The determinants of forward-looking narrative reporting in annual reports of emerging countries

Abstract

In recent years there has been much tinkering with the information provided to users in annual reports. The current models of financial reporting have been a cornerstone of debate for decades. Research studies indicate that the current research models are still too backward looking and compliance driven. This raises the demand for narrative reporting that companies have started to adopt for better quality and sustainable corporate performance. This chapter focuses on the aspects that may impact the level of forward-looking information disclosure in the narrative reports. For this purpose, a sample of 100 listed companies from the Bombay Stock Exchange, India, are used for the period from 2017 to 2019. Forward Looking Disclosure Index (FLDI) is first created based on 30 items from annual reports, and the determinants of forward-looking narrative reporting are then estimated using panel data analysis. The results reveal that the size of the firm and the board independence have significant positive influences on the level of disclosures in narrative reporting. The results also indicate that when Indian companies are divided based on the size of their audit firm (Big Four vs. non-Big Four auditors), the forward-looking narrative disclosures are positively related to audit firms' size. The present study makes a unique contribution as it attempts to address narrative reporting issues in an emerging country. This study presents helpful insights to analysts, regulators, policy makers, professionals and academics towards forward-looking disclosures. It adds to the literature strand e of narrative reporting and opens up new insights for future research.