Determinantes da evidenciação de informações representativas de responsabilidade social: um estudo em instituições de ensino superior filantrópicas

Abstract

This study aims to explain the evidence of social responsibility in terms of its determinants. Explanations seek support in the legitimacy theory established as an appropriate theoretical foundation for the social responsibility disclosure. The main idea of the thesis is that the social responsibility disclosure is a function of the information asymmetry and consequent social pressure on Philanthropic Institutions of Higher Education (PIHEs) by the stakeholders, concerned with their social responsibility. PIHEs, given some environmental characteristics, may experience social pressure because of the transparency and accountability of their social responsibility. These characteristics can determine the PIHEs disclosure level. Those that are more complex; more diversified; that suffer more media coverage; that are located in certain regions of the country; that are configured as communitary and / or confessional; that has more quality; that has the majors university councils and or that it has other councils and committees in their governance structure. As well as the larger ones, more leveraged and with the lower economic results, should show their social responsibility largely. The study began with the creation of an indicators list of quantitative and qualitative information, social responsibility representative, which were observed in the PIHEs Internet pages. This activity was developed in six phases: indicators systematization; indicators evaluation; indicators validation; review of the indicators; indicators reassessment; and refinement of research done at Durham University in the UK. Following, with the indicators list, the disclosure extent was verified and the PIHEs social responsibility disclosure indices were created. From these indices and the explanatory variables created for each of the environmental characteristics, which are possible determinants of the social responsibility disclosure extent, were defined the econometric models of the research. Then, the multiple linear regression tests were performed by the ordinary least squares method and other complementary tests to identify the disclosure extent determinants. The empirical results support that the legitimacy theory is a theoretical basis for the PIHEs social responsibility disclosure. The hypotheses regarding complexity, diversification, regional factor, specific event - community, the PIHEs quality, the PIHEs maintainers’ size and leverage do not reject this support. Therefore, the thesis contributes to the gap in the empirical literature on the determinants of the PIHEs disclosure extension and the representative information of social responsibility disclosure based on the interests of stakeholders. It also contributes with an information list that can guide legislators and regulators of these organizations, as well as the IHEPs themselves, in terms of disclosing their social responsibility to serve the interests of the stakeholders that legitimize them.