scholarly journals The effect of Islamic values on voluntary corporate governance disclosure

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleed M. Albassam ◽  
Collins G. Ntim
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Government Ownership ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Alternative Measures ◽  
Islamic Values ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The study aims to examine the effect of Islamic values on the extent of voluntary corporate governance (CG) disclosure. In addition, the authors investigate the effect of traditional ownership structure and CG mechanisms on the extent of voluntary CG disclosure. Design/methodology/approach The authors distinctively construct Islamic values and voluntary CG disclosure indices using a sample of 75 Saudi-listed firms over a seven-year period in conducting multivariate regressions of the effect of Islamic values on the extent of voluntary CG disclosure. The analyses are robust to controlling for firm-level characteristics, fixed-effects, endogeneities and alternative measures. Findings The authors find that corporations that depict greater commitment towards incorporating Islamic values into their operations through high Islamic values disclosure index score engage in higher voluntary CG disclosures than those that are not. Additionally, the authors find that audit firm size, board size, government ownership, institutional ownership and the presence of a CG committee are positively associated with the level of voluntary CG disclosure, whereas block ownership is negatively associated with the extent of voluntary CG disclosure. Practical implications The study has clear practical implications for future research, practice and broader society by demonstrating empirically that corporations that voluntarily incorporate Islamic values into their operations are more likely to be transparent about their CG practices and thereby providing new crucial insights on the effect of Islamic values on voluntary CG compliance and disclosure. Originality/value This is the first empirical attempt at explicitly examining the effect of Islamic values on the extent of voluntary CG disclosure. The authors also offer evidence on the effect of traditional CG and ownership structures on the extent of voluntary CG disclosure.

Determinants of voluntary formation of risk management committees

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 649-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkoko Blessy Sekome ◽  
Tesfaye Taddesse Lemma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the nexus between firm-specific attributes and a company’s decision to setup a separate risk management committee (RMC) as a sub-committee of the board within the context of an emerging economy, South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyse data extracted from audited annual financial reports of 181 non-financial firms listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) by using logistic regression technique. Findings – The results show a strong positive relationship between the existence of a separate RMC and board independence, board size, firm size and industry type. However, the authors fail to find support for the hypotheses that independent board chairman, auditor reputation, reporting risk and financial leverage have an influence on a firm’s decision to establish RMC as a separately standing committee in the board structure. The findings signify the role of costs associated with information asymmetry, agency, upkeep of a standalone RMC, damage to the reputation of directors and industry-specific idiosyncrasies on a firm’s decision to form a separate RMC. Research limitations/implications – As in most empirical studies, this study focuses on listed firms. Nonetheless, future studies that focus on non-listed firms could add additional insights to the literature. Investigating the role of firm-specific governance attributes other than those considered in the present study (e.g. gender of directors, ownership structure, etc.) could further enhance the understanding of antecedents of risk-management practices. Practical implications – The findings have practical implications for the investment community in assessing the quality of risk management practices of companies listed on the JSE. Furthermore, the results provide insights that are potentially useful to the King Committee and other corporate governance regulators in South Africa in their effort to improve corporate governance practices. Originality/value – The present study focuses on firms drawn from an emerging economy which has profound economic, institutional, political and cultural differences compared to advanced economies, which have received a disproportionately higher share of attention in prior studies. Thus, the study contributes additional insights to the literature on corporate risk management from the perspective of an emerging economy.

Privatization, tunneling, and tax avoidance in Chinese SOEs

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Y.H. Tang
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Government Ownership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tax Rate ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Good Corporate Governance ◽  
Privatization Process ◽  
Wealth Expropriation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of ownership structure arising from China’s unique privatization process on listed firms’ tunneling activities and their interaction with tax avoidance. Design/methodology/approach Using hand-collected data on the incompletely restructured state-owned listed firms and their applicable tax rate, this paper conducts a multivariate regression to test research questions. It also employs a triple differences method to examine whether the observed interaction between tax avoidance and tunneling is mitigated for well-governed firms. Findings It documents that controlling shareholders’ tunneling increases as the percentage of shares owned by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) increases. Evidence also shows that the magnitude of tunneling increases when SOEs controlled by the central government engage in more tax avoidance, suggesting that these firms use tax avoidance to facilitate wealth expropriation. Social implications These findings advance the understanding of the tunneling incentive behind the tax avoidance behavior for a subset of Chinese SOEs and have implications for emerging capital markets that are characterized by concentrated government ownership and weak corporate governance. Originality/value This paper is the first paper to investigate the effect of the incomplete privatization process on tunneling and the interaction between tunneling and tax avoidance activities. It extends prior studies by investigating the incentives behind SOEs’ tax avoidance from the perspective of an agency problem and documenting that good corporate governance plays an important role in deterring the diversionary tax avoidance.

The impact of corporate governance code on earnings management in listed non-financial firms

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erick Rading Outa ◽  
Paul Eisenberg ◽  
Peterson K. Ozili
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Explanatory Variable ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
New Institutions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether voluntary corporate governance (CG) code issued in 2002 constrain earnings management (EM) among listed non-finance companies in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach Using a panel data of 338-firm year’s observations between 2005 and 2014, the authors test the hypothesis that CG constrains EM in non-finance firms listed in Kenya. The authors regress discretionary accruals (DA) against a developed Corporate Governance Index (CGI). Findings The overall results show that DA is not significantly related to CG suggesting the voluntary CG code does not deter EM in non-finance companies in Kenya. Practical implications Evidence of income decreasing\increasing accruals implies EM still exists among the listed firms. This suggests that policymakers may need to consider radical actions including alternative or new CG approaches and new institutions to improve the effectiveness of CG. Originality/value This study extends existing studies by including composite CG as possible explanatory variable for constraining EM. The authors contribute to the debate by demonstrating that the voluntary CG code in Kenya is not effective in constraining DA and therefore the current initiatives by the regulator to change the current CG code are appropriately directed.

Age-related productivity decrease in high-waged and low-waged employees

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1151-1170
Author(s):  
Liis Roosaar ◽  
Jaan Masso ◽  
Urmas Varblane
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Relative Productivity ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to clarify whether the age-productivity curve is different for low-waged and high-waged employees. Design/methodology/approach Productivity growth is decomposed at the firm level into contributions by hired, separated and staying workers. Based on a matched employer-employee database of Estonian firms from 2006 to 2014 and considering the age as well as wages of employees, a panel data model with fixed effects is constructed to show the relative productivity of each cohort of employees. Findings High-waged employees appeared to be relatively more productive than low-waged employees and middle-aged were more productive than young or old employees. However, the productivity difference between young and old employees was not statistically significant. The age-productivity curve of high-waged employees appeared to be flatter than that of low-waged employees. Only in knowledge intensive services were the low-waged old employees statistically significantly less productive than high-waged old employees. In the manufacturing industry, the young were more productive than in services, in knowledge intensive services the old were less productive than in traditional services. Research limitations/implications The productivity of employees is only analysed for cohorts of employees. Practical implications Employers can be encouraged to hire older employees because old employees are shown to remain at least as productive as young employees. Originality/value The decomposition of labour productivity at the firm level is further developed, as the statistical difference between the productivity of different groups of employees is analysed.

scholarly journals The influence of internal corporate governance mechanisms on capital structure decisions of Chinese listed firms

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agyenim Boateng ◽  
Huifen Cai ◽  
Daniel Borgia ◽  
Xiao Gang Bi ◽  
Franklin Nnaemeka Ngwu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Capital Structure ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
The State ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of internal corporate governance mechanisms on the capital structure decisions of Chinese-listed firms. Design/methodology/approach Using a large and more recent data set consisting of 2,386 Chinese-listed firms over the period from 1998 to 2012, the authors use different statistical methods (OLS, fixed effects and system GMM) to analyse the effects of firm-specific and corporate governance influences on capital structure. Findings The authors find that the proportion of independent directors and ownership concentration exert significant influence on the level of Chinese long-term debt ratios after controlling for firm-specific determinants and split share reforms. Further analysis separating the sample of this paper into state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and privately owned enterprises (POEs) suggests that ownership concentration in the hands of the state leads to decrease in debt ratios. Research limitations/implications The finding implies that concentrated ownership in the hands of the state appears more efficient compared to their private counterparts in their monitoring role. Originality/value This paper extends prior literature, which has concentrated disproportionately on firm-specific influences on capital structure, to the effects of within-firm governance mechanisms on capital structure decisions. The paper contributes to the agency theory–capital structure discourse in an emerging country context where corporate governance system appears weak.

scholarly journals Antecedents of voluntary corporate governance disclosure: a post-2007/08 financial crisis evidence from the influential UK Combined Code

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed H. Elmagrhi ◽  
Collins G. Ntim ◽  
Yan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Outside Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of compliance with, and disclosure of, good corporate governance (CG) practices among UK publicly listed firms and consequently ascertain whether board characteristics and ownership structure variables can explain observable differences in the extent of voluntary CG compliance and disclosure practices. Design/methodology/approach This study uses one of the largest data sets to-date on compliance and disclosure of CG practices from 2008 to 2013 containing 120 CG provisions drawn from the 2010 UK Combined Code relating to 100 UK listed firms to conduct multiple regression analyses of the determinants of voluntary CG disclosures. A number of additional estimations, including two stage least squares, fixed-effects and lagged structures, are conducted to address the potential endogeneity issue and test the robustness of the findings. Findings The results suggest that there is a substantial variation in the levels of compliance with, and disclosure of, good CG practices among the sampled UK firms. The authors also find that firms with larger board size, more independent outside directors and greater director diversity tend to disclose more CG information voluntarily, whereas the level of voluntary CG compliance and disclosure is insignificantly related to the existence of a separate CG committee and institutional ownership. Additionally, the results indicate that block ownership and managerial ownership negatively affect voluntary CG compliance and disclosure practices. The findings are fairly robust across a number of econometric models that sufficiently address various endogeneity problems and alternative CG indices. Overall, the findings are generally consistent with the predictions of neo-institutional theory. Originality/value This study extends, as well as contributes to, the extant CG literature by offering new evidence on compliance with, and disclosure of, good CG recommendations contained in the 2010 UK Combined Code following the 2007/2008 global financial crisis. This study also advances the existing literature by offering new insights from a neo-institutional theoretical perspective of the impact of board and ownership mechanisms on voluntary CG compliance and disclosure practices.

The impact of corporate governance and ownership structure reforms on earnings quality in China

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu_Dong Ji ◽  
Kamran Ahmed ◽  
Wei Lu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Ownership Structures ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of corporate governance and ownership structures on earnings quality in China both prior and subsequent to two important corporate reforms: the code of corporate governance (CCG) in 2002 and the split share structure reform (SSR) in 2005. Design/methodology/approach – This study utilises informativeness of earnings (earnings response coefficient), conditional accounting conservatism and managerial discretionary accruals to assess earnings quality using 12,267 firm-year observations over 11 years from 2000 to 2010. Further, two dummy variables for measuring the changes of CCG and SSR are employed to estimate the effects of CCG and SSR reforms on earnings quality via OLS regression. Findings – This study finds that the promulgation of the CCG in 2002 has had a positive impact, but the SSR reform in 2005 has had little effect on listed firms’ earnings quality in China. These results hold good after controlling for a number of ownership, governance and other variables and estimating models with multiple measures of earnings’ quality. Research limitations/implications – Future research could focus on how western style corporate governance mechanisms have been constrained by the old management systems and governmental dominated ownership structures in Chinese listed firms. The conclusion is that simply coping Western corporate governance model is not suitable for every country. Practical implications – The results will assist Chinese regulators in improving reporting quality, ownership structure and governance mechanisms in China. The results will help international investors better understand quality of financial information in China. Originality/value – This is the first to our knowledge that addresses the effects of major governance and ownership reforms together on accounting earnings quality and, thus, makes a significant contribution on understanding the effect of regulatory reforms on improving earnings quality. In doing so, it also indirectly assesses the effectiveness of western-style corporate governance mechanisms introduced in China.

scholarly journals Does better corporate governance attract foreign equity ownership? Evidence from Malaysian listed companies

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 118-125
Author(s):  
Yap Voon Choong ◽  
Chan Kok Thim ◽  
John Stanley Murugesu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Agency Cost ◽  
Government Ownership ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Insider Ownership ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Good Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Equity Ownership

This study examines the effect of firm-level corporate governance variables on foreign equity ownership (FEO) in Malaysia. Foreign equity ownership can be an important source of capital for companies to fund their expansion and growth. To attract FEO, good corporate governance practices are vital because these practices are used to reduce or mitigate agency cost. Based on a sample of listed firms on Bursa Malaysia and employing multiple regression analysis, the study finds that a number of corporate governance mechanisms significantly improve the ability of companies to attract foreign equity ownership, especially, Insider Ownership, Government Ownership, Firm Size, Dividend Yield and Tobin’s Q. The results of the study indicate that firm-level efforts for better corporate governance sends positive signals and confidence to foreign investors.

scholarly journals An empirical study of sustainability reporting assurance: current trends and new insights

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kholod Fahad Alsahali ◽  
Ricardo Malagueño
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to examine trends in the global assurance practices of sustainability reports, updating and broaden the extant literature and proving new insights that could guide future research. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected for 12,783 companies and exploratory descriptive analyses of sustainability reporting assurance practices were undertaken. Findings The study shows that assurance growth is lagging behind the growth in sustainability reporting. It reveals that assurer switching is a common practice amongst companies. There is an increasing trend towards the use of the International Standard for Assurance Engagements 3000 by non-accounting assurers. Additionally, in terms of assurance providers, the study finds that accounting firms are dominating the market, however, engineering firms are fast increasing their share of the sustainability assurance market, whilst consulting firms’ share is decreasing. However, the switch towards consulting firms is higher than the switch towards accounting firms in the last switch period. Practical implications Overall, the results of this study provide insights about companies’ assurance practices for regulators, assurance providers and companies interested in assuring their sustainability reports. Social implications This study is relevant for companies’ stakeholders, including investors, to enhance their understanding of companies’ current assurance practices. Originality/value Prior studies on the assurance practices of sustainability reports are limited in scope (concentrate on large companies) and depth (examine accounting vs non-accounting assures and consider the evolving patterns at the institutional rather than firm-level). This study presents developments and trajectories of assurance practices to inform researchers and practitioners on the global trends by bringing an updated and broader perspective on the topic.

scholarly journals Governance and ownership in Malaysia: their impacts on corporate performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-298
Author(s):  
Nazli Anum Mohd Ghazali
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Company Performance ◽  
Government Ownership ◽  
Board Size ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine the relative influence of regulatory enhancements relating to corporate governance and attributes of business traits on performance of Malaysian listed companies.Design/methodology/approachRegression analysis was performed on all 742 non-financial main board companies listed on Bursa Malaysia using data from 2013 annual reports.FindingsThe results show that the number of board meetings held during the year, role separation and board size have a significant impact on corporate performance. By contrast, independent directors, government ownership and director ownership do not influence corporate performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study investigated non-financial companies for the financial year 2013. Hence, the results may not apply to financial companies and other years. Future research can perhaps include all types of listed companies and carry out a longitudinal study to gain more comprehensive results and understanding on the relationship between corporate governance and corporate performance. Additionally, future research could also consider employing a different methodology to further unveil factors influencing corporate performance.Practical implicationsThe above findings provide new evidence of the effectiveness of the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance in improving company performance. The significance of board meetings, role separation and board size shows the importance of internal governance in shaping company processes and hence performance.Originality/valueThe result suggests that although the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance follows the corporate governance code of developed countries, the applicability of the recommendations to a developing country is evidenced. Companies in Malaysia are predominantly government-owned or closely held, but it appears that role separation matters even in these types of companies in achieving better performance.

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