Abstract
Companies operating in contemporary business environments are under increasing
pressure to demonstrate its capacity for creating value that extends beyond short-term
financial performance; by taking into account broader economic, environmental and
societal impacts from its operations. Prevalent mechanisms, such as Integrated
reporting and sustainability reporting, have emerged through corporate reporting
practices for articulating these commitments, aiming to enhance the credibility and
effectiveness of the information disclosed by a company to its stakeholders.
This study’s research problem focuses on addressing criticisms related to the reliability
of signals used to communicate sustainable value outcomes in corporate reports; as
questions persist about whether these disclosures provide stakeholders with
meaningful insights into genuine sustainable practices or whether these disclosures
function primarily as a symbolic exercise to maintain the company’s legitimacy and
enhance its reputation.
This study examines the quality and nature of signals communicated by selected banks
through their corporate reports to determine whether these signals convey substantive
actions, rather than symbolic intentions. To address this topic, the study also examines
the nature and quality of signals used by selected banks to communicate sustainable
value through its corporate reports. This study’s aim is to conceptualise how
sustainable value is represented and understood in business.
This study is directed by one research question:
How do selected banks in South Africa use signals to communicate sustainable
value through its corporate reports?
One primary objective was pursued: ▪ To examine how selected banks in South Africa
define value. Three secondary objectives directed the focus of the inquiry: 1) To identify
how selected banks in South Africa create value; 2) To identify how selected banks in
South Africa deliver value; and 3) To identify how selected banks in South Africa sustain
value...