- Title
- COVID-19-related accounting disclosures in the financial statements: evidence from an emerging economy
- Creator
- Karim, Md Rezaul; Reza, Mohammed Moin Uddin; Shetu, Samia Afrin
- Relation
- Accounting Research Journal Vol. 37, Issue 1, p. 98-114
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ARJ-09-2023-0251
- Publisher
- Emerald
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2024
- Description
- Purpose: This study aims to explore COVID-19-related accounting disclosures using sociological disclosure analysis (SDA) within the context of the developing economy of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: COVID-19-related accounting disclosures from listed banks’ annual reports have been examined using three levels of SDA: textual, contextual and sociological interpretations. Data were gathered from the banks’ 2019 and 2020 annual reports. The study uses the legitimacy theory as its theoretical framework. Findings: The research reveals a substantial shift in corporate disclosures due to COVID-19, marked by a significant increase from 2019 to 2020. Despite regulatory and professional directives for COVID-19-specific disclosures, notable non-compliance is evident in subsequent events, going concern, fair value, financial instruments and more. Instead of assessing the implications of COVID-19 and making disclosures, companies used positive, vague and subjective wording to legitimize non-disclosure. Practical implications: The study’s insights can inform regulators and policymakers in crafting effective guidelines for future crisis-related reporting like COVID-19. The research adds to the literature by methodologically using SDA to explore pandemic-specific disclosures, uncovering the interplay between disclosures, legitimacy and stakeholder engagement. Originality/value: This study represents a pioneering effort in investigating COVID-19-specific disclosures. Moreover, it uses the SDA methodology along with the legitimacy theory to analyze accounting disclosures associated with COVID-19.
- Subject
- COVID-19; accounting disclosures; compliance; sociological disclosure analysis; legitimacy theory; developing economy
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1499683
- Identifier
- uon:54763
- Identifier
- ISSN:1030-9616
- Language
- eng
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