The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Financial Reporting Quality Considering the Mediating Role of Risk

Authors

    Seyyed Amirreza Jalilzadeh Shirvani * Master of Accounting, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Amirrezajalilzade79@gmail.com

Keywords:

Corporate Sustainability, Financial Reporting Quality, Risk

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the impact of corporate sustainability on financial reporting quality, considering the mediating role of risk. In terms of purpose, this research is applied, and in terms of methodology, it is a descriptive-correlational study. The data are panel data and were collected using information obtained from the CODAL database and Rahavard Novin software. The statistical population consists of companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the period 2020–2024. Using a screening method, a final sample of 121 companies was selected. To analyze the research model and test the hypotheses, panel data linear regression was employed using EViews software. Furthermore, the mediating effect was examined using the three-step procedure proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986). The results of the statistical analyses indicate that corporate sustainability has a positive and significant effect on financial reporting quality. The findings also reveal that risk has a negative and significant effect on financial reporting quality. Finally, based on the last stage of the Baron and Kenny technique, it was determined that risk plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between corporate sustainability and financial reporting quality.

References

[1] F. Rezaei and S. Sadeghnejad, "Examining the Role of Financial Reporting Quality in Reducing the Conflict Between Investment Decisions and Dividend Policy," (in English), Accounting and Auditing Research, vol. 37, pp. 21-40, 2018.

[2] K. Hummel and C. Schlick, "The Relationship Between Sustainability Performance and Sustainability Disclosure: Reconciling Voluntary Disclosure Theory and Legitimacy Theory," (in English), Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 455-476, 2016, doi: 10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2016.06.001.

[3] M. Abdi, S. Homayoun, and M. Kazemi, "Examining the Effect of Corporate Governance Characteristics on the Level of Sustainability Reporting of Companies Listed on the Stock Exchange with Emphasis on Agency Theory," (in English), Value and Behavioral Accounting, vol. 9, pp. 335-369, 2020.

[4] M. Pourkhani, A. Jahanshad, and F. Heidarpour, "Presenting a Model for Corporate Sustainability Information Disclosure and Evaluating the Effects of Factors Related to Signaling Theory and Stakeholders on Reporting This Information," (in English), Value and Behavioral Accounting, vol. 10, pp. 385-421, 2021.

[5] D. Ferreira, C. Pereira, M. Queirós, and A. P. Monteiro, "Impact of Sustainability Reporting on Accounting Information Quality," (in English), Cogent Business & Management, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 2468875, 2025, doi: 10.1080/23311975.2025.2468875.

[6] G. Ozer, N. Aktas, and I. Çam, "Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance Activities and Financial Reporting Quality: An International Investigation," (in English), Borsa Istanbul Review, vol. 45, pp. 236-250, 2024.

[7] X. Wang, F. Cao, and K. Ye, "Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reporting and Financial Reporting Quality: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment," (in English), Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 152, pp. 253-274, 2018, doi: 10.1007/s10551-016-3296-2.

[8] M. K. A. Ani, "Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Financial Reporting Quality: Evidence from Gulf Cooperation Council Countries," (in English), Borsa Istanbul Review, vol. 21, pp. S25-S37, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.bir.2021.01.006.

[9] S. Arvidsson and J. Dumay, "Corporate ESG Reporting Quantity, Quality and Performance: Where to Now for Environmental Policy and Practice?," (in English), Business Strategy and the Environment, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 1091-1110, 2023, doi: 10.1002/bse.2937.

[10] T. Gerwing, P. Kajüter, and M. Wirth, "The Role of Sustainable Corporate Governance in Mandatory Sustainability Reporting Quality," (in English), Journal of Business Economics, vol. 92, pp. 517-555, 2022, doi: 10.1007/s11573-022-01092-x.

[11] J. Garcia-Blandon, J. M. Argilés-Bosch, M. Martinez-Blasco, and D. C. Merino, "On the Relationship Between Compliance with Recommendations on the Audit Committee of Codes of Good Practices and Financial Reporting Quality," (in English), Journal of Management & Governance, vol. 22, pp. 921-946, 2018, doi: 10.1007/s10997-018-9412-1.

[12] G. Cohen, "The Impact of ESG Risks on Corporate Value," (in English), Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, vol. 60, pp. 1451-1468, 2023, doi: 10.1007/s11156-023-01135-6.

[13] S. A. Peliu, "Exploring the Impact of ESG Factors on Corporate Risk: Empirical Evidence for New York Stock Exchange Listed Companies," (in English), Future Business Journal, vol. 10, p. 92, 2024, doi: 10.1186/s43093-024-00378-6.

[14] S. A. Hosseini and F. Ebrahimi, "Corporate Sustainability Performance and Systematic Risk," (in English), Accounting and Social Interests, vol. 49, pp. 61-84, 2023.

[15] R. DasGupta, "Financial Performance Shortfall, ESG Controversies, and ESG Performance: Evidence from Firms Around the World," (in English), Finance Research Letters, vol. 46, p. 102487, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.frl.2021.102487.

[16] S. A. Khalifeh Soltani and M. Alishahi Bajestani, "The Relationship Between Corporate Sustainability Disclosure and Risk," (in English), Accounting and Auditing Studies, vol. 42, pp. 5-20, 2022.

[17] C. E. Anton, C. M. Baba, and O. A. Bucșoiu, "Perspectives on Integrating Risk Management and Sustainability for Financial Performance: A Systematic Literature Review," (in English), Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 8, p. 3456, 2025, doi: 10.3390/su17083456.

[18] U. S. Al Azizah and R. Haron, "The Sustainability Imperative: Evaluating the Effect of ESG on Corporate Financial Performance Before and After the Pandemic," (in English), Discover Sustainability, vol. 6, p. 529, 2025, doi: 10.1007/s43621-025-01401-8.

[19] I. Zumente and J. Bistrova, "ESG Importance for Long-Term Shareholder Value Creation: Literature vs. Practice," (in English), Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, vol. 7, no. 2, p. 127, 2021, doi: 10.3390/joitmc7020127.

[20] W. Martens, P. Yapa, and M. Safari, "Earnings Management in Frontier Market: Do Institutional Settings Matter?," (in English), Economies, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 17, 2021, doi: 10.3390/economies9010017.

[21] G. Esmaeili and M. Oshni, "Corporate Financial Sustainability and Fraudulent Financial Reporting: The Role of Corporate Governance Mechanisms," (in English), Accounting Knowledge, vol. 49, pp. 183-194, 2023.

[22] A. Syamsudin, A. Lestari, M. Fadli, and S. Fattah, "Effect of Work Experience, Task Complexity, and Self-Efficacy on Auditor Performance: Empirical Study of Public Accounting Firm in West Jakarta Region," (in English), Psychology and Education, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 309-318, 2021, doi: 10.17762/pae.v58i1.778.

[23] S. H. Vaqfi, A. Ghafourian Shagerdi, M. Talebi, and Z. Nourbakhsh Hosseini, "The Effect of Sustainability Performance in the Social, Environmental, Governance, and Financial Domains on Investment Efficiency with Emphasis on the Role of Financial Reporting Quality," 2023. [Online]. Available: https://civilica.com/doc/2057884.

Downloads

Published

2025-05-01

Submitted

2025-02-06

Revised

2025-04-18

Accepted

2025-04-22

How to Cite

Jalilzadeh Shirvani, S. A. (2025). The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Financial Reporting Quality Considering the Mediating Role of Risk. Business, Marketing, and Finance Open, 2(3), 219-235. https://bmfopen.com/index.php/bmfopen/article/view/470

Similar Articles

11-20 of 203

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.