Determinants of strategic performance measurement system disclosures in Australia's top 100 publicly listed firms

A strategic performance measurement system (SPMS) enables firms to translate strategies, objectives and targets into an integrated set of financial and non-financial measures covering a range of perspectives. The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of SPMS disclosures by examining whether significant relationships exist between voluntary SPMS disclosure practice and various corporate characteristics including profitability, age, size and industry. It also aims to explore whether uncertainty in the business environment arising from the onset of the global financial crisis may affect disclosure decisions. Content analysis of publicly available data is conducted focusing on the Top100 publicly listed firms in Australia. Logistic regressions are used to test the hypotheses developed based on the predictions from voluntary disclosure and socio-political theories. The results show that firm age, size and industry prominence are significantly related to SPMS disclosures. However, the suggestion that business uncertainty may affect SPMS disclosures is not supported