A sociological theory of corporate finance

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanhui Li ◽  
Check Teck Foo
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Privately Owned

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the relationship between social responsibility and equity in China. In the process, the authors utilize data on corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports (in particular, information disclosure) and equity capital (focusing on cost). The overarching hypothesis may be phrased simply as: is CSR reporting rewarded by the capital market in China? Design/methodology/approach – The data of 3,012 list corporations in China securities are used and 1,015 CSR report quality scores (Rankins CSR Ratings) are hand-gathered from HEXUN (Web site) and utilized in the process of developing the model; financial and stock market information is obtained from the Wind database and the China Stock Market and Accounting Research database. Findings – The authors’ results suggest that overall the quality of CSR report is strongly, negatively related with the cost of capital: the higher the quality of social responsibility information disclosure, the lower the cost of equity capital. Most intriguingly, the authors find a sharp contrast between the government-owned corporations (state-owned enterprises) and privately owned, listed corporations. The quality of CSR reporting has a much higher impact in lowering the cost of equity capital for privately owned corporations. In contrasting the results for mandatory versus voluntary CSR disclosure, the quality of CSR reporting for the latter does not have any higher impact in lowering the cost of equity. Practical implications – Good social responsibility behavior by corporations and their subsequent information disclosure has beneficial financial impacts. In the authors’ research, the authors showed its immediate impact to be in the lowering of the overall corporate cost of equity. In this regard, the authors would recommend that chief executive officers pay more attention to CSR practice and its disclosure. Private firms issuing CSR reports will benefit from much lower financing costs through the capital market. Originality/value – Due to the structure of capital markets in China, the authors are able to show that CSR reporting of privately owned, listed corporations have much more effective signaling power. On the basis of the authors’ empirical findings in relation to the quality of CSR reporting and its impact on cost of capital, the authors suggest there is greater scope for research which takes a “finance and society” perspective. Based on more extensive research, such a perspective may enable scholars to orientate finance and finance research toward a model of “socio-capitalism”.

scholarly journals Corporate social responsibility disclosure level, external assurance and cost of equity capital

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 694-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lee Weber
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Cost

PurposeThis study aims to analyze whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) report characteristics, including disclosure level and external assurance, and reporting firms’ CSR performance, explain variation in cost of equity capital among CSR disclosers.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a propensity score matched sample of CSR reports prepared according to the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G3/G3.1 Reporting Guidelines.FindingsOverall, there does not appear to be a difference in cost of equity capital among CSR disclosers based on GRI disclosure level. The exception is for poor CSR performers reporting at the highest GRI disclosure levels, but not obtaining assurance. These firms may be suspected of greenwash and therefore have higher cost of equity capital than the reference group. Poor CSR performers, especially those reporting at the highest GRI disclosure levels, obtain the greatest cost of equity capital benefit associated with external assurance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by showing that the cost of equity capital benefits associated with CSR disclosure and assurance do not accrue equally to all CSR disclosers. Specifically, this study is the first to provide empirical evidence of the cost of equity capital consequences of suspected greenwashing and empirically demonstrate the role of external assurance in mitigating greenwashing concerns among poor performers.

The impact of board secretaries’ excess compensation on corporate disclosure quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-340
Author(s):  
Qing Peng ◽  
Xuesong Tang ◽  
Yuxin Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Corporate Disclosure ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Disclosure Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Information Providers

Purpose Extensively public concern on “Huge Executive Compensation” makes it urgent to investigate the reasonability of high executive compensation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of compensation contracting based on the specific responsibility of executives. More specifically, this paper is to examine whether high compensation is helpful to mitigate agency problems. Design/methodology/approach Considering that board secretaries of listed companies are responsible for information disclosure in China, this paper examines the effect of board secretaries’ excess compensation on firms’ disclosure quality using listed company data from 2007 to 2015. The first measure of disclosure quality is based on the disclosure violation behavior of firms, and the second is KV value that represents the extent to which the investors relay on the stock trading volume. To provide additional confidence that the findings are robust, this paper further conducts two indirect tests based on rumors and cost of equity capital. Findings The results show that board secretaries’ excess compensation is negatively associated with the probability of information disclosure violation and also negatively associated with firms’ KV value, suggesting firms that pay high compensation to their information providers are more likely to provide high-quality disclosures. Besides, this paper further finds that board secretaries’ excess compensation is negatively related to the incidence of rumors, the number of rumors incurred or the cost of equity capital. Research limitations/implications Overall, the findings provide support to the efficient contracting of executive compensation, which implies that highly paid board secretaries would be better information providers than those poorly paid. Practical implications This paper provides empirical evidence that firms’ disclosure quality can be improved by modifying the compensation contract of information providers. This may indicate a new way to improve the quality of disclosures, so as to mitigate the agency problem. Social implications In spite of the public criticism on executive excess compensation, the high compensation is not always a signal of manipulation, collusion and self-interest. It also can be a signal of individual talents and great efforts. Board secretaries are worth to be highly paid if they can improve firms’ disclosures, thereby reducing the incidence of rumors and reducing the cost of equity capital. Originality/value This paper is the first research to examine the effectiveness of compensation contracting based on information providers’ disclosure responsibility in the Chinese context. It documents a positive relation between board secretaries’ excess compensation and corporate disclosure quality.

scholarly journals Earnings quality and the cost of equity capital: evidence on the impact of legal background

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Hassan Ahmed ◽  
Yasean Tahat ◽  
Yasser Eliwa ◽  
Bruce Burton
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Institutional Ownership ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Earnings quality is of great concern to corporate stakeholders, including capital providers in international markets with widely varying regulatory pedigrees and ownership patterns. This paper aims to examine the association between the cost of equity capital and earnings quality, contextualised via tests that incorporate the potential for moderating effects around institutional settings. The analysis focuses on and compares evidence relating to (common law) UK/US firms and (civil law) German firms over the period 2005–2018 and seeks to identify whether, given institutional dissimilarities, significant differences exist between the two settings. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors undertake a review of the extant literature on the link between earnings quality and the cost of capital. Second, using a sample of 948 listed companies from the USA, the UK and Germany over the period 2005 to 2018, the authors estimate four implied cost of equity capital proxies. The relationship between companies’ cost of equity capital and their earnings quality is then investigated. Findings Consistent with theoretical reasoning and prior empirical analyses, the authors find a statistically negative association between earnings quality, evidenced by information relating to accruals and the cost of equity capital. However, when they extend the analysis by investigating the combined effect of institutional ownership and earnings quality on financing cost, the impact – while negative overall – is found to vary across legal backdrops. Research limitations/implications This paper uses institutional ownership as a mediating variable in the association between earnings quality and the cost of equity capital, but this is not intended to suggest that other measures may be of relevance here and additional research might usefully expand the analysis to incorporate other forms of ownership including state and foreign bases. Second, and suggestive of another avenue for developing the work presented in the study, the authors have used accrual measures of earnings quality. Practical implications The results are shown to provide potentially important insights for policymakers, creditors and investors about the consequences of earnings quality variability. The results should be of interest to firms seeking to reduce their financing costs and retain financial viability in the wake of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Originality/value The reported findings extends the single-country results of Eliwa et al. (2016) for the UK firms and Francis et al. (2005) for the USA, whereby both reported that the cost of equity capital is negatively associated with earnings quality attributes. Second, in a further increment to the extant literature (particularly Francis et al., 2005 and Eliwa et al., 2016), the authors find the effect of institutional ownership to be influential, with a significantly positive impact on the association between earnings quality and the cost of equity capital, suggesting in turn that institutional ownership can improve firms’ ability to secure cheaper funding by virtue of robust monitoring. While this result holds for the whole sample (the USA, the UK and Germany), country-level analysis shows that the result holds only for the common law countries (the UK and the USA) and not for Germany, consistent with the notion that extant legal systems are a determining factor in this context. This novel finding points to a role for institutional investors in watching and improving the quality of financial reports that are valued by the market in its price formation activity.

Does intellectual capital disclosure affect the cost of equity capital? An empirical analysis in the integrated reporting context

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 985-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Salvi ◽  
Filippo Vitolla ◽  
Nicola Raimo ◽  
Michele Rubino ◽  
Felice Petruzzella
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Corporate Disclosure ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of intellectual capital disclosure on the cost of equity capital in the context of integrated reporting, which represents the ultimate frontier in the field of corporate disclosure.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ content analysis to measure intellectual capital disclosure levels along with a panel analysis on a sample of 164 integrated reports.FindingsEmpirical outcomes indicate that intellectual capital disclosure levels have a significantly negative association with the cost of equity capital.Originality/valueThis study's major contribution lies in its originality in terms of empirical examination of the relationship between intellectual capital disclosure in integrated reports and the cost of equity capital.

Research on Relationship between Information Disclosure and Cost of Equity Capital for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

2013 ◽  
Vol 462-463 ◽  
pp. 833-836
Author(s):  
Yan Yu Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Economic Condition ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Earnings Information ◽  
Residual Income Model ◽  
Income Model ◽  
The Cost

Relationship between information disclosure and the cost of equity capital for small and medium-sized enterprises was studied by calculating the cost of equity capital using the residual income model. A multiple regression model was built considering economic condition in China. It was found that earnings information may help the small and medium-sized enterprise to reduce the cost of equity capital. One important motivation was that significant positive correlation was seen between financial leverage and the small and medium-sized enterprises cost of equity capital. Besides, negative correlation was seen between enterprise scale and the small and medium-sized enterprises cost of equity capital.

scholarly journals A Better Way To Measure The Cost Of Equity Capital For Small Closely Held Firms

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Denis O. Boudreaux ◽  
Praveen Das ◽  
Nancy Rumore ◽  
SPUma Rao
Keyword(s):  
Cost Of Capital ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Valuation Process ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Privately Owned

A companys cost of capital is the average rate it pays for the use of its capital funds. Estimating the cost of equity capital for a publicly traded firm is much simpler than estimating the same for a small privately held firm. For privately owned firms there is the lack of market based financial information. In business damage cases, valuation of the firm is often a prime interest. A necessary variable in the valuation process is the estimate of the firms cost of capital. Part of the cost of capital is the equity holders or owners required rate of return. The purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical structure that underlies the valuation process for business damage cases that involve privately owned businesses. Specifically, cost of equity capital estimate methods which appear in the current literature are examined, and a theoretically correct and simple method to measure cost of equity capital for closely held companies is offered.

The impact of mandatory IFRS adoption on capital markets: evidence from Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saerona Kim ◽  
Haeyoung Ryu
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Joint Effect ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of adoption of the mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the cost of equity capital in a unique Korean setting. In Korea, individual financial statements were taken as primary financial statements. Before the adoption of IFRS, consolidated financial statements were taken as supplementary financial statements. Design/methodology/approach The authors measure the cost of equity using the average estimates from the implied cost of capital models proposed by Claus and Thomas (2001), Gebhardt et al. (2001), Easton (2004) and Ohlson and Juettner-Nauroth (2005), using it as the primary dependent variable. Mandatory IFRS adoption, the independent variable in this study, is assigned a value of 1 for the post-adoption period and 0 otherwise. Findings Using a sample of listed Korean companies during the period from 2000 to 2013, the authors find evidence of a significant reduction in the cost of equity capital in Korean listed companies after mandatory adoption of the IFRS in 2011, after controlling for a set of market variables. Originality/value This study is one of a growing body of literature on the relations between mandatory IFRS adoption and the cost of equity capital (Easley and O’Hara 2004; Covrig et al. 2007; Lambert et al. 2007; Daske et al. 2008). According to the results of this study, increased financial disclosure and enhanced information comparability, along with changes in legal and institutional enforcement, seem to have had a joint effect on the cost of equity capital, leading to a large decrease in expected equity returns.

Disclosure, ownership structure, earnings announcement lag and cost of equity capital in emerging markets

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hichem Khlif ◽  
Khaled Samaha ◽  
Islam Azzam
Keyword(s):  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity ◽  
Government Ownership ◽  
Earnings Announcement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Cost

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of voluntary disclosure, ownership structure attributes and timely disclosure on cost of equity capital in the emerging Egyptian capital market. Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis of annual reports is used to measure the extent of voluntary disclosure. Earnings announcement lag (EAL) is used to measure the quality of voluntary disclosure (i.e. timely disclosure). Finally, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) framework is used to estimate cost of equity capital. Findings – The authors find a negative relationship between the level of voluntary disclosure and cost of equity capital. More specifically, the authors document that this association is strongly significant under high ownership dispersion, low government ownership and shorter EAL. Finally, EAL is positively associated with cost of equity capital. Research limitations/implications – The authors use the CAPM framework as a proxy for the cost of equity since forecasted earnings per share are not communicated by financial analysts in the Egyptian Stock Exchange. Practical implications – The findings demonstrate for managers that the increased levels of voluntary and timely disclosure reduce the cost of external finance and improve the marketability of firms’ equities, which may directly impact growth opportunities especially when information is communicated to investors in a timely fashion. For regulators, it provides evidence that high government ownership reduces the value relevance of voluntary disclosure among investors, while free float as a proxy for high ownership dispersion improves it. Originality/value – The findings show that corporate disclosure policy depends more on the managers’ incentives to provide informative annual reports than on standards and regulations. The study also represents a first attempt that demonstrates how ownership structure and timely disclosure influence the relationship between disclosure and cost of equity capital.

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