Measuring the quality of Finnish forest companies' CSR reports using GRI Standards reporting principles : case UPM, Stora Enso and Metsä Group
Karttunen, Flordeliza Boltron (2023)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023060116848
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023060116848
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of the study was to measure the quality of the 2018 to 2022 CSR reports of UPM, Stora Enso, and Metsä Group. The study attempts to answer the research's main question, “How do the case companies disclose their CSR reports using the GRIS reporting principles?” The research will be a resource for multi-stakeholder groups who want more awareness of CSR reports' transparency, credibility, and comparability to make well-informed decisions. In addition, the study aims to have deeper insights into the quality of the case companies’ CSR reports.
The thesis is based on a deductive research approach, while a portion of the study used the inductive approach to attain all the goals of the study. Secondary data for both theoretical and empirical parts were utilized. The theoretical part used relevant sustainability concepts and theories to form the theoretical foundation. These concepts included but were not limited to the GRI Standards, CSRD (EU) 2022/2464, and Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852.
Furthermore, the empirical part applied both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The data was acquired from the websites of Stora Enso, UPM, and Metsä Group. In addition, methodical content analysis and systematic coding of the CSR reports and GRI content indexes were carried out. Finally, the GRIS principles for defining report quality were operationalized into a Likert scale to quantify the results.
The study results indicate a generally high level of CSR report quality from all the case companies. However, future studies are encouraged to use a more extensive sample group in the same industry and a longer time frame for a more comprehensive comparison.
The thesis is based on a deductive research approach, while a portion of the study used the inductive approach to attain all the goals of the study. Secondary data for both theoretical and empirical parts were utilized. The theoretical part used relevant sustainability concepts and theories to form the theoretical foundation. These concepts included but were not limited to the GRI Standards, CSRD (EU) 2022/2464, and Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852.
Furthermore, the empirical part applied both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The data was acquired from the websites of Stora Enso, UPM, and Metsä Group. In addition, methodical content analysis and systematic coding of the CSR reports and GRI content indexes were carried out. Finally, the GRIS principles for defining report quality were operationalized into a Likert scale to quantify the results.
The study results indicate a generally high level of CSR report quality from all the case companies. However, future studies are encouraged to use a more extensive sample group in the same industry and a longer time frame for a more comprehensive comparison.