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Does The Corruption Perception Level of A Country Affect Listed Firms' IFRS 7 Risk Disclosure Compliance?
Does The Corruption Perception Level of A Country Affect Listed Firms' IFRS 7 Risk Disclosure Compliance?
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Does the Corruption Perception Level of a Country Affect Listed Firms' IFRS 7
Risk Disclosure Compliance?
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Ben Agyei-Mensah
Woosong University
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(2017),"The relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and IFRS 7 compliance: evidence from an emerging
market", Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, Vol. 17 Iss 3 pp. 446-465 <a href="https://
doi.org/10.1108/CG-06-2016-0129">https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-06-2016-0129</a>
(2017),"The relationship between corporate governance, corruption and forward-looking information disclosure: a
comparative study", Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, Vol. 17 Iss 2 pp. 284-304 <a
href="https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-11-2015-0150">https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-11-2015-0150</a>
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance, corruption and Mensah is Associate
compliance with International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS 7) risk disclosure requirements in Professor at the
listed firms in two Sub-Saharan Africa countries: Botswana and Ghana. This study tries to test whether Department of Finance
the transparency level of a country has any impact on the transparency level of its firms. and Accounting,
Design/methodology/approach – The study uses 174 firm-year observations between the period Solbridge International
2013-2015 for listed firms in the two countries. Each annual report was individually examined and coded School of Business,
to obtain the disclosure of corporate risk disclosure index. Descriptive analysis was performed to
Daejeon, Korea.
provide the background statistics of the variables examined. This was followed by regression analysis,
which forms the main data analysis.
Findings – The results suggest that the extent of risk disclosure compliance over the three-year period
is, on average, 63 and 53 per cent for Botswana and Ghana, respectively. The differences in the
disclosure levels in the two countries can be attributed to the different levels of corruption in the two
countries. One way of hiding corrupt practices is for companies to disclose scanty information.
Originality/value – This is one of the few studies in Sub-Saharan Africa that tests the transparency
levels of listed firms in the two countries by considering the impact of corporate governance factors on
IFRS 7 risk disclosure compliance. The findings of this study will help market regulators in Ghana,
Botswana, the Sub-Saharan Africa Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Sub-Saharan
Africa exchanges in evaluating the adequacy of the current disclosure regulations in their countries.
Keywords Risk disclosure, IFRS 7, Corporate governance and disclosure,
Botswana stock exchange, Ghana stock exchange
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
This paper investigates the relationship between corruption, corporate governance, extent
and determinants of risk disclosure compliance with the requirements of International
Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS 7) by firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE)
and Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE). Corruption is a worldwide problem including
advanced economies, however, what makes developed countries different from the
developing countries is the fact that in developed countries, systems have been put in
place to check the incidence of corruption. According to Agyeman et al. (2013), though
Ghana has sufficient laws and regulations with respect to corporate governance, the major
challenge is the absence of active devices for their effective enforcement. This leaves
Ghana deficient in corporate governance practices. It is also to be noted that poor or weak
corporate governance breeds corruption (Xun, 2005). Botswana and Ghana are widely
apart when it comes to levels of perceived corruption. The 2014 Transparency JEL Codes – G3, M1, M2, M4
Received 16 October 2016
International’s transparency list has Botswana on 31st and Ghana on 61st positions, Revised 24 February 2017
respectively. While Botswana is the least corrupt country in Africa, Ghana is one of the most Accepted 4 April 2017
DOI 10.1108/CG-10-2016-0195 VOL. 17 NO. 4 2017, pp. 727-747, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1472-0701 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PAGE 727
corrupt countries. It is therefore important to research into how the levels of corruption
perception in these countries affect compliance with IFRS 7 risk disclosure requirements by
firms listed on the respective stock exchanges.
Risk disclosure has attracted a lot of attention following the recent financial crises. As a
consequence, there has been a demand for corporate risk disclosure by stakeholders. Risk
disclosure provides information to users of financial reports, as it enables them to assess
the risks affecting firms’ future economic performance.
According to Deumes (2008, p. 122), “Studying risk disclosure is important because
corporate transparency about risk is vital for the well-functioning of capital markets [. . .]. By
providing investors with information about the risk associated with pursuing the company’s
strategic goals, managers can increase transparency and eliminate disparities between
what investors understand and expect and what management can deliver”.
Many studies have so far investigated the extent and determinants of risk disclosures
(Abraham and Cox, 2007; Hassan, 2009; Amran et al., 2009; Al-Shamari, 2014;Tauringana and
Chithambo, 2016). Tauringana and Chithambo (2016), in their study, found that the extent of
compliance with IFRS 7 was 40 per cent and that non-executive directors, size and gearing are
the factors determining the disclosure of IFRS 7 compliance. Hassan (2014) found that firm size
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and leverage are the most important determinants of the risk disclosure quality. To the best of
the author’s knowledge, no study has been done specifically on a country’s level of corruption
and risk disclosure in accordance with IFRS 7 requirements in Sub-Saharan Africa. The
research, therefore, endeavours to close the gap and makes a significant contribution by
providing much needed additional evidence in this area.
This study is important due to the fact that corruption is one of the major factors that retards
Africa’s development.
The study seeks to answer the following questions:
Q1. To what extent do firms listed on the BSE and GSE comply with risk disclosure
requirements of IFRS 7?
Q2. What are the significant predictors influencing the level of corporate risk disclosure
in the annual reports of firms listed on the BSE and GSE?
This paper provides a contribution to the risk-disclosure literature in several respects. First,
it develops a framework to assess the extent of risk disclosure requirements of IFRS 7,
which previous literature failed to do. Second, it is the first study that comparatively
evaluates IFRS 7 risk disclosure requirements in Botswana, the least corrupt country in
Africa, and Ghana, one of the most corrupt countries in Africa. Third, it examines the drivers
of the extent and quality of risk disclosure requirements in the two countries, which may
give us more insight into how listed firms in Botswana and Ghana have adjusted their
disclosure strategies, not only to satisfy the IFRS 7 requirements but also to meet the
demand for more transparency. Fourth, the paper also provides evidence that listed firms
do not fully comply with the requirements of IFRS 7.
The remainder of the paper is structured as follows: The next section reviews previous
literature and develops research hypotheses. The section that follows develops a
methodology to assess IFRS 7 compliance. Then the empirical findings of the study are
presented. Finally, conclusion, limitations and suggestions for further researches are
discussed.
statement and notes to the accounts to members, not later than 18 months after incorporation
and annually subsequently. Sections 125, 126 and 127 deal with the presentation and
components of the income statement, statement of financial position and group accounts,
respectively. The Banking Act 2004, Act 673 as amended in 2007, Act 738, Insurance Act 724,
2006, and other similar legislations have sections dealing with financial reporting in line with the
company’s act of Ghana and the required accounting framework.
Prior to the adoption of IFRS in Ghana, the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles were
the Ghana National Accounting Standards. The Ghana National Accounting Standards
were partly based on UK accounting standards; Statements of Standard Accounting
Practices (SSAPs) and pre-IFRS, International Accounting Standards.
World Bank (2004) conducted a review of accounting and auditing practices in Ghana,
which was presented in its Report on Observance of Standards and Codes. This was to
“evaluate the weaknesses and strengths of the accounting and auditing requirements, and
to review the reporting requirements against actual practices” (ROSC, 2004). One of the
major weaknesses identified in the report was that the Ghana National Accounting
Standards were outdated and differed significantly from the International Accounting
Standards. The World Bank therefore recommended that Ghana should adopt the IFRS.
Hence, The Institute of Chartered Accountants’ proclamation that all financial reports from
2007 onwards should comply with the IFRS.
Disclosure theories
Three theories have been used to explain the disclosure of information in corporate reports.
These theories have been used as they all attempt to explain and predict accounting
practice. These are agency theory, signaling theory and legitimacy theory. According to
agency theory (Jensen and Meckling, 1976; Fama and Jensen, 1983), disclosure of risk
information is used as a means to overcome agency problem between management and
owners of the company (Healy and Pelapu, 2001). If shareholders and creditors do not
observe companies’ risk management activities directly, then they will tend to institute
monitoring systems to increase the flow of information about those activities, and to reduce
uncertainty (Linsmeir et al., 2002). Under the signaling theory, developed by Spencer,
financial reporting is said to stem from the management’s desire to disclose its superior
performance where good performance will enhance the management’s reputation and
position in the market for management services, and good reporting, which includes
disclosing risk information, is considered as one aspect of good performance. Based on
this theory, managers disclose adequate information in the financial reports to convey
specific signals to current and potential users. Morris (1987) argued that there is
Hypotheses development
Based on the results of prior theoretical and empirical research, five corporate governance
mechanisms are included in the hypotheses development.
Board size. Managing risk is an important consideration for the board of directors. The
board of directors plays an important role in a company’s corporate governance.
According to agency theory, larger boards incorporate a variety of business expertise,
leading to more effectiveness in the boards’ monitoring role, resulting in better corporate
accountability and disclosure (Singh et al., 2004). Prior risk disclosure studies found mix
results. Studies by Collins et al. (2014) and Lajili (2009) found a positive association
between board size and levels of firm risk disclosure. Prior research suggests a positive
association between the number of directors and the existence of an audit committee
(Bradbury, 1990; Piot, 2004). It can be argued that a larger board is likely to entail more
resources for the board to allocate. Whilst Beasley et al. (2005) and Elzahar and Hussainey
mechanisms, such as audit committees (Fraser and Henry, 2007). Therefore, companies
with a higher proportion of non-executive directors serving on their audit committee are
likely to attach greater importance to compliance with IFRS 7 risk disclosure requirements
and to the reduction of agency costs. From the literature reviewed above, the following
hypothesis will be tested:
H5. There is no relationship between audit committee independence and extent of risk
disclosure compliance.
Methodology
Sample
The data used in the empirical analysis were derived from the financial statements of listed
firm on the BSE (28) and GSE (30), during a three-year period of 2013-2015. Three years
were selected because firms’ disclosures tend to persist across years (Bushee et al., 2003;
Skinner, 2003; Graham et al., 2005). Once managers decide to disclose IRFS 7 risk
disclosure information in the narrative sections of the annual report, it is unlikely that they
would switch back to no disclosure.
In all 174 firm-years, reports for the period 2013-2015 were used. The annual reports were
downloaded from the companies’ websites. Each annual report was individually examined
and coded to obtain the disclosure of corporate risk information. To measure the extent of
corporate risk disclosure, the index developed by Tauringana and Chithambo (2016) (see
Appendix 1) was used. Each risk information disclosed is dichotomously scored as 1, if it
meets each criterion and 0 otherwise. The values assigned are then summed up to
represent the total score for each company. This is mathematically presented as follows:
The disclosure index ⫽ Total corporate risk items disclosed/Maximum
(58) items disclosed for each company
Actual disclosure
Disclosure Index ⫽
Total possible disclosure
m
兺 di
1
⫽ n
兺 di
1
where:
where:
ECRDI ⫽ Extent of corporate risk disclosures index;
a ⫽ constant (the intercept);
X1 ⫽ Board size;
X2 ⫽ Non-executive directors;
X3 ⫽ Block ownership concentration;
X4 ⫽ Institutional ownership;
X5 ⫽ Audit committee independence;
X6 ⫽ Firm size;
X7 ⫽ Profitability;
X8 ⫽ Liquidity;
X9 ⫽ Leverage;
X10 ⫽ Auditor type; and
e ⫽ error term.
the variables.
Multi-collinearity and autocorrelation tests (assessment of the validity of the model). A
regression analysis was performed on the dependent and independent variables to check
for the existence of multi-collinearity and serial or autocorrelation problems. However, the
VIF values are less than 2.000 and Durbin–Watson has a value of 1.901, showing that there
is no econometric problem with the model.
Determinants of extent of International Financial Reporting Standard 7 risk disclosure
compliance. The panel data regression analysis results are summarized in Table IV.
According to the regression analysis, adjusted R-square is 17.8 per cent. That means
that 17.8 per cent of the variations in the ECRD could be explained by this model. With
regards to the direction of relationship between the dependent variable (ECRD) and the
independent variables, the regression results show a significant positive relationship
between disclosure of corporate risk information and INSTO (p ⫽ 0.022). The positive
co-efficient for INSTO suggests that H4 is supported and hence confirmed. This means
that under pressure-sensitive institutional investors, there is a likelihood that a firm will
comply with IFRS 7 risk disclosure requirements. This is consistent with previous
research results by Ajinka et al. (2005), Xie et al. (2003), Charitou et al. (2007) and
Wan-Hussin (2009) who found that institutional investors help increase corporate
transparency by disclosing corporate risk information.
BODS
Correlation coefficient 1.000 0.232* 0.346** 0.157 0.022 ⫺0.216* 0.316** 0.020 0.068 ⫺0.213 0.141
Significance (2-tailed) 0.0234 0.001 0.154 0.842 0.049 0.003 0.854 0.539 0.051 0.200
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
PNED
Correlation coefficient 0.232* 1.000 0.075 0.027 ⫺0.062 ⫺0.109 0.297** ⫺0.070 ⫺0.143 ⫺0.086 ⫺0.200
Significance (2-tailed) 0.034 0.500 0.807 0.574 0.323 0.006 0.529 0.194 0.437 0.068
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
INSTO
Correlation coefficient 0.346** 0.075 1.000 0.490** 0.003 ⫺0.052 0.181 0.129 0.026 ⫺0.258* 0.228*
Significance (2-tailed) 0.001 0.500 0.000 0.976 0.638 0.099 0.242 0.814 0.018 0.037
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
BOC
Correlation coefficient 0.157 0.027 0.490** 1.000 0.093 0.270* 0.415** 0.047 ⫺0.139 ⫺0.034 0.093
Significance (2-tailed) 0.154 0.807 0.000 0.403 0.013 0.000 0.671 0.206 0.756 0.399
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
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FSIZE
Correlation coefficient 0.022 ⫺0.062 0.003 0.093 1.000 0.118 0.016 0.614** ⫺0.062 ⫺0.017 0.130
Significance (2-tailed) 0.842 0.574 0.976 0.403 0.284 0.882 0.000 0.574 0.877 0.239
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
AUDT
Correlation coefficient ⫺0.216* ⫺0.109 ⫺0.052 0.270* 0.118 1.000 0.014 0.208 ⫺0.275* 0.106 ⫺0.065
Significance (2-tailed) 0.049 0.323 0.638 0.013 0.284 0.898 0.057 0.011 0.337 0.559
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
LEV
Correlation coefficient 0.316** 0.297** 0.181 0.415** 0.016 0.014 1.000 0.175 0.120 0.309** 0.063
Significance (2-tailed) 0.003 0.006 0.099 0.000 0.882 0.898 0.112 0.277 0.004 0.572
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
ROA
Correlation coefficient 0.020 ⫺0.070 0.129 0.047 0.614** 0.208 0.175 1.000 0.092 0.103 0.080
Significance (2-tailed) 0.854 0.529 0.242 0.671 0.000 0.057 0.112 0.404 0.351 0.470
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
LIQDT
Correlation coefficient 0.068 ⫺0.143 0.026 ⫺0.139 ⫺0.062 ⫺0.275* 0.120 0.092 1.000 0.120 0.065
Significance (2-tailed) 0.539 0.194 0.814 0.206 0.574 0.011 0.277 0.404 0.276 0.558
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
AUDTCTEE
Correlation coefficient ⫺0.213 ⫺0.086 ⫺0.258* ⫺0.034 ⫺0.017 0.106 0.309** 0.103 0.120 1.000 0.137
Significance (2-tailed) 0.051 0.437 0.018 0.756 0.877 0.337 0.004 0.351 0.276 0.215
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
ECRD
Correlation coefficient 0.141 ⫺0.200 0.228* 0.093 0.130 ⫺0.065 0.063 0.080 0.065 0.137 1.000
Significance (2-tailed) 0.200 0.068 0.037 0.399 0.239 0.559 0.572 0.470 0.558 0.215
N 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84
Notes: *Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed); **correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)
Ghana
Analysis of the extent of International Financial Reporting Standard 7 risk disclosure
compliance. The results of the extent of IFRS 7 risk disclosure compliance are presented
in Table V. Table V shows that the mean score for the three-year period is 53 per cent, the
minimum is 42 per cent and the maximum is 68 per cent. The implication is that firms listed
on the GSE are not fully complying with the provisions of IFRS 7. This finding is consistent
(Constant) 0.000
Total assets 0.061 0.579 1.207
CUR 0.051 0.640 1.004
TD/TA 0.061 0.571 1.002
ROA 0.057 0.624 1.148
AUDITOR ⫺0.046 0.571 1.002
AUDTCTEE 0.162 0.138 1.038
BOC 0.097 0.423 1.268
BODS 0.070 0.542 1.135
INSTO 0.250 0.022 1.000
PNED ⫺0.207 0.152 1.000
Notes: 95% confidence interval; F ⫽ 0.5.446; R-square ⫽ 0.209; adjusted R-square ⫽ 0.178; N ⫽
84; Durbin Watson ⫽ 1.901
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with Tauringana and Chithambo (2016), who found that firms listed on the Malawi stock
exchange have a compliance level of 40 per cent.
Univariate analysis. The correlation analysis (Table VI) shows that total assets has a
significant relationship with Leverage at 1 per cent level (p ⫽ 0.002), ROA at 5 per cent
level (p ⫽ 0.028) and BODS at 1 per cent level (p ⫽ 0.000). ROA has a significant
relationship with CUR at 1 per cent level (p ⫽ 0.000). AUDT has a significant relationship
with CUR at 5 per cent level (p ⫽ 0.031). BODS has a significant relationship with CUR at
5 per cent level (p ⫽ 0.045), AUDT at 1 per cent level (p ⫽ 0.004) and INSTO at 1 per cent
level (p ⫽ 0.001). INSTO has a significant relationship with BOC at 1 per cent level and
BODS at 1 per cent level. The implication is that there is a need to check for
multi-collinearity and autocorrelation among the variables.
Multi-collinearity and autocorrelation tests (assessment of the validity of the model). A
regression analysis was performed on the dependent and independent variables to check
for the existence of multi-collinearity and serial or autocorrelation problems. However, the
VIF values are less than 2.000 and the Durbin–Watson value is 1.904, showing that there is
no econometric problem with the model.
Determinants of extent of International Financial Reporting Standard 7 risk disclosure
compliance. The panel data regression analysis results are summarized in Table VII.
According to the regression analysis, adjusted R-Square is 31.4 per cent. That means that
Total assets
Correlation coefficient 1.000 0.039 0.320** ⫺0.231* 0.048 ⫺0.068 0.011 0.515** 0.024 0.122 0.011 0.106
Significance (2-tailed) 0.712 0.002 0.028 0.656 0.525 0.915 0.000 0.824 0.253 0.919 0.321
CUR
Correlation coefficient 0.039 1.000 ⫺0.140 0.445** 0.228* ⫺0.068 ⫺0.047 ⫺0.212* ⫺0.082 0.258* 0.119 ⫺0.045
Significance (2-tailed) 0.712 0.188 0.000 0.031 0.524 0.662 0.045 0.445 0.014 0.265 0.674
TD/TA
Correlation coefficient 0.320** ⫺0.140 1.000 ⫺0.263* ⫺0.061 ⫺0.193 ⫺0.153 ⫺0.092 ⫺0.149 0.133 0.135 0.101
Significance (2-tailed) 0.002 0.188 0.012 0.570 0.068 0.149 0.389 0.161 0.210 0.203 0.343
ROA
Correlation coefficient ⫺0.231* 0.445** ⫺0.263* 1.000 0.119 0.037 ⫺0.041 ⫺0.126 0.055 0.060 0.110 ⫺0.071
Significance (2-tailed) 0.028 0.000 0.012 0.264 0.728 0.700 0.238 0.604 0.573 0.302 0.504
AUDITOR
Correlation coefficient 0.048 0.228* ⫺0.061 0.119 1.000 0.069 ⫺0.311** 0.302** ⫺0.029 0.151 0.025 ⫺0.124
Significance (2-tailed) 0.656 0.031 0.570 0.264 0.521 0.003 0.004 0.786 0.155 0.814 0.246
AUDTCTEE
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Correlation coefficient ⫺0.068 ⫺0.068 ⫺0.193 0.037 0.069 1.000 0.049 0.141 0.037 0.011 ⫺0.085 0.006
Significance (2-tailed) 0.525 0.524 0.068 0.728 0.521 0.647 0.185 0.730 0.920 0.427 0.955
BOC
Correlation coefficient 0.011 ⫺0.047 ⫺0.153 ⫺0.041 ⫺0.311** 0.049 1.000 0.020 0.783** ⫺0.109 0.127 0.004
Significance (2-tailed) 0.915 0.662 0.149 0.700 0.003 0.647 0.852 0.000 0.309 0.234 0.971
BODS
Correlation coefficient 0.515** ⫺0.212* ⫺0.092 ⫺0.126 0.302** 0.141 0.020 1.000 0.347** ⫺0.007 ⫺0.103 ⫺0.005
Significance (2-tailed) 0.000 0.045 0.389 0.238 0.004 0.185 0.852 0.001 0.944 0.334 0.964
INSTO
Correlation coefficient 0.024 ⫺0.082 ⫺0.149 0.055 ⫺0.029 0.037 0.783** 0.347** 1.000 ⫺0.153 0.020 0.024
Significance (2-tailed) 0.824 0.445 0.161 0.604 0.786 0.730 0.000 0.001 0.150 0.853 0.819
PNED
Correlation coefficient 0.122 0.258* 0.133 0.060 0.151 0.011 ⫺0.109 ⫺0.007 ⫺0.153 1.000 0.115 ⫺0.061
Significance (2-tailed) 0.253 0.014 0.210 0.573 0.155 0.920 0.309 0.944 0.150 0.280 0.570
QCRD
Correlation coefficient 0.011 0.119 0.135 0.110 0.025 ⫺0.085 0.127 ⫺0.103 0.020 0.115 1.000 0.049
Significance (2-tailed) 0.919 0.265 0.203 0.302 0.814 0.427 0.234 0.334 0.853 0.280 0.644
ECRD
Correlation coefficient 0.106 ⫺0.045 0.101 ⫺0.071 ⫺0.124 0.006 ⫺0.004 ⫺0.005 0.024 ⫺0.061 0.049 1.000
Significance (2-tailed) 0.321 0.674 0.343 0.504 0.246 0.955 0.971 0.964 0.819 0.570 0.644
Notes: **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed); *correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)
31.4 per cent of the variations in the ECRD could be explained by this model. With regards
to the direction of relationship between the dependent variable (ECRD) and the
independent variables, the regression results show a positive relationship between
disclosure of corporate risk and PNED (proportion of non-executive directors) ( ⫽ 0.150)
and statistically significant at 0.01 level (p ⫽ 0.002). The positive co-efficient for PNED
suggests that H2a, which states that there is a positive relationship between proportion of
non-executive directors on the board and the extent of risk disclosure compliance, is
confirmed. This means that with a higher proportion of independent directors, there is more
likelihood that a firm will comply with IFRS 7 risk disclosure requirements. This is consistent
with previous research results by Tauringana and Chithambo (2016), Collins et al. (2014),
Deumes and Knechel (2008) and Abraham and Cox (2007) (Table VIII).
(Constant) 0.000
Total assets 0.014 0.891 1.207
CUR ⫺0.094 0.733 1.282
TD/TA 0.111 0.939 1.075
ROA 0.101 0.892 1.420
AUDITOR 0.069 0.500 1.225
AUDTCTEE ⫺0.064 0.866 1.909
BOC 0.254 0.993 1.890
BODS 0.011 0.940 1.834
INSTO ⫺0.079 0.927 1.099
PNED 0.150 0.002 1.273
Notes: 95% confidence interval; F ⫽ 0.666; R-square ⫽ 0.420; adjusted R-square ⫽ 0.314; Durbin
N ⫽ 90; Watson ⫽ 1.904
listed on the GSE and BSE. This study, therefore, tries to test whether the transparency level
of a country has any impact on the transparency level of its firms with regards to complying
with IFRS 7 risk disclosure requirements.
The panel data analysis was then used to determine if corporate governance mechanisms
(board size, proportion of non-executive directors, block ownership concentration,
institutional investors and audit committee independence) influence the extent of risk
disclosure compliance. The results suggest that the extent of risk disclosure compliance
over the three-year period is, on average, 63 and 53 per cent for Botswana and Ghana,
respectively. These results indicate that most of the firms listed on the BSE disclosed more
corporate risk information than those listed on the GSE. Thus, compliance with IFRS 7
requirements in Botswana is generally positive, whilst the situation in Ghana is not
encouraging. The implication is that corporate governance in Ghana is not taken seriously
by the listed firms. These findings confirm the World Bank’s study which found the
disclosure of non-financial information in financial reports of listed firms as weak.
The low level of disclosure by listed firms in Ghana does not support the signaling theory
which suggests that firms with good performance will wish to signal their quality to
investors, and hence, would be more likely to disclose their performance by disclosing
more risk information. The low disclosure compliance level means that accounting
regulators, the GSE and Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC) need to do more to
enforce compliance of IFRS 7. In their studies, Shleifer (2005) and Djankov et al. (2003)
underscored the importance of enforcement mechanisms as being fundamental to the
success of any accounting regulation.
The study also investigated the main determinants or drivers of the extent of IFRS risk
disclosure compliance. Results of the statistical analysis revealed that the extent of
disclosure in Ghana was influenced by the presence of non-executive directors. This study
contributes to the literature on the relationship between corporate governance and
disclosure by showing that disclosure of risk disclosure compliance information in Ghana
is associated with the proportion of independent board members. This finding supports
SOX 404 requirements, even though this is not compulsory for Ghanaian firms unlike their
US counterparts.
This paper uses agency theory to study the relationship between corruption, corporate
governance attributes and compliance with IFRS 7 requirements. In the case of Botswana,
it is only institutional ownership which is related to the disclosure of corporate risk
information. Agency theory argues that institutional directors may act independently from
managers and may, therefore, act as good monitors to protect shareholders’ interest, thus
mitigating the agency problems between shareholders and managers (Colpan and
Yoshikawa, 2012). The results of the study confirm that the agency theory holds.
There are several practical implications of the current study for academicians and
practitioners. The study contributes to the accounting literature in general, and specifically
to the literature on risk disclosure. Listed firms can use the findings to improve the extent
and quality of their IFRS 7 risk disclosure compliance. The accountancy institutes in
Botswana and Ghana, the Botswana and Ghana stock exchanges, and SEC may use the
findings of the current study to provide guidance on best practices and training programs
for the listed firms to help improve the compliance of IFRS 7 requirements. The regulators
should also be interested in the influence of corporate governance mechanisms on risk
disclosure. The study also provides information for managers to keep investors satisfied
about the risk that their companies face. Such information may assist investors to diversify
their investment portfolios. In summary, the study has provided evidence that contributes
to the auditing and financial reporting literature. Auditors auditing financial reports from
these countries should insist on 100 per cent compliance with the IFRS 7. Further research
should be conducted to test the quality of financial reports on the basis that firms in these
countries do not fully comply with a mandatory financial reporting standard.
One of the limitations of the current study is that its sample size is only 28 companies in
Botswana and 30 in Ghana. The limited number of companies makes it difficult to draw
broad conclusions, so the researcher cannot generalize the results. Further exploratory
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7 Concentration of interest rate risk if not apparent from summary IFRS 7.34c 1
quantitative data and sensitivity analysis
Total score for interest rate risk 11
Market risk–Currency risk
8 Exposure to risk and how they arise IFRS 7.33a 1
9 Objectives, policies and processes for managing the risk and the methods IFRS 7.33b 1
used to measure the risk
10 Changes in exposure to risk, measurement of risk and objectives, policies IFRS 7.33c 2
and processes to manage the risk from the previous period:
Disclosure of changes
Explanation for changes
11 Summary quantitative data about exposure to risk at the reporting date IFRS 7.34a 1
12 Currency risk sensitivity analysis showing how profit or loss and equity IFRS 7.40a 1
would have been affected by changes in the relevant risk variable that
were reasonably possible at that date
13 Methods and assumptions used in preparing the sensitivity analysis IFRS 7.40b 4
14 Concentration of currency risk if not apparent from summary quantitative IFRS 7.34c 1
data and sensitivity analysis
Total score for currency risk 11
Market risk–other price risk
15 Exposure to risk and how they arise IFRS 7.33a 1
16 Objectives, policies and processes for managing the risk and the methods IFRS 7.33b 1
used to measure the risk
17 Changes in exposure to risk, measurement of risk and objectives, policies IFRS 7.33c 2
and processes to manage the risk from the previous period:
Disclosure of changes
Explanation for changes
18 Summary quantitative data about exposure to risk at the reporting date IFRS 7.34a 1
19 Other price risk sensitivity analysis showing how profit or loss and equity IFRS 7.40a 1
would have been affected by changes in the relevant risk variable that
were reasonably possible at that date
20 Methods and assumptions used in preparing the sensitivity analysis IFRS 7.40b 4
21 Concentration of other price risk if not apparent from summary quantitative IFRS 7.34c 1
data and sensitivity analysis
Total score for other price risk 11
Liquidity risk
22 Exposure to risk and how they arise IFRS 7.33a 1
23 Objectives, policies and processes for managing the risk and the methods IFRS 7.33b 2
used to measure the risk
24 Changes in exposure to risk, measurement of risk and objectives, policies IFRS 7.33c 2
and processes to manage the risk from the previous period:
Disclosure of changes
Explanation for changes
(continued)
25 Maturity analysis for financial liabilities that show the remaining contractual IFRS 7.39a 1
maturities
Total score for liquidity risk 6
Credit risk
26 Exposure to risk and how they arise IFRS 7.33a 1
27 Objectives, policies and processes for managing the risk and the methods IFRS 7.33b 2
used to measure the risk
28 Changes in exposure to risk, measurement of risk and objectives, policies IFRS 7.33c 2
and processes to manage the risk from the previous period:
Disclosure of changes
Explanation for changes
29 Summary quantitative data about exposure to risk at the reporting date IFRS 7.34a 1
30 Concentrations of credit risk if not apparent from summary quantitative IFRS 7.34c 1
data and sensitivity analysis
31 Amount of maximum exposure to credit risk (before deducting value IFRS 7.36a 1
collateral)
32 Description of collateral held as security and other credit enhancements IFRS 7.36b 1
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Corresponding author
Ben Kwame Agyei-Mensah can be contacted at: bamensah@solbridge.ac.kr
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