تاثیر هویت سازمانی در افشای مسئولیت اجتماعی شرکتی The impact of corporate identity on corporate social responsibility disclosure

ntroduction Within the last two decades, CSR disclosure by firms motivated an increasing number of research studies examining the motivation of this disclosure. Findings support that CSR disclosure is value relevant (Clarkson et al. 2013; Plumlee et al. 2015), increases earnings quality (Francis et al. 2008), analyst forecast accuracy (Dhaliwal et al. 2012) and firm level cost of capital (Michaels and Grüning 2017). Firms also use CSR disclosure to differentiate from competitors and as a marketing tool (Porter and Kramer 2006). Empirical evidence suggests that the integration of CSR in corporate strategy might establish a competitive advantage (Carroll and Shabana 2010). Although firms may attempt to implement real CSR concepts, there is a tendency of “greenwashing” (Laufer 2014). In line with the missing causal link between CSR performance and CSR disclosure stakeholders mainly regard the latter as not trustworthy (Newell and Goldsmith 2001). Volkswagen’s “Diesel Dupe” is a contemporary example. CSR disclosure credibility increases if aligned with corporate strategy (McWilliams and Siegel 2001). While quite some research examined internal determinants to support the strategic integration of CSR (e.g. Engert et al. 2016; Lozano 2013, 2015) only a few studies focussed on the internal aspects facilitating CSR disclosure. Prior research outlined a scheme to connect corporate identity and CSR (Otubanjo 2013). The “identity-revealing nature of CSR activities” is crucial in building a long-term sustainable corporate image (Du et al. 2010, p. 17) and a successful CSR strategy (Heikkurinen and Ketola 2012) but has been rarely addressed in the literature. Nevertheless, identity-based values and attributes as well as their communication are considered key factors for entrepreneurial success (He and Balmer 2007). Therefore, this paper examines if the degree of CSR-orientation in corporate identity is an important managerial driver of CSR disclosure. Results show that corporate identity significantly influences CSR disclosure even though they reveal an ambiguous pattern. Whereas the corporate identity dimensions “strategic integration” and “CSR application” facilitate, “employee integration” and “attitude awareness” inhibit CSR disclosure. CSR disclosure is objectively measured using an artificial intelligence based narrative analysis of CSR reports from 2013/14. CSRoriented corporate identity is extracted from a company survey. Whereas the total sample consists of 498 companies, the intersecting sample (providing data for all main variables) consists of 108 German companies. The paper contributes to existing literature by revealing insights on so far unobserved determinants of CSR disclosure. It supports that managerial activities can shape internal drivers of CSR disclosure to obtain related financial benefits. Moreover, the paper provides quantitative data to the state of the art of corporate identity profiles and CSR disclosure of German firms.