Content analysis within intangible assets disclosure: a structured literature review

Abstract

Purpose In this paper, the authors analyze the use of content analysis in disclosing voluntarily information on intangible assets, the intangible assets disclosures (IAD). The purpose of this paper is to conduct a structured literature review (SLR) that assesses the possibilities and limitations of content analysis. Design/methodology/approach To that end, the authors analyze the existing literature on the topic in the main international databases. In all, 74 empirical articles utilizing content analysis as a research methodology for IAD were reviewed. Regarding the selection of sources, the authors should indicate that the SLR performed includes academic studies published in journals or presented at conferences and that are always subject to a double process of anonymous review. Findings The obtained results indicate that despite the frequent use of content analysis in studies on IAD, its use does not meet all expectations. Research limitations/implications The study synthesizes the research on content analysis for the case of information on intangible assets, offering an updated and global framework for future researchers through the SLR. Practical implications Among other problems, the authors found its excessive emphasis on the amount disclosed in the annual report, ignoring other reports in which more information regarding intangible assets is available, such as in the case of the sustainability reports. Furthermore, the use of very different coding systems and its exclusive use without being combined with other methodologies are detected. These aspects affect the quality problems of the sources used, which directly results in the utility of the evidenced findings. Social implications These conclusions allow the authors to conclude on the need to open different lines of study that review the use of content analysis in this topic. Originality/value The work focuses on the quality of disclosures more so than on the quantity, offering a critical view that summarizes the utility of the employment of content analysis for this type of disclosure and its implications for future research on this topic. Despite previous studies, the authors highlight the new insights revealed from IAD research, especially since the seminal paper of Dumay and Cai (2014).

The Impact of COVID-19 on Financial Statements Results and Disclosure: First Insights from Italian Listed Companies

“…There are numerous alternative possibilities for applying this method (Unerman, 2000), and in this document, an analysis of the manual content was performed in order to examine the information contained within the accounting reports. One of the most recurrent features of content analysis is its consideration as a research technique for analyzing communications, describing their content, and making deductions regarding their effects [16]. The accounting information analysed for the research was collected using a two-step process.…”

“…"To be useful, financial information must not only represent relevant phenomena, but it must also faithfully represent the phenomena that it purports to represent" 16 . Exactly for this reason, the intent of this study was to analyse the faithful representation of financial statement information in order to verify whether what is provided in the descriptive documents coincides with the results of the 58 The Impact of COVID-19 on Financial Statements Results and Disclosure: First Insights from Italian Listed Companies analyzed period.…”

Review of Methods and Tools for Intellectual Property Analysis of Public Sector Entities

“…Public sector entities submit these indicators in annual reports, separate intellectual capital reports, accounting (financial) reports, scientific reports, sustainable development reports and in other forms. F. Castilla-Polo and C. Ruiz-Rodriguez established that the majority of authors in 77% of cases use the annual report as the main source of information in the disclosure analysis [9]. However B. Cuozzo, J. Dumay, M. Palmaccio and R. Lombardi offer to differentiate the notion of "disclosure" and "reports" and for research purposes consider "disclosure" in the widest sense, not to be limited to statutory reports or even to voluntary reports including, for example, the integrated reporting concept.…”

“…F. Castilla-Polo and C. Ruiz-Rodriguez point out that often content analysis results form the information base for application of statistical methods in assessment of the assets and business value, efficiency and effectiveness analysis etc. [9].…”

“…Thus, F. Castilla-Polo and D. Gallardo-Vázquez, who performed a critical review of publications on the disclosure of intangible assets information, pointed out that the majority of research papers evaluated large public companies, while the number of small business and public sector entities analysed was insufficient [8]. F. Castilla-Polo and C. Ruiz-Rodriguez, who published 74 academic papers ap-plying content analysis methodology to study disclosure established that in 61% of research papers public companies' data was used [9]. In the paper by B. Cuozzo, J. Dumay, M. Palmaccio and R. Lombardi -which analysed 246 scientific papers on intellectual capital disclosurejust 5% of papers were related to the study of the public sector [10].…”