Corporate social responsibility reporting of food industry major players

Abstract

Purpose – This study examines the extent and tendency of corporate social responsibility (CSR)reporting of the large corporations of Food & Beverages industry. The authors aim to investigate howinformation is being reported, and what is being reported in comparison with indicators outlined in theGlobal Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. Design/Methodology/Approach – The annual and CSR reports of year 2011/2012 of 10 majorplayers of food and beverages industry were coded using a content-based technique. The coding aimedto accommodate 84 indicators of GRI-G3.1 which are related to six broad areas of sustainability,namely environment, labor practices and decent works, product responsibility, human rights, societyand economic in the reports. Findings – The study unveils that all the studied companies disclosed information regarding CSRactivities in six areas; however looking one level deeper to GRI subsections of each area shows thatcorporations intended to disclose only the positive impacts of their activities on environment andsociety but the negative effect of their operations is mostly neglected. Inadequate disclosures alsoobserved where the indicator required quantitative disclosure or detailed expenditure. This behavior isthe result of the threat that may menace corporate reputation and public image.