Browsing by Author "Nel, George F."
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- ItemAn exploratory study of the effect of country-by-country reporting ambiguities on Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed companies(AOSIS Publishing, 2018) Thiart, Cara; Nel, George F.Background: South Africa issued regulations implementing country-by-country (CbC) reporting standards for multinational enterprises (MNEs) on 23 December 2016. Country-by-country reporting will be applicable to all MNEs with a group revenue in excess of R10 billion. Aim: The aim of the study was twofold: to identify ambiguities that might influence the filing obligation and subsequent scope of CbC reporting in South Africa and to quantitatively measure the potential impact of any identified ambiguities. Setting: This study used data from Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed companies. Methods: The study commences with a review of the relevant regulations and other applicable literature and continues with a quantitative analysis exploring alternative interpretations deduced from this review. Results: The review identified conflicting interpretations of how companies can be categorised as an MNE Group or not, as well as in measuring the revenue threshold. An analysis of the group structures and annual reports of a selected sample of 78 companies showed that the scope of CbC reporting will depend on the definitions applied to an MNE Group and revenue. Conclusion: Further guidance is needed to determine whether non-controlling entities must be considered as Constituent Entities, as well as how to measure revenue (i.e. whether only the International Financial Reporting Standards [IFRS] 15 revenue line item should be used or whether other income should also be included).
- ItemThe link between internet investor relations and information asymmetry(AOSIS, 2018) Nel, George F.; Smit, E. van der M.; Brummer, Leon M.Background: Information asymmetry manifests when one party has more or better information than the other. Information asymmetry is said not only to increase transaction costs and decrease liquidity, but also to diminish the quality of the investment decisions taken by investors, thus weakening the overall functioning of markets. Aim and setting: A well-developed Internet investor relations (IIR) strategy, coupled with increased disclosure levels, should theoretically decrease information asymmetry levels. The majority of related studies to date used either an indirect disclosure proxy or involved an examination of the annual report, and have used data from United States or European companies. Empirical studies to date have produced mixed results. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether a relationship exists between the quality of IIR (via corporate websites) and information asymmetry. Method: This study used data from Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)-listed companies. Multiple regression analysis was applied with information asymmetry as dependent variable and IIR as one of a set of selected explanatory variables. A self-constructed measurement instrument was used to measure IIR for a sample of 85 companies. Given the inherent difficulty with direct observation of information asymmetry, three different proxies were used to estimate information asymmetry. Results: A significant negative association was found between IIR and information asymmetry for all three information asymmetry proxies that were used: bid-ask spread, price impact, and analyst following. Conclusion: Empirical support is provided for the notion that companies may potentially benefit from a well-developed IIR strategy through reduced information asymmetry.