Sustainability Reporting by Publicly Listed Companies in Malaysia

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1 Introduction
This introduction section presents background information on the emergence of sustainability reporting and sustainability issues. Research problem discussion is also included that leads to the research objectives and research questions around which this research is proposed to be built. Further on the significant of the research and the target group that the research is aimed at are presented.
1.1 Background
Nowadays, there are a lot of social, environmental and economic issues arise for instance global warming, economic fluctuations, climates changes, child labour, gender discrimination and also other problems that are widely discussed by the society at all levels. The discussion has led to demand for solutions of problems and to find ways to conserve also preserve the available scarce resources. This is to ensure the achievement of healthy ecosystems, equitable societies and overall sustainable future through sustainable development.
A classic definition of sustainability as defined by Brundtland (1987), is:
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
The demands are not only being directed to individual but especially to companies and businesses as they are the main users of resources. Companies are increasingly demanded by societies to take responsibility for their economics, environmental and social impacts (Nakabiito & Udechukwu, 2007). It has been found that companies are now under greater external pressure to become stakeholder-oriented (Waddock, Bodwell, & B. Graves, 2002). The increasing stakeholder influence might be due to globalisation, expansion of the internet and societies ability to gain ...

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