Does media exposure moderate the relationship between ownership structure and environmental disclosure quality: evidence from Jordan
Management of Environmental Quality
ISSN: 1477-7835
Article publication date: 1 July 2022
Issue publication date: 17 January 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Given the increasing emphasis on environmental issues, this study attempts to offer concrete evidence on the relationship between ownership structure and environmental disclosure quality and whether media exposure moderates this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample adopted in this study includes a group of 94 Jordanian companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2016. Data about companies' environmental disclosure were manually collected using the content analysis method.
Findings
Our findings reveal that increasing the levels of ownership concentration and management ownership can negatively impact the quality of environmental reporting among companies in Jordan. This type of reporting, however, is likely to be benefited from the presence of a high level of foreign ownership. In terms of the role played by media, media coverage may act as a buffer against the negative relationship between environmental reporting and ownership concentration and management ownership. On the other hand, the relationship between foreign ownership and environmental reporting remains positive and significant no matter the amount of media attention the company is receiving.
Originality/value
This study is crucial because it contributes to the existing environmental debate studies in two crucial ways. It first offers the first evidence on how media exposure can moderate the relationship between ownership structure and environmental disclosure. Second, this study's findings provide important implications for regulators and policymakers in Jordan.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Citation
Ananzeh, H., Bugshan, A. and Amayreh, I. (2023), "Does media exposure moderate the relationship between ownership structure and environmental disclosure quality: evidence from Jordan", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 59-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-12-2021-0293
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited