Corporate social disclosure in Bangladesh: a study of the financial sector

Corporate social disclosure is essential to generate a favorable investment climate and to attract foreign investment, especially in developing countries. This paper investigates corporate social reporting in the financial sector in Bangladesh. In this study, we conducted content analysis of corporate social reporting by listed finance companies in Bangladesh. Analysis of annual reports published in 2007-2008 revealed that 41% of listed finance sector companies made some kind of CSR disclosure. However, three quarters of all disclosures are generalized qualitative statements without any attempt at quantification. More than half the disclosures are located in the director's report, and the average length of disclosures amounted to less than half a page. The implications of these findings are discussed.