The users of corporate social responsibility reports : a case study of Bank of Valletta plc

Abstract

The CSR report outlines the main CSR activities that are performed by organisations which are committed to play a leading and effective role in the country's sustainable development, whilst tangibly proving that they are responsible and caring citizens towards all affected stakeholders, in particular the community in which they operate. The objective of the study is to examine whether intentional users of the CSR report are truly interested in reading the report or conversely whether the CSR report is regarded as an additional burden for the local organisations. Taking a case study approach, this dissertation reviews the above objective in the context of BOV plc. Essentially, the preliminary stage of the research focused on all Maltese public listed companies to establish which of such companies issue a CSR report electronically. Surprisingly, only BOV plc publishes a CSR report on its official website. Accordingly, it was concluded that the study should focus on the CSR report that BOV plc issues. In addition, the analysis is carried out from the perspective of the users so as to find out whether they read through the CSR report or not. The study reveals the rationale behind the opinions of the users regarding the concept of CSR, its reporting and related publicity. As regards the future of CSR and its reporting, it is of utmost importance that ample education is provided to explain both the concept and the reasoning behind the issuance of a separate CSR report. Additionally, obligatory disclosure of CSR reporting is to be also considered in order to further increase the participation of its users. It is also important that the CSR programme is regularly updated and reviewed.