Determinant of the Extent of Information Technology Utilization in the Listed Companies Listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange

Abstract

Objective: The present study investigated the factors determining the use of information technology in companies listed on the Iraqi Stock Exchange. For this purpose, the effect of the company's financial characteristics, ownership structure, and corporate governance on the use of information technology in Iraqi companies was analyzed.

Methodology: The present study is in the descriptive-correlational research group in terms of its applied purpose and in terms of its data collection method. Also, in this study, the systematic elimination (screening) method was used, which, according to the conditions considered, finally analyzed the data of 33 companies in a 5-year period between 2018 and 2022 (a total of 165 companies). To examine the hypotheses, the multivariate regression method was used using Eviews8 software and using the panel data method - random and combined effects.

Findings: The results obtained in this study show that, in total, corporate factors (financial leverage), corporate governance factors (existence of an audit committee and gender composition of the board of directors), and ownership structure factors (institutional ownership, ownership concentration, beneficial ownership) have a significant effect on the level of use of information technology in companies. That is, financial and accounting information systems, through the preparation of financial and accounting data, enable financial managers to make assessments related to a company's past business performance and also to plan future plans. These assessments and plans can then be used to guide the company's financial decisions moving forward.

Conclusion: The results obtained in this study, on the one hand, point to the important role of information technology use on financial and accounting indicators, and on the other hand, emphasize the role of corporate factors, ownership structure, and corporate governance in the development and use of information technology. Users of the results of this study, including capital market policymakers as well as managers of listed companies, can benefit from the results of this study in order to improve the quantity and quality of financial and accounting indicators.