Voluntary disclosure practices amongst listed companies in Nigeria

This study examines voluntary disclosure practices amongst listed companies in Nigeria. Results from univariate and multivariate analyses of 52 listed companies suggest an average voluntary disclosure of 44% based on modified Meek, Roberts and Gray (1995) disclosure index comprising 24 disclosure items. The study found significant positive relationship between voluntary disclosure and firm size, measured as the natural logarithm of total asset. The study documents significant positive relationship between market-based definition of firm performance and voluntary disclosure. The study also found significant negative relationship between percentage of block share ownership and percentage of managerial share with firm disclosures. The study has important implication for both individual and institutional investors globally, regulators and policy makers in developing economies.     

The Relationship Between the Cost of Equity Capital and Corporate Disclosure: The Chilean Case

ABSTRACT

The objective of this research is to determine whether the Chilean investor rewards the corporate disclosure of economic information. The results have been consistent with international findings, since the relationship between the two studied variables was widely negative (the more information, the lower rate demanded by the investor). Also, the study shows that the integration of the capitals markets is improving the minimum standards of disclosure since, when a local company participates in more than one stock market, the strictest corporate disclosure or transparency rule will be applied.

RESUMEN. El objetivo de esta investigación es determinar si el inversionista chileno premia la entrega de información por parte de las empresas. Los resultados han sido consistentes con la evidencia internacional, ya que la relación entre las variables estudiadas fue ampliamente negativa (a mayor información, menor tasa exigida por el inversionista). Además, el estudio evidencia que la integración de los mercados de capitales está mejorando los estándares mínimos de revelación, ya que al participar una firma local en más de una bolsa de valores, se aplicará la normativa más exigente de revelación o transparencia corporativa.

RESUMO. O objetivo desta pesquisa é determinar se o investidor chileno compensa a divulgação das informações econômicas pelas empresas. Os resultados têm sido coerentes com as evidências internacionais, visto que a relação entre as duas variáveis estudadas foi amplamente negativa (quanto mais informação, menor é a taxa exigida pelo investidor). O estudo evidencia, também, que a integração dos mercados de capitais tem melhorado os padrões mínimos de divulgação, já que quando uma empresa local participa em mais de uma bolsa de valores, as normas mais rígidas de divulgação ou de transparência corporativa são aplicadas.     

社会学视野下的大学生志愿服务意识与行为研究

志愿者这个群体现已被公众熟识,引起了学者的高度关注。从社会学的视野展开调查．了解后奥运时代大学生参与志愿服务的意识、参与服务的基本情况、参与的动机、未来参与的意愿以及当前开展志愿服务存在的困难和阻力因素,并提出相应的建议。阐述了志愿者意识的觉醒意味着公民社会逐渐形成,志愿服务促进社会良性运行和和谐社会的建设。     

A signaling model of environmental overcompliance

We present a theory of unilateral regulatory overcompliance as a signaling device. Firms that have a competitive advantage in the use of a cleaner but more costly technology overcomply in order to signal to an imperfectly informed, benevolent government that compliance costs are low, thereby triggering tougher regulation. We identify the conditions under which such an overcompliance signaling equilibrium arises, showing that there may be over-overcompliance in that firms may overcomply even when tougher regulation is not socially desirable. We also discuss the differential implications of the signaling theory as compared to other theories of unilateral regulatory overcompliance.     

数字化与企业绿色创新表现——基于增量与提质的双重效应识别

数字化赋予了国民经济与微观企业转型升级的动能。文章在对上市公司进行文本挖掘的基础上,综合MD&A部分数字化词频占比和无形资产数据等多个数据集以提高企业数字化指标的刻画质量,实证考察了其对企业绿色创新表现的影响。研究发现,数字化对企业绿色创新表现具有"增量提质"的双重效应,并且该结论在创新性地采用清朝城墙数据作为历史工具变量和国家级大数据试验区建设作为准自然实验等一系列稳健性检验后仍然显著成立。异质性分析表明,这一促进效应在政府环保补助较高和内部管控成本较低的企业、非重污染行业企业中更为明显;而当地环境治理和知识产权保护则为该过程的实现提供了支撑。机制分析表明,数字化作用于企业绿色创新的路径依赖于其缓解了(环境)信息约束问题,促使企业自主参与环境治理,并有效提升企业商业信用。文章研究不仅为理解数字技术发展对企业绿色创新表现的影响机理提供了微观实证依据,也为未来实现数字化与"双碳"目标的"共赢"提供了重要启示。     

Improving the relevance of risk factor disclosure in corporate annual reports

This research develops a model for assessing the quality of risk disclosures and applies the proposed model to four companies in the food production and processing sector. We contribute to the literature by extending prior work on risk disclosure quality using a longitudinal approach to assess the quality of risk reporting. While previous studies have described disclosure practices, this paper adopts a normative approach to disclosure. By suggesting a way of improving risk reporting disclosures, the paper provides guidance for current and future company managers. In line with previous research, this paper identifies certain problems with existing risk disclosures. Results suggest that company managers prefer providing disclosures that are symbolic rather than substantive. We argue that institutional factors and proprietary costs contribute towards and can explain this behaviour. In suggesting a way forward we highlight the role that stakeholders including managers, users, regulators and auditors can play in improving the quality of risk reporting. Flexibility in reporting could be maintained by adopting a properly monitored ‘comply or explain’ approach.     

Evolution of the slow living concept within the models of sustainable communities

The study presents analysis of three case studies of sustainable communities to reveal their distinctive features through the novel Functional Models of Sustainable Communities framework. The case studies signify phases of evolution of the slow living concept starting from the traditional representation (Model A), through the hybrid (Model B), to a more contemporary model (Model C). Based on the novel SLOW LIFE analysis, the study found that contrary to expectations the latest high-tech model of sustainable community in Masdar City failed to generate the same level of social cohesion and enjoyable living experience as evidenced in older, more established communities (Damanhur, and Toarps Ekoby). The study highlights the pivotal role of slow living concepts in the transitional period of the 21st century, moving towards the next ideational phase, according to Sorokin’s pendulum theory of social change. Further, the T-Cycle analysis revealed a converging trend in the shifting dialectical relationship between mainstream Western society and sustainable communities. The findings of this study indicate that evolution of the slow living concept in the context of sustainable communities followed broader trends in society—moving towards a more technologically oriented model.     

Increasing marginal costs and satiation in the private provision of public goods: group size and optimality revisited

It is widely recognized that the degree of inefficiency in the voluntary provision of a public good increases with the group size of an economy. However, we find that only a slight modification in the conventional assumptions gives rise to a profound difference in outcome. In particular, we show that there is a case where the Nash equilibrium provision and the efficient provision will converge as the size of an economy grows. To show this, we assume individuals face increasing marginal cost of voluntary provision and their preference function has a finite satiety point.      

Information Asymmetry and Voluntary SFAS 157 Fair Value Disclosures by Bank Holding Companies During the 2007 Financial Crisis

We hand‐collect SFAS 157 voluntary fair value disclosures of 18 bank holding companies. The SEC's Division of Corporate Finance likely targeted these entities in 2008 through their “Dear CFO” letters in which they requested specific, additional disclosure items. We collect disclosures that match the SEC recommendations and create eight common factor disclosure variables to examine the effect of such disclosures on information asymmetry. We find that disclosure variables about the use of broker quotes or prices from pricing services and the use of market indices and illiquidity adjustments are related to lower information asymmetry. However, disclosure variables about valuation techniques and asset‐backed securities are related to greater information asymmetry. We also document that disclosure complexity, and disclosure tone (uncertainty and litigious) is related to greater information asymmetry. These findings are consistent with criticism that corporate disclosures are voluminous; management may obfuscate unfavorable information which in turn increases market participants’ assessment of uncertainty associated with the fair value measures. We caveat that the setting of the financial crisis and a small sample size may limit the ability to generalize these inferences to other time periods or other financial firms.     

公司治理状况对自愿披露水平的影响

本文构建了关于中国上市公司自愿信息披露水平与公司治理各因素间关系的多元回归数学模型。由方程拟合结果,可推断公司治理各要素对我国上市公司自愿披露水平的影响程度,从而揭示出公司治理对自愿信息披露水平的内生约束机制。