Skip to main content

Corporate e-disclosure determinants: Evidence from the Brazilian market

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to verify the existence of associations between characteristics of the firm and their voluntary readiness to disclose relevant corporate information using their corporate website. To this end, data from 314 non-financial companies listed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange, BM&FBovespa (Brazil), were used. The results suggest that larger companies tend to provide more financial and corporate governance information of interest to the market, that companies listed for a longer time were less liable to offer information, and that companies recognized as adopting the best governance practices (according to requirements from Novo Mercado criteria) provided more corporate information on their websites.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Figure 1

Notes

  1. 1.

    The Novo Mercado is a differentiated segment of trading, consisting of companies that undertake to adopt stricter practices of corporate governance established by BM&FBovespa, with the principal aim being to afford greater protection of shareholders and market confidence. The regulations for listing on the BM&FBovespa Novo Mercado are available at: www.bmfbovespa.com.br/empresas/download/RegulamentoNMercado.pdf.

  2. 2.

    By the time this article was completed there was only BM&FBovespa.

  3. 3.

    E-mails were sent to the intermediaries of corporate information requesting their opinion (response to an electronic questionnaire on the Web, on an 11-point scale) about the relevance of the 40 categories of information considered in the research.

References

  1. Ahmad-Zaluki, N.A. and Hussin, W.N.W. (2009) Corporate governance and quality of financial information disclosure. Accountants Today: 32–34.

  2. Alvarez, A. (2011) Company characteristics and human resource disclosure in Spain. Social Responsibility Journal 8 (1): 4–20.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Baiman, S. and Verrecchia, R. (1996) The relation among capital markets, financial disclosure, production efficiency, and insider trading. Journal of Accounting Research 34 (1): 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Boesso, G. and Kumar, K. (2007) Drivers of corporate voluntary disclosure: A framework and empirical evidence from Italy and the United States. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal 30 (2): 269–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bonsón, E. and Escobar, T. (2004) La difusión voluntaria de información financiera em Internet. Un Análisis comparativo entre Estados Unidos, Europa Del Este y la Unión Europea. Revista Española de Financiación y Contabilidad 33 (123): 1063–1101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Botosan, C.A. (1997) Disclosure level and the cost of equity capital. The Accounting Review 71 (3): 323–349.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Brasil. (2007) Lei 11.638/2007, 2007.

  8. Brasil. (2011) Lei 12.431/2011, Art. 121, 2011b.

  9. Camba, D. (2011) BM&FBovespa Contra-ataca. Valor Econômico 11 November: C1.

  10. Cho, C.H. and Roberts, R.W. (2010) Environmental reporting on the internet by America's toxic 100: Legitimacy and self-presentation. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems 11 (1): 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Clarkson, P.M., Kao, J.L. and Richardson, G.D. (1994) The voluntary inclusion of forecasts in the MD&A section of annual reports. Contemporary Accounting Research 11 (1): 423–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Comissão De Mercados De Valores Mobiliários. (2000) Entendimentos e Recomendações da CMVM Sobre a Utilização da Internet, http://www.cmvm.pt/cmvm/recomendacao/recomendacoes/pages/recomendacoes_internet.aspx, accessed 27 December 2011.

  13. Cormier, D., Ledoux, M.J. and Magnan, M. (2009) The use of web sites as a disclosure platform for corporate performance. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems 10 (1): 1–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Craven, B.M. and Martson, C.L. (1999) Financial reporting on the internet by leading UK companies. European Accounting Review 8 (2): 321–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Debreceny, R. and Farewell, S. (2010) XBRL in the accounting curriculum. Issues in Accounting Education 25 (3): 379–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Debreceny, R. and Gray, G. (1999) Financial reporting on the internet and the external audit. The European Accounting Review 8 (2): 335–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Espinosa, M. and Trombetta, M. (2007) Disclosure interactions and the cost of equity capital: Evidence from the Spanish continuous market. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting 34 (9): 1371–1392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Ferreira, D. and Rezende, M. (2007) Corporate strategy and information disclosure. RAND Journal of Economics 38 (1): 164–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Financial Accounting Standards Board. (2000) Electronic Distribution of Business Reporting Information. Steering Committee report from the Business Reporting Research Project, Financial Accounting Standards Board, Norwalk, CT, http://www.fasb.org, http://www.fasb.org/cs/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1175819611154&blobheader=application%2Fpdf.

  20. Francis, J., Nanda, D. and Olsson, P. (2008) Voluntary disclosure, earnings quality, and cost of capital. Journal of Accounting Research 46 (1): 53–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Francis, J.R., Khurana, I.K. and Pereira, R. (2005) Disclosure incentives and effects on cost of capital around the world. Accounting Review 80 (4): 1125–1162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Frankel, R., Johnson, M. and Skinner, D.J. (1999) An empirical examination of conference calls as a voluntary disclosure medium. Journal of Accounting Research 37 (1): 133–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Gallhofer, S. and Haslam, J. (2007) Exploring social, political and economic dimensions of accounting in the global context: The international accounting standards board and accounting disaggregation. Socio-Economic Review 5 (4): 633–664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Gallhofer, S., Haslam, J., Monk, E. and Roberts, C. (2006) The emancipatory potential of online reporting: The case of counter accounting. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal 19 (5): 681–718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Giner, B. (1997) The influence of company characteristics and accounting regulation on information disclosed by Spanish firms. European Accounting Review 6 (1): 45–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Gowthorpe, C. and Amat, O. (1999) External reporting of accounting and financial internation via the internet in Spain. The European Accounting Review 8 (2): 365–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Graham, J.R., Harvey, C.R. and Rajgopal, S. (2005) The economic implications of corporate financial reporting. Journal of Accounting and Economics 40 (1–3): 3–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Gray, S.J., Radebaugh, L.H. and Roberts, C.B. (1990) International perceptions of cost constraints on voluntary information disclosures: A comparative study of UK and US multinationals. Journal of International Business Studies 21 (4): 597–622.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Gul, F.A. and Leung, S. (2004) Board leadership, outside directors’ expertise and voluntary corporate disclosures. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 23 (5): 351–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Guo, R., Lev, B. and Zhou, N. (2004) Competitive costs of disclosure by biotech IPOs. Journal of Accounting Research 42 (2): 319–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Haniffa, R.M. and Cooke, T.F. (2002) Culture, corporate governance and disclosure in Malaysian corporations. Abacus 38 (3): 317–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Hayes, R. and Lundholm, R. (1996) Segment reporting to the capital market in the presence of a competitor. Journal of Accounting Research 34 (2): 261–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Healy, P., Hutton, A.P. and Palepu, K.G. (1999) Stock performance and intermediation changes surrounding sustained increases in disclosure. Contemporary Accounting Research 16 (3): 485–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Hedlin, P. (1999) The internet as a vehicle for investor relations: The Swedish case. European Accounting Review 8 (2): 373–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Hermalin, B.E. and Weisbach, M.S. (2012) Information disclosure and corporate governance. The Journal of Finance 67 (1): 195–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Higgins, R.B. and Diffenbach, J. (1985) The impact of strategic planning on stock prices. The Journal of Business Strategy 6 (2): 64–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Holland, J. (1998) Private voluntary disclosure, financial intermediation and market efficiency. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting 29 (1&2): 29–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Inchausti, B.G., Millán, N.C., Llopis, A.R. and Gisbert, M.A. (2003) Incentivos para divulgación voluntaria de información: evidencia empírica sobre la información segmentada. Revista Europea de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa 12 (4): 69–86.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Instituto Brasileiro De Governança Corporativa. (2009) Código de Boas Práticas de Governança Corporativa, http://www.ibgc.org.br/CodigoMelhoresPraticas.aspx, accessed 2 June 2012.

  40. Jensen, M.C. and Meckling, W.H. (1976) Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics 3 (4): 305–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Lang, M. and Lundholm, R. (1993) Cross-sectional determinants of analyst ratings of corporate disclosures. Journal of Accounting Research 31 (2): 246–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Larrán, M. and Giner, B. (2002) The use of the internet for corporate reporting by Spanish companies. The International Journal of Digital Accounting Research 2 (3): 53–82.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Lattemann, C. (2005) The use of ICT in annual shareholder meetings and investor relations: An examination of the German stock market. Corporate Reputation Review 8 (2): 110–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Leuz, C. and Verrecchia, R. (2000) The economic consequences of increased disclosure. Journal of Accounting Research 38 (Supplement): 91–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Lev, B. and Penman, S. (1990) Voluntary forecast disclosure, nondisclosure and stock prices. Journal of Accounting Research 28 (1): 49–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Lim, S., Matolcsy, Z. and Chow, D. (2007) The association between board composition and different types of voluntary disclosure. European Accounting Review 16 (3): 555–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Lopo, R.V., Arcay, M.R.B. and Vázquez, M.F.M. (2003) La actitud de lãs empresas cotizadas ante la presentación de la información voluntária. Uma referencia a la naturaleza de la información. Revista Europea de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa 12 (4): 49–67.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Madsen, P. (2009) Dynamic transparency, prudential justice, and corporate transformation: Becoming socially responsible in the internet age. Journal of Business Ethics 90 (4): 639–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Malarvizhi, P. and Yadav, S. (2009) Corporate environmental disclosures on the internet: An empirical analysis of Indian companies. Issues in Social & Environmental Accounting 2 (2): 211–232.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Marr, B., Gray, D. and Neely, A. (2003) Why do firms measure their intellectual capital? Journal of Intellectual Capital 4 (4): 441–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Mcnally, W.J. and Smith, B.F. (2010) The effect of transparency on insider trading disclosure. Canadian Public Policy 36 (3): 345–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Meijer, A.J. and Homburg, V. (2009) Disclosure and compliance: The ‘pillory’ as an innovative regulatory instrument. Information Polity: The International Journal of Government & Democracy in the Information Age 14 (4): 263–278.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Mendes-da-Silva, W. and Magalhães Filho, P.A.O. (2005) Determinantes da disseminação voluntária de informações financeiras na internet. RAE Eletrônica 4 (2), Article 19, http://www.scielo.br/pdf/raeel/v4n2/v4n2a04.pdf, accessed 28 December 2011.

  54. Mendes-da-Silva, W., Christensen, T.E. and Richardson, V.J. (2008) Determinants of internet financial disclosure in an emerging market: Lessons from Brazil. Corporate Ownership & Control 5 (2): 379–392.

    Google Scholar 

  55. Mendes-da-Silva, W., Ferraz Andrade, J.M., Fama, R. and Maluf filho, J.A. (2009) Disclosure Via Website Corporativo: Um Exame De Informações Financeiras e de Governança no Mercado Brasileiro. Revista de Administração de Empresas 49 (2): 190–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Myers, S.C. and Majluf, N.S. (1984) Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have. Journal of Financial Economics 13 (2): 187–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Noack, D. (1997) Web pages help build investor relations. Investors’ Bus Daily 10 October: A1.

  58. Oyelere, P., Laswad, F. and Fisher, R.T. (2003) Determinants of internet financial reporting by New Zealand companies. Journal of International Financial Management and Accounting 14 (5): 719–758.

    Google Scholar 

  59. Paisey, C. and Paisey, N.J. (2006) And they all lived happily ever after? Exploring the possibilities of mobilizing the internet to promote a more enabling accounting for occupational pension schemes. Accounting, Auditing & Accounting Journal 19 (5): 719–758.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. Petravick, S. and Guillet, J. (1998) Distribution earnings reports on the internet. Management Accounting 80 (4): 54–56.

    Google Scholar 

  61. Prencipe, A. (2004) Proprietary costs and determinants of voluntary segment disclosure: Evidence from Italian listed companies. European Accounting Review 13 (2): 319–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Rowbottom, N., Allam, A. and Lymer, A. (2005) An exploration of the potential for studying the usage of investor relations information through the use web server logs. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems 6 (1): 31–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Sánchez, I.M.G., Domínguez, L.R. and Álvarez, I.G. (2011) Corporate governance and strategic information on the internet. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal 24 (4): 471–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. The World Bank. (2011) World Development Indicators, http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators, accessed 4 August 2012.

  65. Wagenhofer, A. (1990) Voluntary disclosure with a strategic opponent. Journal of Accounting and Economics 12 (4): 341–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Wang, K., Sewon, O. and Claiborne, M.C. (2008) Determinants and consequences of voluntary disclosure in an emerging market: Evidence from China. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation 17 (1): 14–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wesley Mendes-Da-Silva.

Additional information

1received his PhD in Finance from University of Sao Paulo, USP, (Brazil), and is a member of the Brazilian Finance Society. He is Professor of Finance in the Accounting and Controllership Department of the School of Business Administration of São Paulo at the Getulio Vargas Foundation Business School, FGV (Brazil). His research interests include stock markets, corporate governance and behavior finance. He is also an independent member of several boards, is certified by IBGC (Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance) and the scientific coordinator of the Center for Corporate Governance, associated with USP.

2received her PhD in Business Administration from USP (Brazil). She is a professor at the EPPEN, Escola Paulista de Política, Economia e Negócios of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp). Her research interests include management and corporate strategy. She has worked in business consulting, and has held executive positions at high levels.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mendes-Da-Silva, W., Onusic, L. Corporate e-disclosure determinants: Evidence from the Brazilian market. Int J Discl Gov 11, 54–73 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1057/jdg.2012.14

Download citation

Keywords

  • financial innovation
  • corporate governance
  • disclosure
  • emerging market
  • investor relationships