Exploring the use of online corporate reporting information

This paper explores the use and users of corporate reporting information published online by large companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Although prior research details the increasing supply of online corporate reporting disclosures, there is a lack of empirical research investigating the use and users of this information. Therefore, this study observes approximately 4.7 million online requests to explore who uses online corporate reporting and what information is used by different types of users. In doing so, it attempts to provide a context in which to inform the tailoring of the content, format and granularity of information to meet different user needs within the next generation of corporate reporting websites that can more readily incorporate user interactivity and information customization (as envisaged by the Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC] and the Interactive Data Electronic Applications [IDEA] project).