Purpose

The aim of this study is to analyze the possible relationship between board characteristics and integrated reporting quality in an international setting.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the study's hypotheses, the authors applied linear regressions with a panel data, and the authors collected data from the Thomson Reuters database (ASSET4) and from the annual reports from European companies to analyze data of 253 listed companies selected from the environmental, social and governance (ESG) index between 2010 and 2019.

Findings

The reached empirical results prove to indicate well that both of the board size, independence and diversity appear to have a significantly positive effect on the integrated reporting quality. Noteworthy, also, is the fact that the appointment of an independent nonexecutive chairman is positively associated with the integrated reporting related quality, and holds for firms with a nonindependent chairman.

Practical implications

Beyond the theoretical implications, our study also has several practical implications. These findings are particularly relevant for managers, shareholders, and policymakers. Thus, stakeholders should consider the accuracy of disclosure in determining the optimal reporting strategy (reducing risk estimation, returns' stock volatility, increasing long-term shareholder value and reputation of the firm).

Originality/value

This article is motivated by the low number of works in the context about the corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues. It makes an important contribution to the academic literature by adding to the limited body of research on integrated reporting and corporate governance in an ESG company setting. The study is also important for practitioners seeking to improve the quality of their integrated reports.

中文翻译：

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董事会特征和综合报告质量：来自 ESG 欧洲公司的证据

目的

本研究的目的是分析国际背景下董事会特征与综合报告质量之间的可能关系。

设计/方法/途径

为检验研究假设，作者对面板数据应用线性回归，作者从汤森路透数据库 (ASSET4) 和欧洲公司的年度报告中收集数据，分析了从环境、社会、 2010 年至 2019 年的治理 (ESG) 指数。

发现

实证结果表明，董事会规模、独立性和多样性似乎对综合报告质量有显着的积极影响。同样值得注意的是，独立非执行主席的任命与综合报告相关质量呈正相关，并且适用于拥有非独立主席的公司。

实际影响

除了理论意义之外，我们的研究还具有一些实际意义。这些发现对管理者、股东和决策者尤其重要。因此，利益相关者在确定最佳报告策略时应考虑披露的准确性（减少风险估计、收益股票波动、增加长期股东价值和公司声誉）。

原创性/价值

这篇文章的动机是关于企业社会责任和可持续性问题的工作数量很少。它对 ESG 公司环境中综合报告和公司治理的有限研究进行了补充，为学术文献做出了重要贡献。该研究对于寻求提高综合报告质量的从业者也很重要。