literature review corporate social responsibility

A Literature Review of Innovation and Corporate Social Responsibilities

Ieee account.

• Change Username/Password
• Update Address

Purchase Details

• Payment Options
• Order History
• View Purchased Documents

Profile Information

• Communications Preferences
• Profession and Education
• Technical Interests
• US & Canada: +1 800 678 4333
• Worldwide: +1 732 981 0060
• Contact & Support
• About IEEE Xplore
• Accessibility
• Terms of Use
• Nondiscrimination Policy
• Privacy & Opting Out of Cookies

A not-for-profit organization, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. © Copyright 2024 IEEE - All rights reserved. Use of this web site signifies your agreement to the terms and conditions.

Empirical research on corporate social responsibility assurance (CSRA): A literature review

• Original Paper
• Published: 05 January 2017
• Volume 87 , pages 1017–1066, ( 2017 )

Cite this article

• Patrick Velte   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5960-8449 1 &
• Martin Stawinoga 2  

5057 Accesses

54 Citations

Explore all metrics

Empirical research on corporate social responsibility assurance (CSRA) has been rapidly increasing with regard to the enhanced stakeholder information awareness. In view of the current relevance of this topic, our review of 53 empirical CSRA studies provides insights into this emerging research area. On the one hand, we concentrate on factors that might influence the decision to conduct CSRA (input variables, e.g. corporate governance). On the other hand, we analyse the consequences of CSRA (output factors as stakeholder reactions). Furthermore, we gain further information about the CSRA decision itself (context factors, e.g. CSRA provider). After providing a detailed analysis of the current research on three different levels (market, organizational and individual/group-decision-making level), we describe the limitations of the studies and provide recommendations for future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Implementation: A Review and a Research Agenda Towards an Integrative Framework

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): The Role of Government in promoting CSR

Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review

Ackers B (2015) Who provides corporate social responsibility (CSR) assurance and what are the implications of the various assurance practices? J Econ Financ Sci 8:125–144

Google Scholar  

Ackers B, Eccles NS (2015) Mandatory corporate social responsibility assurance practices. Account Audit Account J 28:515–550

Article   Google Scholar  

Artiach T, Lee D, Nelson D, Walker J (2010) The determinants of corporate sustainability performance. Account Financ 50:31–51

Bagnoli M, Watts SG (2016) Voluntary assurance of voluntary CSR disclosure. J Econ Manag Strategy (online first)

Ball A, Owen DL, Gray R (2000) External transparency or internal capture? The role of third-party statements in adding value to corporate environmental reports. Bus Strategy Environ 9:1–23

Ballou B, Casey RJ, Grenier JH, Heitger DL (2012) Exploring the strategic integration of sustainability initiatives: opportunities for accounting research. Account Horizons 26:265–288

Barney J (1986) Strategic factor markets: expectation, luck and business strategy. Manag Sci 32:1231–1241

Bepari MK, Mollik AT (2016) Stakeholders’ interest in sustainability assurance process. An examination of assurance statements reported in Australian companies. Manag Audit J 31:655–687

Berthelot S, Cormier D, Magnan M (2003) Environmental disclosure research: review and synthesis. J Account Lit 22:1–44

Birkey RN, Michelon G, Patten DM, Sankara J (2016) Does assurance on CSR reporting enhance environmental reputation? An examination in the U.S. context. Account Forum 40:143–152

Bollas-Araya H, Polo-Garrido F, Sgui-Mas E (2016) Adoption of sustainability reporting and assurance. A study among the top 300 cooperative and mutual organizations. J Co-Op Account Rep 4:59–78

Brown N, Deegan C (1998) The public disclosure of environmental disclosure information—a dual test of media agenda setting theory and legitimacy theory. Account Bus Res 29:21–41

Brown-Liburd H, Zamora VL (2015) The role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) assurance in investors’ judgments. When managerial pay is explicitly tied to CSR performance. Auditing 34:75–96

Carpenter VL, Feroz EH (2001) Institutional theory and accounting rule choice: an analysis of four US state governments’ decisions to adopt generally accepted accounting principles. Acc Organ Soc 26:565–596

Casey RJ, Grenier JH (2015) Understanding and contributing to the enigma of corporate social responsibility (CSR) assurance in the United States. Auditing 34:97–130

Castelo Branco M, Delgado C, Gomes SF, Pereira Eugenio TC (2014) Factors influencing the assurance of sustainability reports in the context of the economic crisis in Portugal. Manag Audit J 29:237–252

Catanach AH, Walker PL (1999) The international debate over mandatory auditor rotation: a conceptual research framework. Int Account Audit Tax 8:43–66

Cheng MM, Green WJ, Ko JCW (2015) The impact of strategic relevance and assurance of sustainability indicators on investors’ decisions. Auditing 34:131–162

Cho CH, Michelon G, Patten DM, Roberts RW (2014) CSR report assurance in the USA. An empirical investigation of determinants and effects. Sustain Account Manag Policy J 5:130–148

Cohen JR, Simnett R (2015) CSR and assurance services. A research agenda. Auditing 34:59–74

Cohen JR, Krishnamoorthy G, Wright AM (2008) Form versus substance: the implications for auditing practice and research of alternative perspectives in corporate governance. Auditing 27:181–198

Coram PJ, Monroe GS, Woodliff DR (2009) The value of assurance on voluntary nonfinancial disclosure. An experimental evaluation. Auditing 28:137–151

Cyert RM, March JG (1963) A behavioral theory of the firm. Prentice-Hall, Englewoods Cliffs

Darnall N, Seol I, Sarkis J (2009) Perceived stakeholder influences and organizations’ use of environmental audits. Acc Organ Soc 34:170–187

Darus F, Sawani Y, Zain MM, Janggu T (2014) Impediments to CSR assurance in an emerging economy. Manag Audit J 29:253–267

De Beelde I, Tuybens S (2015) Enhancing the credibility of reporting on corporate social responsibility in Europe. Bus Strategy Environ 24:190–216

De Villiers C, Venter ER, Hsiao PCK (2016) Integrated reporting: background, measurement issues, approaches and an agenda for future research. Account Financ (online first)

DeAngelo LE (1981) Size and audit quality. J Account Econ 3:183–199

Deegan C (2002) Introduction: the legitimising effect of social and environmental disclosures—a theoretical foundation. Account Audit Account J 15:282–311

Deegan C, Unerman J (2011) Financial accounting theory, 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill, London

Dhaliwal DS, Radhakrishnan S, Tsang A, Yang YG (2012) Nonfinancial disclosure and analyst forecast accuracy: international evidence on corporate social responsibility disclosure. Account Rev 87:723–759

Dienes D, Sassen R, Fischer J (2016) What are the drivers of sustainability reporting? A systematic review. Sustain Account Manag Pol J 7:154–189

Dilla WN, Janvrin D, Perkins JD, Raschke RL (2015) Integrated reporting: the influence of non-financial assurance report level and format on investor judgments. Working paper, Iowa

Dillard JF, Rigsby JT, Goodman C (2004) The making and remaking of organizational context: duality and the institutionalization process. Account Audit Account J 17:506–542

DiMaggio PJ, Powell WW (1983) The iron cage revisited: institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. Am Sociol Rev 48:147–160

Doegl C, Holtbruegge D (2015) Institutional theory. In: Idowu SO, Capaldi N, Fifka MS, Zu L, Schmidpeter R (eds) Dictionary of corporate social responsibility. CSR, sustainability, ethics and governance. Springer, Berlin

Dowling J, Pfeffer J (1975) Organizational legitimacy: social values and organizational behavior. Pac Sociol Rev 18:122–136

Dumay J, Bernardi C, Guthrie J, Demartini P (2016) Integrated reporting: a structured literature review. Account Forum 40:166–185

Eccles RG, Krzus MP (2015) The integrated reporting movement—meaning, momentum motives, and materiality. Wiley, Hoboken

Edwards W (1954) The theory of decision making. Psychol Bull 51:380–417

Faisal F, Tower G, Rusmin R (2012) Legitimising corporate sustainability reporting throughout the world. Australas Account Bus Financ J 6:19–34

Fazzini M, Dal Maso L (2016) The value relevance of “assured” environmental disclosure. The Italian experience. Sustain Account Manag Pol J 7:225–245

FEE (2002) FEE discussion paper providing assurance on sustainability reports. http://www.fee.be/images/publications/sustainability/DP_Providing_Assurance_on_Sustainability_Reports1632005451020.pdf

Fernando S, Lawrence S (2014) A theoretical framework for CSR practices: integrating legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and institutional theory. J Theoretical Account Res 10:149–178

Fifka MS (2013) Corporate responsibility reporting and its determinants in comparative perspective—a review of the empirical literature and a meta-analysis. Bus Strategy Environ 22:1–35

Flower J (2015) The international integrated reporting council: a story of failure. Crit Perspect Account 27:1–17

Gabriel A (2015) Freiwillige Veröffentlichung und Prüfung von GRI-Nachhaltigkeitsberichten. Eine empirische Analyse auf dem europäischen Kapitalmarkt. Springer, Wiesbaden

Book   Google Scholar  

Garcia-Benau MA, Sierra-Garcia L, Zorio A (2013) Financial crisis impact on sustainability reporting. Manag Decis 51:1528–1542

Garcia-Sanchez I, Rodriguez-Ariza L, Frias-Aceituno JV (2013) The cultural system and integrating reporting. Int Bus Rev 22:828–838

Gietl S, Göttsche M, Habisch A, Roloff M, Schauer M (2013) Does CSR reporting destroy firm value? Empirical evidence on GRI-aligned European firms. J Environ Law Pol 36:58–86

Gillet C (2012) A study of sustainability verification practices. The French case. J Account Organ Change 8:62–84

Gillet-Monjarret C (2015) Assurance of sustainability information: a study of media pressure. Account Europe 12:87–105

Grant R (1991) The resource-based-theory of competitive advantage: implications for strategy formulation. Calif Manag Rev 33:114–135

Gray R, Kouhy R, Lavers S (1995) Corporate social and environmental reporting—a review of the literature and a longitudinal study of UK disclosure. Account Audit Account J 8:47–77

Gray RH, Owen DL, Adams C (2010) Some theories for social accounting? A review essay and a tentative pedagogic categorisation of theorisations around social accounting. In: Freedman M, Jaggi B (eds) Sustainability, environmental performance and disclosures. Emerald Group Publishing, Bingley, pp 1–54

GRI (2013) G4 sustainability reporting guidelines. Reporting principles and standard disclosures, Amsterdam. https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/GRIG4-Part1-Reporting-Principles-and-Standard-Disclosures.pdf

Gürtürk A, Hahn R (2016) An empirical assessment of assurance statements in sustainability reports: smoke screens or enlightening information? J Clean Prod 136:30–41

Herda DN, Taylor ME, Winterbotham G (2014) The effect of country-level investor protection on the voluntary assurance of sustainability reports. J Int Financ Manag Account 25:209–236

Hill CWL, Jones TM (1992) Stakeholder-agency theory. J Manage Stud 29:131–154

Hodge K, Subramaniam N, Stewart J (2009) Assurance of sustainability reports: impact on report users’ confidence and perceptions of information credibility. Aust Account Rev 19:178–194

Huang XB, Watson L (2015) Corporate social responsibility research in accounting. J Account Lit 34:1–16

IIA (2010) Evaluating corporate social responsibility/sustainable development. http://www.iia.nl/Sitefiles/10038_PRO-Corporate_Social_Responsiblity_PG-FNL%5B1%5D.pdf

IIRC (2013) The international <IR> framework. http://integratedreporting.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/13-12-08-THE-INTERNATIONAL-IR-FRAMEWORK-2-1.pdf

Jensen MC, Meckling WH (1976) Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. J Financ Econ 3:305–360

Jones P, Hiller D, Comfort D (2014) Assurance of the leading UK food retailers’ corporate social responsibility/sustainability reports. Corp Gov 14:130–138

Joyce EJ, Libby R (1981) Some accounting implications of “behavioral decision theory: process of judgment and choice”. J Account Res 19:544–550

Junior RM, Best PJ, Cotter J (2014) Sustainability reporting and assurance. A historical analysis on a world-wide phenomenon. J Bus Ethics 120:1–11

Kend M (2015) Governance, firm-level characteristics and their impact on the client’s voluntary sustainability disclosures and assurance decisions. Sustain Account Manag Pol J 6:54–78

Kim S, Green WJ, Johnstone KM (2016) Biased evidence processing by multidisciplinary greenhouse gas assurance teams. Audit J Pract Theory 35:119–139

Kolk A, Perego P (2010) Determinants of the adoption of sustainability assurance statements. An international investigation. Bus Strategy Environ 19:182–198

Kolk A, van Tulder R (2010) International business, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Int Bus Rev 19:119–125

Kubicek H (1977) Heuristische Bezugsrahmen und heuristisch angelegte Forschungsdesigns als Elemente einer Konstruktionsstrategie empirischer Forschung. In: Köhler R (ed) Empirische und handlungstheoretische Forschungskonzeptionen in der Betriebswirtschaftslehre. Schaeffer Poeschel, Stuttgart, pp 3–36

Kuruppu S, Milne MJ (2010) Dolphin deaths, organizational legitimacy and potential employees’ reactions to assured environmental disclosures. Account Forum 34:1–19

Lee TM, Hutchison PD (2005) The decision to disclose environmental information: a research review and agenda. Adv Account 21:83–111

Liao L, Lin TP, Zhang Y (2016) Corporate board and corporate social responsibility assurance. Evidence from China. J Bus Ethics (online first)

Malik M (2015) Value-enhancing capabilites of CSR: a brief review of contemporary literature. J Bus Ethics 127:419–438

Manetti G, Becatti L (2009) Assurance services for sustainability reports: standards and empirical evidence. J Bus Ethics 87:289–298

Manetti G, Toccafondi S (2012) The role of stakeholders in sustainability reporting assurance. J Bus Ethics 107:363–377

March JG, Simon HA (1958) Organizations. Wiley, New York

Martinez-Ferrero J, Garcia-Sanchez I (2016) Coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphism as determinants of the voluntary assurance of sustainability reports. Int Bus Rev (online first)

Marx B, Dyk V (2011) Sustainability reporting and assurance—an analysis of assurance practices in South Africa. Meditari Account Res 19:39–55

Mathews MR (1997) Twenty-five years of social and environmental accounting research—is there a silver jubilee to celebrate? Account Audit Account J 10:481–531

Michelon G, Pilonato S, Ricceri F, Roberts RW (2016) Behind camouflaging: traditional and innovative theoretical perspectives in social and environmental accounting research. Sustain Account Manag Pol J 7:2–25

Mio C (2016) Integrated reporting: the iirc framework. In: Mio C (ed) Integrated reporting—a new accounting disclosure. Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp 1–18

Mock T, Strohm C, Swartz KM (2007) An examination of worldwide assured sustainability reporting. Aust Account Rev 17:67–77

Mock T, Rao SS, Srivastava RP (2013) The development of worldwide sustainability reporting assurance. Aust Account Rev 23:280–294

Moneva JM, Archel P, Correa C (2006) GRI and the camouflaging of corporate unstainability. Account Forum 30:121–137

Moroney R, Trotman K (2016) Differences in auditors’s materiality assessments when auditing financial statements and sustainability reports. Contemp Account Res 33:551–575

Moroney R, Windsor C, Aw YT (2012) Evidence of assurance enhancing the quality of voluntary environmental disclosures: an empirical analysis. Account Financ 52:903–939

Müller S, Stawinoga M, Velte P (2015) Nationale Umsetzung der Mitgliedstaatenwahlrechte der europäischen CSR-Richtlinie beim Ausweis und bei der Prüfung der “nichtfinanziellen Erklärung“. Zeitschrift für Umweltpolitik and Umweltrercht 38:313–340

Murphy D, McGrath D (2013) ESG reporting—class actions, deterrence, and avoidance. Sustain Account Manag Pol J 4:216–235

Norman W, MacDonald C (2004) Getting to the bottom of “triple bottom line”. Bus Ethics Q 14:243–262

O’Dwyer B (2011) The case of sustainability assurance: constructing a new assurance service. Contemp Account Res 28:1230–1266

O’Dwyer B, Owen DL (2005) Assurance statement practice in environmental, social and sustainability reporting: a critical evaluation. Br Account Rev 37:205–229

O’Dwyer B, Owen DL, Unerman J (2011) Seeking legitimacy for new assurance forms: the case of assurance on sustainability reporting. Acc Organ Soc 36:31–52

Oliver C (1997) Sustainable competitive advantage: combining institutional and resource-based views. Strateg Manag J 18:697–713

Perego P (2009) Causes and consequences of choosing different assurance providers. An international study of sustainability reporting. Int J Manag 26:412–425

Perego P, Kolk A (2012) Multinationals’ accountability on sustainability. the evolution of third-party assurance of sustainability reports. J Bus Ethics 110:173–190

Peters GF, Romi AM (2015) The association between sustainability governance characteristics and the assurance of corporate sustainability reports. Auditing 34:163–198

Pflugrath G, Roebuck P, Simnett R (2011) Impact of assurance and assurer’s professional affiliation on financial analysts’ assessment of credibility of corporate social responsibility information. Auditing 30:239–254

Power M (1996) Making things auditable. Acc Organ Soc 21:289–315

Ramus CA, Montiel I (2005) When are corporate environmental policies a form of grenwashing? Bus Soc 44:377–414

Roberts P (1992) Business and the environment: an initial review of the recent literature. Bus Strategy Environ 1:41–50

Romero S, Fernandez-Feijoo B, Ruiz S (2014) Perceptions of quality of assurance statements for sustainability reports. Soc Responsib J 10:480–499

Rowbottom N, Locke J (2016) The emergence of <IR>. Account Bus Res 46:83–115

Ruhnke K, Gabriel A (2013) Determinants of voluntary assurance on sustainability reports: an empirical analysis. J Bus Econ 83:1063–1091

Sanfey AG (2007) Decision neuroscience. New directions in studies of judgment and decision-making. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 16:151–155

Sawani Y, Zain MM, Darus F (2010) Preliminary insights on sustainability reporting and assurance practices in Malaysia. Soc Responsib J 6:627–645

Scott WR (1987) The adolescence of institutional theory. Adm Sci Q 32:493–511

Seguí-Mas E, Bollas-Araya HM, Polo-Garrido F (2015) Sustainability assurance on the biggest cooperatives of the world: an analysis of their adoption and quality. Ann Public Coop Econ 86:363–383

Sethi SP, Martell TF, Demir M (2015) Enhancing the role and effectiveness of corporate social responsibility reports: the missing element of content verification and integrity assurance. J Bus Ethics (online first)

Seuring S, Mueller M (2008) Core issues in sustainable supply chain management—a Delphi study. Bus Strategy Environ 17:455–466

Shocker A, Sethi P (1973) An approach to incorporating societal preferences in developing corporate action strategies. Calif Manag Rev 15:97–105

Sierra L, Zorio A, Garcia-Benau MA (2013) Sustainable development and assurance of corporate social responsibility reports published by Ibex-35-companies. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag 20:359–370

Simnett R (2012) Assurance of sustainability reports. Revision of ISAE 3000 and associated research opportunities. Sustain Account Manag Pol J 3:89–98

Simnett R (2014) Assurance of environmental, social and sustainability information. In: Hay D, Knechel R, Willekens M (eds) The Routledge companion to auditing. Routledge, London/New York, pp 325–337

Simnett R, Huggins AL (2015) Integrated reporting and assurance: where can research add value? Sustain Account Manag Pol J 6:29–53

Simnett R, Vanstraelen A, Chua WF (2009) Assurance on sustainability reports. An international comparison. Account Rev 84:937–967

Slovic P, Fischhoff B, Lichtenstein S (1977) Behavioral decision theory. Annu Rev Psychol 28:1–39

Soh DSB, Martinov-Bennie N (2015) Internal auditors’ perceptions of their role in environmental, social and governance assurance and consulting. Manag Audit J 30:80–111

Spence M (1973) Job market signaling. Quart J Econ 87:355–374

Velte P, Stawinoga M (2016a) Integrated reporting: the current state of empirical research, limitations and future research implications. J Manag Control (online first)

Velte P, Stawinoga M (2016b) Prüfung von Nachhaltigkeitsberichten. Mögliche Implikationen für die handelsrechtliche Umsetzung der “EU-CSR-Richtlinie” bei der nicht finanziellen Erklärung vor dem Hintergrund internationaler Forschungsergebnisse. Der Konzern 14:13–19

Wernerfelt B (1984) A resource based view of the firm. Strategic Manag Rev 5:171–180

Williamson OE (1999) Strategy research: governance and competence perspectives. Strateg Manag J 20:1087–1108

Wong R, Millington A (2014) Corporate social disclosures: a user perspective on assurance. Account Audit Account J 27:863–887

ISAE 3000: international standard on assurance engagements: ISAE 3000 (Revised), assurance engagements other than audits or reviews of historical financial information. International framework for assurance engagements and related confirming amendments

Zorio A, Garcia-Benau MA, Sierra L (2013) Sustainability development and the quality of assurance reports. Empirical evidence. Bus Strategy Environ 22:484–500

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments, which greatly improved the literature review. We are also grateful to the session participants at the “Financial Reporting and Business Communication 18th Annual Conference 2015” at the University of Bristol, “Herbsttagung der Kommission Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement des Verbands der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft e.V. 2015” at the University of Ulm and “International Conference 2015 Corporate Governance, Accounting and Audit: Crisis Challenges” at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg for their helpful comments and suggestions.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Chair of Accounting and Auditing, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany

Patrick Velte

Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences, Prozessionsweg 1, 34414, Warburg, Germany

Martin Stawinoga

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick Velte .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Velte, P., Stawinoga, M. Empirical research on corporate social responsibility assurance (CSRA): A literature review. J Bus Econ 87 , 1017–1066 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-016-0844-2

Download citation

Published : 05 January 2017

Issue Date : November 2017

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-016-0844-2

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• CSR assurance
• CSR reporting
• Stakeholder management
• Corporate governance
• Assurance level
• Assurance provider

JEL Classification

• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research