As a result of the dissemination of the sustainability concept, social disclosures have become an important area of non-financial reporting, and the energy sector is no exception. The purpose of our article is a multi-faceted evaluation of sustainability reports published by companies operating in the Polish energy sector, from the perspective of social disclosures. The study involved the Polish listed companies that made up the WIG-Energia index. The time scope of the study covers the 2017–2021 period. In total, 54 non-financial reports were analyzed. In the first place, a comparative analysis was carried out to assess the social disclosures made by the WIG-Energia companies against the background of the biggest and the most liquid (blue chip) WIG20 companies. All the applied tools: ESG rating, NFR_S index, and multidimensional data visualization, have confirmed that the energy companies year by year have been presenting larger and larger extents of social disclosures. At the same time, it was observed that the companies appearing for the first time in the WIG-Energia index showed a very small extent of disclosures, whereas the companies which figured in the index throughout the studied period presented a relatively large extent of disclosures, due to their experience in preparing sustainability reports. Next, using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r), we examined the relationship between the energy companies’ market values and the extent of their social disclosures. The results of the statistical analyses have validated the strong and very strong correlation between capitalization and extent of disclosures. It is therefore possible to state that companies with higher market values are characterized by larger extents of social disclosures.

The paper aims to develop instruments supporting the comparability of social disclosures and ipso facto business transparency. This research study aims to assess the possibility of achieving social disclosure comparability based on research of the Polish listed companies and to develop an authorial tools which may support stakeholders in comparing social performance and thus help them make business decisions. To attain the goals, this article introduced practical and theoretical premises of sustainability reporting development in its social dimension. Based on that, an empirical study was conducted on the comparability of social disclosures in sustainability reporting of Polish listed (WIG20) companies. For this purpose, a social disclosure index was developed by the authors. The findings of our study indicate that corporate social disclosures can be the subject of comparisons supporting stakeholders in the decision-making process. The conducted comparability analysis refers to the comparison of the scope of disclosures between the WIG20 companies, as well as the scope of disclosures over three years, and helps us to construct the index as a tool for social disclosure benchmarking. This paper contributes to filling the gap relating the social disclosure comparability. The results of this study may help compare any social disclosures, and the proposed index may be a practical instrument of benchmarking. The research originality refers to the research niche relating to the difficult comparison of non-financial data and the scope of social disclosures in sustainability reporting. It extends the knowledge on this area by giving a new perspective on the comparison of social disclosures.

Standardy raportowania GRI są najbardziej znanym i najczęściej wykorzystywanym dokumentem, pomagającym przygotować raporty zrównoważonego rozwoju jednostkom na całym świecie. Ze względu na swój uniwersalny charakter regulacje te możliwe są do zastosowania we wszystkich sektorach gospodarki, w tym również w sektorze organizacji pozarządowych. Niestety, przeprowadzona analiza wskazała, że w Polsce koncepcja raportowania kwestii zrównoważonego rozwoju w trzecim sektorze jest wciąż w fazie rozwoju. Mimo to liczba NGOs zainteresowanych standardami GRI stale rośnie. Raportowanie niefinansowe może bowiem wzmocnić wizerunek organizacji, stanowić czynnik przewagi konkurencyjnej w procesie fundraisingu oraz służyć legitymizacji ich działalności. Do wnioskowania na temat możliwości wprowadzenia do polskiego porządku prawnego obowiązku raportowania na rzecz zrównoważonego rozwoju dla organizacji pozarządowych w Polsce wykorzystana została metoda scenariuszowa.

Purpose: Each entity that submits a corporate governance statement is required to indicate the principles that it did not apply and to explain the circumstances and reasons for not applying them. The objective of this article is to assess the scope of corporate governance reporting in Poland, with a particular focus on the areas where companies deviated from applying corporate governance principles.Methodology/approach: The study involved 280 corporate governance statements made by 140 listed companies on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE-LCs). The time scope of the study covers the years 2020–2021, as in that period, the scope of applying good practices of corporate governance was changed at the WSE. In addition to the content analysis of corporate governance statements, the study also applied the following research methods: bibliometric analysis, a critical review of the literature, comparative analysis, as well as induction and synthesis methods used in formulating the conclusions.Findings: The results of our empirical research demonstrate that the companies took various approaches to reporting their corporate governance obligations. In 2020, the full application of Best Practices for WSE-LCs was declared by only five companies, and in 2021, only four. This means that the other companies departed from applying them to a smaller or larger extent. While the Best Practices for WSE-LCs 2016 included only one recommendation and eight detailed principles from which at least 20% of the companies deviated, with regard to Best Practices for WSE-LCs 2021 that number was as many as 14 principles. This makes it possible to conclude that the 2021 amendment of the corporate governance good practices code affected the implementation of the “com-ply or explain” principle compared to the previous year.Originality/value: This article fits into the current trend of research on non-financial reporting, in particular, changes to the application of corporate governance principles. The article also fills a research gap, defining the key areas of departures from applying corporate governance principles, which were identified for Polish listed companies. The results may be of interest to both academia and the examined entities.

Cel: Celem artykułu jest ocena raportów zrównoważonego rozwoju spółek giełdowych w Polsce z perspektywy ujawnień na temat różnorodności płci. Metodyka badań: Badaniem objęto 100 raportów zrównoważonego rozwoju spółek wchodzących w skład indeksu WIG20. Zakres czasowy badania objął lata 2017–2021. Pierwszy etap badań polegał na przeprowadzeniu analizy ilościowej przyjętych do badania ujawnień i spółek. Drugi etap miał na celu analizę dynamiki zmian w ujawnieniach na temat różnorodności płci. Wyniki badań: Przeprowadzone badanie empiryczne wskazuje, że od 2017 do 2021 r. zakres ujawnień dotyczących różnorodności płci w Polsce się zwiększył. Z roku na rok zakres prezentowanych ujawnień jest coraz większy, choć są ujawnienia, które w badanym okresie odnotowały spadki. Jako przykład może posłużyć ujawnienie GRI 404-1-1-2: liczba godzin szkoleń, które przeszli pracownicy według płci, oraz grupa ujawnień dotycząca urlopu rodzicielskiego, dla których indeksy dynamiki wykazały wartości mniejsze od 1. Wnioski: Zauważono, że spółki, które po raz pierwszy weszły w skład indeksu WIG20, charakteryzowały się niewielkim zakresem ujawnień, ale zakres ten w kolejnych latach wzrastał. Z kolei spółki wchodzące w skład indeksu przez cały badany okres prezentowały relatywnie duży zakres ujawnień, co wynikało z ich doświadczenia w sporządzaniu raportów ESG. Próba badawcza składała się z 20 spółek giełdowych, zakres czasowy badania obejmował lata 2017–2021, dlatego uzyskanych wyników nie można uogólniać na całą populację. Wkład w rozwój dyscypliny: Artykuł wpisuje się w aktualny trend badań prowadzonych w zakresie raportowania zrównoważonego rozwoju. Wykorzystując indeksy statystyczne, oceniono dynamikę rozwoju ujawnień dotyczących różnorodności płci w raportach w Polsce po 2017 r. Uzyskane wyniki mogą być interesujące zarówno dla środowiska naukowego, jak i dla badanych podmiotów.

Objective: To assess the impact of two factors – legal regulations and cognitive errors among decision-makers – on the choice of simplifications in the accounting policy of micro and small entities.Research Design & Methods: Content analysis of disclosed accounting policy among micro and small entities in Poland was done in order to uncover simplifications the entities made in their accounting policy. Sampling was done using the Orbis Europe database; the sample size was 100 units.Findings: Only half of the eligible companies prepare abridged financial statements. Moreover, entities apply simplifications to which they are not entitled: restrictions on the application of the prudence principle and unconditional application of tax depreciation rates to the measurement of fixed assets are not allowed for the companies surveyed.Implications / Recommendations: This research shows that those responsible for accounting policy, when deciding on the scope of the simplifications, employ cognitive biases – including status quo bias, primacy effect and confirmation bias – resulting from heuristic thinking.Contribution: The contribution’s originality is based on the results of an empirical study of simplifications in the accounting policies of micro and small entities and the explanation of these results through the lens of decision-makers’ cognitive errors. Conclusions drawn from the research can be used both by legislators in reviewing legal regulations, and by managers charged with shaping accounting policy and applying simplifications.