The Moderating Effect of Board Independence on the Relationship between Family Ownership and Corporate Sustainability Reporting In Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 31-43
Author(s):  
Zainab Aman ◽  
Norman Mohd SALEH ◽  
Zaleha Abdul SHUKOR ◽  
Romlah JAFFAR
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Family Ownership ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
The Relationship

Objective - The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between family ownership and corporate sustainability reporting to determine how the role of board independence affects the relationship between those variables within Malaysian listed companies. Methodology/Technique – The annual reports of 771 listed companies from 2014 to 2016 were analyzed using content analysis methods. The study uses agency theory to develop the hypotheses. Findings - The study found that family ownership is negatively related to corporate sustainability reporting. The finding shows that independent directors are unable to influence the relationship between family ownership and corporate sustainability reporting. The findings of this study are expected to provide insight to authorities in relation to the factors that could enhance corporate sustainability reporting primarily in family-owned companies. Novelty - Previous studies have only focused on environmental and social dimensions of corporate sustainability, whilst this study addresses all the 3 dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social). This paper is one of the first attempts to investigate the roles of board independence on the relationship between family ownership and corporate sustainability reporting in Malaysia. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: M14, M41. Keywords: Sustainability Reporting; Family Ownership; Corporate Governance; Independent Director Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Aman, Z; Saleh, N; Shukur, Z.A; Jaafar, R. (2021). The Moderating Effect of Board Independence on the Relationship between Family Ownership and Corporate Sustainability Reporting in Malaysia, Accounting and Finance Review, 5(4): 31 – 43. https://doi.org/10.35609/afr.2021.5.4(4)

scholarly journals Board Governance and Sustainability Disclosure: A Cross-Sectional Study of Singapore-Listed Companies

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meibo Hu ◽  
Lawrence Loh
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Board Governance ◽  
Executive Directors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Sustainability Disclosure ◽  
The Relationship

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between board governance and sustainability disclosure in Singapore. Regression analysis is performed using cross-sectional data of Singapore-listed companies to examine the relationship between sustainability disclosure and various board governance factors, including board capacity, board independence, and board incentive. The findings show the presence of significant associations between board governance and sustainability disclosure. In terms of board capacity, companies with larger board sizes and a higher number of board meetings are more likely to practice sustainability reporting, and their reporting qualities are higher. For board independence, the percentage of independent directors positively impacts the firm’s reporting probability and quality on sustainability in Singapore. For board incentives, the practice of long-term incentives for executive directors can significantly improve both the probability and quality of sustainability reporting. The study adds to the literature on corporate governance and sustainability disclosure. It provides empirical evidence and guidance for firms and policy-makers in Singapore and beyond on how sustainability disclosure can be improved through robust board governance.

scholarly journals Board independence, earnings management and the moderating effect of family ownership in Jordan

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 985-994
Author(s):  
Mohammed Idris ◽  
Yousef Abu Siam ◽  
Mahmoud Nassar
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Family Ownership ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Industrial Companies ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This research examines the moderating effect of family ownership over the relationship between board independence and earnings management. Using information of industrial companies indexed on Amman Stock Exchange, this research provides evidence of negative relationship between board independence and earnings management, proposing that higher percentage of board independence is related with more effective monitoring to reduce earnings management. Moreover, the results document that the relationship between board independence and earnings management becomes weak when there is an interaction with family ownership control. These outcomes indicate that an increase in the percentage of independent directors to mitigate earnings management is less likely to be influential in the case of family controlled firms. The results of this research could be valuable to regulators in their efforts to restrict the incidence of earnings management and improve the quality of monitoring mechanisms, especially in an environment where the capital market is still evolving and the legal protection and law enforcement are weak.

scholarly journals Materiality Disclosure in Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-252
Author(s):  
Sie Bing Ngu ◽  
Azlan Amran
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Determination Process ◽  
Major Stakeholder ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Sustainability Reports

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: This paper aims to examine the determinants that influence companies to report material sustainability information in their corporate annual reports. Design/Methodology/Approach: To validate the determinants influencing materiality disclosure, content analysis was conducted on the annual reports of the top 113 Malaysian public listed companies in 2016, and the smart partial least squares technique was employed to examine the proposed relationships. Research findings: The empirical results indicate that board activity and board independence play a significant role in the determination of materiality disclosure. The results also reveal that board size, company size, profitability, leverage and industry are insignificant predictors of materiality disclosure. The results indicate that many listed companies in Malaysia disclose some amount of material sustainability information. However, the level of disclosure remains relatively low. Theoretical contribution/Originality: Notwithstanding that materiality is regarded as a key reporting principle in the preparation of sustainability reports, research on the application of the materiality concept in sustainability reporting remains to be an unexplored theme in Malaysia. This work sheds light on materiality disclosure in sustainability reporting of large companies operating in Malaysia through the combined views of the stakeholder and legitimacy theories. Practitioner/Policy implications: The results should be of great interest to policymakers who are concerned with formulating sustainability policies to achieve greater materiality disclosure. It also provides strategic insights to companies that board characteristics, such as board activity and board independence, influence materiality disclosure. Board members are urged to consider the importance of the reporting materiality determination process; otherwise, poor reporting may result in conflict with major stakeholder groups who do not see the material issues disclosed in the sustainability reports. Research limitation/Implications: The results are limited to the context of Malaysia. Future researchers can compare materiality disclosure with other countries, such as Singapore and Thailand, to enrich the sustainability reporting literature.

scholarly journals Coming in from the Cold: A Longitudinal Analysis of SDG Reporting Practices by Spanish Listed Companies Since the Approval of the 2030 Agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferran Curtó-Pagès ◽  
Enrique Ortega-Rivera ◽  
Marc Castellón-Durán ◽  
Eva Jané-Llopis
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Analysis ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Un Global Compact ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Corporate Sustainability Performance ◽  
2030 Agenda

Despite the apparent commitment of large Spanish corporations to the SDGs, information about their documented contribution to the 2030 Agenda is still scarce. This article aims to explore this gap by investigating the extent to which Spanish listed companies have been reporting on the SDGs since the approval of the 2030 Agenda. The paper contributes to the country-level analysis of SDG reporting by performing a longitudinal analysis over the 4-year period encompassing 2016 to 2019. It contributes to management science by assessing Corporate Sustainability performance through adherence to the SDGs and testing what the facilitators of SDG reporting have been during the first 4 years since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. Findings reveal a low commitment of Spanish listed companies to sustainability reporting. Nevertheless, they also uncover how those companies that publish non-financial reports are increasingly reporting on the SDGs. Additionally, there is also a growing tendency among CEOs to mention the SDGs in their letters to stakeholders. Furthermore, a positive link is established between the adoption of GRI reporting standards or being a signatory of the UN Global Compact and SDG reporting. Similarly, those companies that publish Integrated Reports are more likely to consider the SDGs in their disclosures than those that publish Standalone Reports or Annual Reports. Nonetheless, there is a growing tendency to gravitate from producing Integrated Reports to producing Annual Reports. Owing to the breadth of these results and their relevance to academics and practitioners alike, this study can help build future evidence-based accountability literature and policy on the SDGs at the Spanish and European levels.

IMPACT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ON FIRM PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
pp. 16-28
Author(s):  
Feryal Zafar ◽  
Shaheera Munir ◽  
Muhammad Saqib Khan
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
The Relationship

The study attempts to figure out the relationship between the performance of the firms and corporate governance in Pakistan. Governance mechanisms used in this study are CEO duality, Independence of Board, Size of Board, and Ownership Concentration. While, the ROA and ROE have been used as dependent variables to measure the performance of firms. Using regression analysis technique on 10 listed firms trading over four years from 2014-2017, the results have been derived. The data regarding all the variables have been collected from all the companies’ annual reports. The discoveries of the study direct that fundamentals of corporate governance such as the Size of the Board, Ownership, and Duality Concentration of CEO have negative effects on performance of organization, as measured by ROA and ROE. While Board independence positively affects the performance of firms. The results are thus significant and provide valuable information for the decision makers about the research issues under consideration.

scholarly journals Monitoring Mechanisms, Gender, and Information System Structure in Nigerian Non-Financial Listed Companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluyemisi Rachael Arowolo ◽  
Ayoib Che-Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Internal Auditing ◽  
Minority Shareholders ◽  
Organizational Attributes ◽  
The Board Of Directors ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Relationship

Monitoring mechanisms are tools for companies to protect the interests of the shareholders, most especially, the minority shareholders from the deviant behaviour of the management and board members. This study examines the relationship between monitoring mechanisms (directorship, internal and external auditing), gender and information system structure in Nigerian non-financial listed companies. The empirical tests for the study are by quantitative analysis approach with data from annual reports and questionnaires (for information system structure and internal auditing not obtainable from annual reports). The findings reveal that both gender and information system structure significantly relates to monitoring mechanisms (directorship, internal auditing and external auditing). This empirical study adds to the literature on the antecedents of organizational attributes in respect of gender and information system structure as related to monitoring mechanisms, particularly in Sub-Saharan African. Likewise, the findings suggest policy implication for the board of directors regarding appropriate board composition and structuring of the information system of a company to mitigate agency problems.

Tamed Transparency: How Information Disclosure under the Global Reporting Initiative Fails to Empower

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 74-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Dingwerth ◽  
Margot Eichinger
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Reporting Scheme ◽  
Corporate World ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
The Relationship

In this contribution, we explore the tensions that seem inherent in the claim that transparency policies “empower” the users of disclosed information vis-àvis those who are asked to provide the information. Since these tensions are particularly relevant in relation to voluntary disclosure, our analysis focuses on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) as the world's leading voluntary corporate non-financial reporting scheme. Corporate sustainability reporting is often hailed as a powerful instrument to improve the environmental performance of business and to empower societal groups, including consumers, in their relations with the corporate world. Yet, our analysis illustrates that the relationship between transparency and empowerment is conflictual at all four levels of activity examined in this article: in the rhetoric and policies of the GRI as well as in the actual reporting practice and in the activities of intermediaries in response to the organization's disclosure standard.

Corporate social responsibility disclosure and information asymmetry: does boardroom attributes matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Hamrouni ◽  
Mondher Bouattour ◽  
Nadia Ben Farhat Toumi ◽  
Rim Boussaada
Keyword(s):  
Information Asymmetry ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Social Disclosure

PurposeThe current study aims to investigate the relation between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and information asymmetry, as well as the moderating effect of board characteristics (gender diversity, size and independence) on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a panel data regression analysis with the system generalized method of moments (SGMM) estimator of nonfinancial French firms included in the SBF 120 index. The environmental and social disclosure scores are collected from the Bloomberg database, while financial data are collected from the FactSet database.FindingsThe empirical results demonstrate that environmental disclosure has a positive impact on the level of information asymmetry, while social disclosure has no effect on the information environment. Gender diversity and board independence negatively impact the opacity index, while board size has a positive effect. The presence of women in board composition has a substitution effect on the relationship between environmental disclosure and information asymmetry. There is no moderating effect of board size on the association between CSR disclosure and information asymmetry. However, the proportion of independent female directors and board independence operates as substitutes to social disclosure on reducing information asymmetry.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the models include the most common control variables used in the literature, they omit some variables. Second, the results should be interpreted with caution and should not be generalized to the entire stock market since the sample is based on large French companies.Practical implicationsThe results of this study may be of interest to managers, investors and French market authorities since France is characterized by highly developed laws and reforms in the area of CSR. In addition, the paper leads to a better understanding of how women on the board, in particular, independent female directors, affect the relationship between CSR disclosure and information asymmetry. This could be of interest to French authorities, which has encouraged the appointment of women through the adoption of the Copé–Zimmermann law.Originality/valueFirst, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to explore the moderating effect of board characteristics on the relationship between CSR and information asymmetry. Second, unlike previous studies using individual proxies to measure information asymmetry, the authors favor the opacity index of Anderson et al. (2009). They calculate this index by including a fifth individual measure, namely, share price volatility. The opacity index better describes the information environment of companies than individual measures since it reflects the perceptions of investors and analysts together.

Sustainability Efficiency Assessment in the Turkish Manufacturing Sector

2022 ◽  
pp. 261-285
Author(s):  
Isil Erem Ceylan
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Sustainability Index ◽  
Efficiency Assessment ◽  
Potential Improvement ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter intends to measure environmental, social, and economic sustainability efficiency levels of the manufacturing companies listed in Borsa Istanbul Sustainability Index by using data envelopment analysis (DEA) based on the target year of 2019. In this context, considering the relationship between inputs and outputs determined as a result of the comprehensive review of the related literature, efficiency assessment is made by considering environmental, social, and economic indicators, which are the main dimensions of corporate sustainability. The input-oriented Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes (CCR) and Banker, Charnes, and Cooper (BCC) models have been used in the efficiency measurement. According to the obtained efficiency scores for the relatively inefficient companies in terms of environmental, economic, and social dimensions, several suggestions are offered depending on the potential improvement rates for them.

Corporate governance and turnaround: Evidence from Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-578
Author(s):  
Seema Miglani ◽  
Kamran Ahmed ◽  
Darren Henry
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Ownership ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Outside Directors ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Corporate Turnaround ◽  
Outside Director ◽  
Director Ownership ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Matched Samples

We examine the relationship between ownership and outside director attributes and corporate turnaround outcomes using matched samples of 99 turnaround and 99 non-turnaround listed Australian firms during the 2004–2015 period. Based on agency theory principles, we propose that key shareholder groups (block ownership, director ownership, institutional ownership) and outside directors are related to firm-level turnaround outcomes, and particularly changes in these attributes across decline to turnaround periods. Our results provide evidence that turnaround and non-turnaround firms differ in terms of their ownership and board composition structures, and that changes in director ownership and the degree of board independence are important in determining the likelihood of turnaround success. JEL Classification: G33, G34, M40

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