Determinants of the voluntary adoption of digital reporting by small private companies to Companies House: Evidence from the UK

Esra'a Alkhatib, Hannu Ojala and Jill Collis

International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 2019, vol. 34, issue C, -

Abstract: This study examines the factors that influence the voluntary adoption of the digital reporting of the statutory accounts and returns to the company registry (Companies House) by small private companies in the UK. We analyse survey data from 343 members of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants working in small companies or in practices with small company clients in the UK. The data is examined using statistical methods, mainly PLS-SEM. Our results show the following factors positively influence the voluntary adoption of digital reporting by small private companies: the relative advantage from standardisation benefits, the company's technology competence and support from top management. We also provide evidence that the complexity of the company's accounting system and technology costs inversely influence this voluntary adoption. The study contributes to the emerging literature by expanding our understanding of how the standardisation of financial information flows benefits small private companies. The results should be of interest to small companies and their accountants, regulators in the UK and other jurisdictions planning digital reporting initiatives or seeking to reduce administrative burdens on smaller entities.

Keywords: Companies House; small private companies; UK; voluntary digital reporting; XBRL/iXBRL (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ijoais:v:34:y:2019:i:c:4

DOI: 10.1016/j.accinf.2019.06.004

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