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Does voluntary greenhouse gas emissions disclosure reduce information asymmetry? Australian evidence

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  • Zahra Borghei
  • Philomena Leung
  • James Guthrie

Abstract

Based on agency theory, this study investigates the consequences of carbon disclosure by non-greenhouse gas registered Australian companies on information asymmetry measures over a period after the introduction of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 and before the introduction of the Australian carbon tax. The level of carbon disclosure is scored through the content analysis of the annual reports. The findings support that carbon disclosure is negatively related to information asymmetry measures: the bid-ask spread and stock return volatility, in the year following disclosure. Overall, the research results are consistent with predictions of the agency theory and indicate that companies bear the extra voluntary reporting costs to achieve the perceived benefits of disclosure. The findings should be useful for corporate and stakeholders who are concerned about the value relevance of carbon disclosure in financial markets. For accounting standard setters, it highlights the urgency of carbon reporting guidelines.

Suggested Citation

  • Zahra Borghei & Philomena Leung & James Guthrie, 2018. "Does voluntary greenhouse gas emissions disclosure reduce information asymmetry? Australian evidence," Afro-Asian Journal of Finance and Accounting, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 8(2), pages 123-147.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:afasfa:v:8:y:2018:i:2:p:123-147
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lars Moratis, 2018. "Signalling Responsibility? Applying Signalling Theory to the ISO 26000 Standard for Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Parvez Mia & Tarek Rana & Lutfa Tilat Ferdous, 2021. "Government Reform, Regulatory Change and Carbon Disclosure: Evidence from Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-17, November.
    3. Geoffrey Frost & Stewart Jones & Muchen Yu, 2023. "Voluntary Carbon Reporting Prediction: A Machine Learning Approach," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 59(4), pages 1116-1166, December.
    4. Maslinawati Mohamad & Noor Raida Abd Rahman & Hairul Suhaimi Nahar & Coky Fauzi Alfi, 2023. "What Can We Glean from the Past Seven Decades of Voluntary Carbon Emissions Disclosure Research?," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(5), pages 83-97, September.
    5. Muhammad Bayu Triansyah & Mohamad Adam & Tertiarto Wahyudi, 2020. "Carbon Emission Disclosure in Indonesia's Manufacturing Companies," Oblik i finansi, Institute of Accounting and Finance, issue 3, pages 148-154, September.
    6. Guangyang Wang & Junwei Bai & Jian Xing & Jianfei Shen & Erli Dan & Xinyuan Zheng & Ludan Zhang & Peng Liu & Renchi Feng, 2023. "Operational Efficiency and Debt Cost: The Mediating Effect of Carbon Information Disclosure in Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-18, January.

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