Corporate board characteristics and environmental disclosure quantity: Evidence from South Africa (integrated reporting) and Nigeria (traditional reporting)

Abstract

The study examined the influence of corporate board characteristics on environmental disclosure quantity of listed firms in two leading emerging economies: South Africa and Nigeria which practice integrated reporting framework and traditional reporting framework, respectively. Two issues motivate the study: First, calls by researchers for integrated reporting regulation in Nigeria. Second, the challenge facing regulatory bodies and companies boards in Nigeria in ensuring commitment to the protection of the environment and the society. Many studies have examined the influence of corporate governance on environmental disclosure at the cross-country level, documenting evidence that corporate governance mechanisms are essential for corporate ecological reporting. However, these studies examined settings based on the legal framework and mostly focused on companies quoted on common and civil law countries. They neglected the weak and robust reporting framework and difference within either common or civil law countries. Our study provides evidence on corporate board characteristics influence on environmental disclosure of quoted firms in South Africa and Nigeria. Data obtained from annual reports of 303 environmentally sensitive companies selected from South Africa (213) and Nigeria (90) was investigated using descriptive, multivariate, and regression model. Major findings indicate a significant positive association between board independence and environmental disclosure in Nigeria. In South Africa, 45% of environmentally sensitive industries significantly influence environmental disclosure, while 51% of environmentally polluting industries in Nigeria show insignificant association with environmental disclosure. Our findings are helpful to policymakers and other regulators for an impactful framework on environmental reporting.

Keywords

• corporate board characteristics
• environmental disclosure
• traditional and integrated frameworks
• south africa and nigeria