The Influence of the Keiretsu on Japanese Corporate Disclosure

This paper represents a contribution to testing whether the extent of disclosure in Japanese corporate annual reports varies according to group structure. Consideration is given to keiretsu (group interfirm networks) classification and the mechanism for monitoring by a main bank or main company. This topic is of interest because the Japanese system of corporate governance is fundamentally different from those prevailing in Anglo-Saxon countries and this distinction may impact on corporate disclosure policy. Attention is focused on the exclusionary theory of corporate disclosure in which information is disseminated within group members but specifically excludes others. Regression analysis is undertaken to assess the importance of group structure in explaining variability in the extent of disclosure after controlling for known factors such as size, stock market listing, industry, borrowings, and type of business. The results suggest that companies within a keiretsu with a main-bank or main-company monitor and which are therefore less subject to capital market discipline do not disclose less information than other companies in their annual reports. It appears that whatever type of corporate governance mechanism is adopted in Japan there exists a monitor that places approximately equal demands on information disclosure in corporate annual reports.     

Environmental Factors Influencing Accounting Disclosure Requirements of Global Stock Exchanges

The globalization of capital markets has resulted in a great deal of attention being focused on problems created by accounting diversity in different countries. A number of studies have documented variations in accounting disclosure and reporting practices and standards in different countries. Diverse environmental factors have been cited in the literature to explain differences in disclosure levels between countries. This paper examines the relationship between environmental factors and the accounting disclosure requirements of stock exchanges in different countries.
A cross-national disclosure model is developed to investigate the relationship of selected environmental factors and stock exchange disclosure requirements of 35 stock exchanges in different countries. Five environmental factors are used to explain the variation observed in disclosure requirements of the different stock exchanges. The five factors examined are: degree of economic development, type of economy, size of the equity market, activity on the equity market, and dispersion of stock ownership in the equity market. The overall results obtained from the cross-sectional regression indicate that the level of disclosure requirements of stock exchanges is related to the selected environmental factors in different countries. Of die five factors examined, however, only size of the equity market is found to be a significant explanatory variable.     

我国上市公司会计信息披露制度有关问题的思考

随着证券市场的发展,社会以及公众对上市公司会计信息披露质量的要求也越来越高,然而,上市公司会计信息披露的质量却不能随着证券市场的发展和上市公司规模的壮大而同比例的提高。本文主要分析了我国上市公司信息披露的现状以及产生问题的原因并提出了解决问题的方法。     

食品企业社会责任信息披露影响因素研究

针对近年来不断出现的食品安全事件,结合企业社会责任理论和食品行业披露的社会责任信息,对中国食品企业社会责任信息披露的主要影响因素进行了实证分析。文章选取了2006～2010年食品行业的A股公司作为研究样本,通过对企业年报、社会责任报告的内容分析,测算了公司社会责任信息披露指数。研究发现:规模越大、独立董事比例越高的公司披露的社会责任信息越多;公司财务杠杆和企业社会责任信息披露负相关;企业性质对企业社会责任信息披露无显著影响。论文从实证结果出发,提出了食品企业建立社会责任信息披露制度的建议。     

The Impact of Business Strategies on Online Sustainability Disclosures

With increasing attention being paid to corporate sustainability, pressure from stakeholders, especially customers, is forcing companies to implement sustainability strategies and practices that express their commitment to sustainable development, and engage with stakeholders through voluntary sustainability disclosure. To better understand the sustainability disclosure mechanisms from a business strategy perspective, this study investigates the influence of business strategy, formulated by customer groups, on online sustainability disclosure. It provides empirical observation of Malaysian public‐listed companies based on the combined lens of stakeholder and legitimacy theory. Despite the comparatively low level of corporate sustainability disclosure in Malaysia, this content analysis of online sustainability information disclosure reveals that the companies with more diversified product lines disclose more sustainability information, and that the corporate sustainability effort is significantly related to brand name. Hence, companies should be encouraged to proactively improve their sustainability performance and disclose more sustainability information in order to strengthen their brand names. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

The relationship between environmental information disclosure and firm valuation: the role of corporate governance

Hopwood argued that accounting has become associated with environmental concerns, and that environmental concerns will be further integrated into accounting practices in the near future. The McKinsey Company discovered that environmental information affects a firm’s value, and that investors in firms with good corporate governance in Asian countries are willing to pay a price premium of 20 % or greater. The increasing need for environmental protection and responsibility to the community on the part of firms have led to environmental protection becoming a critical focal concern of governments, public welfare associations, and the public. Effective implementation of corporate governance has been reported to enhance operating performance and increase firm value. This study applies the Ohlson valuation model to examine the value relevance of environmental information disclosure and corporate governance, and investigate their on firms in Taiwan. The results indicate relationships between total disclosure of environmental information, mandatory disclosure of environmental information, and voluntary disclosure of environmental information and firm value. Corporate governance is positively correlated with the valuation of total disclosure of environmental information and mandatory disclosure of environmental information.     

我国采掘业环境会计信息披露问题探析

采掘业是国家重度污染行业之一,环境会计信息披露与采掘业企业的效益和可持续发展是息息相关的,所以企业应更积极的进行环境信息披露,从而有利于美化企业形象并使信息使用者做出正确的决策。文章以我国采掘业上市公司为例,通过分析上市公司环境会计信息披露的现状,揭示信息披露中存在的问题并提出了促进其发展的对策建议。     

Voluntary Disclosure in the Annual Reports of New Zealand Companies

New Zealand is currently experiencing a liberal and competitive economic environment which has led to a greater investment interest in corporate securities. Likewise, New Zealand firms are also developing strategies to attract investors, for example, through voluntary disclosure of information. Therefore, the level of information voluntarily disclosed by New Zealand companies is of interest to prospective investors. The purpose of this study is to examine empirically the relationship between five firm-specific characteristics and the general level of accounting information voluntarily disclosed by companies listed on New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZSE). In this study the a priori expectations are based on agency theory. The five firm-specific characteristics examined are: firm size, leverage, assets-in-place, type of auditor, and foreign listing status. The results obtained from cross-sectional regression show that firm size, foreign listing status and leverage are significantly related to the extent of voluntary disclosure. In contrast assets-in-place and type of auditor are not significant explanatory variables. A study of this type would be of particular relevance to accounting policy makers because, inter alia, it helps them in (a) understanding corporate disclosure behaviour, (b) explaining why firms adopt certain disclosure strategies, and (c) developing a coherent and acceptable set of mandatory disclosure requirements.     

Voluntary Corporate Disclosure by Swedish Companies

Sweden is of interest because of the rapid growth in the Stockholm Stock Exchange and because of the country's disproportionate number of multi-national enterprises. This paper reports on the extent of voluntary disclosure in the corporate annual reports of unlisted and listed Swedish companies. A wide-ranging definition of voluntary disclosure is adopted because of the flexibility of approach accepted in Sweden. This should not be construed that Swedish accounting is largely unregulated, rather it reflects a problem of interpretation of what constitutes generally accepted accounting principles in Sweden. In addition, the paper assesses whether there is a significant association between a number of independent variables and the extent of disclosure.     

上市公司会计信息披露模式的比较研究

上市公司是证券市场的主要组成要素,其会计信息质量的好坏对证券市场的发展起举足轻重的作用。在证券市场发达的国家,对上市公司的会计信息从披露到监管都作了严格的规范。本文将从证券发达的美国和日本的会计信息披露体系出发,来讨论我国上市公司的会计信息披露模式。     

重大突发公共卫生事件背景下企业捐赠对股价的影响——基于企业异质性的分组检验

以2020年沪深A股上市公司为样本,探讨在重大突发公共卫生事件暴发后企业捐赠对股票价格的影响,并分别从公司自身性质（产权性质、行业性质）、内部特征（内部控制质量、信息披露质量）、外部环境（产品市场竞争、所在地区疫情严重程度）三个维度研究捐赠发挥的作用效果是否会因企业异质性而存在显著差异。实证结果显示,在重大突发公共卫生事件背景下,企业捐赠对股票价格有显著正向影响。进一步研究发现,此关系会受到企业异质性的影响。具体而言,国有企业、受疫情负面影响严重行业的企业、内部控制质量低的企业、信息披露质量低的企业、疫情严重地区所在企业、产品市场竞争度高的企业,捐赠对股价的提升作用不显著。     

The impact of direct environmental,social, and governance reporting: Empirical evidence in European-listed companies in the agri-food sector

Companies are continuously pressured for the dissemination of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information, because of the constant debate on the issue of corporate sustainability, considered a critical and very important topic for society; despite this pressure, ESG's disclosure practices vary considerably from company to company, both in quantity and quality. The study aims to address the issue and verify the effectiveness of ESG reporting through the influence that the ESG disclosure has on profitability and value of listed European agri-food companies. The results obtained, studying a sample of 57 European-listed companies (EU28) in the agri-food sector observed in the period 2010–2018, show that the ESG disclosure practices of the companies impact corporate profitability; specifically, evidence is provided for the existence of a positive relationship between profitability and disclosure practices of strictly environmental and social information and a negative effect between company market value and disclosure practices relating to governance. These results suggest that greater transparency and accountability help to improve business profitability.     

The influence of company characteristics and accounting regulation on information disclosed by Spanish firms

Accounting information is subject to two different influences: market pressures and pressure from regulatory bodies. This paper provides an empirical analysis of the influence of both these forces on information disclosure by Spanish firms. To test hypotheses concerning the influence of regulation, annual reports of three different years for 49 companies have been analysed. Given that new Spanish accounting rules have been in force since 1990, annual accounts of a sample of quoted companies have been analysed for the period 1989–1991. In order to consider the influence of positive accounting theory, several characteristics relating to company attributes were selected and tested empirically for the sample of 49 companies. The information disclosed by the sample companies was measured through an information index, based on a list of 50 items of information, and it was regressed on the variables related to company characteristics. The influence of regulation was analysed through a panel data analysis including time effects. The results suggest that time as a surrogate for regulation explains the level of information disclosure, although it does not influence the amount of voluntary information disclosed. However, several firm characteristics were also found to influence the level of disclosure, namely size, auditing and stock exchange.     

A Comparitive Study of the Use of Financial Graphs in the Corporate Annual Reports of Major U.S. and U.K. Companies

The use of graphs to disclose information in corporate annual reports represents a significant dimension in financial disclosure management. Surprisingly, no inter-country comparative analysis of this area of voluntary disclosure has been conducted. This study compares the graphical reporting practices in the 1990 annual reports of 176 leading U.S. and U.K. industrial companies. Ninety-two per cent of U.S. companies use graphs compared with 80% of U.K. companies; the mean number of graphs per company being 13.0 and 7.7, respectively. Sales, an earnings measure, earnings per share and dividends per share are the four most frequently graphed aggregate financial performance variables in both countries. Significant differences in several of the variables graphed are found and explained in terms of environmental factors. In both countries, evidence of graphical information manipulation exists in the form of selectivity, measurement distortion, and presentational enhancement. Moderate evidence supports the hypothesis that U.K. companies are more likely than U.S. companies to adopt interpretative shading. Regulators need to clarify the responsibilities of directors and auditors by setting graphical guidelines.     

基于公司治理视角的会计信息质量问题研究

会计信息系统依存于特定的公司治理结构,公司治理结构在很大程度上会影响到会计信息披露的要求和内容,从而影响到会计信息质量。本文重点探索公司治理结构与会计信息披露之间关系,针对我国会计信息披露存在的问题及其成因分析的基础上,从完善公司治理结构,促进会计信息披露质量方面提出了一些建议。     

Disclosure, Corporate Governance and Foreign Share Ownership on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange

We investigate the association of foreign share ownership with firm‐level disclosure and corporate governance structures in Zimbabwe, a developing country in Southern Africa. Our motivation for the study derives from the literature, which suggests that foreign investors: (1) generally have a preference for companies in which they are well informed and where their investments are more likely to be protected, and (2) avoid companies in developing countries because of weak corporate governance structures and low disclosure. Using data drawn from companies listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, we examine the effect of disclosure and corporate governance on foreign share ownership. We find that disclosure, proportion of non‐executive directors, institutional share ownership and audit committee independence are all positively and significantly associated with foreign share ownership. Our results also demonstrate that market capitalization, return on equity and liquidity ratios are significantly associated with foreign share ownership. These results are consistent with the notion that foreign investors have a preference for companies with effective corporate governance structures, companies with less information asymmetry, as well as companies with healthy cash positions. The results have implications for policy‐makers in developing countries in their endeavour to improve liquidity on stock markets through the participation of foreign investors. The results are also useful to managers in developing countries who are keen to increase the market value of their company, thereby reducing their cost of capital.     

中小上市公司治理结构与会计信息透明度关系研究

完善的公司治理结构对会计信息披露有着积极的作用,会计信息披露亦有助于提高公司治理和经营管理透明度。经对2007-2010年深市样本中小上市公司Logistic回归分析,结果表明:第一大股东控制力、董事会规模和公司规模与会计信息透明度正相关;独立董事比例、董事长与总经理两职合一和资产负债率与会计信息透明度负相关;监事会规模与会计信息透明度无明显的相关性。     

制度环境、现金股利政策和投资者保护——来自A股和H股上市公司的经验证据

根据海外上市"捆绑理论",中国企业到海外成熟市场上市,必须遵守上市地严格的法律法规、公司治理和信息披露要求。海内外上市公司在公司治理机制、投资者保护水平上存在重大差异。实证研究发现海外上市的公司现金股利无论是分配倾向还是分配力度都显著强于内地上市公司。海外市场严格的法律法规和习惯、有效的市场监督、良好的信息披露规则等公司治理环境提高了对投资者的保护水平,进而对公司的股利行为产生影响。     

Determinants and Valuation Implications of Compulsory Stock Option Disclosures in a Weak Regulatory Setting—The Case of France

Using a sample of listed French firms in 2005, the year of mandatory IFRS adoption in the European Union (EU), we investigate the determinants of disclosure compliance of stock option expenses under IFRS 2, Share‐based Payment. Stock options are a popular means of executive compensation in France relative to other EU countries. Prior to 2005, French accounting standards and corporate governance regulations did not require recognition of option expense amounts and required minimal supplementary disclosures. There was also a perception that enforcement was imperfect, in particular with respect to IFRS 2. Given this setting, we explore what factors influence the willingness of firms to follow compulsory IFRS requirements in a weak regulatory setting. We find that overall compliance with IFRS 2 disclosure requirements increases with U.S. and U.K. institutional ownership, U.S. cross‐listing, provision of English language statements, and decreases with CEO and family ownership of the firm. We also investigate how stock market prices are affected by the recognition and disclosure of stock option expenses according to IFRS 2 in this regulatory setting and find that investors value option expenses positively, particularly when accompanied by high‐disclosure compliance. Our findings have implications for other jurisdictions in the process of adopting or converging to IFRS.     

关键审计事项披露与企业会计稳健性——基于准自然实验和文本分析的证据

关键审计事项披露对增强财务报告可信度、提高信息透明度以及提升企业会计信息质量具有重要意义。基于2014—2020年我国上市公司样本数据,采用多期双重差分法和文本分析方法,实证检验了关键审计事项披露对企业会计稳健性的影响。研究发现：关键审计事项披露提升了企业会计稳健性,且在非国有企业和净资产收益率小于6%的企业中正向影响更大;关键审计事项披露数量越多,关键审计事项结论性评述积极程度和关键审计事项审计应对力度越高,披露资产减值类和损益类关键审计事项对企业会计稳健性的提升越显著;进一步分析发现,这一效应在企业信息透明度较低以及审计监督效应较强的企业中更为明显;作用机制检验表明,关键审计事项披露通过提高市场感知的审计质量和报表盈余的审计质量提升了企业会计稳健性。