Corporate governance and non-bank financial institutions profitability

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 854-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Ofoeda

Purpose This study aims to investigate the influence of corporate governance structures of non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) on their profitability. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is performed using data derived from the Bank of Ghana database during a nine-year period, 2006-2014. Correlated panels corrected standard errors model is used to estimate the regression equation. The study uses board size, board independence, gender diversity, CEO duality and tenure and board meetings as proxies for corporate governance. Audit committee size, independence and meetings are used as measures of audit committee activity. The study also uses the return on assets as measures of NBFI profitability. Findings Results of the study show that there exists positive relationship among board size, audit committee size, meetings of the audit committee and profitability. However, board composition, gender diversity, board meetings and audit committee independence show a negative relationship with NBFI performance. From the findings of the study, it is evident that there are mixed results regarding corporate governance mechanisms and profitability of Ghanaian NBFIs. The results imply that the Ghanaian NBFI industry have unique characteristics and may react differently to corporate governance structures. Originality/value The value of this study is in its contribution to the extant literature on corporate governance and profitability of NBFIs.

Author(s):  
Mohamed H. Elmagrhi ◽  
Collins G. Ntim ◽  
Richard M. Crossley ◽  
John K. Malagila ◽  
Samuel Fosu ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which corporate board characteristics influence the level of dividend pay-out ratio using a sample of UK small- and medium-sized enterprises from 2010 to 2013 listed on the Alternative Investment Market. Design/methodology/approach The data are analysed by employing multivariate regression techniques, including estimating fixed effects, lagged effects and two-stage least squares regressions. Findings The results show that board size, the frequency of board meetings, board gender diversity and audit committee size have a significant relationship with the level of dividend pay-out. Audit committee size and board size have a positive association with the level of dividend pay-out, whilst the frequency of board meetings and board gender diversity have a significant negative relationship with the level of dividend pay-out. By contrast, the findings suggest that board independence and CEO role duality do not have any significant effect on the level of dividend pay-out. Originality/value This is one of the first attempts at examining the relationship between corporate governance and dividend policy in the UK’s Alternative Investment Market, with the analysis distinctively informed by agency theoretical insights drawn from the outcome and substitution hypotheses.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanen Ben Fatma ◽  
Jamel Chouaibi

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the characteristics of two corporate governance mechanisms, namely, board of directors and ownership structure, on the firm value of European financial institutions.Design/methodology/approachUsing the market-to-book ratio calculated by the Thomson Reuters Eikon ASSET4 database, this study measures the firm value of 111 financial institutions belonging to 12 European countries listed on the stock exchange during the period 2007–2019. Multivariate regression analysis on panel data is used to estimate the relationship between corporate governance attributes, such as board size, board independence, board gender diversity, ownership concentration and CEO ownership, and the firm value of European financial institutions.FindingsThe empirical results reveal that board gender diversity and CEO ownership are positively related to the firm value, whereas board size and ownership concentration are negatively related. Furthermore, the findings suggest that board independence is insignificantly correlated with the firm value. Regarding the control variables, the results show that financial institutions' size, age and legal system are significant factors in changing the firm value. Nevertheless, financial institutions' leverage and activity sector are not significantly correlated with their value.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the literature by providing the significant links between some corporate governance mechanisms and the firm value of companies from the financial industry, by addressing the information gap for this critical industry in the context of a developed market like Europe.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 658-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousef Hassan ◽  
Rafiq Hijazi ◽  
Kamal Naser

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relation between audit committee (AC) and a set of other corporate governance mechanisms in one of the emerging economies, United Arab of Emirates (UAE). In particular, the current study examines whether an effective AC can serve as a substitute or as a complement mechanism to board characteristics and ownership structure of Emirati listed non-financial companies. Design/methodology/approach Using substitution and complementary theories, a panel data from 48 nonfinancial companies listed on the UAE Stock Exchanges [Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange and Dubai Financial Market] during the period between 2011 and 2013 were used in the current study. A composite measure of four proxies has been used to measure the AC effectiveness, namely, AC size, independence, financial expertise and diligence. To test the hypotheses formulated for the study, a logistic regression model was used to identify the influence of a set of board characteristics and ownership structure variables on the effectiveness of the AC after controlling for firm size, auditor type, industry type and profitability. Findings While AC effectiveness appeared to be positively associated with board size and board independence, it is negatively associated with CEO duality. This points to a complementary governance relation. On the other hand, the negative relationship between AC effectiveness and each of institutional and government ownership suggests substitutive relations. Research limitations/implications The main shortcoming of the current study is that it examines the influence of a certain set of corporate governance factors on the effectiveness of AC. Other corporate governance mechanisms may, however, contribute to the effectiveness of AC. The findings of the study can be used by companies’ managements and regulators in the UAE to improve the corporate governance system. Originality/value To the best of researchers’ knowledge, this study provides the first evidence about the interaction among multiple governance mechanisms required by the code of corporate governance issued by the UAE Ministry of Economy in 2009. The current paper is expected to add to the limited AC literature in Middle East and North African countries in general and Arab World in particular.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erhan Kilincarslan ◽  
Mohamed H. Elmagrhi ◽  
Zezeng Li

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate governance structures on environmental disclosure practices in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Design/methodology/approach The research model uses a panel data set of 121 publicly listed (non-financial and non-utility) firms from 11 MEA countries over the period 2010-2017, uses alternative dependent variables and regression techniques and is applied to various sub-groups to improve robustness. Findings The empirical results strongly indicate that MEA firms with high governance disclosures tend to have better environmental disclosure practices. The board characteristics of gender diversity, size, CEO/chairperson duality and audit committee size impact positively on MEA firms’ voluntary environmental disclosures, whereas board independence has a negative influence. Research limitations/implications This study advances research on the relationship between corporate governance structures and environmental disclosure practices in MEA countries, but is limited to firms for which data are available from Bloomberg. Practical implications The results have important practical implications for MEA policymakers and regulators. The positive impact of board gender diversity on firms’ environmental disclosures, policy reforms should aim to increase female directors. MEA corporations aiming to be more environmentally friendly should recruit women to top managerial positions. Originality/value This is thought to be the first study to provide insights from the efficiency and legitimation perspectives of neo-institutional theory to explain the relationship between MEA firms’ internal governance structures and environmental disclosures.


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 578-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basil Al-Najjar ◽  
Suzan Abed

Purpose – This paper aims to witness the importance of corporate governance mechanisms and investigates the relationship between the quality of disclosure of forward-looking information in the narrative sections of annual reports and the governance mechanisms for non-financial UK companies. Design/methodology/approach – Computerized content analysis using QSR NVivo 8 is used to measure the extent of forward-looking information in the narratives of the annual reports for 238 companies listed in the London Stock Exchange. Cross-sectional regression analysis is used to examine the impact of the corporate governance mechanisms on forward-looking information. Findings – The results show that board size and the independence of the audit committee are associated with the level of voluntary disclosure of forward-looking information. Research limitations/implication – One limitation of this study is that in controls for the effect of the financial crisis period, by selecting a representative year for a five-year period, 2006. The authors argument in using this year is based on the fact that the main variables of interest do not vary significantly with time, the cross-sectional analysis of the selected period will provide a fair view of the last five year-period. Practical implications – The authors report the importance of some governance practices in the UK, such as the role of the board members as well as the importance of audit committee independence. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature by using computerized content analysis to examine the relation between corporate governance mechanism and disclosure quality of forward-looking information using sample of companies before financial crisis period. The authors also examine governance mechanisms that are under-researched in the field of forward-looking disclosure.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-409
Author(s):  
Hanh Song Thi Pham ◽  
Duy Thanh Nguyen

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the moderating effects of corporate governance mechanisms on the financial leverage–profitability relation in emerging market firms. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines the impacts by estimating the empirical model in which a firm’s accounting profitability is a dependent variable, while financial leverage, board size, board independence, CEO duality, CEO ownership, state ownership and the interaction variables are predictors. The paper uses the panel data set of 295 listed firms in Vietnam in the period 2011-2015 and two key econometric methods for panel data, namely, the two-stage least square instrumental variable and general moments method. Findings The paper finds the evidence for the significant and positive effect of board size, board independence and state ownership on the financial leverage–profitability relation. The effect of CEO duality on the financial leverage–profitability relation tends to be negative, and the impact CEO ownership inclines to be positive, although both of them are statistically insignificant. The results are consistent across different estimation methods. Originality/value This paper is the first investigating the moderating effect of various corporate governance mechanisms on the financial leverage–profitability relationship in emerging market firms.


2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zgarni Inaam ◽  
Halioui Khamoussi

Purpose – Many researchers, in several contexts, have investigated the influence of audit committee effectiveness and audit quality variables on reducing the extent of earnings management, and empirical evidence is rather inconsistent. Design/methodology/approach – The aim of this paper is to meta-analyze the results of 58 prior studies that examined whether differences in results are related to moderating effects associated with corporate governance mechanisms or measures of earnings management. Findings – The findings show that the meta-analysis identifies many significant relationships. The independence of the audit committee, its size, expertise and the number of meetings have a negative relationship with earnings management. Similar negative relationships exist between auditor size, specialization and earnings management. Research limitations/implications – This study contributes to the corporate governance literature. Further, recognizing the function of an audit committee and audit quality shows the value of considering an institutional setting in governance research. This study is significant to academic and practitioner literatures, policy makers and professional accounting bodies as it shows that governance reforms promote companies to adopt good governance practices. The results also give useful information to investors in examining the effect of audit committee characteristics and audit quality on earnings quality. Originality/value – This study extends existing research on audit committee and audit quality to oversee both accrual and real earnings management using meta-analysis. Thus, this study has the potential to help stakeholders, board of directors, regulators and auditors, who are related with enhancing the supervision of firms and reducing the opportunities given to managers, to engage in earnings management.


Author(s):  
Yosra Mnif ◽  
Marwa Tahari

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of the main corporate governance characteristics on compliance with accounting and auditing organisation for Islamic financial institutions’ (AAOIFI) governance standards’ (GSs) disclosure requirements by Islamic banks (IB) that adopt AAOIFIs’ standards in Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Syria, Sudan, Palestine and Yemen. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of 486 bank-year observations from 2009 to 2017. Findings The findings reveal that compliance with AAOIFIs’ GSs’ disclosure requirements is positively influenced by the audit committee (AC) independence, AC’s accounting and financial expertise and industry expertise, auditor industry specialisation, IB’s size and IB’s listing status. On the other hand, it is negatively influenced by the ownership concentration. Research limitations/implications This study has only examined compliance with AAOIFI’s GSs’ disclosure requirements and has focussed on one major sector of the Islamic financial institutions (which is IB). Practical implications The findings are useful for various groups of preparers and users of IBs’ annual reports such as academics and researchers, accountants, management of IBs and some organisations. Originality/value While the study of the AAOIFIs’ standards has grown contemporary with considerable contributions from scholars, however, the majority of these studies are descriptive in nature. Indeed, the existing literature that has explored the determinants of compliance with AAOIFI’s standards is in the early research stage. To the best of the knowledge, there is a paucity of empirical research testing this issue.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azhar Abdul Rahman ◽  
Mohd Diah Hamdan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate Malaysian companies’ compliance with mandatory accounting standards. Specifically, this study examines the efficacy of agency-related mechanisms on the degree of compliance with Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) 101, Presentation of Financial Statements. It so proceeds by focussing on corporate governance parameters (board characteristics and ownership structure) and other firm characteristics. Design/methodology/approach Using data drawn from a sample of 105 Malaysian companies listed on the ACE market in 2009, the authors employ multiple regression analysis models to establish whether selected corporate governance and company-specific characteristics (proxying for agency-related mechanisms) are related to the degree of disclosure compliance. Findings The results indicate that the overall disclosure compliance is high (92.5 per cent). Furthermore, only firm size is positively associated with the degree of compliance. The other variables, those consisting of board independence, audit committee independence, CEO duality, the extent of outside blockholders’ ownership and leverage, do not show any significant relationship with the degree of compliance. Research limitations/implications This study focusses on only one accounting standard (FRS 101) that is mandatory in Malaysia. FRS 101 is both structured and rigid, leaving no room for companies to conceal any particular information. The sample of Malaysian companies selected is restricted to those listed only on the ACE market. As such, the results cannot be generalised to every company in Malaysia. Practical implications These results have important implications for policy makers because they suggest that whilst agency-related mechanisms may motivate compliance with mandatory standards, full compliance may be unattainable without regulations. Originality/value This is the only study in Malaysia to investigate the impact of regulatory requirements on corporate compliance level by companies listed on the new ACE market, which was introduced by the Bursa Malaysia in August 2009. This study contributes to the literature by examining the effects of both company-specific characteristics (such as company size, company age, liquidity, etc.) and corporate governance parameters on the degree of corporate compliance with mandatory disclosure, simultaneously, in contrast with prior studies which have examined them in isolation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 318-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hounaida Mersni ◽  
Hakim Ben Othman

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether corporate governance mechanisms affect the reporting of loan loss provisions by managers in Islamic banks in the Middle East region. Design/methodology/approach This empirical study uses balanced panel data from 20 Islamic banks, from seven Middle East countries for the period 2007 to 2011. The regression model is estimated using random effects specifications. Findings The empirical results show that discretionary loan loss provisions (DLLP) are negatively related to board size and the existence of an audit committee. Results also report a positive relationship between sharia board size and DLLP. This indicates that small sharia supervisory boards are more effective than larger ones, which could be due to the higher costs and negative effects of large groups on decision-making. Results also highlight that the existence of scholars with accounting knowledge sitting on the sharia board reduces discretionary behavior. Additional results provide evidence that an external sharia audit committee is also found to reduce discretion in Islamic banks. The conclusions are found to be robust to endogeneity issues and potentially omitted variables. Practical implications The findings are potentially useful for regulators and shareholders. Regulators could use the findings to focus on corporate governance mechanisms that restrain earnings management practices in Islamic banks and implement regulations to strengthen them. Additionally, this study gives shareholders further insight which enables them to better monitor the actions of managers and thus increase their control over their investments. Originality/value This study provides two contributions to the literature on Islamic banking. First, to the authors’ knowledge, this study is only the second piece of research focused on the impact of corporate governance on earnings management in Islamic banks. Second, the authors have examined the effect of some new corporate governance mechanisms that have not been studied previously in the research literature.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document