Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Iowa, 2007. / Supervisor: Padmini Srinivasan. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-100).

Thesis (B.Comm. (Hons.)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Commerce, 2000. / Bibliography: leaves 110-113.

The main objectives of this study are: (1) to examine the role of the company annual reports in investment analysis in Malaysia; and (2) to evaluate the importance of the annual reports as a source of information for analysts to make investment decisions. In order to achieve these research objectives the study begins with a review of the uses and users of financial statements and it is pointed out that one of the important groups of users of the financial statements are the ‘sophisticated’ investors. Prior studies, using tests of the Efficient Market Hypothesis and investors survey, are presented and discussed. The review of prior studies concludes that the area of research into the importance of annual reports for investment decisions are important and that no similar studies involving developing countries had been carried out. The accounting environment in Malaysia was presented to illustrate the regulations and statutes governing the preparation and presentation of information in company annual reports. In the discussions regarding the investment situation in Malaysia, the major characteristics of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange were introduced. A two stage research methodology was adopted in the current research. The first stage involves a survey and analysis of a sample of annual reports of companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. This survey revealed instances of companies not complying with the International Accounting Standards adopted by the accounting profession in Malaysia. The second stage consists of a postal questionnaire survey of investment analysts working in institutional investing firms, merchant banks and stockbrokers regarding importance of the annual analysis. Their perceptions of the reports for investment The results of the above surveys are presented together with recommendations to reduce the weaknesses of the annual reports of Malaysian companies. Finally, related areas for further research are suggested at the end of the thesis.

M.Sc. (Environmental Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the Degree: Master of Commerce School of Accountancy 2015 / This thesis examines the functioning of the Financial Investigations Panel (FRIP) as a mechanism of accountability in the South African financial reporting environment. Detailed interviews with a sample of technical experts are used to reveal the significant source of coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphic pressure the FRIP is able to exert, acting on the organisations themselves, as well as on the individual preparers and their auditors. This thesis provides the first account of how the FRIP is capable of exerting institutional isomorphic pressure on organisations, those charged with governance, individual preparers and external auditors. In doing so the research contributes to the limited body of interpretive corporate governance research in South Africa, offers evidence in support of the JSE’s decision to establish a proactive monitoring review and, finally, offers support to the fact that South African corporate reporting requirements can be enforced and are not just symbolic. / MT2017

A research report submitted by in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce University of the Witwatersrand September 2017 / The World Wide Web has developed rapidly over the past few years. It has provided a user-friendly platform for companies to disclose their financial information. However, as this disclosure is largely voluntary, the question arises as to what drives companies to disclose their information on their websites voluntarily. Prior research in developed countries tests the influence of certain company characteristics on internet financial reporting. This research report tries to shed light on the determinants of internet financial reporting in the South African context. 80 companies which are listed on the JSE were selected, and the characteristics of each company’s website was thoroughly inspected against an internet financial reporting checklist. Based on the results of the checklist, each company`s website was given a score. This internet financial reporting score was considered as the dependent variable. Six company characteristics were used as independent variables to explain the internet financial reporting score. These were: company size, profitability, block ownership, systematic risk, dual-listing and SRI rating. It was found that company size, dual-listing and SRI rating has a correlation with a company’s likelihood of reporting their financial results online. On the other hand, no correlation was found between profitability, block ownership or systematic risk and a company’s internet financial reporting score. This research was limited to 80 companies listed on the JSE, and was based as a point in time study. Future research can be extended to a larger sample over various stock exchanges, and also over a period of time to consider the trends in disclosure. This study contributes to international literature on the topic and also initiates this field of research in South Africa. This research is intended to assist companies in their voluntary disclosure practices and at the same time assists regulators in considering the need for regulating internet reporting practices. / MT 2018

The purpose of financial reporting is to provide information that is useful for decision making. Recently, however, there has been a systematic decline in the usefulness of such information. Indeed, the current reporting model seems to be no longer sufficient mainly due to the fact that it ignores many of the nonfinancial intangible factors which are increasingly becoming important in determining corporate value and performance. That is, there is a need for the traditional reporting model to be modified or at least broadened to reflect Intangible Assets (IA) in order to enhance the usefulness of information being provided to different stakeholders. In the absence of mandatory reporting requirements, one alternative way of disseminating information regarding IA is to engage in voluntary disclosure practices. It has also been suggested that companies which would benefit the most from such practice are those originating from emerging economies looking to expand into international markets. While there exists an array of empirical studies which have examined the voluntary disclosure practices of corporations from developed economies, less considered are the reporting practices of emerging market companies regarding their IA. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the voluntary disclosure practices of the top 200 emerging market companies regarding the variety, nature and extent of IA and to consider some of the factors that may be associated with the level of such disclosure. Using a disclosure index based on the Value Chain Scoreboard??? (Lev, 2001), narrative sections of the 2002 annual reports of the top 200 emerging market companies are analysed. The findings indicate that emerging market companies engage in voluntary disclosure practices in order to disseminate different varieties of mainly quantitative IA information to their global stakeholders. Further, the variety and the extent of IA disclosure are associated with corporate specific factors such as leverage, adoption of IFRS/US GAAP, industry type, and price to book ratio. Contrary to the existing literature on voluntary disclosure, however, firm size and ownership concentration are not found to be associated with the IA disclosure level. Country specific factors such as the level of risks associated with economic policy and legal system are also found to be significantly associated with the IA voluntary disclosure level.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-104). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the incremental information content of the Annual Report to Shareholders (ARS) and the 10-K. The study defines incremental information content as that set of data that has not been previously released to the public, which is contained in the ARS or 10-K, that gives rise to a resetting of equilibrium security prices. The results of the study have two implications. First, a finding of the existence of incremental information content in either the ARS or the 10-K provides evidence that investors may use the incremental data contained in either report to improve their estimates of firms' systematic risk components (Beta). Second, the results of the study may provide feedback value to accounting policymakers for evaluating their prior beliefs concerning the wealth effects of their accounting policy decisions. The study employs the familiar Market Model for generating unexpected returns. Further, the ordinary least squares regression method is used to derive regression parameters (including Beta) for the Market Model. This procedure has been accomplished for the 312 ARS and 159 10-K sample firms for reporting years ending in 1975, 1976 and 1977. The Quandt log-likelihood ratio and the Chow test have been employed to block the two study samples on the basis of stable regression parameters and to determine which weeks in the study period Beta-shifts have occurred for firms in the Non-Stationary ARS and 10-K groups. Two procedures have been employed in the study. The first procedure has been employed to determine if an unusual concentration of Beta-shifts has occurred in conjunction with the release of either report. The second procedure has been employed to detect the existence of any unusual unexpected return activity associated with the release of the ARS or the 10-K. Using the procedures described above, the study concludes that neither the release of the ARS nor the release of the 10-K affects investors' assessments of firms' systematic risk components or return distributions. Thus, the evidence the dissertation provides does not support an hypothesis that either report possesses incremental information content. Finally, the study concludes that the ARS and the 10-K fail to influence investors assessments and that policymakers must rely on their value judgments concerning their prior beliefs for the wealth effects of the ARS and 10-K.

Literature suggests that countries should adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards and the worldwide recommended narrative reporting in annual reports. However, in developing countries, a range of prerequisites have to be put in place to ensure compliance therewith. This study has two main aims: firstly, to identify the way Rwandan companies report and to compare their reporting system with international requirements, and secondly to establish how aware Rwandan companies are of narrative reporting. This study uses a basic research and a mixed methods approach. A mixed method approach is used when the researcher supplements qualitative information with a quantitative approach to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the problem. A sample of 24 companies formed the subject of this study. Data were collected using a questionnaire which was supplemented in some cases with interviews. This study revealed that although Rwandan companies report annually, they do not all comply with International Financial Reporting Standards. While Rwandan companies do not totally ignore narrative reporting and are aware of its importance, some preparers lack some knowledge towards the preparation and presentation of such reports. Some of the reasons for this were the lack of a properly constituted accounting board, the lack of sound regulation in the accounting profession and the absence of enough qualified accountants Based on the current study’s findings, it is recommended that the accounting profession in Rwanda should be strengthened. This can be achieved with the help of the government of Rwanda and the international community. The current study also revealed the necessity for Rwanda to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards. To achieve this, an incremental adoption approach is recommended which could lead the way to the full adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards. / Thesis (M.Acc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.