Abstract

The paper seeks to ascertain the effects of social and environmental accounting disclosure on the financial performance of companies registered on the Ghana Stock Exchange over the period of three years from 2015 to 2017. The study similarly seeks to determine the extents of social and environmental accounting issues reported and finally document the extent to which companies included SEAR issues in their corporate strategy plan in Ghana.

The study used secondary data from a published corporate annual statements of all the registered companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange. A regression model and t-test were used to ascertain the effects of social and environmental accounting reporting on firm’s financial performance. However, questionnaires and content analysis were also used in company reports as a system to measure the degree and nature of corporate social accounting reporting as maintained by the number of words disclosed over the three periods.

Results shows that there is a positive correlation between CSR score measuring the social and environmental accounting practices and the company's financial performance registered on the Ghana Stock Exchange. Thus, the effects are insignificant. However, the findings show that companies in Ghana are now hugging social and environmental accounting reporting practices since the course of adoption of SEAR was above 60% from 2015 to 2017. The positive correlation between social and environmental accounting and reporting and companies financial performance specify reliable step pace for top managers in companies grasp and embrace social and environmental accounting reporting practices in Ghana, West African countries and all developing Africa countries. The study backs to the literature and information of corporate social and environmental accounting in West Africa and all developing Africa countries. Besides, it also may be terrific to corporate institutions for comprehension of the social responsibilities be obliged to their stakeholders and community in general.

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