Indra AbeysekeraFeng LiYingjun LuThis paper empirically examines whether there is an association between financial reporting disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality of the top 100 socially reputed Chinese listed firms. The paper computed financial disclosure quality by empirically combining earning qualities of accrual, persistence, predictability, and smoothness. Using content analysis and survey questionnaire research methods, it calculated sustainability quality by combining disclosure quantity (through quantitative weightings), disclosure type (through qualitative weightings), and disclosure item importance (through qualitative weightings) of economic, social, and environmental disclosures made in annual and sustainability reports, ascertained using the Global Reporting Initiative sustainability framework. The study finds that sustainability disclosure in the current period is sufficiently associated with financial disclosure quality of the current period and future period. Consistent with stakeholder theory, firms with a social reputation are perceived as trustworthy by stakeholders and shareholders. The findings lead to a cultural stakeholder theory where underlying values of societal culture create a condition supporting mutual stakeholder relationships between firm and various stakeholders. Demonstrating trustworthiness through disclosures can help boost consumer confidence and foreign trade relations for Chinese firms. The Chinese government can design innovative schemes to reward and promote trustworthiness in firms, such as regulating base-point reductions in interest rates on borrowing or raising funds.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250884
spellingShingle Indra Abeysekera
Feng Li
Yingjun Lu
Financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality. A case in China.
PLoS ONE
title Financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality. A case in China.
title_full Financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality. A case in China.
title_fullStr Financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality. A case in China.
title_full_unstemmed Financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality. A case in China.
title_short Financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality. A case in China.
title_sort financial disclosure quality and sustainability disclosure quality a case in china
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250884
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AT fengli financialdisclosurequalityandsustainabilitydisclosurequalityacaseinchina
AT yingjunlu financialdisclosurequalityandsustainabilitydisclosurequalityacaseinchina