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1 – 10 of 17Zakaria Ali Aribi, Rateb Mohammad Alqatamin and Thankom Arun
The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between female representation on the board and forward-looking information disclosures (FLIDs).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between female representation on the board and forward-looking information disclosures (FLIDs).
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses the content analysis to analyze the narrative evidence from the annual financial reports of non-financial Jordanian companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. The final sample consists of 1,206 firm-year observations during the period 2008-2013.
Findings
The study provides evidence that gender diversity on boards positively affects the level of FLIDs. Further to this, the study reveals that family firms disclose more information than non-family firms.
Practical implications
Results of this study could be beneficial for a number of users of financial information such as, regulators, investors, auditors and lenders. The users might consider the findings of this study when they are using the company’s financial information. Consequently, users of this information could be better assisted to make right decisions.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by identifying the role of gender on the level of FLID, particularly on family and non-family, a relatively little researched area.
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Rateb Alqatamin, Zakaria Ali Aribi and Thankom Arun
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of CEOs’ characteristics on the level of forward-looking information (FLI) disclosure. In particular, the study examines the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of CEOs’ characteristics on the level of forward-looking information (FLI) disclosure. In particular, the study examines the effect of CEO age, gender and overconfidence on the disclosure of FLI in Jordan firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a disclosure index to measure the level of FLI disclosure and employs random-effect and panel data regressions to examine the relationship between CEOs’ characteristics and the level of FLI disclosure. The sample consists of 201 non-financial companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange for the period 2008-2013.
Findings
The results of the study show that the CEO age has a significant negative relationship with the level of FLI disclosure in annual reports of non-financial Jordanian companies, whereas gender and overconfidence have a significant positive association with FLI disclosure.
Research limitations/implications
The single country context limits the generalisability of the findings.
Practical implications
The results of the study could be beneficial for the users of financial information, such as regulators, investors, auditors and lenders. These users might consider the findings of the study when they are using a company’s financial information. Accordingly, they may seek to extend the investigations and verify such reporting practices and consequently make better decisions. In addition, the findings provide empirical evidence that helps managers in assessing their financial transparency and accountability.
Originality/value
The relationship between CEO’s characteristics and the level of FLI disclosure is still ambiguous. This study contributes to the FLI disclosure literature by identifying the role of CEO characteristics on the level of FLI disclosure. Thus, it offers evidence that the level of FLI disclosure is driven by specific CEO characteristics.
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Bedanand Upadhaya, Chaminda Wijethilake, Pawan Adhikari, Kelum Jayasinghe and Thankom Arun
First, the paper examines the short-term fiscal and budgetary responses of the South Asian governments to the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, it brings out the implications of such…
Abstract
Purpose
First, the paper examines the short-term fiscal and budgetary responses of the South Asian governments to the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, it brings out the implications of such responses, focusing on India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on multiple secondary data sources, including the viewpoints of experts and government officials. Data are analysed using the ideas of financial resilience.
Findings
South Asian governments' response to the pandemic shows a gap in understanding the magnitude of the problem and in developing financial resilience. This paper points out the importance of avoiding austerity, becoming more cautious in accepting lending conditions, rethinking public sector accountability and revitalising mutual collaboration through SAARC for developing financial resilience, both at individual country and regional levels.
Originality/value
The study offers some insights on policy implications for South Asian governments in terms of building financial resilience to deal with future crises.
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Yousf Almahrog, Zakaria Ali Aribi and Thankom Arun
The paper aims to re-interpret the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in limiting the extreme practices in earnings management (EM) by using evidence from large UK…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to re-interpret the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in limiting the extreme practices in earnings management (EM) by using evidence from large UK companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The study has used content analysis and disclosure index to measure the level of CSR. The authors measured EM based on discretionary accruals by using cross-sectional version of the modified Jones model.
Findings
The findings of this study reveal that companies with a higher commitment to CSR activities are less likely to manage earnings through accruals.
Originality/value
This study shed more light on the potential impact of CSR on earnings management in the context of the UK. Prior research on the impact of CSR on earnings management has used exclusively CSR scores, provided by CSR score indices. The manual measurement used in this study for CSR (disclosure index/content analysis) is considered to provide a more detailed and precise measure.
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Jacob Agyemang, John Azure, Danson Kimani and Thankom Arun
The paper examines financial resilience responses/capacities of governments from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ghana in relation to COVID-19. It highlights the governments’ fiscal…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper examines financial resilience responses/capacities of governments from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ghana in relation to COVID-19. It highlights the governments’ fiscal, budgetary and actions as either anticipatory or coping mechanisms towards the pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
Multiple case studies and secondary data were used, including official government documentation/records, expert views, policy publications by supranational organisations and international financial institutions and media reports. Textual analysis was conducted to evaluate the case countries’ resilience.
Findings
The paper highlights how governmental budgetary initiatives, including repurposing the manufacturing sector, can sustain businesses, aid social interventions and reduce vulnerability during health crises. In addition, the paper highlights that external borrowing continues to be indispensable in the financial and budgetary initiatives of the case countries. The paper finds that lessons learnt from the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa within the last decade have shaped the anticipatory resilience capacities of the case countries against COVID-19.
Originality/value
The paper uses the notion of resilience, the dimensions of the resilience framework and the resource-based view (RBV) theory to unearth resilience patterns. This sort of combined approach is new to financial resilience studies.
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Zakaria Ali Aribi, Thankom Arun and Simon Gao
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether any discrepancy exists between the disclosed in SSB reports of Islamic banks and the disclosure index which was based on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether any discrepancy exists between the disclosed in SSB reports of Islamic banks and the disclosure index which was based on stakeholders’ expectation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses contents analysis as the research method to explore Shariâ’ah audit reporting practices of Islamic Banks.
Findings
The study finds that the level of disclosures overall by IFIs in the sample is rather low compared to the stakeholder expectations.
Practical implications
This paper has important implication for policy makers as it contribute to the debate on that uniform disclosure standards across the globe need to be implemented to ensure a uniform level of disclosure by Islamic banks.
Originality/value
This study is amongst the few studies that examine and explore the nature and extent of Shari’ah Supervisory Board in Islamic banks.
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Rateb Mohammmad Alqatamin, Zakaria Ali Aribi and Thankom Arun
This study aims to examine the effect of CEO’s personal characteristics on earnings management (EM) practices.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the effect of CEO’s personal characteristics on earnings management (EM) practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use panel data for 201 non-financial companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) for the period 2008-2013. The authors use random effect models to test the hypothesis of this study and extent the analysis to family versus non-family.
Findings
The study finds a positive relation between CEO’s overconfidence and EM practices in Jordan. Moreover, the findings reveal that managers in family companies are more likely to engage in EM practices than non-family companies. The findings shed more light on the intricate relationship between CEO’s characteristics, the decision-making process and financial reporting.
Practical implications
Results of this study could be beneficial for a number of users of financial information such as investors, auditors, regulators, lenders, as well other players in the capital market to make right decisions.
Originality/value
A literature review finds that much less studies have investigated the relationship between EM practices and personal CEO characteristics (gender and overconfidence) in developing countries such as Jordan. Furthermore, no study yet has examined the influence of CEO age on EM practices. The authors extend previous literature by providing empirical evidence about effect of some personal CEO’s characteristics on EM practices.
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Peterson K. Ozili and Thankom G. Arun
Managers are concerned about how the macroeconomic environment affects business profit. Focusing on banks, this study aims to investigate the effect of economic policy uncertainty…
Abstract
Purpose
Managers are concerned about how the macroeconomic environment affects business profit. Focusing on banks, this study aims to investigate the effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on bank profitability in 22 advanced countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used the panel fixed effect regression methodology to assess the effect of EPU on several measures of bank profitability for 22 advanced countries from 1998 to 2017. The measures of bank profitability are net interest margin, lending-deposit spread, non-interest income (NII) ratio, after-tax return on asset, before-tax return on asset, after-tax return on equity and before-tax return on equity.
Findings
The findings reveal that high EPU negatively affects bank NII. Real gross domestic product growth rate, nonperforming loans and regulatory capital ratio are negatively related to profitability in times of high EPU. The findings also reveal that high EPU has a positive effect on bank profitability in Asia and the region of the Americas, as these regions witnessed high return on equity in times of high EPU.
Practical implications
The implication of the findings is that, although EPU has a depressive effect on some indicators of bank profitability, regional characteristics can ameliorate the depressive effects of EPU on bank profitability.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature that examine the economic consequences of EPU on firms. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to examine how regional characteristics affect the relationship between EPU and bank profitability using cross-country data.
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