OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISCLOSURE IN MENA EMERGING COUNTRIES

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Abstract

This study examines the association of ownership structure with the environmental disclosure of listed companies in the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) emerging markets. A self-constructed environmental disclosure score based on the framework of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was used. Investigating a sample of 347 annual reports, we calculate the score for listed companies pertaining to 10 MENA countries. Our results revealed that the majority of companies in our study provide a separate section for environmental issues on their annual reports. In addition, multivariate analysis shows that there is a negative association between family ownership and environmental disclosures. However, the presence of the government ownership is likely to improve corporate environmental reporting practice. This paper is of value in that it enlarges the scope of previous studies on environmental disclosure through its inclusion of other regions of the world.

Keywords: Environmental Disclosure; MENA Countries; Family-Ownership; Government Ownership

How to cite this paper: Akrout, M.M., & Othman, H.B.(2016). Ownership structure and environmental disclosure in MENA emerging countries. Corporate Ownership & Control, 13(4-2), 381-388. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv13i4c2p9