Gender diversity in audit committees and audit fees: evidence from China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radwan Hussien Alkebsee ◽  
Gao-Liang Tian ◽  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Muhammad Abubakkar Siddique ◽  
Adeeb A. Alhebry
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to investigate whether the presence of female directors on audit committees affects audit fees in Chinese listed companies. This study also investigates whether the audit committee’s gender diversity moderates the relationship between the firm’s inherent situational factors (e.g. audit complexity and firm risk) and audit fees. Finally, this study investigates whether the effect of the audit committee’s gender diversity on audit fees varies with within-country institutional contingencies (e.g. state-owned enterprises [SOEs] vs non-SOEs and firms that are located in more developed regions vs firms that are located in less developed regions) Design/methodology/approach This study used the data of all A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges for the period from 2009 to 2015. The authors use ordinary least squares regression as a baseline methodology, along with firm fixed effect, Deference in Deference method, two-stage least squares regression, two-stage Heckman model and generalized method of moments models to control for the possible issue of endogeneity. Findings The study’s findings suggest that the presence of female directors on the audit committee improves internal monitoring and communication, which reduce the perceived audit risk and the need for assurances from external auditors. The results also suggest that female directors demand high-quality audits and further assurance from external auditors when the firm is more complex and riskier. In addition, the results suggest that within-country, institutional factors play significant role in shaping the governance role of gender-diverse audit committee. Practical implications The study contributes to the agency theory by providing evidence that the interaction between agency theory and corporate governance “board composition” generates an effective monitoring mechanism and contributing to the institutional theory by finding that role of female directors on audit committee varies from context to another. In addition, this study contributes to literature review of gender diversity in the boardroom by finding the economic benefit of having female directors on audit committee. Finally, this study has implications for policy-makers in promoting regulations to legalize women presence on the board, to external auditors in assessing control risk during planning the audit, to those who responsible for appointing audit committee members. Originality/value The authors extend earlier studies by providing novel evidence on the relationship between gender-diverse audit committees and audit fees in terms of both the supply- and demand-side perspectives; that female directors moderate the relationship between firm inherent situational factors (e.g. audit complexity and firm risk) and audit fees; and that the effect of audit committees’ gender diversity on audit fees varies with sub-national institutional contingencies.

Gender diversity on audit committees and its impact on audit fees: evidence from India

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 568-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seema Miglani ◽  
Kamran Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Expert

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship existing between gender diverse (women directors) audit committees and audit fees. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a sample of 200 listed Indian firms over a four-year period (2011-2014). Ordinary least squares regression is used to assess whether and how the presence of women directors on audit committees affects the fee paid to the external auditor in India. To deal with the self-selection bias, the authors use a two-stage model developed using Heckman’s (1976) method. Findings The results show a significant positive relationship between the presence of a woman financial expert on the audit committee and audit fees after controlling for a number of firm-specific and governance characteristics and potential endogeneity with the propensity-matching score analysis. From the demand-side perspective of audit pricing, the results indicate that women financial experts on audit committees increase the need for assurance provided by external auditors. Using interaction terms, the authors find that women with financial expertise on an audit committee have a stronger association with audit fees as entity becomes more complex. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that audit committees with women financial experts are likely to demand higher audit quality, ceteris paribus. Practical implications Gender of the financial expert is critical to the audit committee’s effectiveness. The findings of this study have implications for the composition of an audit committee in a firm. Originality/value This study contributes to the extant literature by examining the less-researched topic of the association between the women representation on audit committees and audit fees. It also offers further empirical evidence that will influence the debate on the importance of gender diversity in corporations.

Female audit committee directorship and audit fees

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 398-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosra Mnif Sellami ◽  
Imen Cherif
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Initial Finding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
Demographic Attributes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between female audit committee representation and audit fees, taking into account their demographic attributes. Design/methodology/approach Research hypotheses have been tested by performing both univariate and multivariate analyses based on a sample of 790 firm-year observations from Swedish listed firms, spanning the period 2013-2017. Findings Initial finding derived from the empirical analyses provides consistent evidence of a positive association between female audit committee representation and audit fees. Controlling for self-selection bias, this finding holds unchanged. Therefore, female directors are voluntarily appointed to the companies audit committees. Including demographic attributes of women directors sitting in audit committees in the audit fees, models show that increased audit fees is driven by the level of female directors’ professional experience rather than their mere representation. Results from supplementary analysis document that the positive relationship between female audit committee representation and audit fees is more pronounced when the partner in charge of the audit engagement is a female, indicating that women presence on both the demand and supply-side of audit pricing enhance audit quality more importantly than when women are present on only the demand-side position of audit fees. Originality/value This study extends beyond recently published literature on the relation between audit committee gender-diversity and audit fees by offering a novel insight on demographic attributes of female directors enabling them to demand higher quality audits, as reflected by increased audit fees.

scholarly journals Gender Diversity of Audit Committees and Audit Fees: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Xiang ◽  
Meng Qin ◽  
Craig A Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Public Company ◽  
Chinese Listed Companies ◽  
State Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship

<p>This paper investigates whether women, who serve on the audit committee of the board, can have a significant impact in reducing audit fees paid by China's A-share listed companies during the period 2004 to 2007. We show that audit committees composed of both men and women pay significantly smaller audit fees. The relationship is significantly greater in non-state enterprises than that exhibited by state-owned enterprises and significantly greater in companies deemed to have weak management vis-à-vis strong management. Further analysis shows that the composition of the committee is irrelevant when management is strong, regardless of whether it provides guidance for a state-owned enterprise or a strictly public company. When management is deemed weak, however, gender diversity is associated with smaller fees.</p>

scholarly journals Audit committee gender diversity and financial reporting: evidence from restatements

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javad Oradi ◽  
Javad Izadi
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
Financial Restatements ◽  
Financial Expert

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between gender diversity on the audit committees and the incidence of financial restatements. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 683 firm-year observations from Iranian listed companies for the period 2013 to 2017, this paper uses a logistic regression model to examine a research hypothesis related to the association between the presence of female members on the audit committee and the incidence of financial restatements. Findings After controlling for other restatement-related factors, the authors find that the presence of at least one female member on audit committees reduces the likelihood of the incidence of financial restatements. Robustness tests also confirmed this result. Moreover, the additional analyses show that independent and financial expert female members on audit committees are more strongly associated with a reduction in financial restatements. Further, the results suggest that the presence of female members on the audit committee can increase the likelihood of hiring higher quality auditors. Generally, the findings are consistent with the literature on gender diversity which suggests that women perform better in a monitoring role, are more conservative and make more ethical decisions. Practical implications The findings of this study could help with the understanding of broader participation of female directors on company boards and subgroups such as the audit committee, and of the improvement in corporate governance. Moreover, the findings can be of particular interest to monitoring authorities and policy makers in developing countries and send positive signals to them regarding the recommendation or requirement of gender diversity as a part of corporate governance mechanisms. Originality/value The present study contributes to the extant literature by providing empirical evidence on the effect of audit committee gender diversity on financial restatements. Furthermore, this study provides evidence on the more effective oversight and greater ability of independent and financial expert female directors, which has been significantly disregarded in the previous studies.

Audit committee characteristics and the moderating effect of Malaysian code of corporate governance on IPO liquidity

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Mohammed Al-Masawa ◽  
Rasidah Mohd-Rashid ◽  
Hamdan Amer Al-Jaifi ◽  
Shaker Dahan Al-Duais
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Initial Public Offerings ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Code Of Corporate Governance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to investigate the link between audit committee characteristics and the liquidity of initial public offerings (IPOs) in Malaysia, which is an emerging economy in Southeast Asia. Another purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of the revised Malaysian code of corporate governance (MCCG) on the link between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity. Design/methodology/approach The final sample consists of 304 Malaysian IPOs listed in 2002–2017. This study uses ordinary least squares regression method to analyse the data. To confirm this study’s findings, a hierarchical or four-stage regression analysis is used to compare the t-values of the main and moderate regression models. Findings The findings show that audit committee characteristics (size and director independence) have a positive and significant relationship with IPO liquidity. Also, the revised MCCG positively moderates the relationship between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity. Research limitations/implications This study’s findings indicate that companies with higher audit committee independence have a more effective monitoring mechanism that mitigates information asymmetry, thus reducing adverse selection issues during share trading. Practical implications Policymakers could use the results of this study in developing policies for IPO liquidity improvements. Additionally, the findings are useful for traders and investors in their investment decision-making. For companies, the findings highlight the crucial role of the audit committee as part of the control system that monitors corporate governance. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this work is a pioneering study in the context of a developing country, specifically Malaysia that investigates the impact of audit committee characteristics on IPO liquidity. Previously, the link between corporate governance and IPO liquidity had not been investigated in Malaysia. This study also contributes to the IPO literature by providing empirical evidence regarding the moderating effect of the revised MCCG on the relationship between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity.

Audit committee ownership and audit report lag: evidence from Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-125
Author(s):  
Md. Borhan Uddin Bhuiyan ◽  
Mabel D’Costa
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Audit Report ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Using Data

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether audit committee ownership affects audit report lag. Independent audit committees are responsible for overseeing the financial reporting process, to ensure that financial statements are both credible and released to external stakeholders in a timely manner. To date, however, the extent to which audit committee ownership strengthens or compromises member independence, and hence, influences audit report lag, has remained unexplored. Design/methodology/approach This paper hypothesizes that audit committee ownership is associated with audit report lag. Further, the author hypothesize that both the financial reporting quality and the going concern opinions of a firm mediate the effect of audit committee ownership on audit report lag. Findings Using data from Australian listed companies, the author find that audit committee ownership increases audit report lag. The author further document that financial reporting quality and modified audit opinions rendered by external auditors mediate this positive relationship. The results are robust to endogeneity concerns emanating from firms’ deliberate decisions to grant shares to the audit committee members. Originality/value The study contributes to both the audit report timeliness and the corporate governance literatures, by documenting an adverse effect of audit committee ownership.

Female directors and the cost of debt: does gender diversity in the boardroom matter to lenders?

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Muhammad Umar Farooq ◽  
Junrui Zhang ◽  
Muhammad Abdul Majid Makki ◽  
Muhammad Kaleem Khan
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Cost Of Debt ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Loan Default ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
The Cost

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the question concerning whether gender diversity in the boardroom matters to lenders or not? Design/methodology/approach To answer this question, the authors use the data from 2009 to 2015 of all A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. The authors use ordinary least squares regression and firm fixed effect regression to draw our inferences. To check and control the issue of endogeneity the authors use one-year lagged gender diversity regression, two-stage least squares regression, propensity score matching method and Heckman two-stage regression. Findings The results suggest that the presence of female directors on the board reduces managerial opportunistic behavior and information asymmetry and, consequently, creditors’ perceptions about the probability of loan default and the cost of debt. The authors find that lenders charge 4 per cent less from borrowers that have at least one female board member than they do from borrowers with no female board members. The authors also find that the board structure (i.e. gender diversity) of government-owned firms also matters to lenders, as government-owned firms that have gender-diverse boards have a lower cost of debt (i.e. 5 per cent lower interest rate). Practical Implications The findings have implications for individual borrowers and for regulators. For example, borrowers can get debt financing at lower rates by altering their boards’ composition (i.e. through gender diversity). From the regulatory perspective, the results support recent legislative initiatives around the world regarding female directors’ representation on boards. Originality Value This paper makes several contributions. First, beyond the recent studies on boardroom gender, the authors investigate the relationship between gender diversity in the boardroom and the cost of debt. Second, the authors extend the literature on the association between government ownership and cost of debt by first time providing evidence that the board composition (e.g. gender diversity) of government-owned firms also matters to the lenders. The other contributions are discussed in the introduction section.

Ownership structure and audit committee effectiveness: evidence from top GCC capitalized firms

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahfoudh Abdulkarem Al-Musali ◽  
Mohammed Helmi Qeshta ◽  
Mohamed Ali Al-Attafi ◽  
Abood Mohammad Al-Ebel
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Ownership Types

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to report on the level of audit committee (AC) effectiveness on the top capitalized firms in GCC countries and to empirically investigate the hypothesized influence of ownership types on the level of AC effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical data were drawn from annual reports of 119 top listed firms in Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) nations at the end of 2011. Ordinary least squares regression analysis was constructed to examine the relationships between ownership types and the level of AC effectiveness.FindingsThe findings revealed that family, government and institutional ownership, in addition to board independence, all have significant positive association with AC effectiveness, and they serve as a complement to AC effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the study are important for policy makers and regulators as they could use them to understand the relationship between different corporate governance mechanisms and formulating best strategies that would help them to improve and adopt an optimal governance system constituted from interacting governance mechanisms.Originality/valueThis study is one of few that have examined the interaction between different corporate governance mechanisms. It provides insights about the relationship between AC effectiveness and other governance mechanisms in the GCC context.

The role of the gender diversity of audit committees in modelling the quality of management earnings forecasts of initial public offers in Malaysia

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 420-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Abdullah Ammer ◽  
Nurwati A. Ahmad-Zaluki
Keyword(s):  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Forecast Error ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Earnings Forecasts ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Management Earnings Forecasts ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
The Board Of Directors

Purpose Presently, one of the major governance issues faced by management and shareholders of organizations is the gender composition of the boards of directors and audit committees. This study aims to examine the impact of gender diversity in audit committees on the accuracy of management earnings forecasts disclosure in initial public offering (IPO) prospectuses. Design/methodology/approach The study sample comprises 190 Malaysian companies issuing IPOs that transformed into public companies during the period 2002-2012. Earnings forecasts accuracy (quality) is proxied by absolute forecast error and the study model is developed based on the frameworks of the signalling theory, the agency theory and the resource-dependence theory. Findings The study proposes that female directors introduce a set of specific features in the boardroom that serve to improve investor protection and efficient monitoring of management. However, findings reveal an insignificantly positive relationship between gender diversity in audit committees and absolute forecast error, which shows that more female directors in audit committees could translate into more errors and less accuracy in earnings forecasts. Practical implications Considering the recent regulatory developments that encourage the number of women on the board of directors, the findings obtained have significant implications for policymakers. The study findings can also be invaluable to investors, investment analysts, market players and researchers. Originality/value The composition of the board of directors and audit committees in terms of gender plays a significant role in the promotion of effective corporate governance practices. This study is one of the pioneering studies that examines the advantages of gender diversity in the board of directors. It is also the first study to extend IPO literature by investigating the role of gender diversity in audit committees in the enhancement of accurate management earnings forecasts included in the IPO prospectuses.

Audit committee activity and internal control quality in Egypt

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hichem Khlif ◽  
Khaled Samaha
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Audit Market ◽  
Control Quality ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between audit committee activity, external auditor’s size and internal control quality (ICQ) in the Egyptian setting. It also explores how external auditor’s size moderates the relationship between audit committee activity and ICQ. Design/methodology/approach – To obtain relevant information about ICQ in Egypt, the authors conducted a survey among external auditors using an internal control checklist. Findings – Results show that audit committee activity has a significant positive effect on ICQ. In addition, Big 4 auditors contribute significantly to the improvement of the ICQ in the Egyptian setting. Finally, the association between audit committee activity and ICQ is more pronounced when an organisation is audited by a Big 4 audit firm. Originality/value – The results this paper demonstrate that Big 4 auditors play a governance role in weak legal environment as exists in Egypt by strengthening the effectiveness of audit committee meetings. The findings also have policy implications for Egyptian standard-setters and other emerging economies characterised by an under-developed and poorly regulated audit market, with respect to the development of internal auditing standards.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document