The determinants of internet financial reporting: a study of 80 companies listed on the JSE

A research report submitted by in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce University of the Witwatersrand September 2017The World Wide Web has developed rapidly over the past few years. It has provided a user-friendly platform for companies to disclose their financial information. However, as this disclosure is largely voluntary, the question arises as to what drives companies to disclose their information on their websites voluntarily. Prior research in developed countries tests the influence of certain company characteristics on internet financial reporting. This research report tries to shed light on the determinants of internet financial reporting in the South African context. 80 companies which are listed on the JSE were selected, and the characteristics of each company’s website was thoroughly inspected against an internet financial reporting checklist. Based on the results of the checklist, each company`s website was given a score. This internet financial reporting score was considered as the dependent variable. Six company characteristics were used as independent variables to explain the internet financial reporting score. These were: company size, profitability, block ownership, systematic risk, dual-listing and SRI rating. It was found that company size, dual-listing and SRI rating has a correlation with a company’s likelihood of reporting their financial results online. On the other hand, no correlation was found between profitability, block ownership or systematic risk and a company’s internet financial reporting score. This research was limited to 80 companies listed on the JSE, and was based as a point in time study. Future research can be extended to a larger sample over various stock exchanges, and also over a period of time to consider the trends in disclosure. This study contributes to international literature on the topic and also initiates this field of research in South Africa. This research is intended to assist companies in their voluntary disclosure practices and at the same time assists regulators in considering the need for regulating internet reporting practices.MT 201