Abstract
This article examines relationships between governance characteristics and disclosure quality in an emerging economy of Pakistan. Regression analysis supports agency theory and shows that CEO duality is negatively related to disclosure quality, whereas ownership concentration and audit quality positively influence disclosure quality. This article also finds, through an interaction term in regression models, that ownership concentration becomes a negative influence on disclosure quality when firms have CEO duality. This study helps academicians and policymakers to understand how disclosure could be affected by corporate governance. Policymakers could apply the results to further promote good governance in Pakistan.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
References
Ahmed, K. and Courtis, J.K. (1999) Association between corporate characteristics and disclosure levels in annual reports a meta analysis. British Accounting Review 31: 35–61.
Amar, W.B. and Boujenoui, A. (2006) Factors explaining corporate governane disclosure quality: Canadian evidence. Paper presented at the Illinois International Accounting Symposium; 7–9 June, University of Hawai, Ma¯noa Honolulu, Hawaii.
Archambault, J.J. and Archambault, M.E. (2003) A multinational test of determinants of corporate disclosure. The International Journal of Accounting 38: 173–194.
Chaua, G.K. and Gray, S.J. (2002) Ownership structure and corporate voluntary disclosure in Hong Kong and Singapore. The International Journal of Accounting 37: 247–265.
Chen, C.J. and Jaggi, B. (2000) Association between independent non-executive directors, family control and financial disclosures in Hong Kong. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 19: 285–310.
Cheung, S.Y.L., Connelly, J.T., Limpaphayom, P. and Zhou, L. (2006) Determinants of corporate disclosure and transparency: Evidence from Hong Kong and Thailand. Paper presented at 2006 China International Conference in Finance; 17–20 July, Xi’an, China.
Eng, L.L. and Mak, Y.T. (2003) Corporate governance and voluntary disclosure. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 22: 325–345.
Fama, E.F. and Jensen, M.C. (1983) Separation of ownership and control. Journal of Law and Economics 26 (2): 301–325.
Forker, J. (1992) Corporate governance and disclosure quality. Accounting and Business Research 22 (86): 111–124.
Francis, J.R., Khurana, I.K. and Pereira, R. (2003) The role of accounting and auditing in corporate governance and the development of financial markets around the world. Asia Pacific Journal of Accounting and Economics 10: 1–31.
Gul, F.A. and Leung, S. (2004) Board leadership, outside directors’ expertise and voluntary corporate disclosures. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 23: 351–379.
Hamid, H.H. and Kozhich, V. (2006) Corporate governance in an emerging market: A perspective on Pakistan. Journal of Legal Technology Risk Management 1: 22–33.
Hanifa, R.M. and Cooke, T.E. (2002) Culture, corporate governance and disclosure in Malaysian corporations. ABACUS 38: 317–349.
Hasan, A. and Butt, S.A. (2009) Impact of the ownership structure and corporate governance on capital structure of Pakistani listed companies. International Journal of Business and Management 4 (2): 50–57.
Ho, S.S. and Wong, K.S. (2001) A study of the relationship between corporate governance structures and the extent of voluntary disclosure. Journal of International Accounting Auditing and Taxation 10: 139–156.
Hoskisson, R.E., Hitt, M.A., Johnson, R.A. and Grossman, W. (2002) Conflicting voices: The effects of institutional ownership heterogeneity and internal governance on corporate innovation strategies. Academy of Management Journal 45 (4): 697–716.
Hossain, T.M. and Adams, M.B. (1994) Voluntary disclosure in an emerging capital market: Some empirical evidence from companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange. International Journal of Accounting 29 (4): 334–351.
Javid, A.Y. and Iqbal, R. (2010) Ownership concentration, corporate governance and firm performance: Evidence from Pakistan. Proceedings of the 24th Annual General Meeting and Conference of PSDE; 31 March–2 April 2009, Islamabad: PIDE.
Jensen, M. and Meckling, W. (1976) Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior. Agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics 3: 305–360.
Khodadadi, V., Khazami, S. and Aflatoon, A. (2010) The effect of corporate governance structure on the extent of voluntary disclosure in Iran. Business Intelligence Journal 3 (2): 151–164.
Lakhal, F. (2003) Earning voluntary disclosures and corporate governance: Evidence from France, http://www.ssrn.com, accessed 7 May 2012.
Lardaro, L. (1993) Applied Econometrics. New York: Harper-Collins.
Lee, P., Stokes, D., Taylor, S. and Walter, T. (2003) The association between audit quality, accounting disclosures and firm-specific risk: Evidence from initial public offerings. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 22: 377–400.
Makhija, A.K. and Patton, J.M. (2004) The impact of firm ownership structure on voluntary disclosure: Empirical evidence from Czech annual reports. Journal of Business 77 (3): 457–491.
Mir, S.R. and Nishat, M. (2004) Corporate governance structure and firm performance in Pakistan-An emperical study. Paper presented at LUMS–SEC Conference; 29–30 May, Lahore, Pakistan.
Mitton, T. (2002) A cross firm analysis of the impact of corporate governance on the East Asian financial crises. Journal of Financial Economics 64 (2): 215–241.
Muhamad, R., Shahimi, S., Yahya, Y. and Mahzan, N. (2009) Disclosure quality on governance issues in annual reports of Malaysian PLCs. International Business Research 2 (4): 61–72.
Sloan, R.G. (2001) Financial accounting and corporate governance: A discussion. Journal of Accounting and Economics 32: 335–347.
Yuen, D.C., Liu, M., Zhang, X. and Lu, C. (2009) A case study of voluntary disclosure by Chinese enterprises. Asian Journal of Finance and Accounting 1 (2: E6): 118–145.
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge helpful comments and suggestions from Editor Professor Michael G. Alles, Co-Editor Richard Leblanc and anonymous reviewers.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
2has been working as a Senior Instructor at the School of Management (SOM) since 1 July 2010. He obtained his PhD in Finance in 2009 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii, USA and an MBA in Finance in 2005 from Tulane University, USA.
Appendix
Appendix
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nosheen, S., Chonglerttham, S. Impact of board leadership and audit quality on disclosure quality: Evidence from Pakistan. Int J Discl Gov 10, 311–327 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/jdg.2013.7
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jdg.2013.7