Audit committee impact on the quality of financial reporting and disclosure

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 1639-1662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Mohammadamin Shirazi

Purpose The purpose of this study is to shed further light on the characteristics of an audit committee (AC) and its probable relationship with the quality of financial reporting and disclosure. Based on the findings of extant research that there are different factors that may have implications for the AC’ effectiveness, the authors posit an association between the aforementioned financial aspects and AC presence. Design/methodology/approach The authors test their hypotheses by performing panel data analysis on a sample of 100 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) during 2013-2014. The tests were conducted by using Eviews software. Findings Examining previously tested characteristics of an AC, the authors indicate that the number of AC meetings held during fiscal year is negatively associated with the quality of corporate disclosure, whereas AC expertise and size are positively associated with the quality firm’s financial disclosure. Their findings are also indicative of a non-significant relationship between other AC attributes and financial reporting quality (FRQ) except for AC independence, which is positively associated with FRQ. Finally, they provide some evidence that the size of a firm positively affects the quality of its financial reporting and disclosure. Research limitations/implications Although the study has been thoroughly considered and cautiously planned, some limitations have yet arisen. Initially, this research was conducted in an Iranian setting where the formation of ACs is on the verge of regulation; therefore, the data utilized for the study only contains the two-year period of ACs’ statutory activity. In addition, a lack of consensus on the precise measures of an AC’s effectiveness could be considered as a restrictive factor. Originality/value The authors’ study contributes to the AC literature by providing empirical evidence of an association between ACs’ different attributes and financial aspects in a newly regulated environment like the TSE. The results provided in this paper could be fruitful for auditors, regulators, institutional investors and policymakers.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Mousavi Shiri ◽  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Fatemeh Abbasi ◽  
Shayan Farhangdoust

PurposeIn the process of reporting accounting information, the auditor’s objective is to detect possible misstatements and errors in accounting information. Audit evidence aids auditors in providing reasonable assurance about the quality of financial reporting. Studying the quality of family firms’ financial reporting is of higher importance relative to non-family firms due to lower risk of accounting manipulation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between family ownership structure and financial reporting quality from an auditing perspective.Design/methodology/approachTo analyze the research hypotheses, the authors use a sample data consisted of 221 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (including 52 family and 169 non-family firms) over a five-year span from 2011 to 2015.FindingsUsing multivariate regression analysis of panel data, our results indicate that audit risk in family firms is lower than their counterparts. Likewise, the findings are indicative of lower audit fees paid by family firms as compared to non-family ones. The authors also find that auditors put more effort in family firms and thus audit effort is more significant for these kinds of firms.Originality/valueThe study focuses on family ownership and financial reporting quality in a developing country like Iran and the results of the study may be beneficial to other developing nations, as Iran stock market possesses some unique features which are not normally prevailing in other equity markets, even in the Middle East.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 623-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Won Sil Kang ◽  
Alan Kilgore ◽  
Sue Wright

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of recommendations made by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) relating to audit committees in Australia, and whether they have improved financial reporting quality for low‐ and mid‐cap listed firms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examine the relation between characteristics of the audit committee and financial reporting quality for listed companies not mandated to comply with these requirements, i.e. low‐ and mid‐cap firms. For a sample of 288 firms, the authors regress measures of audit committee independence, expertise and activity and size on alternative measures of earnings management.FindingsA significant association is found between all three characteristics and lower earnings management. The significant measure for independence is the proportion of independent directors on the audit committee; for expertise, it is that at least one member of the audit committee has an accounting qualification; and for activity and size, it is the frequency of audit committee meetings.Practical implicationsThe results provide support for the mandatory establishment of audit committees for the top 500 (high‐ and mid‐cap) firms introduced by the ASX and suggest those audit committee characteristics which could improve financial reporting quality for low‐ and mid‐cap firms.Originality/valueThe paper examines low‐ and mid‐cap firms in order to complement previous similar studies done for high‐cap firms. It identifies the effects on financial reporting quality of voluntarily choosing to have an audit committee and of the choice of audit committee characteristics, in the period after substantial corporate governance reform. It includes a new measure among audit committee characteristics, industry expertise, which is required in Australia and is new to the literature.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 257
Author(s):  
Joseph Majiyebo Onyabe ◽  
Joshua Okpanachi ◽  
Terzungwe Nyor ◽  
Onipe Adabenege Yahaya ◽  
Mohammed Ahmed

This study examines the effect of audit committee tenure on financial reporting quality of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study uses panel data obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange factbooks and the financial statements of 14 listed deposit money banks over a period of 10 years (2007-2016). The study uses cross sectional and time series research design. Financial reporting quality was measured using the modified Jones (1991) model and changes in working capital model, while audit committee tenure was measured as the mean tenure of audit committee members. The data was analyzed using descriptive (mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum) and inferential statistics (correlation and regression analysis). The study reveals that audit committee tenure has a negative and insignificant effect on financial reporting quality under the two models. The implication of these results is that the tenure of audit committee members is not important when considering the financial reporting quality of deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study therefore concludes that the effect of audit committee tenure on financial reporting quality of deposit money banks in Nigeria is negative and insignificant. Based on this conclusion, the study recommends that further research should be conducted on other audit committee attributes in order to see which of the attributes may have significant effect on financial reporting quality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-267
Author(s):  
Mehdi Safari Gerayli ◽  
Yasser Rezaei Pitenoei ◽  
Ahmad Abdollahi

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the association between certain audit committee characteristics like independence and financial expertise with financial reporting quality (FRQ) of the firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE).Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes the 558 firm-year observations from companies listed on the TSE during the years 2012–2017, and the study’s hypotheses were tested using multivariate regression model based on panel data.FindingsThe authors find that audit committee independence has no significant effect on corporate FRQ, whereas audit committee's financial expertise significantly improves firms' FRQ. In other words, higher financial expertise of an audit committee can lead to an increase in its FRQ. The findings of the study are robust to alternate measures of FRQ, individual analysis of the research hypotheses for each year and endogeneity problem.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the association between audit committee characteristics and FRQ in emerging capital markets, and so, the findings of the study not only extend the extant theoretical literature concerning the audit committee in developing countries including emerging capital market of Iran but also help investors, managers, capital market regulators, policymakers and audit profession regulators to make informed decisions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 1550-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Nasrin Ziba ◽  
Ali Daemi Gah

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between financial reporting and cost stickiness in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Design/methodology/approach Data of all Iranian manufacturing listed companies gathered for testing hypotheses during 2010–2016 and R statistical software are employed in order to analyzing data. Findings The results of this study indicate that there is a significant relationship between administrative, sale, material, labor and overhead costs and the financial reporting qualities of the companies under study. Originality/value The study focuses on relationship between financial reporting and cost stickiness in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange, which is the first study of its type in Iran.


2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Nazlia Jamil ◽  
Sherliza Puat Nelson

Financial reporting quality has been under scrutiny especially after the collapse of major companies. The main objective of this study is to investigate the audit committee’s effectiveness on the financial reporting quality among the Malaysian GLCs following the transformation program. In particular, the study examined the impact of audit committee characteristics (independence, size, frequency of meeting and financial expertise) on earnings management in periods prior to and following the transformation program (2003-2009). As of 31 December 2010, there were 33 public-listed companies categorized as Government-Linked Companies (GLC Transformation Policy, 2010) and there were 20 firms that have complete data that resulted in the total number of firm-year observations to 120 for six years (years 2003-2009).  Results show that the magnitude of earnings management as proxy of financial reporting quality is influenced by the audit committee independence. Agency theory was applied to explain audit committee, as a monitoring mechanism as well as reducing agency costs via gaining competitive advantage in knowledge, skills, and expertise towards financial reporting quality. The study is important as it provides additional knowledge about the impact of audit committees effectiveness on reducing the earnings management, and assist practitioners, policymakers and regulators such as Malaysian Institute of Accountants, Securities Commission and government to determine ways to enhance audit committees effectiveness and improve the financial reporting of GLCs, as well as improving the quality of the accounting profession.     


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen Thi Tran ◽  
Nguyen Phong Nguyen ◽  
Trang Cam Hoang

Purpose By drawing on the institutional theory and contingency theory, this study aims to examine the effects of leadership and accounting capacity on the quality of financial reporting and accountability of public organisations in Vietnam. Furthermore, this paper is to determine the impact of financial reporting quality on accountability. Design/methodology/approach The research model and hypotheses have been tested by partial least squares structural equation modeling, with 177 survey samples obtained from accountants and managers working in the public sector in Vietnam. Findings The research results indicate that leadership and accounting capacity have a positive effect on financial reporting quality; leadership and accounting capacity positively influence accountability; and the quality of financial reporting has a positive impact on accountability. Research limitations/implications The research results provide empirical evidence of the direct impact of leadership and accounting capacity on financial reporting quality and accountability of public organisations in a developing country. Moreover, the current work also provides important evidence for the impact of financial reporting quality on accountability. Practical implications Public sector organisations must realise that leadership and accounting capacity play a vital role in the accounting reform process. Public institutions likewise need to pay attention to develop accounting capacity and promote leadership. Moreover, the results respond to the continuing call for increased citizen trust in public organisations. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the chain from leadership, accounting capacity, financial reporting quality and accountability in the context of public sector organisations in an Asian transition market.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Alzeban

Purpose This study aims to explore the influence of internal audit (IA) reporting lines and the implementation of IA recommendations (IMPLEMENT) on financial reporting quality (FRQ). Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from the annual reports of 201 UK listed companies, and also from survey questionnaires completed by the chief audit executives working within those companies. Two measures are used as proxies of FRQ: abnormal accruals and accrual quality. Findings Findings indicate that when IA reports directly to the audit committee (AC), there is a significant positive influence upon FRQ. Conversely, when IA reports to the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief financial officer (CFO), there is a negative impact on FRQ. It is further shown by the results that lower income-increasing accruals are evident when there is greater IMPLEMENT, thereby showing an accompanying positive influence on FRQ. Moreover, the results indicate that greater adoption of such recommendations is also associated with internal reporting lines, i.e. when IA reports directly to the AC, FRQ results improved. Originality/value These findings contribute to the literature in the field of IA reporting, by introducing new insights regarding reporting lines and IMPLEMENT, and the influence of these on FRQ, and by establishing those insights through empirical work undertaken in the UK where little research on this issue has been reported.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Badrul Muttakin ◽  
Dessalegn Mihret ◽  
Tesfaye Taddese Lemma ◽  
Arifur Khan

Purpose Although proponents of integrated reporting (IR) advocate that this emerging practice has the potential to transform corporate reporting, the eventuation of this expectation would depend on the incentive IR provides to firms. This study aims to examine whether IR is associated with cost of debt and whether IR moderates the relationship between financial reporting quality and cost of debt. Design/methodology/approach Based on insights drawn from information asymmetry and agency theories, the authors develop models that link IR and financial reporting quality with a firm’s cost of debt. The authors analyze 847 firm-year observations drawn from non-financial firms traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, for the period between 2009 and 2015. Findings The authors find that firms that provide integrated reports tend to have a lower cost of debt than those do not provide IR. The authors also find an inverse association between financial reporting quality and cost of debt, and that integrated reports accentuate this association. The findings suggest that the debt market perceives value in the information presented in integrated reports beyond what is furnished in financial reports. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to document evidence suggesting that the debt market perceives value in the information presented in integrated reports, beyond what is furnished in financial reports.


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