Use Of Annual Reports Research Articles

HUMAN RESOURCE ACCOUNTING AND PROFITABILITY OF LISTED DEPOSITMONEY BANKS IN NIGERIA

One of a company's most important intangible assets is its human capital. Because a company’ssuccess or failure depends on how well its few physical resources are exploited by its human resources, a company’s failure to account for human resources and the changes that occur inside may present a misleading image of its performance. due to inconsistent in the literature, the study examine the relationship between human resource accounting and financial performance of deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study used ex-postfacto research design as it entails the use of annual reports and accounts of listed Deposit Money Banks in the Nigerian Exchange Group. Secondary data were sourced from the banks’ financial report for the period of seven (7) years from 2015 to 2021. The dependent variable is Return on Assetsuse as a proxy of profitability, the independent variables are: Staff Cost, Directors’ Remunerations use as the proxy of human resource accounting. The study control for age and size.The descriptive statistics, correlation and regression statistical method of analysis are employedto test the nature, relationship and effect among the variables using Statistical Software (STATA v14). The result shows that HRA has significant effect on the financial performance of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. Thus, upon recommendation, workers should be retain to avoidunemployment, and company management should endeavor to send workers on training and development to accommodate the structural changes.

THE ROLE OF DIVIDEND POLICY IN DETERMINING THE MARKET VALUE OF SHARE OF LISTED INDUSTRIAL GOODS COMPANIES IN NIGERIA

This study examines the role of dividend policy in determining the market value of share of listed industrial goods companies in Nigeria, the research design used as a guide is ex-post facto method, as the study entails the use of annual reports and accounts of listed industrial goods companies in the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The secondary data were sourced from the company’s financial report for the period of five years from 2013 to 2017 contained in company’s annual reports and account and all were used to compute the dependent variable (share price) while dividend payout ratio and dividend yield as proxies of independent variable respectively. Regression analysis is use establish the relationship between the variables by using Statistical Software (SPSS). The result showed that there is no positive significant relationship between dividend payout ratio, dividend yield and share price of listed industrial goods companies in the Nigeria. Based on findings the study recommends that the existing investors in the Nigerian industrial goods sector should from time to time; ensure extensive and critical evaluation of dividend policy as it can significantly influence their market value which has ultimate effect on the investments.

Measuring performance in corporate environmental reporting in Nigeria

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to measure the current level of corporate environmental reporting (CER) in the developing economy of Nigeria. This is with a view to drive the effort of firms towards improving on the present practice. An attempt is made to also determine the extent to which the level of CER differs on account of firm characteristics.Design/methodology/approachThe study used data for the top 40 companies on the Nigerian stock exchange as of 31 December 2017 based on market capitalization. The annual reports, company website and sustainability reports were the major sources of data. The paper used descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance to analyse data.FindingsDespite the attempt to explore multiple sources in obtaining environmental information, empirical evidence from the present study confirms that the level of environmental reporting is low; most companies report environmental issues through the website. It further found an association between CER and firm size.Practical implicationsThe findings will be of interest to policymakers and regulators on the need to regulate environmental reporting. Thus, motivating firms towards better environmental performance in Nigeria.Originality/valueThe paper extends environmental reporting research in Nigeria beyond the use of annual reports. It captured environmental information reported through the website and sustainability reports. It provides information on the current status in terms of quality and content of information reported. Finally, it found that firm size is a contingent factor for CER in Nigeria.

Corporate social responsibility disclosures in Malaysia: evidence from large companies

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether there is any improvement in the extent and quality of corporate social responsibility disclosures (CSRD) in Malaysia between 2011 and 2014 and to determine the factors that influence the extent and quality of CSRD in these two years. Also, this study examines the methods of disclosures and the items that largest Malaysian companies addressed.Design/methodology/approachA self-constructed CSR is utilised to measure the extent and quality of CSRD in the annual reports of the top 71 Malaysian companies listed in Bursa Malaysia for the years 2011 and 2014. Multiple regressions along with their associated toolkits for data verification and diagnostic tests are used to assess the improvement in CSRD between 2011 and 2014 and the factors that affect CSRD.FindingsResults show a slight increase in the extent and quality of CSRD between 2011 and 2014. With regards to the factors influencing CSRD, only awards are found to be significant in determining the extent and quality of CSRD either in 2011 or in 2014. Board size, ownership concentration, independent non-executives and return on assets influence both the extent and quality of CSRD in 2011. Director ownership and firm size determine the extent and quality of CSRD in 2014. Government ownership only influences the extent of CSRD in 2011.Research limitations/implicationsSome traditional limitations are found to be considered in future research, such as the use of annual reports as the only source of CSRD information. Results support the legitimacy theory that assumes that Malaysian companies disclose CSR information as a reflection of the incidents that happen in that environment of the firm without ignoring the role of the government in pushing those companies towards being socially responsible by issuing regulations, or in motivating those companies by introducing awards and giving fiscal facilities.Practical implicationsThe results help the policymakers to introduce more awards in some domains that were less addressed by Malaysian companies and also to examine the causes behind the non-influence of the new Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG 2012) on CSRD.Originality/valueThe study can be considered as one of the limited empirical studies that assess the changes in CSRD before and after the issuance of MCCG 2012 in Malaysia.

Variations in Opinions toward Disclosure Trend of Insurance Companies in Bangladesh: An Empirical Study

The study is an attempt to examine empirically the perceptions of a sample of users of reported information regarding the use of annual reports for decision making, adequacy, reliability, consistency, comparability, relevance, satisfaction and compliance of BASs (IASs) in preparing annual report. Results of the study demonstrated that there is a lack of disclosure in the annual reports of insurance companies. The study also found insignifi cant variations in opinions towards adequacy, consistency, relevance, satisfaction and compliance of provisions of Bangladesh Accounting Standards in disclosure policy of the companies while there are signifi cant variations in responses regarding reliability and comparability of accounting information disclosed in the annual reports. Insurance companies should develop their reporting policy to satisfy their users through compliance the disclosure requirements of international standards.

Variations in Opinions toward Disclosure Trend of Insurance Companies in Bangladesh: An Empirical Study

The study is an attempt to examine empirically the perceptions of a sample of users of reported information regarding the use of annual reports for decision making, adequacy, reliability, consistency, comparability, relevance, satisfaction and compliance of BASs (IASs) in preparing annual report. Results of the study demonstrated that there is a lack of disclosure in the annual reports of insurance companies. The study also found insignifi cant variations in opinions towards adequacy, consistency, relevance, satisfaction and compliance of provisions of Bangladesh Accounting Standards in disclosure policy of the companies while there are signifi cant variations in responses regarding reliability and comparability of accounting information disclosed in the annual reports. Insurance companies should develop their reporting policy to satisfy their users through compliance the disclosure requirements of international standards.

Governance at South African state‐owned enterprises: what do annual reports and the print media tell us?

PurposeThe overall objective of the study was to track, over a two‐year period, the reported incidences of corporate governance transgressions at five strategic South African state‐owned enterprises (SOEs).Design/methodology/approachTransgressions for each SOE were documented against the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development's framework of best practice in governance for SOEs by reviewing annual reports and newspaper article citations over a two‐year period.FindingsWhile political intervention in the operational running of each SOE is apparent, government appears not to have fulfilled its oversight role of ensuring the sound governance of SOEs according to best practices. While the SOEs appear to comply with external governance demands, compliance to internal, self‐regulated governance appears to be lacking.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of annual reports and media reports to document governance practices are open to subjectivity. The broader extrapolation of findings based on five SOEs must be undertaken with caution.Practical implicationsThe present study alerts government to potential areas of corporate governance practices at South African SOEs that warrant attention. As South Africa has recently joined the BRICS bloc of developing countries, the findings from the present study could afford a starting point for future comparative study among this group of countries, which appears to evidence similar challenges with regard to governance within their SOEs.Originality/valueThe present study begins to elevate the debate on corporate governance at South African SOEs from public rhetoric to a deeper understanding of the nature of the major problems that warrant attention. Although limited in scope, the study contributes to the scarce academic literature on public sector corporate governance in Africa in general, and in the South African SOE sector in particular.

An investigation of perceptions of company annual report users in Sri Lanka

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on a study of how users of company annual reports in the emerging market of Sri Lanka view those reports. Since limited studies exist that examine financial reporting practices in emerging markets, little is known about the user perceptions of company annual reports in these markets. This paper contributes to filling this gap by examining the views of a wide spectrum of users on the usefulness of corporate annual reports in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approachThe data reported in this study were collected through a questionnaire survey, covering seven user groups – accountants, executives, bankers, tax officers, academics, financial analysts, and investors. The 264 responses received were analysed using the Kruskal‐Wallis one‐way ANOVA test.FindingsThe results reveal that most use annual reports for obtaining information for share transactions. Despite the long delay in publishing many annual reports and lack of availability of these reports to the general public, the majority of users view annual reports as the most important source of company information. The paper also reveals that, in comparison with developed markets, Sri Lankan users depend more on annual report information than on information provided by stockbrokers, newspapers, and other media reviews.Originality/valueThis paper provides information about the usefulness of annual reports in an emerging market, Sri Lanka. No prior research on this aspect of Sri Lankan companies is reported in the literature.

Social disclosure and legitimacy in Premier League football clubs: the first ten years

Purpose – This longitudinal study aims to examine the extent to which football clubs in the Premier League communicate community activities in their annual reports through social disclosure. The research also seeks to examine the relevance and use of the annual report as a disclosure medium by football clubs. The need for social disclosure is examined in conjunction with media coverage of issues affecting Premier League clubs.Design/methodology/approach – This study is deductive using three main hypotheses to test relevant underpinning theory used within the research. The study uses content analysis of annual report social disclosures of ten Premier League football clubs from 1993 to 2002, covering the first ten years of the Premier League. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the use of annual reports by those clubs. In addition, media reporting data from The Sunday Times is examined.Findings – This study finds that there has been an increase in adverse media reporting concerning football, football clubs...

The Current State of Corporate Social Responsibility Among Industrial Companies in Malaysia

PurposeThe main aim of the study is to find out the level and trend of CSR disclosure pattern of industrial companies in Malaysia and its relationship with companies' characteristics.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis is used to analyse the data from the corporate annual reports of the companies from 1998 to 2003. Samples are selected using simple random sampling technique.FindingsResearch findings, inter alia, indicate that there is positive relationship between CSR and companies' turnover but no apparent relationship is noticed with companies' capital. Relationship between CSR and companies' profitability is also found to be positive but weak. More disclosure by local companies as compared to their foreign counterparts is another noteworthy finding. Overall, CSR level of industrial companies in Malaysia is increasing both in terms of amount of the disclosure and the number of participating companies.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of annual reports may not give a complete picture of the disclosure practices as the company may use other medium to disseminate the information. In addition, his study focuses on industrial companies in Malaysia. Thus all conclusions derived cannot be generalized to other industries.Originality/valueThe current research is the only study in Malaysia thus far that covers a disclosure pattern of six years thereby widens the horizon of CSR research. Besides that it extends the previous research to cover new variables such as individual and corporate ownership, influence of the chairman's race on the disclosure and exploring the disclosure pattern by paid‐up capital.

Annual Reports: A Literature Review (1989–2001)

Since the collapse of Enron Corporation in November 2001, annual reports and corporate financial disclosures have been the focus of government, corporate, and public attention. This article examines the literature written about annual reports between 1989 and 2001 to identify trends in research and determine areas of future study. Articles were categorized as related to SEC regulations and guidelines, summary annual reports, online annual reports, rhetorical analysis of annual reports, readability and accessibility of annual reports, methods of conveying negative information in annual reports, effective annual report writing, use and importance of annual reports, or use of annual reports in business writing classes. Post-Enron, it is likely that the number of articles in this area will dramatically increase over the next five to ten years.

The Use and Perceived Importance of Annual Reports by Accountants in the Service Industry in Malaysia

This study examines the use and perceived importance of annual reports by accountants in Malaysia. Using a postal questionnaire survey, the study focuses on (i) the range of purposes for which respondents use financial reports; (ii) the relative position of annual reports as a source of information compared with other sources of information; and (iii) the relative importance of different parts or sections in a company's annual report. The results indicate that advising clients appears to be their main use of annual reports whereas the least cited reason is to negotiate labour contracts. In addition, advisory services, annual reports, and prospectuses are perceived to be the most important sources of information. The profit and loss statement is also perceived to be the most important part of an annual report, followed by the balance sheet and the notes to accounts. The research findings are, to some extent, consistent with the results of similar studies done in developed as well as developing countries.

Accountability and Annual Reports: The Case of Policing

One of the features of the New Public Management is the increased use of Annual Reports as a mechanism of accountability. The aim of the paper is to assess whether the annual reports of the Chief Constable and the Police Authority provide appropriate information for Police Authority members to hold the Chief Constable to account. As intermediate users, the members of the Police Authority require information on efficiency, effectiveness and for ‘intelligence gathering’. However, the evidence suggests that although the reports have improved over time they do not contain the information necessary for accountability. These findings raise concerns over the proposed role of the local Best Value policing plan in securing accountability.

A sectoral comparison of corporate environmental reporting and disclosure

The paper considers the results of a survey of companies in the automobile, banking, electronics, energy, food and drink and water sectors in the UK. Consideration is given as to whether or not a company discloses, or intends to disclose in the future, environmental information. For those companies who do disclose environmental information, details are presented of the various media that are used for such disclosures in addition to, or instead of, the use of annual reports and accounts and specialized environmental reports that have, typically, been the focus of previous research. For those companies producing separate environmental reports, details are also given of whether or not such reports are verified externally. Information is also provided on the sources of guidance used by companies in preparing environmental disclosures as well as the stakeholders that are consulted. Sectoral differences are reported, where appropriate, for all aspects that are considered. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Environmental reporting in Finland: A note on the use of annual reports

This paper analyses changes in corporate environmental reporting practices among large Finnish firms in the past five years. Using content analysis of annual reports, we analysed the willingness of firms to disclose environmental information in the years 1987 and 1992. Our sample consisted of 75 Finnish corporations drawn from the largest firms in the most environmentally sensitive industries. Our results indicate marked changes in environmental reporting practices between 1987 and 1992. In 1987, slightly over one quarter of the firms analysed disclosed environmental information in their annual reports, while in 1992 this number had risen to nearly one half of firms. Most of this disclosure was in qualitative, rather than in quantitative or financial, form. The results are consistent with earlier studies, which indicated that environmental reporting was a feature of firms in certain industrial sectors. We conclude by noting the influence of environmentalism on Finnish corporate environmental reporting, policy and accounting practice.

Social Disclosure and the Individual Investor

The demand for social information by individual investors is supported by the survey reported in this study. Based on the results of the 1991 survey on the usefulness of annual reports to corporate shareholders, there appears to be a strong demand for information about product safety and quality, and about the company′s environmental activities. Furthermore, a majority of the shareholders surveyed also want the company to report on corporate ethics, employee relations and community involvement. Since there appears to be a strong demand for social information by shareholders, serious consideration should be given to requiring certain social disclosures in annual reports. Furthermore, a large minority of those surveyed would like these disclosures to be audited. It may be in the interest of the auditing profession actively to support those areas of social disclosure that it feels comfortable auditing and to develop the skills to provide such audits. If not, the profession may find itself in the position of being required to attest to something for which it has no expertise.

The Use of Annual Reports by UK Investment Analysts

(1986). The Use of Annual Reports by UK Investment Analysts. Accounting and Business Research: Vol. 16, No. 64, pp. 295-307.

The Usefulness of Annual Reports: the Anomaly between the Efficient Markets Hypothesis and Shareholder Surveys

(1982). The Usefulness of Annual Reports: the Anomaly between the Efficient Markets Hypothesis and Shareholder Surveys. Accounting and Business Research: Vol. 12, No. 48, pp. 296-309.