The views of corporate managers
on the current state of, and future
prospects for, social reporting
in Bangladesh
An engagement-based study
Ataur Rahman Belal
Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK, and
David L. Owen
International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility,
Nottingham University Business School, Nottingham, UK
Abstract
Purpose – This paper seeks to respond to recent calls for more engagement-based studies of
corporate social reporting (CSR) practice by examining the views of corporate managers on the current
state of, and future prospects for, social reporting in Bangladesh.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a series of interviews with senior managers
from 23 Bangladeshi companies representing the multinational, domestic private and public sectors.
Findings – Key findings are that the main motivation behind current reporting practice lies in a
desire on the part of corporate management to manage powerful stakeholder groups, whilst perceived
pressure from external forces, notably parent companies’ instructions and demands from international
buyers, is driving the process forward. In the latter context it appears that adoption of international
social accounting standards and codes is likely to become more prevalent in the future. Reservations
are expressed as to whether such a passive compliance strategy is likely to achieve much in the way of
real changes in corporate behaviour, particularly when Western developed standards and codes are
imposed without consideration of local cultural, economic and social factors. Indeed, such imposition
could be regarded as little more than an example of the erection of non-tariff trade barriers rather than
representing any meaningful move towards empowering indigenous stakeholder groups.
Originality/value – The paper contributes to the literature on CSR in developing countries where
there is a distinct lack of engagement-based published studies.
Keywords Corporate social responsibility, Disclosure, Accounting standards, Compliance,
Developing countries, Bangladesh
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
As Owen (2004) notes, exploration of managerial motivations for making social and
environmental disclosures has long held a prominent position within the corporate
social reporting (CSR) research agenda. Initially, increasingly rigorous content
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0951-3574.htm
The authors would like to thank Carol Adams and Carlos Larrinaga-Gonza
´
lez for their editorial
guidance and the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. The funding
provided by Sheffield University Management School to the first author is also duly
acknowledged. An earlier version of the paper was presented at the 4th APIRA Conference, 2004,
Singapore.
AAAJ
20,3
472
Received December 2005
Revised August 2006,
November 2006,
January 2007
Accepted January 2007
Accounting, Auditing &
Accountability Journal
Vol. 20 No. 3, 2007
pp. 472-494
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0951-3574
DOI 10.1108/09513570710748599