Firm characteristics and voluntary disclosure of geographic segment data by US multinational companies

Abstract

This study examines the role of firm specific factors such as size, leverage and assets-in-place in determining the level of voluntary disclosure of interim data on foreign operations made by US multinational companies. While prior studies test the impact of firm characteristics on the level of voluntary disclosure of segment data of Australian and New Zealand companies, no research to date has conducted such investigation with respect to the US multinational companies. The results of this study indicate that firm size, leverage and assets-in-place systematically influence the level of voluntary disclosure of geographic segment data of US multinational companies in interim periods. Thus, the study extends the existing disclosure literature by demonstrating that, among other things, certain firm-specific attributes significantly impact a US multinational company's decision to voluntarily disclose interim geographic segment data.