Accounting Conservatism and ESG Disclosure: Empirical Research in Vietnamese Listed Firms
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of accounting conservatism on the level of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) information disclosure among Vietnamese listed non-financial enterprises. Utilizing a panel dataset comprising 1,116 firm-year observations across 186 firms in the period from 2018 to 2024, we employ the Between-Effects Model (BEM) to examine the influence of accounting conservatism, alongside other determinants including firm size, GRI adoption, industry sensitivity, and leverage on ESG disclosure. The empirical findings reveal that firms with a higher accounting conservatism degree in financial statement demonstrate a significant tendency to increase their ESG disclosure. These results yield important policy implications for improving financial statement disclosure and promoting sustainable development reporting among non-financial enterprises listed on Vietnam Stock Exchange.
Article Details
References
- M.A. Alia, A.K. AbuSarees, Reducing Cost of Capital. Do Voluntary Disclosure and Accounting Conservatism Contribute?, FIIB Bus. Rev. 15 (2023), 101-111. https://doi.org/10.1177/23197145221145753.
- S.C. Anagnostopoulou, A.E. Tsekrekos, G. Voulgaris, Accounting Conservatism and Corporate Social Responsibility, Br. Account. Rev. 53 (2021), 100942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2020.100942.
- C.R. Baker, M.E. Persson, The Concept of Prudence in Accounting, in: Historical Developments in the Accountancy Profession, Financial Reporting, and Accounting Theory, Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021: pp. 119-132. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-350420210000025008.
- R. Ball, L. Shivakumar, Earnings Quality in UK Private Firms: Comparative Loss Recognition Timeliness, J. Account. Econ. 39 (2005), 83-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2004.04.001.
- S. Basu, The Conservatism Principle and the Asymmetric Timeliness of Earnings1, J. Account. Econ. 24 (1997), 3-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-4101(97)00014-1.
- V. Baumfield, Stakeholder Theory from a Management Perspective: Bridging the Shareholder/ Stakeholder Divide, Aust. J. Corp. Law, 31 (2016), 187-207.
- U. Bellikli, The Effect of Accounting Conservatism On Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from the Corporate Governance Index in Türkiye, Ege Acad. Rev. 24 (2024), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.1328302.
- R. Bloom, Conservatism in Accounting: A Reassessment, Account. Hist. J. 45 (2018), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.2308/aahj-10641.
- S.J. Brammer, S. Pavelin, Corporate Reputation and Social Performance: The Importance of Fit, J. Manag. Stud. 43 (2006), 435-455. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00597.x.
- Q.L. Burke, P. Chen, G.J. Lobo, Is Corporate Social Responsibility Performance Related to Conditional Accounting Conservatism?, Account. Horizons 34 (2020), 19-40. https://doi.org/10.2308/horizons-18-111.
- L.H. Chen, D.M. Folsom, W. Paek, H. Sami, Accounting Conservatism, Earnings Persistence, and Pricing Multiples on Earnings, Account. Horizons 28 (2013), 233-260. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch-50664.
- C. D’Augusta, L. Viarengo, The Benefits of Unconditional Conservatism for Stock Valuations during the COVID-19 Crisis, J. Account. Lit. 47 (2025), 560-587. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAL-12-2024-0375.
- K. Dalcero, S. Meurer, D.D.M. Ferreira, E. Paulo, The Role of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) in Accounting Conservatism: Evidence from Brazil, Rev. Contab. Finanças 36 (2025), e2049. https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-057x20242049.en.
- A.A. Daryaei, Y. Fattahi, A. Aldbs, The Puzzling Association Between Accounting Conservatism and Corporate Social Responsibility, Asian J. Account. Res. 9 (2024), 35-46. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJAR-01-2023-0010.
- Z. Feng, Z. Wu, ESG Disclosure, REIT Debt Financing and Firm Value, J. Real Estate Financ. Econ. 67 (2021), 388-422. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11146-021-09857-x.
- States Securities Commission of Vietnam, Providing Guidelines on Disclosure of Information on Securities Market, (2020).
- B. Francis, I. Hasan, Q. Wu, The Benefits of Conservative Accounting to Shareholders: Evidence from the Financial Crisis, Account. Horizons 27 (2013), 319-346. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch-50431.
- R.N. Francis, S. Harrast, J. Mattingly, L. Olsen, The Relation Between Accounting Conservatism and Corporate Social Performance: An Empirical Investigation, Bus. Soc. Rev. 118 (2013), 193-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/basr.12008.
- A.S. Garcia, W. Mendes-Da-Silva, R.J. Orsato, Sensitive Industries Produce Better ESG Performance: Evidence from Emerging Markets, J. Clean. Prod. 150 (2017), 135-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.02.180.
- D. Givoly, C. Hayn, The Changing Time-Series Properties of Earnings, Cash Flows and Accruals: Has Financial Reporting Become More Conservative?, J. Account. Econ. 29 (2000), 287-320. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-4101(00)00024-0.
- J. Guo, P. Huang, Y. Zhang, Accounting Conservatism and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adv. Account. 51 (2020), 100501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adiac.2020.100501.
- N. Hellman, Accounting Conservatism Under IFRS, Account. Eur. 5 (2008), 71-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480802510492.
- T.H. Ismail, Y.R. Obiedallah, Does Climate Risk Disclosure Shape Conservatism? the Role of Earnings Quality in the Egyptian Context, Futur. Bus. J. 9 (2023), 96. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-023-00278-1.
- A. Jayachandran, J. John, A.S. Thomas, I.S. Smiju, Evolution of CSR and ESG Concepts in the Frame of Sustainability: Insights From Thematic Evolution Across Nations, in: B. Ajithakumari Vijayappan Nair, G. Muschert, A. Jayachandran (Eds.), Advances in Logistics, Operations, and Management Science, IGI Global, 2024: pp. 1–30. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-3880-3.ch001.
- M. Karwowski, M. Raulinajtys‐Grzybek, The Application of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Actions for Mitigation of Environmental, Social, Corporate Governance (ESG) and Reputational Risk in Integrated Reports, Corp. Soc. Responsib. Environ. Manag. 28 (2021), 1270-1284. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2137.
- H. Kazemi, H. Hemmati, R. Faridvand, Investigating the Relationship between Conservatism Accounting and Earnings Attributes, World Appl. Sci. J. 12 (2011), 1385-1396.
- M. Khan, G. Serafeim, A. Yoon, Corporate Sustainability: First Evidence on Materiality, Account. Rev. 91 (2016), 1697-1724. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51383.
- H. Li, D. Henry, X. Wu, The Effects of Accounting Conservatism on Executive Compensation, Int. J. Manag. Financ. 16 (2019), 393-411. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMF-07-2019-0262.
- X. Li, Accounting Conservatism and the Cost of Capital: An International Analysis, J. Bus. Financ. Account. 42 (2015), 555-582. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbfa.12121.
- B. Lukács, , P. Molnár, Á. Tóth, Measuring Corporate Compliance with the SDGs Based on the GRI’s ESG Reporting Methodology, J. Sustain. Res. 7 (2025), e250010. https://doi.org/10.20900/jsr20250010.
- K.B. Abdul Manaf, R. Ishak, F. Elham, ESG Reporting and Accounting Conservatism of Malaysian Firms, PaperASIA 40 (2024), 215-220. https://doi.org/10.59953/paperasia.v40i5b.215.
- R. Mehmood, S. Alawi, I. Ahmad, CEO Optimism, Accounting Conservatism and Earnings Management of ListedManufacturing Firms: Evidence from Asian Emerging Economies, FWU J. Soc. Sci. 18 (2024), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.51709/19951272/Fall2024/2.
- A. Mora, M. Walker, The Implications of Research on Accounting Conservatism for Accounting Standard Setting, Account. Bus. Res. 45 (2015), 620-650. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2015.1048770.
- M. Nandy, C. Kuzey, A. Uyar, S. Lodh, A.S. Karaman, Can CSR Mechanisms Spur GRI Adoption and Restore Its Lost Value Relevance?, J. Appl. Account. Res. 24 (2022), 609-634. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAAR-03-2022-0068.
- F.T. Nega, The Relationship between Financial Performance, Firm Size, Leverage and Corporate Social Responsibility, Thesis, Walden University, (2017).
- H.C. Nguyen, H.K. Duong, The Extent and Determinants of SDG Disclosures in Vietnamese Listed Firms, Meditari Account. Res. 33 (2025), 335-364. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEDAR-08-2024-2605.
- H. Oreshkova, The Debate on Prudence in Accounting, CBU Int. Conf. Proc. 5 (2017), 343-360. https://doi.org/10.12955/cbup.v5.949.
- I. Passas, The Evolution of ESG: From CSR to ESG 2.0, Encyclopedia 4 (2024), 1711-1720. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia4040112.
- P. et al., Environmental Sustainability Disclosure and Accounting Conservatism, Int. J. Adv. Appl. Sci. 8 (2021), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2021.09.009.
- M.A. Qureshi, S. Kirkerud, K. Theresa, T. Ahsan, The Impact of Sustainability (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Disclosure and Board Diversity on Firm Value: The Moderating Role of Industry Sensitivity, Bus. Strat. Environ. 29 (2019), 1199-1214. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2427.
- M. Rashidi, Manager Optimism Based on Environmental Uncertainty and Accounting Conservatism, Interdiscip. J. Manag. Stud. 14 (2021), 61-86. https://doi.org/10.22059/ijms.2020.290260.673811.
- H. Ren, Sustainable Development and Accounting Conservatism, J. Corp. Account. Financ. 36 (2025), 232-246. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22804.
- M.K. Rhaman, M. Haque, M.A. Darda, Breaking into the Mainstream: The Rise of ESG in Business Management, Asian Bus. Res. J. 10 (2025), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.55220/25766759.482.
- A. Rodrigues, Sustainable Financing - The Focus of the GRI Principles on Non-Financial Information, Pak. J. Life Soc. Sci. 22 (2024), 18501-18511. https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2024-22.2.001355.
- M. Salehi, T. Ghasemi Sarnish, A. Rababah, The Relationship Between Financial Statement Comparability and Accounting Conditional and Unconditional Conservatism, Asian J. Account. Res. 10 (2025), 222-241. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJAR-04-2024-0155.
- B. Usman, O.T.F. Bernardes, P.S. Kananlua, On the Nexus between CSR Practices, ESG Performance, and Asymmetric Information, Gadjah Mada Int. J. Bus. 22 (2020), 151-177.
- I. Vormedal, A. Ruud, Sustainability Reporting in Norway – an Assessment of Performance in the Context of Legal Demands and Socio‐political Drivers, Bus. Strat. Environ. 18 (2006), 207-222. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.560.
- M.L. Wu, Corporate Social Performance, Corporate Financial Performance, and Firm Size: A Meta-Analysis, J. Amer. Acad. Bus. 8 (2006), 163-171.
- A. Zarefar, D. Agustia, N. Soewarno, Bridging the Gap Between Sustainability Disclosure and Firm Performance in Indonesian Firms: The Moderating Effect of the Family Firm, Sustainability 14 (2022), 12022. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912022.
- A.F. Zuur, E.N. Ieno, C.S. Elphick, A Protocol for Data Exploration to Avoid Common Statistical Problems, Methods Ecol. Evol. 1 (2009), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2041-210X.2009.00001.x.