The impact of intellectual capital disclosure on firm performance: Empirical evidence from pharmaceutical and chemical industry of Bangladesh

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) on firm performance in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry of Bangladesh. In this study, 21 listed pharmaceutical and chemical companies have been selected as sample for 2016 and 2017. This study used the intellectual capital disclosure index developed by Rahman, Sobhan, and Islam. Return on assets and return on equity have been used as the proxy variable of firm performance. In this study, content analysis is performed to assess the level of disclosure regarding intellectual capital and pooled cross-sectional analysis is used to assess the relationship between ICD and firm performance. The study has found a positive and significant relationship between ICD and firm performance. Besides, an in-depth analysis of this study shows that all the components of ICD namely internal capital disclosure, external capital disclosure, and human capital disclosure are also positively and significantly associated with firm performance. The study suggests the development of an intellectual capital disclosure framework by the regulatory authority for mandatory compliance. This will improve the quality and quantity of ICD in the annual reports. Besides, firms should more emphasize on ICD which will help to improve their performance.