Why African stock markets should formally harmonise and integrate their operations

Despite experiencing rapid growth in their number and size, existing evidence suggests that African stock markets remain highly fragmented, small, illiquid and technologically weak, severely affecting their informational efficiency. Therefore, this study attempts to empirically ascertain whether African stock markets can improve their informational efficiency by formally harmonising and integrating their operations. Employing parametric and non-parametric variance-ratios tests on 8 African continent-wide and 8 individual national daily share price indices from 1995 to 2011, we find that irrespective of the test employed, the returns of all the 8 African continent-wide indices investigated appear to have better normal distribution properties compared with the 8 individual national share price indices examined. We also report evidence of statistically significant weak form informational efficiency of the African continent-wide share price indices over the individual national share price indices irrespective of the test statistic used. Our results imply that formal harmonisation and integration of African stock markets may improve their informational efficiency

Why African stock markets should formally harmonise and integrate their operations

Despite experiencing rapid growth in their number and size, existing evidence suggests that African stock markets remain highly fragmented, small, illiquid and technologically weak, severely affecting their informational efficiency. Therefore, this study attempts to empirically ascertain whether African stock markets can improve their informational efficiency by formally harmonising and integrating their operations. Employing parametric and non-parametric variance-ratios tests on 8 African continent-wide and 8 individual national daily share price indices from 1995 to 2011, we find that irrespective of the test employed, the returns of all the 8 African continent-wide indices investigated appear to have better normal distribution properties compared with the 8 individual national share price indices examined. We also report evidence of statistically significant weak form informational efficiency of the African continent-wide share price indices over the individual national share price indices irrespective of the test statistic used. Our results imply that formal harmonisation and integration of African stock markets may improve their informational efficiency

Internal corporate governance structures and firm financial performance: evidence from South African listed firms

This thesis contains the findings of an examination of the relationship between internal corporate governance structures and the financial performance of South African listed firms. Specifically, using a sample of 100 South African listed firms from 2002 to 2006 (a total of 500 firm-year observations) and corporate governance data collected directly from company annual reports, the thesis seeks to ascertain whether better-governed listed firms tend to be associated with higher financial returns than their poorly-governed counterparts. Unlike prior studies, the internal corporate governance-financial performance nexus is investigated by applying both the compliance-index and equilibrium-variable research methodologies. The results based on the compliance-index model suggest that there is a statistically significant and positive association between the quality of the sampled firms’ internal corporate governance structures and their financial performance. This finding is robust whether an accounting (return on assets) or a market (Tobin’s Q) based measure of financial performance is used. Distinct from prior studies, an analysis of the impact of complying with the South African context specific affirmative action and stakeholder corporate governance provisions on the financial performance of South African listed firms is also investigated. The results indicate that compliance with the affirmative action and stakeholder corporate governance provisions impacts positively on the performance of South African listed firms. By contrast, the results based on the equilibrium-variable model are generally mixed. First, regardless of the financial performance measure used, board diversity, the frequency of board meetings, and the establishment of board committees except the presence of a nomination committee seem to have no impact on firm financial performance. Second, board size is statistically significant and positively associated with Tobin’s Q (Q-ratio), but statistically insignificant and negatively related to return on assets (ROA). Third, role or CEO duality is statistically significant and positively related to ROA, but statistically insignificant and negatively associated with the Q-ratio. Director shareownership is statistically insignificant and positively related to ROA, but statistically significant and negatively associated with the Q-ratio. Finally, the findings based on both the director shareownership squared and cubed do not support the statistically significant non-linear director shareownership-financial performance association reported by Morck et al. (1988). The findings from a series of robustness or sensitivity analyses carried out suggest that the empirical results reported are generally robust to potential endogeneity problems

Governance Structures, Voluntary Disclosures and Public Accountability: The Case of UK Higher Education Institutions

Purpose: We investigate the extent of voluntary disclosures in UK higher education institutions’ (HEIs) annual reports and examine whether internal governance structures influence disclosure in the period following major reform and funding constraints. Design/methodology/approach: We adopt a modified version of Coy and Dixon’s (2004) public accountability index, referred to in this paper as a public accountability and transparency index (PATI), to measure the extent of voluntary disclosures in 130 UK HEIs’ annual reports. Informed by a multi-theoretical framework drawn from public accountability, legitimacy, resource dependence and stakeholder perspectives, we propose that the characteristics of governing and executive structures in UK universities influence the extent of their voluntary disclosures. Findings: We find a large degree of variability in the level of voluntary disclosures by universities and an overall relatively low level of PATI (44%), particularly with regards to the disclosure of teaching/research outcomes. We also find that audit committee quality, governing board diversity, governor independence, and the presence of a governance committee are associated with the level of disclosure. Finally, we find that the interaction between executive team characteristics and governance variables enhances the level of voluntary disclosures, thereby providing support for the continued relevance of a ‘shared’ leadership in the HEIs’ sector towards enhancing accountability and transparency in HEIs. Research limitations/implications: In spite of significant funding cuts, regulatory reforms and competitive challenges, the level of voluntary disclosure by UK HEIs remains low. Whilst the role of selected governance mechanisms and ‘shared leadership’ in improving disclosure, is asserted, the varying level and selective basis of the disclosures across the surveyed HEIs suggest that the public accountability motive is weaker relative to the other motives underpinned by stakeholder, legitimacy and resource dependence perspectives. Originality/value: This is the first study which explores the association between HEI governance structures, managerial characteristics and the level of disclosure in UK HEIs

Antecedents of Voluntary Corporate Governance Disclosure: A Post-2007/08 Financial Crisis Evidence from the Influential UK Combined Code

Purpose: This study investigates the level of compliance with, and disclosure of, good corporate governance (CG) practices among UK publicly listed firms, and consequently ascertains whether board characteristics and ownership structure variables can explain observable differences in the extent of voluntary CG compliance and disclosure practices. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study uses one of the largest datasets 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 in order to 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. We 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 impact negatively on 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 paper 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 2007/08 global financial crisis. This paper 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. Keywords: Corporate governance; Board and ownership mechanisms; Comply or explain; Neo-institutional theory; UK Combined Cod

Corporate governance, Islamic governance and earnings management in Oman: A new empirical insights from a behavioural theoretical framework

Purpose: This paper examines the impact of corporate (CG) and Islamic (IG) governance mechanisms on corporate earnings management (EM) behaviour in Oman. Design/Methodology/Approach: We employ one of the largest and extensive datasets to-date on CG, IG and EM in any developing country, consisting of a sample of 116 unique Omani listed corporations from 2001 to 2011 (i.e.,1,152 firm-year observations) and a broad CG index containing 72 CG provisions. We also employ a number of robust econometric models that sufficiently account for alternative CG/EM proxies and potential endogeneities. Findings: First, we find that, on average, better-governed corporations tend to engage significantly less in EM than their poorly-governed counterparts. Second, our evidence suggests that corporations that depict greater commitment towards incorporating Islamic religious beliefs and values into their operations through the establishment of an IG committee tend to engage significantly less in EM than their counterparts without such a committee. Finally and by contrast, we do not find any evidence that board size, audit firm size, the presence of a CG committee and board gender diversity have any significant relationship with the extent of EM. Originality: To the best of our knowledge, this is a first empirical attempt at examining the extent to which CG and IG structures may drive EM practices that explicitly seeks to draw new insights from a behavioural theoretical framework (i.e., behavioural theory of corporate boards and governance). Keywords: Corporate governance, Islamic governance, earnings management, behavioural theory, endogeneity, Oman. Paper type: Research pape

Can emerging African Stock Markets improve their informational efficiency by formally harmonising and integrating their operations?

Despite experiencing rapid growth in their number and size, African stock markets remain highly segmented, small, illiquid and technologically bankrupt, severely affecting their informational efficiency. On this basis, with specific focus on the weak-form of the efficient markets hypothesis, we attempt to empirically ascertain whether African stock markets can improve their informational efficiency by formally harmonising and integrating their operations using a new robust non-parametric variance-ratios test in addition to its parametric alternative. On average, we find that irrespective of the diagnostic used, all the 24 African continent-wide indices applied returns’ display better normal distribution properties than those of the 8 individual national stock price indices examined. We record evidence of statistically significant improvements in the informational efficiency of the African continent-wide stock price indices over the individual national stock price indices used irrespective of the test statistic applied. The potential improvement in efficiency to be gained is much higher in economic sectors indices than in size and regional indices. Finally, consistent with prior evidence, (eg., Wright, 2000; Belaire-Franch and Opong, 2005, Ntim, et al., 2007), the results of the Lo and MacKinlay (1988) parametric variance-ratios test are ambiguous. By contrast, the ranks and signs alternative offer consistent results throughout.African stock markets, Integration, Efficiency, Variance-ratios, Ranks and signs

Corporate Boards and Ownership Structure as Antecedents of Corporate Governance Disclosure in Saudi Arabian Publicly Listed Corporations

We investigate whether and to what extent publicly listed corporations voluntarily comply with and disclose recommended good corporate governance (CG) practices, and distinctively examine whether the observed cross-sectional differences in such CG disclosures can be explained by ownership and board mechanisms with specific focus on Saudi Arabia. Our results suggest that corporations with larger boards, a big-four auditor, higher government ownership, a CG committee and higher institutional ownership disclose considerably more than those that are not. By contrast, we find that an increase in block ownership significantly reduces CG disclosure. Our results are generally robust to a number of econometric models that control for different types of disclosure indices, firm-specific characteristics and firm-level fixed-effects. Our results have important implications for policy-makers, practitioners and regulatory authorities, especially those in developing countries across the globe

Corporate boards and ownership structure as antecedents of corporate governance disclosure in Saudi Arabian publicly listed corporations

We investigate whether and to what extent publicly listed corporations voluntarily comply with and disclose recommended good corporate governance (CG) practices, and distinctively examine whether the observed cross-sectional differences in such CG disclosures can be explained by ownership and board mechanisms with specific focus on Saudi Arabia. Our results suggest that corporations with larger boards, a big-four auditor, higher government ownership, a CG committee and higher institutional ownership disclose considerably more than those that are not. By contrast, we find that an increase in block ownership significantly reduces CG disclosure. Our results are generally robust to a number of econometric models that control for different types of disclosure indices, firm-specific characteristics and firm-level fixed-effects. Our results have important implications for policy-makers, practitioners and regulatory authorities, especially those in developing countries across the glob