PurposeThis study aims to offer empirical evidence on how integrated thinking affects the integrated reporting (IR) practice and how integrated thinking originates from board and management involvement, cross-functional integration and integral link between capitals and strategies.Design/methodology/approachThis study is cross-sectional and uses a mixed-method approach. The empirical data for the quantitative approach were collected from the 129 public companies listed on Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka. The personale responsible for preparing the annual report are selected as the respondents of this study. This study used partial least square modelling to test the hypotheses. The quantitative approach results are triangulated across a qualitative research approach in semi-structural interviews with ten responsible officers of integrated reporting practices.FindingsThe central finding of this study is the significant positive relationship between integrated thinking and integrated reporting practice. The qualitative results supported the quantitative findings and show that board and management involvement, cross-functional integration and integral link between capital and strategy enhance the integrated reporting practice. Top management and board management have positive beliefs about the integrated reporting practice; they initiate, encourage, influence, involve and support it. Furthermore, all company departments are involved with the integrated reporting led by the finance department and practice good coordination, communication and collaboration between departments. Moreover, it also evidenced their concern about the linkage between capital and strategy and how they do it in their organisation when practising integrated reporting.Research limitations/implicationsThe firms which intend to practice or enhance integrated reporting will be benefited from this study. Hence, this research assists in constructing IT through the direct role of the board and senior leadership, breaking down silos to diffuse IR throughout structures and processes, and concentrating on strategies while managing their capitals and relationships over the long term.Originality/valueThis study provides the initial quantitative empirical evidence on the impact of integrated thinking on integrated reporting practice. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to operationalise both integrated thinking and integrated reporting based on a questionnaire that developed and tested both constructs as higher-order reflective formative and on the relationship between integrated thinking and integrated reporting. The mixed-method approach to examine the relationship between integrated thinking and integrated reporting provides additional insights into the existing literature.

PurposeBig Data analytics (BDA) and its implications for the accounting profession continue to be a key issue that requires more research and evaluation. As a result, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of BDA on financial reporting quality, as well as to assess the accounting challenges associated with Big Data. It provides qualitative evidence from Canada.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a qualitative approach to ascertain the thoughts and perceptions of auditors, financial analysts and accountants at Canadian audit and accounting firms in BDA and its impact on financial reporting quality, using semi-structured interviews. To obtain their consent to participate in the interview, 127 auditors, financial analysts and accountants from Canadian audit and accounting firms were initially approached. The final number of respondents was 41, representing a response rate of 32%.FindingsThe authors’ findings underscored the relevance of Big Data and BDA in affecting financial report quality and revealed that BDA had a significant effect on improving financial reporting quality. Big Data improves accounting reporting and expert judgment by providing professional. In summary, participants agreed that when analytical methods in Big Data are implemented effectively, businesses may possibly achieve a variety of benefits, including customized goods, simplified processes, improved risk assessment process and, finally, increased risk management.Practical implicationsThe authors’ findings indicate that BDA may help predict investment returns and risks, estimate future investment opportunities, forecast revenues, detect fraud and susceptibility early and identify economic growth opportunities. As a result, auditors, financial analysts, accountants, investors and other strategic decision-makers should be aware of these findings to make informed choices.Originality/valueBig Data has become the norm in recent years; accountants and other decision-makers have struggled to analyze massive amounts of data. This limits their capacity to profit from such data even more. Therefore, this study is motivated by the lack of research on Big Data’s influence on financial report quality.

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the effects of political connections (PCs) on corporate financial performance (CFP) in an emerging economy. It also investigates the moderating influence of the directors’ financial expertise (DFE) on the relationship between politically connected firms and their financial performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study sample includes 304 firm-year observations from non-financial Tunisian listed firms covered over 2012–2019. Financial data are from various sources: financial statements, annual reports, official bulletins of the Tunisian Stock Exchange (TSE) and the Financial Market Council. PCs and DFE data are manually collected from the TSE and companies’ websites. Multivariate regression analyses are used to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that PCs negatively affect CFP and the DFE is a moderator variable that exacerbates this negative relationship. These results could be explained on the one hand by the fact that politicians often lack management, professionalism and know-how. On the other hand, political members on boards focus mainly on their political agendas and prioritize their interests rather than firm performance. Furthermore, board directors are more inclined towards the grabbing-hand approach to create personal linkages with these politicians and take personal benefits rather than protect the interests of minority shareholders and effectively use firm resources.Research limitations/implicationsThe most important limitation of the study is the small number of non-financial TSE-listed firms. Indeed, the small sample size prevents us from considering industry specificities and working in a homogeneous environment.Practical implicationsThis study recommends that external investors pay particular attention to politically connected firms as PCs tend to weaken corporate governance. Also, it helps policymakers better assess the need to harmonize and develop corporate governance standards and practices that account for the specific conditions in Tunisia to mitigate the lobbying of political parties and supervise their abuse of power. Furthermore, the negative relationship between PCs and CFP in a poorly regulated and governed country could be used by financial institutions in their credit scoring.Social implicationsThe findings suggest that the nexus between politics and business draws attention to corruption post-revolution.Originality/valueThe originality and the relevance of this study consist in studying the moderating effect of the DFE on the association between PCs and CFP. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study pioneers assessing the role of the DFE as a moderating variable. It also supplements prior literature by examining the combined factors, such as PCs and DFE, on CFP in an emerging market.

PurposeThe present study aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance factors and financial reporting transparency pre and post of ISIS.Design/methodology/approachA multivariate regression model was used to test the hypotheses for this purpose. The research hypotheses were tested on a sample of 35 companies listed on the Iraqi Stock Exchange from 2012 to 2018 using a multivariate regression model based on panel data technique.FindingsThe results indicate a negative and significant correlation between the board independence, audit committee independence, management team stability and remuneration of the board of directors and financial reporting transparency. In contrast, there is a positive and significant correlation between the board expertise, audit committee expertise and managerial ownership, with financial reporting transparency. Moreover, ISIS has had a direct and significant impact on the correlation between the board of directors’ independence and remuneration with financial reporting transparency. The present study also tested research models using additional methods (such as feasible generalised least squares, ordinary least squares, random effects and T + 1) to obtain better results. The results of these different methods were entirely in line with the main results of the research.Originality/valueThe political and economic instability resulting from the entry of ISIS into Iraq has created severe problems for society’s economic, political, security and performance dimensions. Macroeconomic uncertainty driven by terrorist activities can negatively affect managers’ perceptions of firms’ future performance and result in poor judgments and estimations, significantly impacting business units' financial reporting transparency. Because no study has examined the relationship between corporate governance and financial reporting transparency on the Iraq stock exchange before and after the presence of ISIS, this study examines such a relationship. Although the economic and political situation in Iraq may not be identical to that in other nations, much of the experience in Iraq is anticipated to apply to other countries in the region.

PurposeThe credit crunch of 2008 and recent COVID-19 influences underscored the importance of liquidity and credit risk management in businesses and financial institutions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of liquidity risk and credit risk management on accounting and market performances of banks operating in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a panel data regression analysis on a sample of 51 listed commercial banks operating in 10 MENA countries during the period 2010–2018.FindingsThe results show that credit risk management does not affect the accounting performance of banks, while it has a non-linear, convex relationship with market performance. Surprisingly, liquidity risk management is not a significant driver for either performance measure in studied banks. However, when a bank combines credit risk management with liquidity risk management efforts, liquidity risk management actions return significant results on both performances, illustrated by an inverted U-shaped relationship. In addition, this study examines the joint impact of both risks on bank performance. This study reveals that accounting and market performances are differently affected by joint risk management efforts. Their impact depends on the combination of risk management ratios upon which banks choose to focus their efforts.Practical implicationsThe findings help bankers and regulators further consider non-linearities and offer them new tools for managing the impact of credit and liquidity risk interactions towards achieving more financial stability.Originality/valueThese results contribute to traditional banking in offering bankers and regulators new tools for managing the impact of credit and liquidity risk interactions on bank performance.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of audit quality on earnings management and cost of equity capital (COE) considering the impact of two owner types: government ownership and foreign ownership.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a panel data set of 236 Vietnamese firms covering the period 2007 to 2017. Because the two main dependent variables of the COE capital and the absolute value of discretionary accruals receive fractional values between zero and one, the paper uses the generalised linear model (GLM) with a logit link and the binomial family in regression analyses. The paper uses numerous audit quality measures, including hiring Big 4 auditors or the industry-leading Big 4 auditor, changing from non-Big 4 auditors to Big 4 auditors or the industry-leading Big 4 auditor, and the length of Big 4 auditor tenure. Big 4 companies include KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC, whereas the non-big 4 are the other audit companies.FindingsThe study finds a negative relationship between audit quality and both the COE capital and income-increasing discretionary accruals. The effects of audit quality on discretionary accruals and the COE capital depend on the ownership levels of two important shareholders: the government and foreign investors. Foreign ownership is negatively associated with discretionary accruals; however, the effect is more pronounced in the sub-sample of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the firms where the government owns 50% or more equity, than in the sub-sample of Non-SOEs.Originality/valueTo the best of the knowledge, no prior similar study exists that used the GLM with a logit link and the binomial family regression. Global investors may be interested in understanding how unique institutional settings and capital markets of each country impact the financial reporting quality and cost of capital. Further, policymakers of developing markets may have incentives to improve the quality of financial reporting and reduce the cost of capital which should result in attracting more foreign investments.

PurposeIntegrated reporting (IR) is a new trend in corporate reporting that has spread rapidly in recent years for disclosing financial and non-financial information. This study aims to assess the status of the current regulations and the trends in IR disclosure practice in an emerging market, Malaysia, by providing a comparative analysis of the IR disclosure level (IRDL) and IR disclosure quality (IRDQ).Design/methodology/approachThe current study has developed a comprehensive IR disclosure index based on the international integrated reporting framework (IIRF), which comprises 100 items divided into four categories (background, assurance and reliability, content and form). The data were collected from annual reports of companies listed on the Bursa Malaysia over the three years 2017 to 2019, based on 267 observations. Content analysis technique was used to evaluate and measure IRDL and IRDQ. Descriptive analysis was performed to provide the background statistics of the variables examined.FindingsIR regulations are at an early stage, and IR adoption is still voluntary in the Malaysian market. Only 267 Malaysian company-year observations during the years 2017–2019 have adopted IR techniques. However, descriptive analysis results showed that Malaysian companies have moved towards the preparation of IR consistent with the IIRF. The findings indicate a significant increase in both IRDL and IRDQ over this period, after the recent recommendation by the Malaysian code of corporate governance (2017) on adopting IR. Further, the results show statistically significant differences in the mean of IRDL and IRDQ between large and small companies.Practical implicationsThese results are important for regulators and policymakers in articulating new IR legislation in an emerging market and for corporate entities and investors in shaping their understanding of IR disclosure practice in the Malaysian institutional context.Originality/valueTo the best of the researchers’ knowledge, the study is among the first to address the IR regulation status and practice in Malaysian companies. It also established a comprehensive index for measuring IRDL and IRDQ based on the IIRF. The results add to the meagre descriptive literature on IR practice by providing comprehensive insights into IR practice from the perspective of an emerging country.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the role played by coercive, normative and mimetic pressures in stimulating timeliness of corporate internet reporting (TCIR).Design/methodology/approachThis study uses content analysis technique to track the TCIR practices of top 100 non-financial companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. A disclosure index of 14 items is developed to capture the extent of TCIR. The authors collected the relevant data from multiple sources, such as corporate websites, monthly review reports and corporate annual reports for the year-end 2019. This study uses Poisson regression models to explore the association between institutional pressures and TCIR.FindingsConsistent with the predictions of institutional isomorphism theory, the authors find that coercive isomorphic pressures through ownership by foreign investors, government, general public and connection with parent multinational corporations have positive associations with TCIR. The authors also find that normative pressures resulting from cross-directorships have positive influence on TCIR. The authors provide evidence of mimetic pressures through industry memberships (i.e. companies operating in technology-based industry) positively impacting TCIR. The additional analysis suggests that institutional pressures are rather associated with the extent of voluntary TICR and to a lesser extent to regulatory TICR.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to show the positive impacts of coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphic pressures on TCIR in an emerging economy characterized by weak institutional environment and mixed prospects for TCIR.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the short- and long-lived effects of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) mandate on the quality of reporting information of initial public offering (IPO) firms in emerging market economies.Design/methodology/approachThe study used several difference-in-differences models for a sample comprising 102 Saudi Arabian IPO firms for 2003–2017.FindingsIt found that mandating the application of the IFRS had a significant short-lived but no long-lived effect on IPO firms’ information asymmetry. When information asymmetry was high such as in the primary market, the IFRS succeeded in alleviating the underpricing of IPO firms. Conversely, in the secondary market, with negligible information asymmetry, the IFRS was not beneficial for the long-term performance of companies in the IPO market.Originality/valueThis study is the first of its kind in the emerging market context and has important implications for IPO investors and analysts, IFRS-IPO researchers and policymakers in emerging economies. The results empirically confirmed that the IFRS mandate had solely a short-lived effect and no long-lasting impact, on the problem of asymmetric information in the IPO market. The effectiveness of the IFRS in producing quality financial reporting is contingent upon large-scale information asymmetry and vanishes when investors and analysts have abundant information about listed firms, even for emerging economies such as Saudi Arabia.

PurposeMotivated by the findings of Bhabra and Hossain (2017) that highlight an improvement in US market performance in the post-Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) period, this paper aims to investigate how this change varies with the methods of payment used for the deals.Design/methodology/approachDeductive in nature and using an event study approach, this paper uses a sample of 675 deals between 1999 and 2006 to test three research hypotheses in a pre-post setting.FindingsResults show that at the aggregate level, there is a significant improvement in the market performance of US acquirers around the announcement day in the aftermath of the passage of SOX 2002. Considered separately, both US stock acquirers and cash acquirers did not experience any significant improvement in market performance in the post-Sarbanes–Oxley period. These results are robust to controlling for governance, firm and deal variables, as well as industry and year fixed effects.Research limitations/implicationsExploratory in nature, the results are to be interpreted in light of the sample size and the period under investigation.Practical implicationsThe results provide evidence for regulators and legislators on the contribution of SOX 2002 to curbing managerial misconduct. Significant improvement in the market performance also signals more confidence in managerial decisions and a reduction in agency problems. The insignificant change in stock acquirers’ market performance can be an indication that policymakers should exert more efforts to improve shareholders' confidence in the quality of disclosure.Originality/valueThis investigation provides unique insights on whether SOX has been effective in mitigating mispricing concerns associated with stock-financed acquisitions and whether it was effective in moderating the governance mechanism associated with cash-financed acquisitions.