Abstract:
Sustainability reporting (SR) in South Africa is on a ‘report and explain’ basis because the
King IV Code has not made it mandatory for all companies operating but only for those
companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It has become difficult to align
SR with stakeholder value creation. This study examines the relationship between SR
and stakeholder value creation represented by employees’ health and occupational
safety, return on assets, community projects and green investments. The study used a
quantitative method that utilises the multiple regressions method to analyse data from
selected manufacturing companies for 11 years (2007-2017) listed at South African
Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s (JSE). The study measures the relationship between
employees’ health and occupational safety, investment in community projects, green
investments and ROA. Results show insignificant relationships between employees’
health and occupational safety and ROA, investment in community projects and ROA and
green investments and ROA. The study recommends future research on all sectors or
inter-country research on sustainability reporting and stakeholder value creation.
Keywords: sustainability, sustainability reporting, stakeholder value creation, employees’
health, occupational safety, community projects, green investments, return on assets.
