Corporate risk and CSR disclosure. An empirical test in Brazil, Italy and United States

Extant studies demonstrated that institutional context is a determinant of firms’ behaviors towards CSR (Papasolomou-Doukadis et al., 2005; Juholin, 2004; Fülöp et al., 2000; Tencati et al., 2004; Abreu et al., 2005). In this field of studies, a different role is acknowledged to companies in developed and developing countries which have to respond to diverse pressures and requests by stakeholders. The article explores the differences in social responsibility disclosure among firms operating in explicit CSR institutional context, implicit CSR institutional context and emerging economies. We used an original perspective which analyzes the social and environmental content of corporate reports – whether social or financial. Previous works, indeed, suggested that the institutional setting – as well as industrial one – affects the disclosure of CSR related information by firms (Kolk et al., 2001; Kolk, 2005; Maignan and Ralston, 2002, Meek et al., 1995). The work presents the results of the content-analysis of the reports published by 150 listed companies operating in United States, Italy and Brazil to compare existing different approaches. Results confirm different approaches between the companies in the countries and suggest driven by the institutional context. While Italian reports include extensive information towards a wide range of stakeholders, Brazilian ones are more specific and aimed at demonstrating the commitment to the critical problems of the national population. United States aimed at show the relation between the decision to be involved in CSR and their corporate strategy.