Stakeholders Inclusiveness and Corporate Legitimacy: A Comparative Study of Social and Economic Reporting of Multinational Companies in Australia, South Africa and United Kingdom

Abstract

This study investigates corporate social and economic disclosure as an integral part of sustainability reporting to observe voluntary compliance with stakeholders' inclusiveness and corporate legitimacy phenomenon. Following Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Guidelines (G3) on sustainability, a sample of 67 Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) in Australia, United Kingdom and South Africa for the period 2008 and 2009 is examined. Empirical results provide evidence of stakeholders' inclusiveness and corporate legitimacy in voluntary social and economic reporting in the three selected countries. Findings show significant influence of industry sector and firm size on social reporting along with limited influence of firm age. Again, industry, board structure and assurance appear to have significant impact on economic reporting. These findings have important policy implications for the companies, investors, regulators and stakeholders faced with investment, consumption and production decisions.