Association Between Directors With Foreign Experience and Firms’ Environmental Disclosure

Abstract

Environmental concerns garner global attention, with firms in developing nations responsible for addressing these issues effectively. Environmental disclosure is a prominent aspect of this responsibility, which has become crucial to corporate practice in these nations. This study explores directors’ foreign experience’s influence on a firm’s environmental information disclosure. Data from listed firms in China, a developing country, are employed for this analysis. Using an empirical model, we investigate the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate a trend among firms to favor directors with foreign experience, given their apparent inclination toward environmental information disclosure. However, it’s been observed that corporate governance tends to weaken the positive correlation between hiring directors with foreign experience and environmental information disclosure. This positive association is particularly evident in firms with weak financing constraints, those subjected to strict environmental regulations, and state-owned enterprises. Our study offers valuable insights for managers and decision-makers in developing countries, particularly regarding managing corporate social responsibility and facilitating green transitions in response to environmental regulations. It aids top-tier management in bolstering their internal strategies to optimize their contribution to environmental sustainability. This study, therefore, presents a valuable exploration into the role of directors with foreign experience in influencing firms’ environmental information disclosure.