Factors explaining the level of voluntary human capital disclosure in the Brazilian capital market

The research aims to identify indicators of representative information on sustainability from the cooperative organizations’ primary stakeholders’ perspective to mitigate information asymmetry. The study develops in seven stages: the primary stakeholders’ selection and training; the evidence survey; the triangulation between stakeholder responses, forming an indicators list; the indicators analysis by specialists; tests for indicators disclosure; and the indicators validation through the disclosure analysis. As a result, a list contains 61 sustainability indicators from the primary stakeholders’ perspective, in four pillars: economic, 20; social, 18; environmental, 13; and cultural, 10. With the cooperative organizations’ websites disclosure analysis, we found that the disclosure policies focus more on information asymmetry mitigating in the pillars: cultural and social, with the environmental and economic being neglected. Therefore, the procedures for disclosing information on sustainability have weaknesses. These policies reduce the primary stakeholders’ reliability about the cooperatives management system respective, limiting the primary stakeholders’ perspective on the cooperative organization value.

A redução da assimetria de informação contribui para uma melhor distribuição econômica e oportunidades de investimentos. Partindo desse pressuposto, este artigo identifica fatores que influenciam a extensão da evidenciação de informação voluntária, sobre os recursos intangíveis, de empresas listadas na Bolsa Espanhola. Para a análise, utiliza-se a técnica de mínimos quadrados ordinários. Os resultados apontam que fatores como: o tamanho, o setor, o endividamento, o grau de internacionalização, os anos de existência e a diferença entre o preço da ação sobre o valor contábil da empresa explicam a maior extensão da evidenciação de informação de recursos intangíveis. Já, fatores tais como a rentabilidade, o grau de monopólio e o capital flutuante da empresa, explicam a menor extensão da evidenciação dessas informações.

Purpose: This paper aims to explain the extent of social responsibility disclosure by Brazilian philanthropic higher education institutions (PHEIs). This paper assumes that there is information asymmetry between these organizations and their stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach: The presence of indicators on the organizations’ webpage generated a disclosure index for each PHEI of the sample. Afterwards, this paper performed regression tests, which identified the determinants of PHEIs social responsibility disclosure extent.Findings: The results support the legitimacy theory as a theoretical basis for social responsibility disclosure extent. The evidenced indicators and the non-rejected hypotheses, related to complexity, diversification, regional factor, specific event and quality, confirm the concern with transparency and accountability of commitments assumed by the social contract.Research limitations/implications: This research is limited to social responsibility disclosure related to the legitimacy theory and the interests of some stakeholders and to Brazilian PHEIs and their webpages. These limitations mean opportunities for future research studies addressing different information disclosure, foundations of other theories, interests of each specific stakeholder or other stakeholders in other communication channels and other countries, which enable comparisons of results.Practical implications: The disclosure of extent determinants serve as the basis for the establishment of disclosure and accountability policies for PHEIs.Originality/value: The originality of this research consists of analyzing the determinants of disclosure from the information of the stakeholders’ interest. They are able to legitimize organizations, allowing them to remain in the community where they operate.

ResumenEl estudio analiza las características que motivan la revelación voluntaria sobre intangibles representativos de capital estructural organizativo de las organizaciones bancarias inscritas en las bolsas de valores: de Brasil y España. La contabilidad tradicional no se acerca al valor real de las organizaciones, obtenido por su capital intangible. Para mitigar la marcada diferencia entre el valor contable y el precio de mercado de estas organizaciones, ha surgido la tendencia a revelar informaciones voluntarias sobre sus recursos intangibles. La asimetría de la información, resultante de la no contabilización de los recursos estructurales organizativos, es estudiada por 2 perspectivas teóricas. La teoría de la agencia sugiere que la revelación voluntaria de informaciones reduce los costes de agencia. La teoría del coste del propietario presupone que revelar informaciones genera costes adicionales, así como la posibilidad de pérdida de sus ventajas competitivas. Esta investigación examina 174 informes anuales de 29 bancos, del 2006 al 2011. Se utilizó la técnica de regresión lineal múltiple, a través del método de mínimos cuadrados con datos de panel. Los resultados confirman las hipótesis de que los bancos de mayor tamaño, los más rentables y los más antiguos, están más motivados a revelar voluntariamente informaciones representativas de capital estructural organizativo.AbstractThe study analyzes the characteristics that motivate the voluntary disclosure on intangible representing organizational structural capital of the banking organizations registered on stock exchanges: Brazil and Spain. Traditional accounting is not approaching the real value of the organizations, obtained by its intangible capital. To mitigate the marked difference between the book value and the market price of these organizations, the trend to voluntary disclosures on their intangible resources has emerged. The asymmetry of information, resulting from not accounting for the organizational structural resources is studied by 2 theoretical perspectives. Agency theory suggests that the voluntary disclosure of information reduces agency costs. The theory of the cost of the owner assumes that reveal information generates additional costs, as well as the possibility of loss of its competitive advantages. This research examines 174 annual reports of 29 banks, from 2006 to 2011. The technique of multiple linear regressions using the method of least squares with panel data was used. The test results confirm the hypothesis that large banks, the most profitable and the oldest are more motivated to voluntarily disclose information representing organizational structural capital