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Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference on Intellectual Capital

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2. Hypo<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>sis development<br />

Deborah Branswijck and Patricia Everaert<br />

Previous studies <strong>on</strong> IC disclosure in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> prospectus used a c<strong>on</strong>tent analysis to determine whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<br />

stakeholder groups, with an interest in c<strong>on</strong>trolling certain strategic aspects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> organizati<strong>on</strong>, will be<br />

informed voluntarily <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> company’s IC during <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> initial public <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fering (IPO) (Bukh et al., 2004 ;<br />

Singh and Van der Zahn, 2008). During an IPO <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> amount <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> stakeholders <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a company increases.<br />

The stakeholder <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ory suggests that an organizati<strong>on</strong>’s management is expected to undertake<br />

activities deemed important by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir stakeholders. According to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> latter, a company will voluntarily<br />

disclose informati<strong>on</strong> about its intellectual performance above mandatory requirements in order to<br />

meet <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se expectati<strong>on</strong>s (Deegan, 2000). Moreover, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> traditi<strong>on</strong>al accounting models are unable to<br />

reflect <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> new ways <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> creating value. The most intuitive measurement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> value <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> IC is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

difference between <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> net book value and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> market value <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a company (Holland, 2001). Firms with<br />

a great difference between <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se two measures have a high level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> IC. For some companies this<br />

difference may come from a brand name for o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rs it may come from know-how or patents. The value<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> those intangible assets could represent more than 60 % <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> business assets (Lev, 2001) and<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>refore <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> necessity to voluntarily report about <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se value creati<strong>on</strong> indicators increases. Since<br />

reporting <strong>on</strong> IC is voluntary, firms will <strong>on</strong>ly disclose this informati<strong>on</strong> if <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re are advantages related to.<br />

These advantages are, according to Vergauwen and van Alem (2005) and Depoers (2000), am<strong>on</strong>g<br />

o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rs related to decreasing informati<strong>on</strong> asymmetry between <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> company and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> users <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> financial<br />

statements, lower borrowing costs due to a better estimati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> risk associated with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> company<br />

and a higher value relevance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> financial statements. Fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rmore, ec<strong>on</strong>omic <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ory suggests that<br />

a commitment by a firm to an increased level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> disclosure should lower <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> informati<strong>on</strong> asymmetry<br />

comp<strong>on</strong>ent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> firm’s cost <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> capital. Leuz and Verrecchia (2000) showed that substantially<br />

increased levels <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> disclosure caused several ec<strong>on</strong>omic benefits. Based <strong>on</strong> a sample <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> German<br />

companies, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y found that an internati<strong>on</strong>al reporting strategy (which assumes a commitment towards<br />

an increased level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> disclosure) is associated with lower bid-ask spreads and higher share turnover.<br />

Due <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> nature <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ec<strong>on</strong>omic benefits accompanied with it, firms that have undertaken an IPO will<br />

c<strong>on</strong>tinue to disclose more. Therefore, it could be assumed that IC disclosure commitment starts in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

prospectus and will be reflected in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> subsequent annual report. This results in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> following<br />

hypo<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>sis<br />

H1: A more than average level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> IC disclosure in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> prospectus results in a more than average level<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> IC disclosure in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> subsequent annual report due to disclosure commitment.<br />

Previous research <strong>on</strong> financial reporting (Cooke and Wallace, 1990) revealed that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> envir<strong>on</strong>ment in<br />

which <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> company operates shapes financial reporting practices. According to this legitimacy <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ory,<br />

organizati<strong>on</strong>s c<strong>on</strong>tinually try to operate within <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> boundaries and norms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir societies. From this<br />

perspective, a company would voluntarily report <strong>on</strong> activities if <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> management perceived that this<br />

was expected by society. These expectati<strong>on</strong>s are not fixed but change over time. C<strong>on</strong>sequently, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

company needs to be resp<strong>on</strong>sive to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> envir<strong>on</strong>ment in which it operates (Deegan, 2000). It is<br />

expected that firms are more likely to report <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir IC if <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y find <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>mselves unable to legitimize<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir status <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> basis <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> traditi<strong>on</strong>ally recognized fixed assets as symbols <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> corporate success.<br />

Since <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> recent ec<strong>on</strong>omic disturbance changed <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> envir<strong>on</strong>ment in which companies operate, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

following hypo<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ses can be formulated:<br />

H2a: The ec<strong>on</strong>omic disturbance has a positive influence <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> voluntary reporting <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> IC in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> IPO<br />

prospectus.<br />

H2b: The ec<strong>on</strong>omic disturbance has a positive influence <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> voluntary reporting <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> IC in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> annual<br />

report.<br />

Daily et al. (2003) suggested that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> IPO prospectus is <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten more precise than o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r reporting media<br />

because companies are liable for any misleading or inaccurate informati<strong>on</strong>. It can be observed that<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> prospectus usually c<strong>on</strong>tains more informati<strong>on</strong> about future expectati<strong>on</strong>s regarding market<br />

developments and earnings, strategic directi<strong>on</strong>, management, board compositi<strong>on</strong>, etc., compared to<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> annual report. At <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> time <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> admissi<strong>on</strong> for listing <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> stock exchange <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> company has to<br />

c<strong>on</strong>vince future shareholders to invest capital. Ma<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r et al. (2000) found that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> firms’ management<br />

has an incentive to present <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> company in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> best possible light in order to maximize <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> proceeds<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> share issue. Although this could lead to earnings management, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> IPO prospectus provides<br />

insights into which types <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> informati<strong>on</strong> are selected by a company for representing itself in relati<strong>on</strong> to<br />

502

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