Corporate Governance Mechanisms and Voluntary Disclosure in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of internal and external corporate governance mechanisms on voluntary disclosure in Saudi Arabia. The sample consists of 87 companies from the Saudi Stock Market. The data are collected from the annual reports for the available financial years 2006 and 2007. It is found that corporate governance mechanisms play a vital role in providing quality reporting. Most corporate governance mechanisms, especially non-executive directors, board size, CEO duality, audit quality, and government ownership, have a significant contribution in providing quality voluntary disclosure. The findings of this study provide evidence on the effectiveness of corporate governance as a mechanism of monitoring power to provide users with adequate and sufficient information. The findings of this study have important implications for authority regulators, policy makers, shareholders and other users of reports who have an interest in best practices of corporate governance.

Keywords: Corporate Governance, Voluntary Disclosure, Saudi Arabia