Mapping the landscape of corporate disclosure: comprehensive thematic review and future research agenda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64171/JSRD.4.S1.169-175Keywords:
Corporate disclosure, Review, Determinants, Disclosure practicesAbstract
Corporate disclosure is at the crossroads of transparency, trust and value for stakeholders, and it is playing a transformative role in shaping accountability and governance across world markets. This thematic review brings together results of 79 peer-reviewed studies from countries with developed, developing and least developed economies to systematically examine the landscape of corporate disclosure. Employing a narrative synthesis approach, the review expands the extant literature and organizes it into five key themes: these are aggregate disclosure practices, the outcome of mandatory disclosure regulations, voluntary disclosure practices, determinants of disclosure, and the impact of disclosure on firm level outcomes such as financial performance, firm value, and market position. Firm size and profitability are major determinants of disclosure, with ownership structure, leverage and characteristics of the board having more context dependent effects. Future research must address digital disclosure gap, stakeholder perception and cross-cultural comparative research. Future researches must be on mixed-methods studies, and longitudinal studies and new issues such as digital transparency and AI based reporting. The current study will have implications in terms of practical disclosure strategies to be effective and contextual.
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