PurposeThis study aims at examining the level of risk of disclosure practices and the effect of four board of directors' characteristics (board size, board meetings, CEO duality and board expertise) on these practices in the Jordanian context. This study also adds to the body of literature by examining the moderating effect of family ownership on the relationship between the board of directors' characteristics and the corporate risk disclosure.Design/methodology/approachThe sample of this study contains the non-financial Jordanian firms listed on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). 376 annual reports of the sampled firms over four years from 2014 to 2017 were used. The content analysis approach was used to collect data and to determine the level of risk disclosure by computing the number of risk-related sentences in the annual reporting. To test the study's hypothesis, the random effect model was employed.FindingsThe empirical results show that the total of the risk disclosure sentences for each firm ranges from a minimum value of 2 sentences to a maximum value of 61 sentences, and the mean of CRD is 28 sentences. The results also indicate that the board expertise is positively related with the level of risk disclosure. Conversely, CEO duality has a negative impact on the risk disclosure practices. However, the results failed to support that the board size and the board meetings have a significant effect on the level of risk disclosure. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the family ownership moderates the relationship between the board of directors and the corporate risk disclosure.Practical implicationsThe finding of this study is more likely be useful for many concerned parties, researchers, authorities, investors and financial analysts alike in understanding the current practices of the risk disclosure in Jordan, thus helping them in reconsidering and reviewing the accounting standards and improving the credibility and transparency of the financial reports in the Jordanian capital market.Originality/valueThe current study contributes to the literature of risk disclosure because the previous research has paid little attention to this topic in Jordan. To the best knowledge of the researcher, this study is the first Jordanian study that focuses on examining the relationship between the board of directors' characteristics and the corporate risk disclosure in the non-financial sector. Furthermore, it is the first study that examines the moderating role of family ownership on such relationships. Consequently, the results of the current study draw attention to the CRD practices and the monitoring role of board of directors in Jordan.

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The aim of this paper is to review existing literature related to the risk management committee attributes (RMC) that can facilitate transactions between board committees and add value to corporations. The emphasis of this study is on RMC as it has become a crucial element, especially after the collapse of large corporations. RMCs have attracted the attention of academics and become one of the important factors that enhance the companies' performance as well as the quality of financial reporting (FRQ), and its demographic attributes are expected to play an important role in corporations. However, prior studies on the area have found inconclusive results and provide several gaps in the literature due to the mixed findings. In addition, prior studies highlight the RMCs attributes that affect corporate's performance and also the reporting quality and provide an urge to conduct more researches in related fields. Taking the period from 2003 to 2021, this paper reviews previous studies and gives a better understanding of RMC's role and future research directions.In addition, this study provides recommendations to the policymakers, regarding the demographic attributes of RMCs that can influence corporate performance and its FRQ. Finally, this review demonstrates that businesses should concentrate on these mechanisms to strengthen their performance and their reporting quality.

The current study examined the role of foreign directors in enhancing the level of risk disclosure in the annual reports of Jordanian listed companies. The content analysis method was used to measure the level of risk disclosure by computing the number of risk-related sentences in annual reports. To achieve the study’s objective, random effect model have been applied on a sample of 376 firm-year observations of Jordanian non-financial companies for the period of 2014-2017. The findings are in line with the argument of agency theory and resource dependence theory, which posits that existence of foreign members on the board contributes in increasing the level of risk disclosure. The study aimed to fill the gap in the literature of risk disclosure regarding the relationship between foreign directors and risk disclosure. It is expected that the findings will be useful to researchers, authorities and investors alike in understanding the important role of foreign directors in improving practices of risk disclosure in Jordan.

This study seeks to understand how and why women were selected as board members, and reasons for women to accept board appointments. We conduct a questionnaire survey on women who sit on the boards of companies in Malaysia. We provide evidence that education, expertise and leadership qualities are necessary for women to reach the boardrooms. Their willingness to contribute to and share their expertise with a company are the main factors for women to accept the appointment as a director. The women feel that gender is not important in becoming a director compared to one’s capability. A majority of them were recommended by the CEO or other board members to become directors. The outcome of this study complements and strengthens the efforts made by the Malaysian government to achieve the 30 percent target. It is also very beneficial to women who aspire to become corporate directors.

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This paper measures the extent of corporate risk disclosure and the relationship of a set of firms characteristics (firm size, type of sector, leverage, profitability, and liquidity) on the level of risk disclosure in Jordan. The measurement of risk disclosure is based on published data of sampled Jordanian firms listed on Amman Stock Exchange using the content analysis approach. The findings indicate that large firms, industrial firms, and firms with a high level of leverage and profitability disclose more risk information than others do. However, the rate of liquidity showed a negative effect on the level of risk disclosure. The findings of this study also enhance the understanding of the corporate risk disclosure environment in Jordan as an example of the emerging markets in the Middle East. The study contributes to disclosure studies by being the first study to explore the relationship between the risk disclosure level and firm characteristics in Jordan. In addition, this study provides clear insight into the determinants of risk disclosure to the stakeholders of the Jordanian companies.

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