Sustainability reporting on the websites of public and private universities in Ghana
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21720566 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kwame Oduro Amoako (0000-0002-1501-251X, Sunyani Technical University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1220-1246 |
| Publication date | 2023-06-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1467-6370 • E-ISSN: 1758-6739 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ijshe-12-2021-0509 |
| OpenAlex | W4317860549 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 90 |
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the sustainability dimensions reported on the websites of public and private universities in Ghana, an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach The universities in Ghana were categorized under public and private universities. The top five under each category were chosen (by Edu Rank’s ratings), and data was gathered from the websites of the sampled universities. Data analysis was conducted using Global Reporting Initiative (GRI-G4) framework and sustainability tools for campus assessment. Findings were then analyzed through stakeholder theory’s lens and organizational characteristics such as ownership, students’ acceptance ratios, performance, size and age. Findings This study’s results show that the key aspects of sustainability disclosed on the websites of the sampled private and public universities in Ghana are more of economic and campus sustainability assessment indicators than the social and environmental dimensions. Contrary to the popular notion that private sector organizations do more sustainability reporting than those in the public sector, in the case of Ghana, the sampled public universities reported more than the privately owned universities. This study attributes the extent and variations of sustainability reporting among the public and private Ghanaian universities to the universities’ characteristics such as students’ acceptance ratios, performance, size, ownership and age. Practical implications The findings from this study indicate that in improving the value of sustainability reporting, stakeholders of the educational sector in emerging economies should encourage universities to adopt the GRI-G4 framework and campus sustainability assessment indicators in disclosing their sustainability initiatives. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first study to compare the extent and variations in sustainability reporting between public and private universities in an emerging economy
Business · Corporate social responsibility · Economic growth · Economics · Higher education · Originality · Political science · Private sector · Public relations · Public sector · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Stakeholder · Sustainability · Sustainability reporting · Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting · Sustainability in Higher Education · Sustainable Building Design and Assessment · Accounting
Qualitative Content Analysis
A review of commitment and implementation of sustainable development in higher education
The Process Model of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Communication
Tensions in Stakeholder Theory
The Influence of Firm Size on the ESG Score
The state of sustainability reporting in universities
Incorporation and institutionalization of SD into universities
Legitimizing Negative Aspects in GRI-Oriented Sustainability Reporting
Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities
Is the global reporting initiative suitable to account for university social responsibility? Evidence from European institutions
Enhancing sustainability education through experiential learning of sustainability reporting
An integrated biophysical and economic modeling framework for long-term sustainability analysis
Addressing environmental sustainability of biochemicals
Factors influencing the presence of sustainability initiatives in the strategic planning of Spanish universities
The Interaction of Private and Public Governance
A Methodology for Sustainability Evaluation and Reporting in Higher Education Institutions
Institutional assessment tools for sustainability in higher education
Sustainability Reporting by Australian Universities
Extent of sustainability disclosure by Australian public universities
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |