Environmental Disclosure Practices and Financial Performance

Understanding environmental liability and disclosure is critical for firm management, investors, accountants and auditors. The U.S. Congress has been increasing the pressure on companies to disclose information on environmental liabilities for years. This study delves into the issue by examining the impact of environmental disclosure on financial performance. These insightful essays provide guidance by supplying the most current and concise research available on this important topic.

Covering such topics as legislation, liability, and regulations, this work analyzes how environmental disclosure influences the financial statements and public accountability of companies, and ultimately drives organizational change. This book builds the framework necessary to comprehend the complexities of quantifying environmental liabilities and make well-informed decisions.

Karim (accounting, Rochester Institute of Technology), Rutledge (accounting, Southwest Texas State U,) and contributors provide up- to-date information about environmental disclosure issues in business. In five chapters, contributors examine legislation, liability and regulation, and how disclosure affects financial statements, public accountability, and organizational change. Contents include an examination of whether a decade of environmental reporting has been accurate or effective, a study of disclosures in annual reports compared to the perceptions of those who read them, a survey of corporate environmental officers about what was disclosed to stakeholders, a review of approaches to developing effective environmental management accounting and reporting systems and an examination of how public environmental accountability changes organizational behavior. Chapters include their own references. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

KHONDKAR E. KARIM is Associate Professor of Accounting at Rochester Institute of Technology. He has published over 25 articles in various accounting and finance journals including Accounting Organizations and Society and International Journal of Finance .

ROBERT W. RUTLEDGE is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Accounting at Southwest Texas State University. He has published over 25 articles in various accounting and finance journals such as Accounting and Business Research and Advances in Taxation .