Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Development
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
21300 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, MALAYSIA.
Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of Accountancy
Universiti Utara Malaysia
06010 UUM Sintok, Kedah, MALAYSIA.
Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business
Universiti Utara Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur Campus
50300 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA.
Abstract
The disclosure of information in an annual report can be divided into statutory and regulatory requirements. Compared to mandatory disclosure, voluntary disclosure is a signal by companies that they have aligned their business objectives with existing business environments. However, there is still a lack of evidence on how disclosures via internet reporting could attract existing shareholders and potential investors. Therefore, this study has explored the selections, approaches, and current movement of the existing literature in examining factors of voluntary disclosures via internet reporting. The data analysed in this study have been collected through a review of Scopus (Elsevier) and the Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics), which resulted in a final sample of 36 articles published between 2010 and 2021. Articles on voluntary disclosures via internet reporting were sampled by screening for related titles, abstracts, and keywords. This study has applied the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method. The analysis results revealed insights into how internet reporting has been studied. The most common theory that previous studies were grounded in was the agency theory. Stakeholder pressure, business environment, corporate governance and risk, and internal control were the most reported drivers of voluntary disclosure via internet reporting. Consequently, this study recommends that listed companies should voluntarily disclose pertinent information through internet reporting, as a medium of communication in this digital era.