Determinants of Sustainability Reporting among Saudi-Listed Companies: Insights from the Preparers' Perspective

Abstract

In response to the spread of awareness of sustainability-related issues such as climate change, governments, organisations, and notably companies have become pivotal actors due to their economic significance. Companies have thus responded to the growing demand for sustainability contributions by reporting their sustainability efforts to stakeholders; this is akin to financial performance being reported by companies. However, sustainability disclosures remain a subject of debate within academia due to limited understanding of such data and its ongoing evolution, particularly given its relatively nascent stage of development. The current research sets out to address this debate, focusing on the Saudi market context. This thesis addresses the insufficient understanding of the perspectives of preparers of sustainability reports in developing countries, and the resulting information gap, particularly in the Saudi Arabian context. The overall purpose of this study is to explore the factors that have contributed to the changes in sustainability reporting in the Saudi market from the preparers’ point of view, its primary aim being to investigate what has shaped its evolution and growth in Saudi Arabia. Within the academic discourse, there have been calls for a deeper investigation of the information content of sustainability disclosures, especially since Saudi Arabia is at an early stage of the adoption of sustainability reporting and has just opened up investment to non-Saudis. In response, the current thesis employs two key methods—namely, content analysis to delves into the content of the sustainability disclosures, specifically examining how they address the three dimensions of sustainability as outlined in Tadawul's environmental, social and governance (ESG) guidelines, and interviews to explore preparers’ insights on the factors contributing to the evolution of sustainability reporting among Saudi-listed companies. Both methods are grounded in the local Saudi context, using the Tadawul ESG guidelines as a framework for the analysis. Thus, to answer the research questions, a combination of methods is used to obtain the empirical data. The content analysis of the sustainability disclosure is made possible through the application of a disclosure scoreboard using Tadawul guidelines. The preparers, who are responsible for sustainability reporting practices within the company, were interviewed. The findings of this thesis suggest a noticeable shift towards sustainability reporting within the Saudi market, particularly influenced by initiatives such as Vision 2030. Key drivers of this trend include the imperative to meet stakeholder expectations. Furthermore, the analysis indicates an increasing tendency amongst companies towards producing standalone sustainability reports. Whilst this research provides valuable insights, it also identifies opportunities for further investigation within the Saudi market, pointing towards avenues for future research and exploration.