Corporate Governance, Degree of Multi- nationality, and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Evidence from the UK

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between both corporate governance and degree of multi-nationality and corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSD). In common with previous studies, both corporate size and type of activities are included as control variables in the study. The paper extends previous studies on CSD in two ways: first, it examines the effect of both corporate governance and multi-nationality which have received little attention in previous studies; and second, it uses information from both annual reports and stand-alone reports. The empirical results show that governance mechanisms are associated with both the quantity and quality of social disclosure while the degree of multinational activities appears not to be related to the level of CSD. Furthermore, governance mechanisms appear to be more related to social disclosure in annual reports than in stand-alone reports. This result supports the theoretical view that corporate governance considerations should be extended to all stakeholders.