Improvement in transparency and disclosure in the ISE: Did IFRS adoption and corporate governance principles make a difference

The purpose of this study is to investigate if the transparency and disclosure level of a sample of Istanbul Stock Exchange firms is enhanced by the promulgation of a set of local Corporate Governance (CG) Principles and by the voluntary adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), an international best-practice. The Capital Market Board’s CG principles are promulgated on a “comply or explain” basis and have been effective since the fiscal year 2004. Fırst, the year 2003 Transparency & Disclosure (TD) index previously created in collaboration with Standard and Poor’s is replicated for the fiscal year 2004. Using this short panel data of transparency and disclosure scores for our sample of 52 large and liquid Istanbul Stock Exchange firms, the improvement in the scores over the two years is measured. Second, with appropriate control variables in the model, we analyze the determinants of the significant improvement. We use the voluntary adoption of IFRS as an indicator of and commitment to TD, and find that the scores and their relationship with performance are higher in early adaptors. We then create a parsimonious 3-attribute Commitment-to-Better-Disclosure Index and observe a high correlation between the two indices. Finally, using a matched pairs design and controlling for IFRS adoption, we are able to attribute the improvement in the TD scores to the CG principles. The paper finally scores the sample firms’ Compliance Report and presents some preliminary statistics on the first year compliance level of ISE firms with these local CG principles. The study should be of interest to researchers, managers, analysts, boards, policy makers and regulators at a time when debate on convergence to IFRS and the impact of local CG guidelines has become intense

Corporate governance ratings as a means to reduce asymmetric information

Can corporate governance ratings reduce problems of asymmetric information between companies and investors? To answer this question, we set out to examine the information basis for providing such ratings by reviewing corporate governance attributes that are required or recommended in laws, accounting standards and codes, respectively. After that, we scrutinize and organize the publicly available information on the methodologies actually used by rating providers. However, important details of these methodologies are treated as confidential property, thus we approach the evaluation of corporate governance ratings as a means to reduce asymmetric information in a more general manner. We propose that the rating process may be seen as consisting of two general activities, namely a data reduction phase, and a data weighting, aggregation and classification phase. Findings based on a Danish data set suggest that rating providers by selecting relevant attributes in an intelligent way can improve the screening of companies according to governance quality. In contrast, it seems questionable that weighting, aggregation and classification of corporate governance attributes considerably improve discrimination according to governance qualityNo; keywords

Auditor independence and audit risk: a reconceptualisation

The principles-based U.K. regulatory framework for auditor independence (Chartered Accountants Joint Ethics Committee 1996), which was adopted in 1997, identifies threats to independence in fact, independence in appearance, and the safeguards that control these threats. These principles are incorporated in the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC 2001) ethics framework. Drawing on six case studies of interactions involving significant accounting issues between audit engagement partners and finance directors in U.K.-listed companies, we analyze the threats and safeguards to auditor independence in fact that are relevant to the outcome of each interaction. Despite the U.K.'s comprehensive regulatory framework for independence, audit quality control, and independent inspection of firms, not all the interactions have a fully compliant outcome. Independence in fact is compromised where the safeguards in the framework are insufficient defense against the threats, particularly regarding intimidation and bullying during the audit process. Further examples of existing threats are identified and additional threats emerge, in particular an urgency threat, and a loss of face threat. Management motivation is found to be a key driver of pressure. Threats to independence arising within audit firms are not recognized in the current U.K. audit risk model. An extended risk model incorporating within-firm risk is suggested. This study demonstrates the need for continual improvement to regulatory frameworks; in particular it supports the recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule on improper influence on the conduct of audits (Securities and Exchange Commission 2003a)

The quality of Neuer Markt quarterly reports : an empirical investigation

For the Neuer Markt year 2001 is not considered as one of its best, compared to its prior performance. Investors who once piled into the Neuer Markt have now become wary of the exchange, which was launched in 1997 as Europe’s leading growth market and answer to the U.S.‘s Nasdaq Stock Market. The Neuer Markt’s reputation has been marred by the misleading information policy from several Neuer Markt companies, publishing false annual and quarterly data. Some of these companies are responsible for having misinformed investors of their pending bankruptcies. Under these circumstances, it is time to find an explanation for the dramatic loss of credibility in Neuer Markt enterprises. Finding an answer, two aspects come under consideration: • What type of information (annual versus quarterly reports) was available for investors and • of what quality were these provided data. Interim reports can be seen as important instrument in the reporting system to inform all kinds of investors. For this reason we examine the quality of Neuer Markt quarterly reports by concentrating on the disclosure level of 52 Neuer Markt companies‘ reports for the third quarter 1999 and 2000. To enable comparison we establish four disclosure indexes that measure the report’s compliance with the Neuer Markt Rules and Regulations as well as with IAS and US GAAP interim reporting standards. The results demonstrate that the level of disclosure has increased over time. Then we aim to find typical attributes of Neuer Markt enterprises that provide high or low level of accounting information in their quarterly reports. Nevertheless the study also shows that there is not any correlation between market capitalization and the quality of interim reports. However, it can be suggested that an additional enforcement mechanism could improve quality and lure investors back. A step towards this aim is the standardization project of quarterly reports of Deutsche Boerse AG

A methodology for analysing and evaluating narratives in annual reports: a comprehensive descriptive profile and metrics for disclosure quality attributes

There is a consensus that the business reporting model needs to expand to serve the changing information needs of the market and provide the information required for enhanced corporate transparency and accountability. Worldwide, regulators view narrative disclosures as the key to achieving the desired step-change in the quality of corporate reporting. In recent years, accounting researchers have increasingly focused their efforts on investigating disclosure and it is now recognised that there is an urgent need to develop disclosure metrics to facilitate research into voluntary disclosure and quality [Core, J. E. (2001). A review of the empirical disclosure literature. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 31(3), 441–456]. This paper responds to this call and contributes in two principal ways. First, the paper introduces to the academic literature a comprehensive four-dimensional framework for the holistic content analysis of accounting narratives and presents a computer-assisted methodology for implementing this framework. This procedure provides a rich descriptive profile of a company's narrative disclosures based on the coding of topic and three type attributes. Second, the paper explores the complex concept of quality, and the problematic nature of quality measurement. It makes a preliminary attempt to identify some of the attributes of quality (such as relative amount of disclosure and topic spread), suggests observable proxies for these and offers a tentative summary measure of disclosure quality

Turkish transparency and disclosure survey 2007: pace of improvement has slowed

The report summarizes the results of the third phase of public disclosure survey of Turkish companies. The study looks at the disclosure practices of 52 companies which are constituencies of S&P/IFC Global-Turkey and ISE-60, compares it with the previous years' results. The conclusion is that the pace of improvement in the disclosure practices of Turkish companies has slowed down with marginal improvement in the area of financial disclosure and ownership transperancy and moderate improvement in board disclosure

Auditor and Audit Committee Independence in India

This article reviews the regulations and governance reforms carried out in India with respect to auditor and audit committee independence. In doing so it critically compares them with the regulations existing in the US. This is followed by a discussion of the existing research on the effectiveness of audit committees and audit independence in corporate governance. Recent trends in audit committee and auditor characteristics for a sample of large listed companies in the Indian corporate sector are then discussed. The article concludes by suggesting some governance reforms that may be considered to further strengthen auditor independence and the functioning of audit committees in India.Corporate governance, India, auditor independence, audit committee independence

Solutii pentru masurarea calitatii informatiei contabile

There are many studies confirming the theory according to which the decisions of the users of the accounting information depend on the quality of this very information, namely its intrinsic quality, as well as its impact through publication. We undertake to test the extent to which the intrinsic quality of the accounting information is assured by the internal means of obtaining the information. The analysis is performed on the Romanian market and takes into account the qualitative characteristics of the accounting information contained within the IASB conceptual framework. We have opted for the data analysis using the technique of the study case and for methods of economic analysis applicable in accounting. After having checked the relevance of the conceptual framework, we have identified the prerequisites, the criteria and, respectively, the measurable quality parameters. We have monitored the influence of these explanatory variables in respect of the topic analysed through the study case, and we have considered the level of quality assurance. The contribution of the study consists of new explicit sub-criteria for the assurance and control of the accounting information, which enrich the accounting theory, and, of an instrument for assessing the quality of the information to be offered to the users, namely managers, but also consultants, who can use it in practice and base their analyses and decisions on it.Accounting information, quality, quantification, managers, consultants

Disclosure measurement in the empirical accounting literature: A review article

This is the first study to provide an extensive and critical review of different techniques used in the empirical accounting literature to measure disclosure. The purpose is to help future researchers to identify exemplars and to select suitable techniques or to develop their own techniques. It also provides in depth discussion of current measurement issues related to disclosure and identifies gaps in the current literature which future research may aim to cover