Environmental Regulation and Compulsory Public Disclosure

Environmental Regulation and Compulsory Public Disclosure
Author: Shakeb Afsah
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 151
Release: 2013
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0415657652

This book is a remarkable case study of an environmental policy initiative for a national environmental regulatory system in the information age. In 1995 the Indonesian Ministry of Environment took the bold step to launch an environmental disclosure initiative called the Program for Pollution Control, Evaluation and Rating (PROPER). Under PROPER, environmental performance of companies is mapped into a five-color grading scale - Gold for excellent, Green for very good, Blue for good, Red for non-compliance, and Black for causing environmental damage. These ratings are then publicly disclosed through a formal press conference and posted on the internet. Not only did this simple rating scheme create a major media buzz and enhanced environmental awareness of the general public, but it also unleashed a wide range of performance incentives that showed how markets with environmental information could function in a developing country setting. The authors provide a multidisciplinary analysis of how the PROPER program harnessed the power of public disclosure to abate the problem of industrial pollution. They describe how the program has successfully improved the average environmental compliance rate from close to thrity per cent in 1995 to as high as seventy per cent in 2011. This improvement was driven primarily by information disclosure, which avoided expensive and unpredictable legal enforcement through the court system of Indonesia. The combination of institutional history and detailed economic and analyses sheds light on the role of policy entrepreneurs who laid the foundation for disclosure and transparency, despite the constraints of the Suharto regime. The PROPER program is now internationally recognized and continues to serve as a model for many developing countries.

Environmental Regulation and Public Disclosure

Environmental Regulation and Public Disclosure
Author: Shakeb Afsah
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 151
Release: 2013-03-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1135127085

This book is a remarkable case study of an environmental policy initiative for a national environmental regulatory system in the information age. In 1995 the Indonesian Ministry of Environment took the bold step to launch an environmental disclosure initiative called the Program for Pollution Control, Evaluation and Rating (PROPER). Under PROPER, environmental performance of companies is mapped into a five-color grading scale – Gold for excellent, Green for very good, Blue for good, Red for non-compliance, and Black for causing environmental damage. These ratings are then publicly disclosed through a formal press conference and posted on the internet. Not only did this simple rating scheme create a major media buzz and enhanced environmental awareness of the general public, but it also unleashed a wide range of performance incentives that showed how markets with environmental information could function in a developing country setting. The authors provide a multidisciplinary analysis of how the PROPER program harnessed the power of public disclosure to abate the problem of industrial pollution. They describe how the program has successfully improved the average environmental compliance rate from close to thrity per cent in 1995 to as high as seventy per cent in 2011. This improvement was driven primarily by information disclosure, which avoided expensive and unpredictable legal enforcement through the court system of Indonesia. The combination of institutional history and detailed economic and analyses sheds light on the role of policy entrepreneurs who laid the foundation for disclosure and transparency, despite the constraints of the Suharto regime. The PROPER program is now internationally recognized and continues to serve as a model for many developing countries.

Environmental Disclosure

Environmental Disclosure
Author: Luigi Lepore
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2022-12-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000829138

This book provides a description of the state of the art on environmental disclosure, illustrating the key theoretical issues, the regulatory frameworks, the main standards developed and reporting the results of an empirical analysis on the environmental disclosure released by listed firms. Luigi Lepore and Sabrina Pisano begin by analysing the origin and evolution of environmental disclosure. They go on to provide a description of the main theoretical frameworks used by scholars, explaining the conceptual basis of each theory and describing how the specific theory has been used to explain the company’s decision to release environmental disclosure. The second part of the book highlights the role and evolution of the European regulatory frameworks, emphasizing the transition from voluntary to mandatory disclosure. The book ends by providing a picture of the evolution of sustainability reporting practices in European Union nations over the past two decades. This book investigates the critical issues and new directions in environmental disclosure, which are currently under examination by regulators and standard setters. It will therefore be of great interest to academics and students working in the areas of business and sustainability.

Environmental Disclosure Practices and Financial Performance

Environmental Disclosure Practices and Financial Performance
Author: Khondkar Karim
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2004-10-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0313053588

Understanding environmental liability and disclosure is critical for firm management, investors, accountants and auditors. The U.S. Congress has been increasing the pressure on companies to disclose information on environmental liabilities for years. This study delves into the issue by examining the impact of environmental disclosure on financial performance. These insightful essays provide guidance by supplying the most current and concise research available on this important topic. Covering such topics as legislation, liability, and regulations, this work analyzes how environmental disclosure influences the financial statements and public accountability of companies, and ultimately drives organizational change. This book builds the framework necessary to comprehend the complexities of quantifying environmental liabilities and make well-informed decisions.

Responsible Business in a Changing World

Responsible Business in a Changing World
Author: Belén Díaz Díaz
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 397
Release: 2020-05-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3030369706

This book explores the current state of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from an international perspective, the goal being to share ideas and visions for a sustainable future and to provide useful guidelines for academics, practitioners and policymakers in the context of the 2030 “Agenda for Sustainable Development” released by the United Nations. Research on CSR has evolved considerably over the last three decades. However, there are still many unanswered questions concerning the sustainability of business in an increasingly changing world, for example: If most companies consider CSR to be valuable to their organizations, why do only 15% of them systematically implement Social Responsibility initiatives? If CSR has been found to be profitable for companies, why are they so reluctant to develop an active, internal CSR policy? Why are there such significant differences in CSR adoption from country to country? Why does it take a huge crisis to make politicians react and regulate certain core CSR issues? This contributed volume answers these questions, presenting a wealth of case studies and new approaches in the process.

Social and Environmental Disclosure by Chinese Firms

Social and Environmental Disclosure by Chinese Firms
Author: Yingjun Lu
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2024-11-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1040292216

Given the increased social and environmental problems in China, this book looks into the social and environmental disclosure practices of socially responsible Chinese listed firms by constructing a stakeholder-driven, three-dimensional, disclosure index. The book contains a three-part study: the first part explores the current status of social and environment disclosure practices. The second part empirically examines the relationship between corporate social and environmental disclosure and various influencing factors (i.e. stakeholders’ power and corporate characteristics). The third part empirically examines the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting (i.e. publishing a CSR report and the quality of the CSR report) and socially responsible reputation. The book finds that the CSR report provided more stakeholder-relevant social and environmental disclosure than the annual report. It also finds that corporate characteristics such as firm size, profitability and industry classification are all statistically significant factors influencing the social and environmental disclosure of the Chinese firms studied. Shareholders significantly influenced firms’ social and environmental disclosure, and creditors significantly influenced firms’ disclosure related to their environmental performance. The final part of the study reports that publishing a CSR report and CSR reporting quality had a positive influence on firms’ socially responsible reputations and that the CEO/chairman duality negatively influenced firms’ socially responsible reputation. This book will be of interest to those who are keen to learn more about corporate social responsibilities in the context of Chinese firms.