Purpose

This paper aims to explore the extent of corporate social responsibility disclosure (hereafter CSRD) in Jordan and also examine whether ownership structure, board of directors and audit committee characteristics influence CSRD.

Design/methodology/approach

The extent of CSRD is measured by constructing a CSRD index for industrial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange from 2016 to 2021. Panel regression analysis is used to examine the potential effect of ownership structure, board of directors and audit committee on the level of CSRD.

Findings

This study provides empirical evidence that diverse groups of shareholders have different effects on CSR engagement, and board characteristics (board size, board independence and gender diversity) play a vital role in increasing voluntary disclosure, including CSR information. There is no evidence to support that CSRD is influenced by audit committee characteristics.

Practical implications

This study recommends that corporate regulators and policymakers can improve CSRD practices by expanding the scope of existing disclosure requirements related to CSR and developing a structured CSRD index to measure the degree of CSRD practices for comparative purposes. Encourage firms to actively participate in social responsibility programs by granting tax incentives and government facilities to firms with the best CSR reports. Policymakers should introduce initiatives that support female’s representation on board. Finally, firms should restructure their boards by increasing board size and the percentage of independent directors to enhance their effectiveness to support CSRD.

Originality/value

This paper contributes further insights into the literature on CSRD practices and disclosure by analyzing data from developing market contexts.

中文翻译：

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股权结构、董事会和审计委员会在企业社会责任披露中的作用：约旦证据

目的

本文旨在探讨约旦企业社会责任披露（以下​​简称CSRD）的程度，并检验股权结构、董事会和审计委员会特征是否影响CSRD。

设计/方法论/途径

通过构建2016年至2021年在安曼证券交易所上市的工业企业的CSRD指数来衡量CSRD的程度。使用面板回归分析来检验股权结构、董事会和审计委员会对CSRD水平的潜在影响。

发现

本研究提供的实证证据表明，不同的股东群体对企业社会责任参与有不同的影响，董事会特征（董事会规模、董事会独立性和性别多样性）在增加自愿披露（包括企业社会责任信息）方面发挥着至关重要的作用。没有证据支持 CSRD 受到审计委员会特征的影响。

实际影响

本研究建议企业监管者和政策制定者可以通过扩大与企业社会责任相关的现有披露要求的范围并开发结构化的CSRD指数来衡量CSRD实践的程度以进行比较，从而改进CSRD实践。通过向企业社会责任报告最佳的企业提供税收优惠和政府便利，鼓励企业积极参与社会责任计划。政策制定者应采取举措支持女性在董事会中的代表权。最后，企业应通过增加董事会规模和独立董事比例来重组董事会，以提高支持CSRD的有效性。

原创性/价值

本文通过分析来自发展中市场环境的数据，为有关 CSRD 实践和披露的文献提供了进一步的见解。