This paper is the first multi-country investigation of comprehensive corporate risk disclosure. Based on a detailed content analysis of 160 annual reports, we analyze the attributes and the quantity of risk disclosure and its association with the level of firm risk in the U.S., Canadian, U.K., and German settings. We find a consistent pattern where risk disclosure is most prevalent in management reports, concentrates on financial risk categories, and comprises little quantitative and forward-looking disclosure across sample countries. In terms of risk disclosure quantity, U.S. firms generally dominate, followed by German firms. Cross-country variation in risk disclosure attributes can only partly be linked to domestic disclosure regulation, suggesting that risk disclosure incentives play an important role. While risk disclosure quantity appears to be positively associated with proxies of firm risk in the North American settings, we find a negative association with leverage for Germany. This coincides with a “concealing motive” implied by an insider role of banks in the German financial setting.

No abstract

Environmental performance, environmental risk and risk management are of contemporary interest, but to date there is limited evidence on their relationships. This paper is the first to provide detailed insights by adopting a content analysis approach and disaggregating firm-level environmental risk into types related to regulations, operations and nature. For a sample of US firms in polluting sectors, descriptive findings show that the level of risk and the likelihood of active risk management differ in the type considered. Environmental performance, risk and the likelihood of risk management all differ across firms and industries. Multiple regressions reveal a negative association between environmental performance and environmental risk, the extent of which depends on the type of risk. Results hold when controlling for active risk management, which is not found to contribute significantly to environmental performance. Our findings have implications for public policy and suggest that linkages to environmental risk and risk management are worth exploring in more differential ways and beyond industry-level assessments in environmental studies.

Purpose – This paper aims to propose and apply a novel risk-based approach to explore whether socio-political theories explain the level of corporate environmental disclosures given inconclusive evidence on the relation between environmental disclosure and environmental performance. Design/methodology/approach – Based on content analysis of corporate risk reporting, the paper develops measures of environmental risk to proxy for a firm’s exposure to public pressure in regard to environmental concerns that should be positively associated with the level of corporate environmental disclosures according to socio-political theories. Multiple regressions are used to test the predictions of socio-political theories for US Standards and Poor’s 500 constituents from polluting sectors. Findings – The level of environmental disclosures is found to be positively associated with a firm’s environmental risk while unrelated to its environmental performance. The findings suggest that firms tend to provide higher levels of environmental disclosures in response to greater exposure to public pressure as depicted by broad environmental indicators. The results are robust to alternative measures of environmental disclosures, environmental risk and environmental performance, alternative specifications of the economic model and additional sensitivity checks. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to US firms in polluting sectors. The risk-based approach proposed may not be appropriate to cover sectors where corporate risk reporting is less likely to address environmental risk, but it could potentially be adopted in other countries with advanced risk reporting regulation or practice. Practical implications – Findings are important to understand a firm’s incentives to disclose environmental information. Cross-sectional differences found in environmental disclosures, risk and performance, highlight the importance of considering industry affiliation when analyzing environmental data. Originality/value – This paper is the first to use firm-level environmental risk variables to explain the level of corporate environmental disclosures. The risk-based approach taken suggests opportunities for research at the multi-country level and in countries where corporate environmental performance data are not publicly available.

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide evidence on the extent and the consequences of the provision of non-audit services (NAS) by statutory auditors to German family firms. Design/methodology/approach – The study analyzes hand collected fee data of 368 listed and private family firms in Germany. It employs univariate tests, ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares regressions to investigate potential threats to perceived auditor independence and knowledge spillovers between jointly provided NAS and audit services. Findings – Incumbent auditors are shown to be a significant source of various types of NAS to family firms. There is weak evidence on threats to perceived auditor independence and support for reciprocal knowledge spillovers between the services. While listed and private family firms do not differ in regard to the proportion of NAS fees, comparative findings suggest that key threats and benefits of jointly provided services are more prevalent among private than among listed family firms. Research limitations/implications – The study suffers from limited data availability and is restricted to the initial year of mandatory audit fee disclosure of private firms in Germany. Particularities of family firms and the German setting, as well as differential results for listed and private family firms, suggest fruitful avenues for future research. Practical implications – The study addresses the current issues in audit regulation. Regulatory bodies should consider that key threats and benefits of auditor-provided NAS decrease with stronger exogenous restrictions. Attempts to restrict jointly provided services in the EU suggest family firms to reconsider their reliance on auditors as a trusted source of NAS. Originality/value – This study is the first to provide evidence on the extent and consequences of auditor-provided NAS in family firms based on fee disclosure. It is also among the few studies that investigate private firms in a code law country and complements prior evidence from Germany that is restricted to listed firms. More generally, it contributes to limited evidence at the intersection of audit and family business research.