Purpose-The ESG factor, which consists of environmental, social, and governance factors, represents the non-financial performance of a company. United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI) invites investors to consider ESG issues when evaluating the performance of any company. Moreover, nowadays the contribution of corporations towards sustainable development is a major concern of investors, creditors, government, and other environmental agencies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of ESG factors on the performance of Malaysian public limited companies in terms of profitability, firm value, and cost of capital. Design/methodology/approach-A total of 54 companies are selected from Bloomberg's ESG database that has complete ESG and financial data from 2010 to 2013. This study conducted panel data regressions such as the pooled OLS, fixed effect, and random effect. Findings-Based on the regression results, there is no significant relationship between individual and combined factors of ESG and firm profitability (i.e., ROE) as well as firm value (i.e., Tobin's Q). Moreover, individually, none of the factors of ESG is significant with the cost of capital (WACC), but the combined score of ESG positively and significantly influences the cost of capital (WACC) of a company. Practical implications-As this is a new study on Malaysia, the findings of this study will be useful to investors, SRI analysts, policy makers, and other related agencies. Originality/value-To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is among the first empirical study to examine the impact of ESG factors on the performance of Malaysian public limited companies in terms of profitability, firm value, and cost of capital.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of the extent of disclosure by non-profit organizations (NPOs) in Malaysia due to the growing interest in the disclosure practice studies of NPOs and given the importance of disclosure to ensure accountability and transparency. Design/methodology/approach – This study involves three phases. First, the paper identifies information items NPOs need to disclose. Second, the paper conducts an online survey to determine the ratings of importance for the disclosure items. Third, the paper measures the extent of disclosure from the annual returns of 101 Malaysian NPOs for the year 2009. The paper uses hierarchical regression analysis to determine the significant determinants of information disclosure. Findings – The key determinants are establishment of an external audit, financial performance and government support in terms of grants. The results show that the presence of external auditors promotes better reporting practice. Malaysian NPOs that receive funding and those with better financial standing disclose more information. Research limitations/implications – The sample only covers NPOs with tax-exempt status in the state of Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan in Malaysia. The sample size of 101 registered NPOs limits the generalization of the results. Inclusion and analyses of additional NPOs may offer generalizable results. Practical implications – This study provides empirical evidence concerning the establishment of external audit for better information disclosure. It also provides 88 items that are important and required by stakeholders. Originality/value – The study is based on 88 items of information according to the needs of stakeholders for information. The NPOs reporting index can assist the preparers of charity reporting in fulfilling the stakeholders’ requirements. The reporting index can also be used to assess the information disclosure of NPOs in Malaysia.

Purpose - The ESG factor, which consists of environmental, social, and governance factors, represents the non-financial performance of a company. United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI) invites investors to consider ESG issues when evaluating the performance of any company. Moreover, nowadays the contribution of corporations towards sustainable development is a major concern of investors, creditors, government, and other environmental agencies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of ESG factors on the performance of Malaysian public limited companies in terms of profitability, firm value, and cost of capital.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 54 companies are selected from Bloomberg’s ESG database that has complete ESG and financial data from 2010 to 2013. This study conducted panel data regressions such as the pooled OLS, fixed effect, and random effect.Findings - Based on the regression results, there is no significant relationship between individual and combined factors of ESG and firm profitability (i.e., ROE) as well as firm value (i.e., Tobin’s Q). Moreover, individually, none of the factors of ESG is significant with the cost of capital (WACC), but the combined score of ESG positively and significantly influences the cost of capital (WACC) of a company.Practical implications - As this is a new study on Malaysia, the findings of this study will be useful to investors, SRI analysts, policy makers, and other related agencies.Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first empirical study to examine the impact of ESG factors on the performance of Malaysian public limited companies in terms of profitability, firm value, and cost of capital.

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The federal government decision to implement accrual-based accounting in Malaysia under the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) led to major changes in public finance management. To ensure the reforms achieve the target, the behaviour and mindset of employees must be ready. Therefore, this preliminary study will determine which attributes measure the readiness for change among public sector accounting personnel in Malaysia. This study also investigates any significant difference between demographic factors (position and length of service) and readiness for change. A survey was conducted of 119 public sector accounting personnel consisting of accountants, assistant accountant 1 and assistant accountant 2 in respect of their readiness to adopt accrual accounting in various ministries in Malaysia. The objectives of the study have been tested using descriptive analysis and ANOVA. The general findings show that the respondents have positive behaviour concerning readiness for change to accrual-based accounting. However, the results show that they are slightly disagree to take responsibility if the accounting change fails in their area. This study proves that the demographic factors of position and length of service are not related to readiness for change. These results are important for the government in order to strategize the effective guidelines for change interventions to ensure the successful implementation of accrual accounting in Malaysia.