Human Capital Reporting and Its Determinants by Polish and German Publicly Listed Companies

Abstract

Objective: The importance of human capital in the contemporary business environment is rising. Therefore, the aim of the study is to determine what the quality, extent and determinants of human capital disclosure in Polish and German companies are.

Research Design & Methods: The research was conducted with the use of human capital disclosure index which was built with three main categories: employee information, internal communication and employee development policy. The sample consisted of WIG-30 and DAX entities.

Findings: The Polish firms reported worse than the German ones in terms of all studied items. The worst reporting was found in the case of participation initiatives, the best in the case of employment structure.

Implications & Recommendations: As human capital disclosure index was insufficient in the case of both Polish and German entities, enterprises shall report more on human capital.

Contribution & Value Added: The study compares human capital disclosure practices in the two countries with a different level of economic development.

Keywords

human capital, intellectual capital, disclosure index, publicly listed companies, stock exchange, annual report

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