Predicting the Virtual Financial Communication Content: A Discriminant Analysis Applied on Small and Medium Stocks

Abstract

In competitive environment, information is an important aspect of organization management. In fact, information supports decision making process, improves operational activities, and enhances organizational effectiveness and governance. Therefore, information should be communicated effectively to specific stakeholders throughout an extremely well-integrated system. Financial information system is an important component of the information system. It aims to provide reliable financial information regarding firms listed in stock market. In this case, financial information is viewed as a main ingredient of virtual financial communication. This research aims to provide more insights about financial information provided by financial information system. Indeed, the study tries to explain to what extend financial information could predict the virtual financial communication content. The sample contains 64 organizations listed on the Casablanca stock exchange. A content analysis of websites and financial statements analysis are used for each company. Based on virtual financial communication content, two groups are constructed. We use three financial indicators for measuring the performance of these two groups. The discriminant analysis shows to what extend specific financial indicators could predict the virtual financial communication content. As results, these indicators show different levels of ability to predict virtual financial communication content. Our findings, when confronted to the literature, explicit convergences about the predictability of on-line corporate disclosure.