The Impact of Sustainability Reporting Quality On The Value Relevance of Corporate Sustainability Performance

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Received: 26 May 2020 Revised: 27 August 2020 Accepted: 9 September 2020

DOI: 10.1002/sd.2138

RESEARCH ARTICLE

The impact of sustainability reporting quality on the value


relevance of corporate sustainability performance

Imran Abbas Jadoon1 | Akhter Ali1 | Usman Ayub1 | Muhammad Tahir1 |


Raheel Mumtaz2

1
Department of Management Sciences,
Comsats University Islamabad, Islamabad, Abstract
Pakistan The value relevance of corporate sustainability performance (CSP) has been studied
2
College of Commerce, Faculty of
from different theoretical perspectives, yielding inconclusive evidence. Therefore, it
Economics & Management Sciences,
Government College University, Faisalabad, is imperative to revisit corporate sustainability performance relevance for investors.
Pakistan
This study explores the value relevance of corporate sustainability performance by
Correspondence studying the impact that the quality of sustainability reporting has on it. It employed
Imran Abbas Jadoon, Department of
the panel data of 247 firms from 2012 to 2016 for the best 30 green capital markets
Management Science, Comsats University
Islamabad, Park View Road, Islamabad. ranked by the Global Green Economy Index. The results indicated that investors
Email: imran.jadoon@comsats.edu.pk
value corporate sustainability performance (achieved through social, economic, and
corporate governance dimensions only) and the quality of sustainability reporting.
However, the environmental dimension of CSP lacks financial materiality for inves-
tors. Furthermore, the quality of sustainability reporting plays an instrumental role in
the value relevance of the corporate governance dimension because it is perceived
as an alternative corporate governance mechanism by investors. The findings are
useful for practitioners, regulators, and other stakeholders interested in understand-
ing the value relevance of corporate sustainability performance and quality of sus-
tainability reporting.

KEYWORDS

alternative corporate governance mechanism, corporate sustainability performance, quality of


sustainability reporting, share value concept, stakeholder perspective, value relevance

1 | I N T RO DU CT I O N firms, which signifies how a firm's business activities impact the envi-
ronment, society, and the overall economy. This impact can be either
Sustainable development advocates economic and social development positive or negative (do Prado et al., 2020).
while simultaneously avoiding environmental degradation and ensur- Sustainability reports are critical components for communication
ing the optimal utilization of natural resources. Corporations play an of corporate commitment and performance on sustainability issues
important role in achieving the objectives of sustainable development (Boiral, Heras-Saizarbitoria, & Brotherton, 2019; Fonseca, McAllister, &
by adopting business policies and practices that maximize share- Fitzpatrick, 2014; Hahn & Kühnen, 2013). However, the trustworthi-
holders' wealth, economic and social well-being of its employees, and ness and reliability of these reports are widely criticized in the litera-
of the society in general without adversely affecting the environment ture.1 This is addressed by instilling the assurance process of
(Mensah, 2019). Such activities of firms that contribute to sustainable sustainability reporting to ensure the quality and reliability of the
development constitute corporate sustainability, which is the process information disclosed (Dando & Swift, 2003; King & Bartels, 2015;
of balancing economic, ecological, and social concerns (do Prado Rasche & Esser, 2006). One of the fundamental objectives of sustain-
et al., 2020; Elkington, 1999). It is determined through the CSP of ability reporting (GRI, 2009) and quality of sustainability reporting is

Sustainable Development. 2020;1–21. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/sd © 2020 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd 1
2 JADOON ET AL.

to provide relevant and reliable information to investors for estimating 2 | LI T E RA T U R E RE V I E W


the company value for equity investment decisions (i.e., Boiral
et al., 2019; Manetti & Becatti, 2009; Moroney, Windsor, & The stakeholder3 theory suggests that organizations must cater to the
Aw, 2012). interests of a broader class of stakeholders to be successful. There-
This phenomenon is investigated empirically by assessing the rel- fore, organizations should focus on their primary stakeholders, such as
evance of sustainability information and the quality of sustainability employees, customers, shareholders, government, as well as second-
information for investors. These investors wish to estimate the com- ary stakeholders, such as the environmentalist group and medial and
pany value. However, a vital question is, despite the relevance of this civil societies' groups (Donaldson & Preston, 1995; Freeman, 1984;
reliable sustainability information for decision-making, how is this Schaltegger, Hörisch, & Freeman, 2019). Even though an organization
information perceived by investors, negatively or positively? An unre- has a diverse group of stakeholders with different and conflicting
solved research issue in the financial literature is the establishment of interests, it must choose business policies and practices that are bene-
a business case of CSP of firms. Therefore, scholars studied the busi- ficial for all stakeholders (Darnall, Henriques, & Sadorsky, 2010).
ness case of corporate sustainability performance of firms by examin- The existing literature on the value relevance of CSP of firms rev-
ing its value relevance and investigating its relationship with the firm's ealed two conflicting views about the social and environmental activi-
financial performance (Rivera, Muñoz, & Moneva, 2017). ties of firms: The social impact hypothesis4 and the trade-off
Consequently, the existing literature is dominated by two contra- hypothesis5 (Chen & Lee, 2017). The social impact hypothesis sug-
dictory hypotheses: The social impact and trade-off hypotheses. The gests that social activities, including environmental activities, posi-
former suggests that serving the interests of a broad class of stake- tively affect the financial performance of firms. This view is consistent
holders enhances the financial performance of a firm, which ultimately with the stakeholder theory, which considers sustainability activities
increases shareholders' wealth. The latter states that a firm's sustain- to be important for shareholders, rendering them value relevant
ability activities incur unnecessary costs, reducing the firm's profitabil- (Alshehhi, Nobanee, & Khare, 2018). On the other hand, the trade-off
ity. This negatively impacts shareholders' wealth (Marom, 2006; hypothesis suggests that firms involved in social and environmental
Preston & O'Bannon, 1997). In view of these two contradictory activities sacrifice their valuable financial resources. This sacrifice is
hypotheses and the inconclusive empirical evidence, it is imperative against the interests of shareholders (Chen & Lee, 2017). Further-
that the value relevance of the CSP is explored in-depth to reconcile more, shareholders negatively view such activities that ultimately
these opposing views, leading us toward a unified theory. have an adverse effect on the firm's market value. Hence, sustainable
In this context, this study explores the incremental value rele- activities of firms are not value relevant (Alshehhi et al., 2018; Chen &
vance of CSP while considering the quality of sustainability reporting. Lee, 2017; Donaldson & Preston, 1995).
This is an important factor for stock market participants. Furthermore, Considering these contradictory views on sustainability activities,
to make the empirical results more general, this study used an interna- Porter and Kramer (2006, 2011) explored the link between societal
tional sample comprising firms across regions from both emerging and and economic progress from a different perspective. They advocated
developed markets from 2012 to 2016. Previous studies concentrated that, since firms cannot solve all social and environmental problems of
on domestic firms within the market. Hence, the results varied from the society, they should focus on social and environmental activities.
market to market. Therefore, these activities are mutually beneficial to the society as
This study's contribution to existing literature is twofold. First, we well as the firm, consequently, making reconciliation between the
not only intended to understand the value relevance of the overall two-opposing hypotheses possible. Porter and Kramer (2011) intro-
CSP and individual dimensions of CSP by applying the quadruple mea- duced the concept of shared value. They defined shared value as “the
surement approach of CSP (i.e., environmental, social, governance, policies and operating practices that enhance the competitiveness of a
and economic) but also included the quality of sustainability reporting company while simultaneously advancing the economic and social condi-
as a robust proxy to account for value relevance, CSP, and its dimen- tions in the communities in which they operate.” Shared value focuses
sions. Most of the existing literature on value relevance does not con- on identifying and expanding the connection between social and eco-
sider the role of quality of sustainability reporting while studying nomic progress. Accordingly, if a firm chooses social and environmen-
2
value relevance and largely uses the ESG measurement approach for tal activities that commonly benefit the society and firm alike, then
corporate sustainability (i.e., environmental, social, and governance), these activities would positively influence the firm's value, upholding
narrowing the research parameters. Second, a major shortcoming of the value-enhancing theory. Contrarily, if a firm does not choose the
existing studies is that they focus on specific countries or regions, combination of social and environmental activities that are beneficial
such as the USA, Europe, UK, and Brazil and use samples only from to both the firm and society, then such activities would decrease the
specific industries. Conversely, this study used a global sample includ- value, upholding the trade-off theory. Therefore, it is necessary to
ing both emerging and developed markets across regions to better conduct an empirical study on the value relevance of CSP from the
understand the dynamics of value relevance of CSP and quality of sus- shared value perspective. This study did so using the stakeholder the-
tainability reporting for the given markets, ignoring the concept of ory along with the concept of share value as the theoretical
uniqueness. foundation.
JADOON ET AL. 3

2.1 | Value relevance market value of equity and the environmental performance of
300 Swedish listed companies. Another study by Cormier and
Value relevance is the ability of a performance measure to explain var- Magnan (2007) conducted an analysis on Canada, France, and Ger-
iations in contemporaneous stock returns. It is the estimate of the many to identify the effect of voluntary environmental reporting on
performance measure's usefulness in equity investors' decision- earnings. They found no relationship between environmental
making (Barton, Hansen, & Pownall, 2010). Traditionally, the focus on reporting and earnings in France, whereas a positive effect was
value relevance has been limited to financial information, such as accomplished in Germany and Canada. Thus, results may vary from
sales, earnings, book values of equity, comprehensive income, and country to country and market to market.
operating cash flows (Amir, Harris, & Venuti, 1993; Beisland, 2009).
Another stream of value relevance has evolved, which considers non-
accounting variables as an important factor in determining stock 2.3 | Value relevance of corporate sustainability
prices (Amir & Lev, 1996; Aureli, Gigli, Medei, & Supino, 2020; through corporate sustainability reporting
Carnevale, Mazzuca, & Venturini, 2012; Hughes, 2000; Lapointe-Antunes,
Cormier, Magnan, & Gay-Angers, 2006; Xu, Magnan, & André, 2007). Another stream of value relevance focuses on analyzing the value rel-
It is emphasized that accounting information is not the only factor evance of corporate sustainability through its disclosure. Theoreti-
that explains the variation in market value of firms. Nonaccounting is cally, this stream of literature posits that a reduction in information
an equally important factor influencing market value and its variation asymmetry among stakeholders would enhance the market value of
(Aureli et al., 2020; De Villiers, Hsiao, & Maroun, 2017; La Torre, firms. The sustainability report is a major step in the direction of
Sabelfeld, Blomkvist, Tarquinio, & Dumay, 2018; Lombardi, reducing information asymmetry (Schadewitz & Niskala, 2010). How-
Trequattrini, Cuozzo, & Cano-Rubio, 2019). Consequently, the value ever, it failed to recognize that it is not only information asymmetry
relevance of nonfinancial research mostly revolves around CSP and its which influences investors' investment-related decisions, but the
dimensions (Aureli et al., 2020). This premise adds quantitative and actual content of report and information reliability also majorly impact
qualitative measures as a pivotal factor in explaining variation in con- the market value of firms (Kaspereit & Lopatta, 2016). Hence, a com-
temporaneous stock prices. prehensive approach should be employed to understand the value rel-
evance of corporate sustainability.
Empirically, studies, such as Schadewitz and Niskala (2010),
2.2 | Value relevance of corporate sustainability Marna et al. (2015), and Bernardi and Stark (2018) established the
through individual dimension value-enhancing impact of corporate sustainability disclosure.
Schadewitz and Niskala (2010) identified the relationship between
The literature on the value relevance of corporate sustainability responsibility reporting and firm value for the Finnish stock market
mainly focuses on the individual dimensions of corporate sustainabil- from 2002 to 2005. Marna et al. (2015) examined the association
ity. This stream of literature is based on the theoretical proposition between share prices and the level of corporate social responsibility
that investors exhibit socially responsible investing behavior and inte- (CSR) disclosure of large UK companies using a modified
grate personal value and societal concern into investment-related Ohlson (1995) model. They used three different proxies for CSR to
decisions (Waddock, 2003). Furthermore, firms' environmental/social check the robustness of the results. Eventually, Bernardi and
engagement increases long-term profit by reducing resource wastage, Stark (2018) investigated the cross-country value relevance of disclo-
improving processes and products, decreasing conflict costs with sure of information regarding environmental and social activities and
external stakeholders, corporate reputation advantage, employees' performance in Europe.
retention and productivity, and reduction in cost of capital However, contradictory results were revealed by Cardamone
(Heal, 2005). Although the corporate governance dimension is con- et al. (2012), who focused on the value relevance concept of the social
cerned with managing, controlling, and reporting these activities, it is reports on 178 listed Italian firms. They reported a negative associa-
largely ignored by these studies. tion between market value and social reporting. Recently, this view-
Within the scope of empirical investigation, Hassel et al. (2005) point was endorsed by Aureli et al. (2020). Their study focused on the
examined the value relevance of environmental performance using value relevance of environmental, social, and governance disclosure
the Ohlson (1995) model. They used environmental ratings as a proxy by drawing samples from the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index–
for environmental performance and found a negative relationship listed companies.
between environmental performance and market value of firms. Alter-
natively, Sinkin, Wright, and Burnett (2008) and Semenova, Hassel,
and Nilsson (2010) depicted a positive relationship. Sinkin et al. (2008) 2.4 | Value relevance of corporate sustainability
used the Ohlson model and revolved around the relationship between through CSP
the adoption of an eco-efficient business strategy signaled by the
issuance of corporate environmental reports and firm value. A new trend also emerged in the value relevance of corporate sustain-
Semenova et al. (2010) investigated the relationship between the ability research while maintaining a focus on the overall CSP through
4 JADOON ET AL.

the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) approach. Theoreti- reason behind this inconclusiveness is because they ignore the most
cally, this line of literature propagates that ESG performance is consid- important factor (i.e., quality of sustainability reporting) that influ-
ered an intangible asset by investors and is reflected in the market ences the value relevance of CSP. It is believed that stock market par-
value of firms (Heal, 2005; Kaspereit & Lopatta, 2016). ESG includes ticipants, such as investors and even financial analysts, are more
the corporate governance dimension of corporate sustainability along interested in the quality of sustainability information, as reliable infor-
with the environmental and social dimensions. This corporate gover- mation would be difficult to obtain (Cho et al., 2015; Laufer, 2003;
nance aspect deals with how firms are managed and controlled to pro- Milne et al., 2006; Moneva, Archel, & Correa, 2006). This is more
vide transparency in financial reporting, risk management, and prevalent where the nature of the reported issue is complex (Ramus &
stakeholder rights. Hence, corporate governance is an important fac- Montiel, 2005; Unerman, Bebbington, & O'Dwyer, 2007).
tor in corporate sustainability, as it aligns investors' interest with the On the empirical side, Martínez-Ferrero and García-
6
firm's overall objective (Eurosif, 2006). In view of the concept of Sánchez (2017) conducted an analysis to identify the relationship
shared value of Porter and Kramer (2006, 2011), it is considered that between the quality of sustainability reporting and cost of capital.
a firm's sustainability activities are value relevant if they are mutually They depicted that the quality of sustainability reporting reduces the
beneficial for both the firm and society. Therefore, it can be argued cost of capital, which in turn implied that the quality of sustainability
that the economic aspect of firms is equally important along with the is value relevant. This was further validated by a survey conducted by
ESG approach for sustainable development. However, the economic de Villiers and van Staden (2010). They reported that investors/share-
dimension is largely ignored in the literature focusing on ESG. holders demand the quality of environmental disclosure. Similarly,
With reference to the empirical literature on value relevance of Bachoo, Tan, and Wilson (2013) studied the relationship between a
corporate sustainability performance, Kaspereit and Lopatta (2016) firm's value and the quality of sustainability reporting for Australian
carried out a value relevance study of CSP using the Ohlson model. listed companies. They reported a positive relationship between qual-
The authors reported a positive association between CSP and market ity of sustainability reporting and future expected performance. Their
valuation. Lourenço et al. (2012) examined the CSP of firms measured study suggested that the quality of sustainability reporting is reflected
by the membership of the Dow Jones sustainability index influences in the firm's market value. Hence, it serves as an important factor in
on the market value of equity. They reported that CSP has a signifi- the value relevance of the sustainability performance of firms.
cant explanatory power for stock prices over traditional summary
accounting measures. Similarly, Jung et al. (2018) conducted a study
on the relationship between CSP and financial performance of firms 2.6 | Research gap
based on the Korea Sustainability Index. They also used the Ohlson
model for their empirical analysis. They also reported a positive rela- In summary, scholars in the field of sustainable development exam-
tionship between CSP and the financial performance of firms. Chang ined the business case of corporate sustainability by exploring the
and Kuo (2008) studied the interrelationship of corporate sustainable value relevance of CSP of firms. Corporate sustainability increases
development (corporate sustainability performance) and financial per- firm value by reducing conflict costs among stakeholders, improving
formance for a sample of 311 global public firms belonging to six productivity, retention of employees, corporate reputation, as well as
industries. Their results showed that high sustainability performance reducing resource wastage and information asymmetry.7 However,
positively affects firms' profitability. Similarly, profitability has a posi- the literature failed to operationalize a comprehensive theoretical
tive effect on a firm's sustainability performance. This study suggests approach to analyze the value relevance of corporate sustainability.
that there is a reciprocal relationship between the two variables. Scholars either employed individual dimensions or ESGs to capture
Miralles-Quirós, Miralles-Quirós, and Gonçalves (2018) identified the value relevance of corporate sustainability. The quadruple
the value relevance of CSP (i.e., environmental, social, and governance approach of corporate sustainability (i.e., economic, environmental,
dimensions). They concluded that social and corporate governance social, and corporate governance) is most appropriate for analyzing
practices have value relevancy for only environmentally sensitive the relevance of corporate sustainability (Sidhoum & Serra, 2018).
industries, and environmental indicators have value relevancy for only Studies, such as Kaspereit and Lopatta (2016), Lins et al. (2017),
environmental nonsensitive industries. Aras, Tezcan, and Fur- Lopatta and Kaspereit (2014), and Lourenço et al. (2012), provided
tuna (2018) investigated the value relevance of multidimensional CSP evidence in support of the value relevance of CSP. However, there
in Turkish banks and found no value relevance of CSP. are other empirical studies, such as Aras et al. (2018) and
Cheung (2011), which found no conclusive evidence. It can be con-
cluded from the discussion above that the value relevance of CSP has
2.5 | Value relevance of CSP and quality of an inconclusive theoretical approach and empirical evidence, while
sustainability reporting the quality of sustainability reporting has been ignored in value rele-
vance literature. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct an empirical
An analysis of the literature review revealed that researchers mostly study on the value relevance of CSP (i.e., quadruple measurement
focus on the individual dimensions of CSP. Few studies employ a approach). It is also important that quality of sustainability reporting is
comprehensive measure of CSP but fail to reach consensus. The carried out under the shared value concept of value relevance.
JADOON ET AL. 5

3 | M E TH O DO LO GY
MVit = α + β1 BVPSit + β2 EPSit + β3 Susit + εit , ð2Þ
The value relevance of corporate sustainability was measured using
two alternative research designs: Panel regression research design8 MVit = α + β1 BVPSit + β2 EPSit + β3 Susit + β4 Quit + εit , ð3Þ
9
and event study research design. The research studies that employed
the event study research design have a short-term perspective and MVit = α + β1 BVPSit + β2 EPSit + β3 Susit + β4 Quit + β5 Susit  Quit + εit,
ð4Þ
consider investor reactions around the event of publishing sustainabil-
ity reports (Kaspereit & Lopatta, 2016). However, this study aimed at
a long-term value relevance approach to capture the impact of the where i represents company, t is year, MV is market value per share,
content of sustainability reports on capital market reactions. Hence, BVPS is book value of per share, and EPS is earning per share. Sus is
panel data methodology was employed to investigate the value rele- the sustainability performance of a company measured through an
vance of financial and nonfinancial information. Panel regression equal-weighted score of four dimensions (i.e., economic, social, envi-
methodology is based on two alternative models (i.e., fixed-effect ronmental, and corporate governance). It is replaced by each dimen-
model and random-effect model) for the estimation of research sion performance score in the subsequent analysis to capture the
models. To resolve issues regarding the choice of methods, individual effect of each dimension. Qu is the quality of sustainability
researchers employed Hausman tests because the choice between reporting with values from 0 to 3 (i.e., self-declared as 0, audited by
fixed-effect and random-effect models is sample dependent. Thus, third party other than an accountant as 1, audited by an accountant
the preference of one model on other models cannot be determined a as 2, and audited by Big Four as 3). The quality of sustainability
priori (Onali, Ginesti, & Vasilakis, 2017). This study employed the reporting value ranged from 0 to 3, where a higher value indicated a
fixed-effect model because the Hausman test considers the data as higher quality of sustainability reporting.
time invariant (see Tables 3–7) for basic and modified price regression
models. The incremental value relevance of CSP (also for dimension
of CSP) and quality of sustainability reporting were analyzed using the 3.2 | Data sources
Vuong test (1989). The Vuong test (1989) employs the likelihood ratio
to describe the statistical significance for direct comparisons of com- We extracted the financial variables data (i.e., market value per share,
peting models that explain the same dependent variables (see book value per share, and earnings per share) from the worldscope
Dechow, 1994; Vuong, 1989). database. Sustainability data were taken from the ASSET4 database
provided by Thomson Reuters. ASSET4 data are based on publicly
available information that authenticates the trustworthiness and reli-
3.1 | Econometric models ability of a proxy of sustainability (Gong, Gao, Koh, Sutcliffe, &
Cullen, 2019; Ioannou & Serafeim, 2012; Semenova & Hassel, 2015).
To investigate whether investors value corporate sustainability activi- The database measures sustainability through four dimensions: envi-
ties and the quality of sustainability reporting of the firms, we ronmental, social, economic, and corporate governance. ASSET4 uti-
employed the market value model developed by Ohlson (1995). This lizes z-scoring for normalization and generates comparable scores for
model postulates that market value of share is a function of book each dimension across firms. Each dimension score ranges from 0 to
value and accounting earnings only. We modified the Ohlson (1995) 100, where a higher score indicates a higher performance of corpo-
model by including two additional nonfinancial variables, that is, qual- rate sustainability. The overall equally weighted score for sustainabil-
ity of sustainability reporting and CSP. The rationale behind this was ity performance was calculated by the arithmetic mean of the
that the CSP reduces economic uncertainty and risk for investors sustainability dimensions' score (Budsaratragoon & Jitmaneeroj,
while increasing the predictability of earnings (Lourenço et al., 2012). 2019). Furthermore, the quality of sustainability reporting data were
These benefits are achieved by improving relationships and reducing extracted from the GRI database.10
conflict costs with stakeholders (Roberts, 1992), creating sustainability
reputation as a competitive advantage (Bliese & Ployhart, 2002; Isabel
et al., 2010) and increasing employee productivity (Vitaliano, 2010). 3.3 | Sample selection
However, the quality of sustainability reporting adds credibility and
reliability to CSP, which enhances stakeholders' confidence in the This study used the panel data of 247 firms from 2012 to 2016 across
information provided (Choi & Wong, 2007; Chua, Vanstraelen, & 21 countries (see Table 1). This time period was chosen because the
Fong, 2009; Zorio, García-Benau, & Sierra, 2013), and investors can GRI database started providing the name of the third-party assurer
accurately measure the market valuation of firms by reducing informa- post 2012 and to reduce the effect of the nonfinancial directive by
tion asymmetry (Schadewitz & Niskala, 2010). In this context, the fol- the European Commission since 2018. This study was designed to
lowing equations present the proposed models: identify the impact of quality of sustainability reporting on the value
relevance of sustainability in both emerging and developed markets in
MVit = α + β1 BVPSit + β2 EPSit + εit , ð1Þ a single model. Although the characteristics of both markets are
6 JADOON ET AL.

TABLE 1 Sample of study

S no. Country Freq. Percent Cum. S no. Country Freq. Percent Cum.
1 Austria 20 1.62 1.62 12 Japan 395 31.98 67.61
2 Belgium 20 1.62 3.24 13 China 50 4.05 71.66
3 Canada 110 8.91 12.15 14 Netherlands 15 1.21 72.87
4 Colombia 5 0.4 12.55 15 New Zealand 15 1.21 74.09
5 Denmark 35 2.83 15.38 16 Norway 15 1.21 75.3
6 Finland 35 2.83 18.22 17 Singapore 15 1.21 76.52
7 France 55 4.45 22.67 18 Sweden 50 4.05 80.57
8 Germany 75 6.07 28.74 19 Taiwan 20 1.62 82.19
9 Greece 25 2.02 30.77 20 Thailand 40 3.24 85.43
10 Ireland 10 0.81 31.58 21 United Kingdom 180 14.57 100
11 Italy 50 4.05 35.63

TABLE 2 Descriptive statistics and correlation matrix

Mean SD Price Eps Bvps Eqs Cgs Ss Ecos Envs Qu


Price 346.88 696.17 1
Eps 26.96 54.02 0.689*** 1
Bvps 488.19 1,039.77 0.775*** 0.5943*** 1
Eqs 61.45 28.5 −0.028 0.0920*** −0.0724** 1
Cgs 53.13 31.72 −0.545*** −0.283** −0.532*** 0.698*** 1
Ss 60.52 29.46 0.0873*** 0.1536*** 0.0376 0.9119*** 0.263*** 1
Ecos 61.35 27.86 0.0743*** 0.1247*** 0.0245 0.8239*** 0.307*** 0.701*** 1
Envs 61.82 31.21 0.2501*** 0.2666** 0.2122*** 0.7815*** 0.035 0.812*** 0.537*** 1
Qu 0.88 1.28 −0.0434 −0.0184 −0.091*** 0.0435 0.095*** 0.014* 0.001* 0.03 1

Note: This table presents the mean, standard deviation, and correlation matrix, where *, **, and *** represent significance level at 10, 5, and 1%, respec-
tively. Price per share, earning per share, book value per share, equal-weighted score, corporate governance score, social score, economic score, environ-
mental score, and quality of sustainability reporting are represented by Price, Eps, Bvps, Eqs, Cgs, Ss, Ecos, Evns, and Qu. The number of observations and
companies is 1,235 and 247, respectively.

different, a homogenous group of countries was created on the basis of the financial variable, the market value of share, earnings per share,
of the sustainability development index provided by the Global Green and book value per share had mean values of 346.88, 26.96, and
Economy Index (GGEI).11 The initial sample was the best 30 green 488.19, respectively. The standard deviations for these variables were
capital markets ranked by the GGEI. However, the sample was 696.17, 54.02, and 1,039, respectively. On the other hand, with refer-
reduced to 21 countries due to the nonavailability of data. Further- ence to sustainability performance, the overall equal-weighted score
more, we also winsorized the data at the 1st and 99th percentiles to had a mean value of 61.45 with a standard deviation of 28.50. These
remove the possible effect of the outlier and potential data errors results suggested that the mean of the overall equal-weighted score
(Alali & Foote, 2012). of sustainability for the studied sample was in the third quartile range
of sustainability score. As sustainability scoring (i.e., overall and indi-
vidual dimensions) ranges from 0 to 100, where a higher score means
4 | RESULTS a higher performance with respect to corporate sustainability. For the
studied sample, the mean values of economic, social, environmental,
4.1 | Descriptive statistics and corporate governance dimensions were 61.35, 60.52, 61.82, and
53.13, respectively. Their standard deviation values were 27.86,
Table 2 provides the descriptive statistics (i.e., mean and standard 29.46, 31.21, and 31.72, respectively. These results indicated that the
deviation) and correlation matrix of financial variables, sustainability performance of the sustainability dimensions' score was above aver-
variables score (social, economic, corporate governance, environmen- age in the studied sample. Moreover, the quality of sustainability
tal, and overall equal-weighted score), and quality of sustainability reporting had a mean value of 0.88, with a standard deviation of 1.28.
reporting used in this study. With respect to the descriptive statistics This implied the moderately low quality of sustainability reporting in
JADOON ET AL. 7

TABLE 3 Model 1 (Value Relevance of Economic Dimension of Sustainability)

A B C D
Intercept −50.510** (0.012) −109.345*** (0.000) −118.143*** (0.000) −121.653*** (0.000)
Bvps 0.656*** (0.000) 0.640*** (0.000) 0.634*** (0.000) 0.634*** (0.000)
Eps 2.851*** (0.000) 2.782*** (0.000) 2.783*** (0.000) 2.783*** (0.000)
Ecos 1.119*** (0.002) 1.095*** (0.002) 1.1512*** (0.005)
Qu 14.879** (0.024) 18.588 (0.201)
Qu*Ecos −0.0586 (0.775)
Overall R2 0.6557 0.6571 0.658 0.6579
F-test 24.83*** (0.000) 25.07*** (0.000) 25.17*** (0.000) 25.12*** (0.000)
Hausman test 42.29*** (0.000) 38.96*** (0.000) 37.15*** (0.000) 37.92*** (0.000)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model A — 12.12*** (0.000) 18.54*** (0.000) 18.64*** (0.000)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model B — — 6.42** (0.011) 6.52** (0.038)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model C — — — 0.10 (0.748)
Obs 1,235 1,235 1,235 1,235
No. of companies 247 247 247 247

Note: *, **, and *** represent significance level at 10, 5, and 1%, respectively. Based on the Ohlson (1995) model, this table provides four models for value
relevance of economic dimension of sustainability. Bvps, Eps, Ecos, Qu, and Qu*Ecos are predictor variables and represent book value per share, earning
per share, economic score, quality of sustainability report, and interaction term between quality of sustainability reporting and economic score, respec-
tively. Furthermore, this table represents value for overall R2, F statistics, Hausman test, and their p-value. The number of observations and companies is
also presented in the table.

our sample, as firms assured their sustainability reports from third- The regression coefficient of the overall equal-weighted score
party firms other than accountant firms. had a significant positive impact (1.154, p < .05) on the market
In view of the correlation matrix, all the predictor variables had value of a firm (see Table 7). These results indicated that higher
correlation values below 0.50, except the dimensions of sustainability sustainability performance would result in higher market value of
performance. Therefore, separate regression models were used in the firms, and investors have a positive perception about sustainability
analysis for each dimension of sustainability to avoid multicollinearity. performance. Similarly, with respect to dimensions of sustainability,
regression coefficient results revealed that economic (1.119,
p value <.01), social (1.078, p value <.05), and corporate gover-
4.2 | Empirical results nance (1.133, p value <.01) dimensions have a significant positive
influence on the market value of the firm (see Tables 3, 4, and 6).
We employed the value relevance model proposed by Ohlson (1995), However, the environmental dimension had an insignificant (0.418,
followed by modified models with additional nonfinancial variables p value >.10) effect on the market value of the firm (see Table 5).
(i.e., corporate sustainability performance and quality of sustainability These results revealed that a higher score on economic, social, and
reporting). Additionally, each dimension of corporate sustainability corporate governance performance would result in higher market
performance was studied in a separate model by substituting the value for firms. However, the environmental performance of firms
overall corporate sustainability proxy. Hence, five different models had no relationship with the market value of firms. The results
with four submodels were constructed. Tables 3–7 show their results. regarding overall sustainability performance and dimension of sus-
This study analyzed the coefficient of the price regression model tainability performance (except environmental dimension) were con-
to know how the reliability of sustainability information is perceived sistent with the value-enhancing theory in the context of the
by investors. We developed the required regression model in steps. shared value concept. This validated the viewpoint that if a firm
The first model included only financial predictor variables, followed by chooses social activities that are mutually beneficial for both the
sustainability score variables (economic score, corporate governance firm and society, then these activities would uplift the firm's value
score, social score, and environmental score, equal-weighted score), (Porter & Kramer, 2006, 2011). Furthermore, empirically, these
quality of sustainability reporting, and their interaction term. The results aligned with the existing studies conducted by Lins
regression analysis revealed that the adjusted R2 for all five models et al. (2017), Kaspereit and Lopatta (2016), Lopatta and
and their submodels was above 64%. This implied that the predictor Kaspereit (2014), and Lourenço et al. (2012). They also found a
variables explained about 64% of the variation in the predicted vari- positive impact of CSP on a firm's value. However, our results
able. Furthermore, the F-statistics and Hausman test for all these were inconsistent with the conclusion proposed by Aras et al. (2018)
models were highly significant at the 1% level (see Tables 3–7). and Cheung (2011). The reason for this inconsistency might be
8 JADOON ET AL.

TABLE 4 Model 2 (value relevance of corporate governance dimension of sustainability)

Model A Model B Model C Model D


Intercept −50.510** (0.012) −110.1596*** (0.006) −116.97*** (0.004) −141.431*** (0.000)
Bvps 0.657*** (0.000) 0.656*** (0.000) 0.650*** (0.000) 0.635*** (0.000)
Eps 2.851*** (0.000) 2.835*** (0.000) 2.835*** (0.000) 2.853*** (0.000)
Cgs 1.133* (0.086) 1.069 (0.105) 1.662** (0.014)
Qu 15.031** (0.023) 58.012*** (0.000)
Qu*Cgs −0.763*** (0.000)
2
Overall R 0.6557 0.6451 0.6464 0.6501
F-test 24.83*** (0.000) 22.27*** (0.000) 22.34*** (0.000) 22.46*** (0.000)
Hausman test 42.29*** (0.000) 101.57*** (0.000) 97.56*** (0.000) 90.32*** (0.000)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model A — 3.69* (0.055) 10.19*** (0.006) 27.00*** (0.000)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model B — — 6.50** (0.011) 23.31*** (0.000)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model C — — — 16.81*** (0.000)
Number of obs 1,235 1,235 1,235 1,235
No. of companies 247 247 247 247

Note: *, **, and *** represent significance level at 10, 5, and 1%, respectively. Based on the Ohlson (1995) model, this table provides four models for value
relevance of corporate governance dimension of sustainability. Bvps, Eps, Cgs, Qu, and Qu*Cgs are predictor variables and represent book value per share,
earning per share, corporate governance score, quality of sustainability report, and interaction term between quality of sustainability reporting and corpo-
rate governance score, respectively. Furthermore, this table represents value for overall R2, F statistics, Hausman test, and their p-value. The number of
observations and companies is also presented in the table.

TABLE 5 Model 3 (value relevance of environmental dimension of sustainability)

Model A Model B Model C Model D


Intercept −50.510*** (0.012) −75.106*** (000) −85.070** (0.029) −74.771** (0.062)
Bvps 0.657*** (0.000) 0.654*** (0.000) 0.648*** (0.000) 0.648*** (0.000)
Eps 2.851** (0.000) 2.846*** (0.000) 2.846*** (0.000) 2.843*** (0.000)
Envs 0.418 (0.458) 0.409 (0.466) 0.248 (0.669)
Qu 15.456** (0.019) 1.227 (0.933)
Quenvs 0.224 (0.279)
Overall R2 0.6557 0.6572 0.658 0.6583
F-test 24.83*** (0.000) 24.69*** (0.000) 24.81*** (0.000) 24.81*** (0.000)
Hausman test 42.29*** (0.000) 40.50*** (0.000) 38.71*** (0.000) 38.16*** (0.000)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model A — 0.69 (0.4055) 7.56** (0.022) 9.04** (0.0288)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model B — — 6.87*** (0.008) 0.0154** (0.015)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model C — — — 1.47 (0.2247)
Obs 1,235 1,235 1,235 1,235
No. of companies 247 247 247 247

Note: *, **, and *** represent significance level at 10, 5, and 1%, respectively. Based on the Ohlson (1995) model, this table provides four models for value
relevance of environmental dimension of sustainability. Bvps, Eps, Envs, Qu, and Qu*Envs are predictor variables and represent book value per share, earn-
ing per share, environmental score, quality of sustainability report, and interaction term between quality of sustainability reporting and environmental
score, respectively. Furthermore, this table represents value for overall R2, F statistics, Hausman test, and their p-value. The number of observations and
companies is also presented in the table.

that we employed cross-country analysis through a panel data proposed by Hassel et al. (2005), Sinkin et al. (2008), and
regression research design. Aras et al. (2018) conducted an analysis Semenova et al. (2010). One of the possible reasons behind these
of a single sector in Turkey, while Cheung (2011) focused on the contradictory results might be that this study focused on environ-
short-term value relevance of corporate sustainability through an mental information provided in sustainability reports rather than
event study research design. In the context of environmental environmental disclosure.12 Hence, it would be difficult for inves-
dimension, this study's value irrelevancy was against the viewpoint tors to identify the financial materiality between environmental
JADOON ET AL. 9

TABLE 6 Model 4 (value relevance of social dimension of sustainability)

Model A Model B Model C Model D


Intercept −50.510** (0.012) −109.539*** (0.002) −118.512*** (0.001) −110.878*** (0.002)
Bvps 0.656*** (0.000) 0.645*** (0.000) 0.6395*** (0.000) 0.639*** (0.000)
Eps 2.851*** (0.000) 2.821*** (0.000) 2.821*** (0.000) 2.817*** (0.000)
Ss 1.078** (0.039) 1.054** (0.043) 0.935* (0.085)
Qu 15.215** (0.021) 5.153 (0.724)
Quss 0.161 (0.439)
2
Overall R 0.6557 0.6573 0.6581 0.658
F-test 24.83*** (0.000) 24.92*** (0.000) 25.03*** (0.000) 25.02*** (0.000)
Hausman test 42.29*** (0.000) 39.89*** (0.000) 38.04*** (0.000) 37.92*** (0.000)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model A — 5.35** (0.021) 12.03*** (0.002) 12.79*** (0.005)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model B — — 6.68*** (0.001) 7.44** (0.024)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model C — — — 0.75 (0.385)
Obs 1,235 1,235 1,235 1,235
No. of companies 247 247 247 247

Note: *, **, and *** represent significance level at 10, 5, and 1%, respectively. Based on the Ohlson (1995) model, this table provides four models for value
relevance of social dimension of sustainability. Bvps, Eps, Ss, Qu, and Qu*Ss are predictor variables and represent book value per share, earning per share,
social score, quality of sustainability report, and interaction term between quality of sustainability reporting and social score, respectively. Furthermore, this
table represents value for overall R2, F statistics, Hausman test, and their p-value. The number of observations and companies is also presented in the
table.

TABLE 7 Model 5 (value relevance of equal weight score of sustainability dimension)

Model A Model B Model C Model D


Intercept −50.51034** (0.012) −114.5887*** (0.001) −122.397*** (000) −125.6006*** (000)
Bvps 0.657*** (0.000) 0.6454*** (0.000) 0.639*** (0.000) 0.639*** (0.000)
Eps 2.851*** (0.000) 2.801*** (0.000) 2.802*** (0.000) 2.802*** (0.000)
Eqs 1.154** (0.019) 1.112** (0.024) 1.165** (0.027)
Qu 14.932** (0.024) 19.02 (0.223)
Qu*Eqs −0.064 (0.773)
Overall R2 0.6557 0.6571 0.6559 0.656
F-test 24.83*** (0.000) 24.93*** (0.000) 24.04*** (0.000) 25.00*** (0.000)
Hausman test 42.29*** (0.000) 44.75*** (0.000) 42.76*** (0.000) 42.60*** (0.000)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model A — 6.84*** (0.009) 13.28*** (0.001) 13.39*** (0.004)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model B — — 6.44** (0.0112) 6.54** (0.038)
Vuong test (Z-statistics) base model C — — — 0.10 (0.7461)
Obs 1,235 1,235 1,235 1,235
No. of companies 247 247 247 247

Note: *, **, and *** represent significance level at 10, 5, and 1%, respectively. This table has four models with reference to equal-weighted score for three
dimensions of sustainability. Bvps, Eps, Eqs, Qu, and Qu*Eqs are predictor variables and represent book value per share, earning per share, equal-weighted
score, quality of sustainability report, and interaction term of quality reporting and equal-weighted scores, respectively. Furthermore, this table represents
value for overall R2, F statistics, Hausman test, and their p-value. The number of observations and companies is also presented in the table.

resource usage and business strategy and risk, especially under dif- on market value of firms in all five models regarding overall and
ferent regulatory regimes (The Association of Chartered Certified dimensions of sustainability score (see Tables 3–7). These results
Accountants, 2013). implied that firms with self-declared sustainability reports would show
The results of the study with reference to the regression coeffi- lower firm value. Conversely, firms with sustainability reports assured
cient of quality of sustainability reporting revealed the positive by big four accountant firms would have higher firm value. These
(β4M1=14.879, β4M2=15.031, β4M3 = 15.456, β4M4 = 15.215, and results were consistent with the argument proposed by Martínez-
β4M5 = 14.932) and significant (p-value <.05 in all five models) effect Ferrero and García-Sánchez (2017). They proposed that quality of
10 JADOON ET AL.

sustainability reporting should be value relevant, as it reduces the cost whereas the environmental dimension of CSP does not have incre-
of capital, which translates into a firm's higher market value. However, mental value relevance.
all the interaction terms (i.e., Qu × Ss, Qu × Ecos, Qu × Envs, and
Qu × Eqs) between the quality of sustainability reporting and CSP and
its dimensions were insignificant except for the corporate governance 5 | CONC LU SION
dimension (i.e., Qu × CGS), where Qu × CGS had negative (−0.763)
and significant (p value <.01) effect. These results implied that the The global pursuit of sustainable development changed the role of
quality of sustainability reporting had little or no influence on the rela- corporations. The traditional view of firms (i.e., the shareholders view)
tionship between CSP and market value of the firm. However, the which suggests that firms are only responsible for creating value for
quality of sustainability reporting exhibited a substitution effect on shareholders has changed. Now firms focus on creating sustainable
corporate governance performance. In other words, investors consid- value which covers the four dimensions of sustainability, that is, envi-
ered third-party assurance as an alternative corporate governance ronmental, social, corporate governance, and economic. CSP shows
mechanism, and the corporate governance dimension could be rep- how firms' activities influence the environment, society, and economy,
laced by third-party assurance. These results were consistent with the as well as the firm's commitment to the achievement of objectives of
viewpoint proposed in the literature that corporate governance has a sustainable development. However, the quality of sustainability
weak link with other dimensions of CSP (Sidhoum & Serra, 2018), and reporting authenticates the reliability of information on CSP. In this
third-party assurance should be considered as an alternative corpo- sense, both the quality of sustainability reporting and sustainability
rate governance mechanism (Han, Kang, & Yoo, 2012). performance are valued by investors. Consequently, this study aimed
This study employed the Vuong test (1989) to verify the incre- at creating a business case for the value relevance of sustainability
mental value relevance of CSP and the quality of sustainability performance and quality of sustainability.
reporting. The explanatory power of the overall CSP and its dimen- The results of the regression analysis of value relevance rev-
sions variables was compared against a base model containing only ealed that investors valued the overall CSP (achieved through eco-
financial variables. Furthermore, with respect to the quality of sus- nomic, social, and corporate governance dimensions) and quality of
tainability reporting, the explanatory power of models containing sustainability reporting. Nonetheless, environmental performance
both CSP (substituting with individual dimensions) and quality of was perceived as irrelevant by investors for enhancing firm valua-
sustainability variables was compared against the base model hav- tion. The quality of sustainability reporting played an instrumental
ing financial variables only/or with sustainability variables. The role in the value relevance of corporate governance because it was
Vuong test revealed that overall corporate sustainability (Vuong z- perceived as an alternative corporate governance mechanism by
statistics = 6.84, p-value = .009), corporate governance (Vuong z- investors. Hence, it can be concluded that CSP is value relevant
statistics = 3.69, p-value = .0548), social (Vuong z-statistics = 5.35, and validates the social impact hypothesis. However, its dimensions
p-value = .021), and economic (Vuong z-statistics = 12.12, p- are not equal. The corporate governance dimension should be con-
value = .000) models added value to the explanatory power of sidered from a different perspective than the other three dimen-
financial variable models, making them more relevant to measure sions because these three dimensions focus on basic operational
the market value of firms. However, the comparison between the business strategies, whereas corporate governance is concerned
financial variables model and the environmental model revealed a with managing and reporting these business strategies.13 In this
statistically insignificant value (Vuong z-statistics = 0.69, p- context, the quality of sustainability reporting has a substituting
value = .4055). With reference to quality of sustainability, results effect on the corporate governance dimension. The quality of sus-
revealed that quality of sustainability reporting in combination with tainability reporting is also concerned with the reliability of
overall CSP (Vuong z-statistics = 13.28, p-value = .001), social reported information through third-party assurance. Furthermore,
(Vuong z-statistics = 12.03, p-value = .002), economic (Vuong z-sta- the information provided in sustainability reports regarding envi-
tistics = 12.12, p-value = .000), corporate governance (Vuong z-sta- ronmental dimensions should be standardized across firms and
tistics = 10.19, p-value = .006), or environmental dimension (Vuong have financial materiality for equity investors.
z-statistics = 7.56, p-value = .022) was statistically more relevant in This study's findings are useful for future research on the corpo-
explaining the change in market value of the firm as compared to rate sustainability of firms as well as for practitioners, such as share-
models having financial variables only/or with sustainability vari- holders, regulators, standard setters, and other stakeholders
ables. These results indicated that overall ΔR2 was low, but sustain- interested in the sustainability performance of firms. Simultaneously,
ability performance (excluding environmental dimension) and it would help management of firms to understand the role of third-
quality of sustainability reporting added significant value to the party insurance in the corporate sustainability context, so that a firm
explanatory power of models. Hence, these results provided would be valued by investors while making investment decisions.
robustness to regression coefficient analysis, which states that the The current understanding of value relevance can be enhanced
quality of sustainability reporting and overall corporate sustainabil- by focusing on institutional factors, such as exploring whether the
ity, social dimension, corporate governance dimension, and eco- basis of regulation of corporate sustainability reporting (Voluntary/
nomic dimension have an incremental value relevance effect, Mandatory) would affect the value relevance of CSP.
JADOON ET AL. 11

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14 JADOON ET AL.

APPENDIX

TABLE A1 List of companies with third-party assurance information

Company Name Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016
A2A spa Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
AEGON Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
ASUSTEK Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nnonaccountant nnonaccountant nnonaccountant nnonaccountant nnonaccountant
ATEbank Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nnonaccountant nnonaccountant nnonaccountant nnonaccountant nnonaccountant
Acea Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
nnonaccountant nnonaccountant Big4 Big4
Acer Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nnonaccountant Big4 nnonaccountant Big4 nnonaccountant
Adidas Group Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Advantest Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Aeon Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Agnico-Eagle Mines Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
(AEM) Big4
Agricultural Bank of China Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Air France-KLM Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
Big4
Airports of Thailand Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
(AOT)
Aisin Seiki Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Ajinomoto Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Alfresa Holdings Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Allianz SE Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Alps Electric Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Anas S.p.A. Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 accountant Big4 Big4 Big4
Andersen & Martini Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Anglo American Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Aon Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Asahi Glass Company Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Asahi Kasei Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant Big4 Big4
Atos Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Auckland International Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Airport Limited
Autogrill S.p.A. Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 Big4
Autoliv Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Aviva Investors Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Axel Springer Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4
JADOON ET AL. 15

TABLE A1 (Continued)

Company Name Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016
Axfood Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
BAE Systems Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
BASF SE Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
BP Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
BT Group Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant accountant accountant
BYD Company Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Baidu Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Balfour Beatty Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
nonaccountant Big4
Bang & Olufsen A/S Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Bank of Ayudhaya PCL Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Big4
Bank of Communications Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
Big4 Big4
Banpu Public Company Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Limited
Baoshan Iron & Steel Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Barrick Gold Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Bayer AG Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Befimmo SA/NV Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though Self-eported
Big4 Big4 Big4
Beiersdorf Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-eported
Berkeley Group Self-eported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Boliden Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 Big4
Bouygues Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Bovis Homes Group PLC Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
British Land Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Britvic Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Bunzl Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
Big4
Burberry Group Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
Big4
CRH Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Cameco Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 Big4
Canadian Imperial Bank of Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Commerce (CIBC)
Canadian Pacific Railway Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
(CPR)
CapitaLand Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Capital Power Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Corporation Big4 Big4

(Continues)
16 JADOON ET AL.

TABLE A1 (Continued)

Company Name Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016
Cargotec Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
Big4
Carillion Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Casio Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
nonaccountant nonaccountant
Celestica Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
nonaccountant
Centerra Gold Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
nonaccountant
China Southern Airlines Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
China Unicom Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Contact Energy Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant Big4 nonaccountant
Continental Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
Big4
Cranswick Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Croda Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
D'Ieteren Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
DSV Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Dai-ichi Life Holdings Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Daiichi Sankyo Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
nonaccountant
Daikin Industries Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
nonaccountant
Daimler Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Daiwa Securities Group Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4
Denso Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Dentsu Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Deutsche Bank Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant Big4
Deutsche Telekom Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Diageo Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Domtar Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Dongfeng Motor Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
East Japan Railway Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Ebara Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
nonaccountant
Eisai Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Electrolux Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
ElringKlinger Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
EnCana Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Eurobank Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
JADOON ET AL. 17

TABLE A1 (Continued)

Company Name Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016
Fast Retailing Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Fortum Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Fuji Electric Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Fujitsu Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 Big4 nonaccountant
Furukawa Electric Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Gildan Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Great Portland Estates Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Greencore Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Gunze Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Hammerson Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 nonaccountant
Hannover Ruck Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Hannstar Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Hellenic Petroleum Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant accountant accountant nonaccountant
Hitachi Chemical Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
Big4
Hitachi Metals Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
nonaccountant
Holmen Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
IRPC Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 accountant accountant
ITO EN Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Iamgold Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Imperial Oil Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Inpex Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
nonaccountant Big4
Intesa Sanpaolo Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Iren Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Isagen Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
accountant accountant accountant accountant accountant
Isuzu Motors Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Itochu Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant Big4 Big4 Big4
Jyske Bank Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
KBC Group Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Kathmandu Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Keikyu Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Kemira Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Kikkoman Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Kirin Holdings Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4
Komatsu Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Konecranes Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported

(Continues)
18 JADOON ET AL.

TABLE A1 (Continued)

Company Name Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016
Kyocera Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
LIXIL Group Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
Big4
Laird Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Land securities Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
nonaccountant
Leonardo Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Liberty Global Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4
Loblaw Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Lonmin Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Lundin Mining Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant accountant
M1 Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Manulife Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Marks & Spencer Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 nonaccountant
Marubeni Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
accountant accountant Big4 Big4
Marui Group Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Mazda Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4
Mitie Group Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Mitsubishi Electric Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Mitsubishi Estate Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Mitsubishi Materials Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Mitsui Chemicals Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
nonaccountant
NGK Insulators Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4
NGK Spark Plug Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
National Grid Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Nidec Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Nippon Shokubai Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Nissan Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4
Nisshin Seifun Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Nordea Bank Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Norsk Hydro Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Novo Nordisk Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Big4
OPAP Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Obayashi Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Omron Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though
Big4
JADOON ET AL. 19

TABLE A1 (Continued)

Company Name Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016
Orkla Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Osisko Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Outotec Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Pan American Silver Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4
Pandora Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
PayPoint Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Pioneer Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Provident Financial Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Publicis Groupe Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Puma Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Qisda Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
RSA Insurance Group Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4
Rinnai Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Riso Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Robinson Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Royal Dutch Shell Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant accountant accountant
SSAB Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Saipem Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 accountant
Sanken Electric Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Sanofi Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Schneider Electric Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Big4 Big4
Secom Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
nonaccountant
Segro Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Sekisui Chemical Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Sekisui House Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant Big4
Semafo Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Severn Trent Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Shikoku Electric Power Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Shin-Etsu Chemical Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
nonaccountant
Shionogi Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Showa Shell Sekiyu Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Siam Commercial Bank Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
Big4
Siemens Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Smiths Group Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported

(Continues)
20 JADOON ET AL.

TABLE A1 (Continued)

Company Name Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016
Snam Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
SolarWorld Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
accountant accountant accountant accountant
Standard Life Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Big4
StarHub Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Stora Enso Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant accountant nonaccountant Big4 Big4
Storebrand Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Strabag Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Suez Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Sumitomo Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4 Big4
Sumitomo Chemical Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Sumitomo Metal Mining Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Sun Hung Kai Properties Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Swedish Match Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Synnex Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Sysmex Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
TAIYO YUDEN Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
TDK Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
TITAN CEMENT Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
accountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
TOTAL Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
TOTO Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
nonaccountant Big4
Taiheiyo Cement Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Taisei Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Takeda Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Teijin Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4
Tele2 Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported
Big4
Telekom Austria Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Teranga Gold Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Thai Oil Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
accountant accountant accountant
Thales Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4
Thomas Cook Group Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Tokai Rika Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
JADOON ET AL. 21

TABLE A1 (Continued)

Company Name Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016
Tokyo Electron Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Toppan Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Big4 Big4
Toshiba Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant accountant accountant Big4
Toyota Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Toyota Boshoku Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Tsingtao Brewery Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Tullow Oil Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4
UCB Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
UNIBAIL-RODAMCO SE Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Unipol Self-reported Self-reported Assurance though Self-reported Assurance though
Big4 accountant
Uponor Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
VERBUND Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4 Big4
Vivendi Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4 Big4
Vopak Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4
WPP Self-reported Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant nonaccountant
Westjet Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported Self-reported
Big4 Big4 Big4
Wienerberger Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though
Big4 Big4 accountant Big4 Big4
Wihlborgs Fastigheter Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Assurance though Self-reported
Big4 Big4 nonaccountant Big4
William Demant Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Yamaha Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported
Yamana Gold Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported Self-reported

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