Dr MD Moazzem Hossain, CA, CPA, CMA, MIPA, AFA, FHEA

This extensive engagement based research towards an understanding of corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) reporting is aimed at exploring the emerging phenomenon of CSER within a developing country context by seeking the views of twenty senior managers of listed companies in Bangladesh. This study is part of a larger project that follows a qualitative field research approach using semi-structured interviews. Observations and local working experience provided rich sources of data. Thus, to understand CSER reporting phenomenon, particularly motivations, decision-makers engagement and future prospect of CSER reporting in Bangladesh, constructivist ontology and interpretivist epistemology research methodology have been chosen. This paper extends the utilisation of a variety of social system-based theoretical concepts such as legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and institutional theory that have been widely approached by accounting researchers in CSER sustainability studies. Findings reveal key enablers for CSER reporting, which include groups such as: board of directors, regulatory authority, external pressure group and socioeconomic contextual factors such as poverty alleviation. Whilst stakeholder engagement process is still in its infancy in Bangladesh, senior managers are optimistic about the future prospect of CSER reporting. Awareness among the stakeholders, as well as senior managerial attitudes, and the role of regulatory authorities may have vital sway on the diffusion of CSER. The field research findings contribute to the body of knowledge in the literature, especially in the context of developing countries. It will be of great value to researchers and practitioners seeking to gain a better understanding of CSER reporting in various social-systems based theoretical aspects.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the views of key stakeholders on corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) practices and reporting in Bangladesh. The paper addresses a salient gap in the CSER literature evidenced by the dearth of studies that explore the views of non-managerial and economically less powerful stakeholders from an emerging economy such as Bangladesh. This study applied qualitative research method and utilised philosophical notions such as constructivist ontology and interpretive epistemology. A series of in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 key stakeholder groups, complemented by utilizing observations with pragmatic local working knowledge from one of the researchers. By using the predominant system-oriented theories such as legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and institutional theory, this research found that stakeholders expect more institutional involvement including media, NGOs, regulatory authority and civil societies’ support to ensure more CSER practices and reporting by Bangladeshi companies. The findings also report that stakeholders are not satisfied with the current CSER practices and reporting due to organisations’ focus on marketing and profit making objectives. This study suggests that local standard setting bodies along with institutional involvement can play a significant role in fulfilling stakeholders’ expectations towards CSER reporting in Bangladesh.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current trends of corporate social and environmental reporting of the top 20 companies on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), Bangladesh. Design/methodology and approach- A qualitative research approach has chosen in this study and the authors utilized the content analysis of annual reports (2010-2011) and other publicly available documentary evidence according to six major criteria with 66 indicators. The top companies have been selected based on market capitalisation. Findings- The finding of this research shows that organizations in Bangladesh disclose more on community and development which is 69% followed by governance code and policies which is 67%. The study also finds that organizations are paying limited attention to workplace/HR disclosure and environment that is 38% and 28% respectively. The banking and financial companies disclose more on social and environmental issues with compare to other sector organizations because of institutional pressure from central bank. Research implications- The aim and value added contribution of this paper is the potential to raise awareness among company boards and senior managers concerning reporting and communicating of social, environmental and governance issues. Original Value- The paper provides useful information about the social and environmental disclosures by top listed companies in Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), Bangladesh. This paper uses most recent data for content analysis to examine the social and environmental disclosures in a developing country where corporate governance and voluntary disclosure still at initial stage.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the drivers and barriers of corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) practices and reporting in Bangladesh by seeking the views of twenty senior managers of listed companies in Bangladesh. This paper explores the CSER phenomena in a developing country such as Bangladesh. Design/methodology and approach- This study is part of a larger project that followed a qualitative research approach. Semi-structured interviews were utilized to explore the perceptions of twenty senior managers in Bangladeshi listed companies. Observations along with local working experience also provided rich sources of information in this paper. Thus, understanding CSER practices and reporting phenomena, particularly drivers and barriers, constructivist ontology and interpretivist epistemology have been chosen. Findings- The findings of the study reveal that motivations for CSER mainly derived from management leadership, regulators, external stakeholder pressure, branding corporate image, poverty alleviation motive and social obligation motive. The barriers of CSER are attributable to lack of regulatory framework, tendency to non-compliance of the laws, socio economic problems, lack of awareness and education in sustainable development, and lack of initiatives from government. Whilst CSER practices and reporting in Bangladesh are in its infancy, senior managers are optimistic. Research implications- Most of the previous studies of CSER concentrated on the Western developed countries. This study takes on an engagement-based approach from an ‘emic’ perspective, which explores CSER phenomena in a developing country, particularly in Bangladesh. The findings are useful in informing the regulators, standard setters, stakeholders, as well as provide a benchmark for CSER managers and organizations in Bangladesh. The findings have also contributed significantly to the body of knowledge about CSER in developing countries. Limitations- Interviewees were selected on a voluntary basis. Due to the perceived sensitivity of social and environmental reporting issues, some respondents’ ‘politically correct’ responses may have prevailed either intentionally or unintentionally. Original Value- Most studies of CSER in Bangladesh mainly examined the volume of disclosure and are descriptive in nature using secondary data. However, this research followed the engagement based semi-structured in-depth interviews in seeking tacit knowledge from senior managers in order to understand the drivers and barriers of CSER in a rapidly emerging nation, such as Bangladesh.

Corporate sustainability is now considered as one of the major policy issues by the businesses due to the high profile corporate failures in an attempt to promote good governance. Corporate social responsibility is also a vital part of staying competitive as it helps to retain talented staff and to satisfy customers’ expectations. Although a limited number of research works can be found on the barriers of corporate sustainability but the endeavour to mitigate those barriers is still scarce. Therefore, this study attempts to identify the critical barriers of corporate sustainability and demonstrate the process of mitigating those barriers with AHP integrated QFD framework with a comprehensive case study. Study finds that the mitigation requirements fall under strategic, tactical and operational management areas.

Purpose - the purpose of this paper is to explore the enablers of corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) practices in Bangladesh by seeking the views of senior managers of listed companies in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach - Understanding the emerging phenomenon of CSER in Bangladesh requires an inquiry paradigm utilising constructivist ontology and interpretive epistemology. A series of in depth interviews were conducted with 20 senior managers, complemented by utilizing observations with experiential local working knowledge from one of the researchers, along with documentation, provided rich sources of information in this paper. Findings - Preliminary findings reveal that the enablers of CSER in Bangladesh include: social obligation; regulations, poverty alleviation desire; and corporate branding motivation. The primary motivation for embracing CSER by the textile sectors appear to stem from powerful stakeholder pressures such as international buyers. Research limitations/implications - This study focuses on corporate social and environmental responsibility phenomenon within Bangladesh context. It must be noted that due to the perceived sensitivity of both social and the environmental management issues for some respondents, ‘politically correct’ responses may have prevailed either intentionally or unintentionally. Original value - This paper addresses the literature ‘gap’ in the empirical study of CSER in a rapidly emerging nation such as Bangladesh. The findings from this study have the potential to provide useful understanding of the enablers for CSER practices in Bangladesh and other fast developing countries.