Are Board Governance Characteristics associated with Ethical Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures? The Case of the Mandatory Conflict Minerals Reporting Requirement

Abstract

In accordance with the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, many firms are required to report on their use of conflict minerals. We hypothesize (1) a positive association between board governance characteristics and timely compliance with the conflict minerals requirement and (2) that board governance characteristics are associated with the likelihood of meeting the minimum requirements of the conflict minerals amendment. We find results consistent with our hypotheses. This research adds to the literature on management reporting behavior and ethics, and extends Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research by providing evidence on the determinants of meeting a non-environmental mandatory CSR reporting requirement.