Why Firms Intend to Adopt ISSB Standards Before Regulation: Evidence from an Emerging Muslim-Majority Economy

This study investigates the determinants shaping Moroccan companies’ intention to adopt the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) reporting framework, illuminating how cultural, ethical, and organizational factors converge in shaping sustainability practices in an emerging market. Grounded in the Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theory, the research examines the roles of religiosity, perceived cost, perceived risk, and relative advantage, with organizational readiness conceptualized as a pivotal mediating construct. Drawing on data from 303 Moroccan accounting professionals, the study employs a dual Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach – Covariance-Based for model specification and Partial Least Squares for structural testing – to ensure analytical robustness. The results reveal that religiosity and relative advantage exert direct and significant effects on adoption intention, while perceived cost and perceived risk influence adoption indirectly through organizational readiness. Notably, perceived cost emerges as the strongest driver of readiness, reframing financial investment as a pathway rather than a barrier to sustainable transformation. Beyond its empirical contributions, the study underscores the ethical and spiritual dimensions of sustainability, suggesting that religiosity – particularly within Islamic contexts – can act as a moral catalyst for environmental stewardship. By highlighting readiness as the linchpin connecting belief systems, economic considerations, and institutional behaviour, the research enriches contemporary debates on sustainability reporting in developing economies and extends the moral discourse surrounding corporate engagement with the ISSB framework.