Corporate disclosure quality : a comparative study of Botswana and South Africa

Abstract

Corporate reporting has changed from the traditional form of reporting which covered financial information only to the modern form of reporting called integrated reporting which covers, financial, corporate governance and sustainability information. The levels of corporate disclosure among corporate entities within any country and between countries are thus likely to have been affected by this change. Motivated by the IMF/World Bank (2006) that observed that corporate reporting improved in Botswana during the previous five years, without indicating what the actual level was or how it compares with that of other countries; this study sought to determine the actual level of corporate disclosure of two samples of companies: 23 companies listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) and the top 40 companies (by market capitalisation) that are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The study also shows how the two levels of corporate disclosure compare. This study is qualitative and descriptive by design; and involves analysing the content of the corporate annual report of each company in a sample using a corporate disclosure checklist; and determining the level of corporate disclosure for each sample of companies. The process ends with a comparative analysis of the levels of corporate disclosure of the companies from the two samples. Consistent with the IMF/World Bank report, the study revealed that the level of corporate disclosure in the BSE sample was low but increasing. However, the increase in the level of corporate disclosure varied from sector to sector and the specific information items. The study also showed that integrated reporting was not practised at all by the companies in the BSE sample. Comparatively, companies in the JSE sample had a higher level of corporate disclosure than that of companies in the BSE sample; and the rate of increase was much higher than that in the BSE sample. The study further found integrated reporting practiced in the entire JSE sample, although at different levels. xi This study also noted that although in principle it is sensible to benchmark from the best, other fundamental factors need to be considered before carrying out the exercise. Furthermore, the study indicated that the prevalent low level of corporate disclosure in the BSE sample was evidence that the corporate reporting environment in which the BSE lies was not conducive for the theories of corporate disclosure to fully explain corporate disclosure. A number of recommendations were made including establishing corporate disclosure indices and creation of a corporate environment in which all the theories discussed in the study can explain corporate disclosure. This study contributes to the literature on cross-country corporate disclosure and cautions companies with low levels of corporate disclosure not to embark on benchmarking without creating an environment conducive for corporate reporting. The study also offers useful insights to policymakers in Botswana and South Africa; and stimulates further research on cross-country corporate disclosure. The academia too will be able to identify areas for further research from this study.