Sharia disclosures: An exploratory study from the perspective of Sharia-compliant companies and professional users

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the reasons behind the low level of Sharia-related disclosures, particularly Sharia-compliant companies, to gain an understanding on how these companies disclose Sharia-related information in their annual reports, and how professional users of these reports search for such disclosures.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is an exploratory research based on structured interviews with individuals involved in the preparation of annual reports of Sharia-compliant companies and professional users of annual reports.

Findings

Most Sharia-compliant companies and professional users interviewed agree that the most relevant Sharia-related information is most commonly understood as the information found in the financial statement and its notes (accounting-related disclosures). Their responses indicate that there is a disjoint between the conventional disclosure practices on corporate social responsibility items and the Sharia-related information.

Research limitations/implications

The idea of full disclosure needs to be further understood from the perspectives of Sharia. This study provides insights into the types of Sharia-related information that are important for disclosure. Future research should focus on examining a larger number of companies and interviewing more professional users from different jurisdictions to generate more knowledge about the nature of Sharia information and its disclosure.

Practical implications

Users of the Sharia screening methods, especially regulators, such as the Securities Commission Malaysia should encourage the disclosure of the required aspects of Sharia in the annual reports of Sharia-compliant companies, as professional users are interested in this type of information.

Originality/value

This study offers insights into the reasons behind low Sharia disclosures in annual reports of Sharia-compliant companies.

Citation

Che Azmi, A., Ab Aziz, N., Non, N. and Muhamad, R. (2016), "Sharia disclosures: An exploratory study from the perspective of Sharia-compliant companies and professional users", Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 237-252. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-03-2016-0029