Corporate social disclosures in the context of national cultures and stakeholder theory

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate whether corporate social disclosure levels relate to national cultures. Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of 600 large companies from 22 countries. Cultural measures were applied: a measure for secrecy, as proposed by Hope et al. and a newly constructed measure for generic types of cultures (Gannon), both derived from Hofstede's national culture dimensions. Two other dimensions, masculinity and long‐term orientation, not part of secrecy and generic types of culture measures, were also tested separately. Findings – A number of significant statistical relationships between corporate social disclosures and cultural measures are identified. The results are consistent with the associations suggested by stakeholder theory and a country‐specific stakeholder orientation. It is concluded that corporate social disclosure levels are likely to be influenced by national cultures. Research limitations/implications – The results of Van der Laan Smith et al. are largely supported. Culture is clearly related to corporate social disclosure levels, although cultural data may need refinement. Further, the potential limitations of the application of stakeholder theory for this type of study need to be taken into account. Practical implications – The outcomes can be useful to the managers of multinational corporations, when preparing corporate social disclosures. Originality/value – Instead of a comparison between two nations, as is undertaken by Van der Laan Smith et al. a scaled relationship between generic types of cultures and CSD levels is found.