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Corporate boards, ownership structures and corporate disclosures: Evidence from a developing country

Abdalrhman Alnabsha (Department of Accountancy and Finance, University of Huddersfield Business School, Huddersfield, UK)
Hussein A. Abdou (Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Faculty of Business and Law, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK) (Management Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt)
Collins G. Ntim (Department of Accounting, Southampton Business School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK)
Ahmed A. Elamer (School of Business and Enterprise, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK) (Management Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt)

Journal of Applied Accounting Research

ISSN: 0967-5426

Article publication date: 12 February 2018

1954

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of corporate board attributes, ownership structure and firm-level characteristics on both corporate mandatory and voluntary disclosure behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

Multivariate regression techniques are used to estimate the effect of corporate board and ownership structures on mandatory and voluntary disclosures of a sample of Libyan listed and non-listed firms between 2006 and 2010.

Findings

First, the authors find that board size, board composition, the frequency of board meetings and the presence of an audit committee have an impact on the level of corporate disclosure. Second, results indicate that ownership structures have a non-linear effect on the level of corporate disclosure. Finally, the authors document that firm age, liquidity, listing status, industry type and auditor type are positively associated with the level of corporate disclosure.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could investigate disclosure practices using other channels of corporate disclosure media, such as corporate websites. Useful insights may be offered also by future studies by conducting in-depth interviews with corporate managers, directors and owners regarding these issues.

Practical implications

The evidence relating to the important role that corporate governance mechanisms play in shaping the expectations relating to the level of corporate voluntary and/or mandatory disclosures may be useful in informing investor decisions, as well as future policy and regulatory initiatives.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing literature by examining the governance-disclosure nexus relating to both mandatory and voluntary disclosures in both listed and non-listed firms operating in a developing country setting.

Keywords

Citation

Alnabsha, A., Abdou, H.A., Ntim, C.G. and Elamer, A.A. (2018), "Corporate boards, ownership structures and corporate disclosures: Evidence from a developing country", Journal of Applied Accounting Research, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 20-41. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAAR-01-2016-0001

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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