EXTENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISCLOSURES -A CASE OF SENSITIVE INDUSTRIES IN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

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Payal Harshad Bhatt, Jayalakshmy Ramachandran ORCID logo

https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv7i4c1p2

Abstract

The purpose of this comparative study is to examine the extent to which information is available to stakeholders on the environmental issues from the annual reports of listed companies in Singapore and Malaysia focusing on Sectors (Construction and manufacturing) that are environmentally sensitive. Many studies in the past had tried to capture the relationship between environmental reporting against financial performances, management motives and effects on share prices of the companies operating in respective countries. This study is striving to capture the extent of information on environmental aspects available to stakeholders in Malaysia and Singapore focusing only on Sectors (Construction and manufacturing) that are environmentally sensitive. The researchers used cross sectional content analysis based on the annual reports of companies listed in the Construction and manufacturing/ industrial sector for the year 2007. The companies were selected from Stock Exchange of Singapore (SGX) and Bursa Malaysia (KLSE). A framework developed by Adams & Frost (2007) identified seven parameters to perform content analysis and observed performance related disclosure among organizations in Australia against organizations in the U.K. This study also used similar framework with addition of just one more parameter. It was found that the extent of information disclosed by organizations in Singapore for both construction and Manufacturing /Industrial sector is lower compared to organizations in Malaysia in both the sectors. This alerts the analysts that while talking about green accounting, one could walk the talk better by disclosing more information and making environmental issues or concerns more transparent.

Keywords: Stakeholders, Annual Reports, Malaysia, Singapore

How to cite this paper: Bhatt, P. H., Ramachandran, J. (2010). Extent of environmental disclosures - a case of sensitive industries in Singapore and Malaysia. Corporate Ownership & Control, 7(4-1), 170-182. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv7i4c1p2