Title: Determinants of internet financial reporting: the case of real estate and development companies in the GCC region

Authors: Lena A. Seissian

Addresses: Manoogian Simone College of Business and Economics, American University of Armenia, Yerevan, 0001, Armenia

Abstract: Shareholders are entitled to information about the company they own. However, today, the dissemination of such information extends beyond shareholders and encompasses a broader range of stakeholders. This disclosure took on a new shape with the introduction of the internet as a low-cost, expansive, and faster means of transmitting financial information. Despite their extensive adoption, public companies, which originated in the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, have been lagging. This research paper aims at identifying determinants of internet financial reporting (IFR) for stocks listed on the GCC secondary markets. It studies the real estate and development sector, composed of 74 listed companies in six countries of GCC by running a multiple regression model. The results revealed that IFR is negatively impacted by profitability and leverage but is positively impacted by size and corporate governance practices, specifically in the real estate and development sector of the GCC countries.

Keywords: IFR; internet financial reporting; disclosure; content; presentation; profitability; corporate governance; size.

DOI: 10.1504/AJFA.2024.139141

American Journal of Finance and Accounting, 2024 Vol.8 No.1, pp.28 - 56

Received: 15 Aug 2023
Accepted: 14 Apr 2024
Published online: 14 Jun 2024 *

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