IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jiaata/v19y2010i2p93-109.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Family ownership, board independence and voluntary disclosure: Evidence from Hong Kong

Author

Listed:
  • Chau, Gerald
  • Gray, Sidney J.

Abstract

This paper empirically examines the relationship between the extent of voluntary disclosure and levels of family ownership and board independence including the influence of an independent chairman. Using hand-collected data on voluntary disclosure for a sample of 273 listed firms in Hong Kong for the year 2002, the results show that at moderate to low levels of family shareholding (25% or less), the convergence of interest effect is dominant and the extent of voluntary disclosure is relatively low. At higher levels of family shareholding (more than 25%), the entrenchment effect dominates and is associated with higher voluntary disclosure. In addition, the results show that the appointment of an independent chairman is positively associated with the level of voluntary disclosure. Most importantly, the appointment of an independent chairman appears to mitigate the influence of family ownership on voluntary disclosures, and holds for firms with a non-independent chairman. While the extent to which independent non-executive directors are appointed to the board is positively associated with voluntary disclosure, the role of such directors is mitigated by the role of chairman.

Suggested Citation

  • Chau, Gerald & Gray, Sidney J., 2010. "Family ownership, board independence and voluntary disclosure: Evidence from Hong Kong," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 93-109.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jiaata:v:19:y:2010:i:2:p:93-109
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2010.07.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1061951810000157
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2010.07.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gary K Meek & Clare B Roberts & Sidney J Gray, 1995. "Factors Influencing Voluntary Annual Report Disclosures By U.S., U.K. and Continental European Multinational Corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 26(3), pages 555-572, September.
    2. Michael L. Lemmon & Karl V. Lins, 2003. "Ownership Structure, Corporate Governance, and Firm Value: Evidence from the East Asian Financial Crisis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(4), pages 1445-1468, August.
    3. Wang, Kun & O, Sewon & Claiborne, M. Cathy, 2008. "Determinants and consequences of voluntary disclosure in an emerging market: Evidence from China," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 14-30.
    4. Eng, L. L. & Mak, Y. T., 2003. "Corporate governance and voluntary disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 325-345.
    5. Michael C. Jensen, 2010. "The Modern Industrial Revolution, Exit, and the Failure of Internal Control Systems," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 22(1), pages 43-58, January.
    6. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1997. "A Survey of Corporate Governance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(2), pages 737-783, June.
    7. Collier, Paul & Gregory, Alan, 1999. "Audit committee activity and agency costs," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(4-5), pages 311-332.
    8. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    9. Morck, Randall & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W., 1988. "Management ownership and market valuation," Scholarly Articles 29407535, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    10. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    11. Chen, Charles J. P. & Jaggi, Bikki, 2000. "Association between independent non-executive directors, family control and financial disclosures in Hong Kong," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 19(4-5), pages 285-310.
    12. G K Meek & S J Gray, 1989. "Globalization of Stock Markets and Foreign Listing Requirements: Voluntary Disclosures by Continental European Companies Listed on the London Stock Exchange," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 20(2), pages 315-336, June.
    13. Buzby, Sl, 1975. "Company Size, Listed Versus Unlisted Stocks, And Extent Of Financial Disclosure," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 16-37.
    14. Fan, Joseph P. H. & Wong, T. J., 2002. "Corporate ownership structure and the informativeness of accounting earnings in East Asia," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 401-425, August.
    15. Pincus, Karen & Rusbarsky, Mark & Wong, Jilnaught, 1989. "Voluntary formation of corporate audit committees among NASDAQ firms," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 8(4), pages 239-265.
    16. McConnell, John J. & Servaes, Henri, 1990. "Additional evidence on equity ownership and corporate value," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 595-612, October.
    17. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 1999. "Corporate Ownership Around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(2), pages 471-517, April.
    18. Han, Ki C. & Suk, David Y., 1998. "The effect of ownership structure on firm performance: Additional evidence," Review of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 143-155.
    19. Re‐Jin Guo & Baruch Lev & Nan Zhou, 2004. "Competitive Costs of Disclosure by Biotech IPOs," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 319-355, May.
    20. Stijn Claessens & Simeon Djankov & Joseph P. H. Fan & Larry H. P. Lang, 2002. "Disentangling the Incentive and Entrenchment Effects of Large Shareholdings," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(6), pages 2741-2771, December.
    21. Hughes, Patricia J., 1986. "Signalling by direct disclosure under asymmetric information," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 119-142, June.
    22. Jong†Hag Choi & Jeong†Bon Kim & Xiaohong Liu & Dan A. Simunic, 2008. "Audit Pricing, Legal Liability Regimes, and Big 4 Premiums: Theory and Cross†country Evidence," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(1), pages 55-99, March.
    23. Cheung, Yan-Leung & Stouraitis, Aris & Wong, Anita W.S., 2005. "Ownership concentration and executive compensation in closely held firms: Evidence from Hong Kong," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 511-532, September.
    24. Wallace, R. S. Olusegun & Naser, Kamal, 1995. "Firm-specific determinants of the comprehensiveness of mandatory disclosure in the corporate annual reports of firms listed on the stock exchange of Hong Kong," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 311-368.
    25. Gul, Ferdinand A. & Leung, Sidney, 2004. "Board leadership, outside directors' expertise and voluntary corporate disclosures," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 351-379.
    26. repec:bla:jfinan:v:53:y:1998:i:6:p:2185-2204 is not listed on IDEAS
    27. White, Halbert, 1980. "A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(4), pages 817-838, May.
    28. Darrough, Masako N. & Stoughton, Neal M., 1990. "Financial disclosure policy in an entry game," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1-3), pages 219-243, January.
    29. Rosenstein, Stuart & Wyatt, Jeffrey G., 1990. "Outside directors, board independence, and shareholder wealth," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 175-191, August.
    30. Morck, Randall & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W., 1988. "Management ownership and market valuation : An empirical analysis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1-2), pages 293-315, January.
    31. Chau, Gerald K. & Gray, Sidney J., 2002. "Ownership structure and corporate voluntary disclosure in Hong Kong and Singapore," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 247-265.
    32. Frost, Ca & Pownall, G, 1994. "Accounting Disclosure Practices In The United-States And The United-Kingdom," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 75-102.
    33. Lang, M & Lundholm, R, 1993. "Cross-Sectional Determinants Of Analyst Ratings Of Corporate Disclosures," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 246-271.
    34. Claessens, Stijn & Djankov, Simeon & Lang, Larry H. P., 2000. "The separation of ownership and control in East Asian Corporations," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1-2), pages 81-112.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Marco Allegrini & Giulio Greco, 2013. "Corporate boards, audit committees and voluntary disclosure: evidence from Italian Listed Companies," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 17(1), pages 187-216, February.
    2. Attiya Y. Javid & Robina Iqbal, 2010. "Corporate Governance in Pakistan : Corporate Valuation, Ownership and Financing," Governance Working Papers 22830, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    3. Shan, Yuan George & Troshani, Indrit & Tarca, Ann, 2019. "Managerial ownership, audit firm size, and audit fees: Australian evidence," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 18-36.
    4. Khosa,Amrinder & Ahmed,Kamran & Henry,Darren, 2019. "Ownership Structure, Related Party Transactions, and Firm Valuation," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108492195, January.
    5. Chen, I-Ju, 2014. "Financial crisis and the dynamics of corporate governance: Evidence from Taiwan's listed firms," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 3-28.
    6. Lopes, Patricia Teixeira & Rodrigues, Lucia Lima, 2007. "Accounting for financial instruments: An analysis of the determinants of disclosure in the Portuguese stock exchange," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 25-56.
    7. Zeineb Barka & Taher Hamza, 2020. "The effect of large controlling shareholders on equity prices in France: monitoring or entrenchment?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 24(3), pages 769-798, September.
    8. Harvey, Campbell R. & Lins, Karl V. & Roper, Andrew H., 2004. "The effect of capital structure when expected agency costs are extreme," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 3-30, October.
    9. Richardson, Grant & Wang, Bei & Zhang, Xinmin, 2016. "Ownership structure and corporate tax avoidance: Evidence from publicly listed private firms in China," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 141-158.
    10. Wei, K.C. John & Zhang, Yi, 2008. "Ownership structure, cash flow, and capital investment: Evidence from East Asian economies before the financial crisis," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 118-132, April.
    11. Anna Maria Biscotti & Eugenio D’Amico, 2016. "Theoretical foundation of IC disclosure strategies in high-tech industries," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 13(1), pages 1-25, February.
    12. Naeem Tabassum & Satwinder Singh, 2020. "Corporate Governance and Organisational Performance," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-030-48527-6, June.
    13. Francesco Perrini & Ginevra Rossi & Barbara Rovetta, 2008. "Does Ownership Structure Affect Performance? Evidence from the Italian Market," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(4), pages 312-325, July.
    14. Roshayani Arshad & Rohaya Md Nor & Nur Adura Ahmad Noruddin, 2011. "Ownership Structure And Interaction Effects Of Firm Performance On Management Commentary Disclosures," Journal of Global Management, Global Research Agency, vol. 2(2), pages 124-145, July.
    15. Connelly, J. Thomas & Limpaphayom, Piman & Nagarajan, Nandu J., 2012. "Form versus substance: The effect of ownership structure and corporate governance on firm value in Thailand," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1722-1743.
    16. André Luiz Carvalhal da Silva & Ricardo Pereira Câmara Leal, 2005. "Corporate Governance Index, Firm Valuation and Performance in Brazil," Brazilian Review of Finance, Brazilian Society of Finance, vol. 3(1), pages 1-18.
    17. Sidney Leung & Bertrand Horwitz, 2010. "Corporate governance and firm value during a financial crisis," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 459-481, May.
    18. Rizzotti, Davide & Greco, Angela M., 2013. "Determinants of Board of Statutory Auditor and Internal Control Committee Diligence: A Comparison Between Audit Committee and the Corresponding Italian Committees," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 84-110.
    19. Huang, Paoyu & Ni, Yensen, 2017. "Board structure and stock price informativeness in terms of moving average rules," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 161-169.
    20. repec:eme:arapps:v:19:y:2011:i:2:p:125-146 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Roshayani Arshad Author_Email: roshayani@salam.uitm.edu.my & Rohaya Md Nor & Nur Adura Ahmad Noruddin, 2011. "Ownership Structure And Interaction Effects Of Firm Performance On Management Commentary Disclosures," 2nd International Conference on Business and Economic Research (2nd ICBER 2011) Proceeding 2011-332, Conference Master Resources.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jiaata:v:19:y:2010:i:2:p:93-109. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-international-accounting-auditing-and-taxation .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.