Title: Individualism and corporate social responsibility reporting

Authors: Camila A. Simas; Daniel J. Slater; Karen Miller

Addresses: Union University, 1050 Union University Drive, Jackson, TN 38305, USA ' Union University, 1050 Union University Drive, Jackson, TN 38305, USA ' Union University, 1050 Union University Drive, Jackson, TN 38305, USA

Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting has become an integral part of today's business model and as such represents a form of commercial accountability to stakeholders thus necessitating the identification of characteristics that determine the approach and reception of these reports. One of these characteristics is cultural differences which have been examined in extant studies and found to have associations with CSR practices and performance; however, no studies have examined the relationship between the cultural dimension of individualism/collectivism on CSR reporting, specifically as it pertains to reporting credibility and external validation of the report. Thus, this study examines those relationships by collecting data from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), one of the primary organisations that provide standards for CSR reporting. We find that individualism is negatively related to the credibility of CSR reporting. In addition, we find that external validation of CSR reports is positively related to their credibility. The findings demonstrate how aspects of culture, specifically individualism, influence the execution, perception, and likely acceptance of CSR reports.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; culture; individualism; collectivism; credibility; validation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBGE.2018.097383

International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 2018 Vol.13 No.2, pp.107 - 120

Received: 11 Jan 2018
Accepted: 23 Jul 2018
Published online: 16 Jan 2019 *

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