A Delphi Investigation to Explain the Voluntary Adoption of XBRL 1

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to identify the fact ors that could have led North-American companies to voluntarily submit their information i n XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) under the XBRL Voluntary Financial Reporting Program (2005-2008). The motivation that led us to carry out this analysis was the fact that, despite the many benefits attributed to XBRL , only 137 companies (out of over 10.000 filers) deci ded to join the voluntary program issued by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). At this point, we wondered if the SEC should have promoted other benefits to encourage companies to use XBRL. To reach our goal, we conducted a Delphi study. Through this study, we asked a panel of XBRL experts their opinion about the reasons that could have led companies to voluntaril y disclose their business information in XBRL. Our results show that, according to experts, factor s such as to gain a deeper knowledege of XBRL and to acquire a company image as a pioneer in tech nology played an essential role in the process of voluntary adoption of the standard.