Earnings Quality and Investment Efficiency:The Role of the Institutional Settings

The current study examines the association between Earnings Quality (EQ) and Investment Efficiency (IE) using the conditional effect of legal origin. Further, we assess the influence of the Institutional Ownership (IOW) on the relationship between EQ and IE within different legal environments, using a sample of 22,446 firm-year observations from the US, the UK, Germany and Japan over the period of 2001-2018. In general, the results provide cross-country evidence that a higher EQ enhances IE. Further, the results indicate that higher EQ can mitigate overinvestment and underinvestment problems by ensuring that firms move toward their optimal level of investment. In addition, the findings reveal that a country’s legal environment affects IE with EQ having a stronger association with IE in common law countries as compared to code law economies. In terms of the conditional role of IOW, the findings illustrate that the effect of IOW on the relationship between EQ and IE varies within different legal origins. The results are robust to alternative measures for the main variables examined. This study provides policy implications for investors, managers, regulators, and theorists about the role of the institutional settings on the relation between certain properties of EQ and IE

Does institutional ownership affect the value relevance of accounting information?

Purpose Drawing upon agency theory, this study aims to assess the value relevance (VR) of accounting information released by non-financial firms listed on the Kuwait stock exchange for the period of 2015-2018. Also, the influence of institutional ownership level and other explanatory variables, namely, book value per share, earnings per share, growth in assets and changes in financial leverage on share prices is examined. Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses, the Ohlson (1995) model is extended. This study uses panel data analysis and applies appropriate statistical techniques to measure empirical relationships. Findings The results show that the VR of accounting information released by the Kuwaiti non-financial listed firms varies over the period of 2015-2018. Book value and earnings have significant and positive effects on share prices. In recent years, the VR of book value information has been growing, while that of earnings information has been declining. Institutional ownership level has a significant and positive influence on the VR of accounting information released by the Kuwaiti non-financial listed firms. The findings confirm a positive power, signalling growth in assets regarding the share prices. However, no significant relationship between changes in financial leverage and share prices is found. Practical implications The findings of the study provide evidence of the linkage between VR and institutional ownership level, which promotes the understanding of the influence of institutional investors on a firm’s market value. Empirical evidence from Kuwait will have international implications and can serve as a guide for accounting researchers studying other emerging markets. Capital market regulators can provide guidelines in the form of information characteristics and elements of financial statements that need improvement. Finally, the findings assist non-financial listed firms to enhance the quality of accounting information by identifying the strengths and weaknesses in their financial reports. Originality/value This study extends the previous literature by investigating a relatively new set of data in more depth than that has been examined by prior research, which focusses on the relationship between accounting information and the firm’s market value. </jats:sec

Corporate carbon disclosure, carbon performance and corporate firm performance

The primary objective of this study is to examine the current state of corporate carbon disclosure (CCD) among a sample of FTSE 350 non-financial firms. It also investigates the effect of CCD on firms' carbon emission performance and corporate financial performance (CFP). This study adopts a quantitative approach to fulfil its aims. In particular, it quantifies the level of CCD reported by non-financial companies listed in the FTSE 350. A number of regression models are developed to examine relationships that are assumed. The results demonstrate that CCD can significantly enhance a firm's carbon performance. Further, the findings reveal that CCD can boost firms' financial performance. The findings provide some policy implications for regulators, preparers, and investors on the usefulness of voluntary disclosure, including carbon information. 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.. All rights reserved.Scopu

Determinants of segmental disclosures:evidence from the emerging capital market of Jordan

The primary objective of this paper is to examine the factors which affect the segmental disclosures (mandatory and voluntary) provided by Jordanian listed companies. In addition, the study documents evidence about the extent to which multi-activity companies comply with the requirements about segmental disclosure as mandated by IFRS 8. Based on an analysis of 67 companies’ annual reports for 2009, the level of segmental disclosure provided was partial; specifically, 60% of segmental items specified in the standard were typically supplied. The level of segmental disclosure tended to be significantly and positively influenced by company size, the audit firm engaged and company profitability. However, there was no evidence that a company’s industry, liquidity or leverage had any influence on the quantity of segmental disclosure provided

Environmental Performance and Corporate Governance: Evidence from Japan

This study investigates the impact of corporate governance on corporate environmental performance among Japanese companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for the period 2006–2019. Using fixed-effects modelling for 4617 firm-year observations from 2006–2019, we demonstrate that board independence, board diversity, and the presence of environmental management committees are significantly associated with improved environmental performance. However, a large board reduces the environmental performance, and CEO duality does not appear to be a significant factor affecting a firm’s environmental performance. Additionally, we show a consistent result when we proxy environmental performance by total carbon emissions