An empirical investigation of factors influencing the environmental reporting quality: evidence from France

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marwa Moalla ◽  
Bassem Salhi ◽  
Anis Jarboui
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Environmental Audit ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Voluntary Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study empirically tests a comprehensive set of relevant factors to explain environmental reporting quality. This study aims to understand whether environmental assurance has a direct effect on “environmental reporting quality”. In addition, this study also aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance and the quality of environmental reporting as measured by voluntary and timely reporting. Design/methodology/approach A number of econometric techniques are used including panel data specifications using a sample of French listed companies in SBF120 for the period 2012–2017. Findings The results demonstrate that the presence of an environmental audit committee and the size of the environmental external assurance firm has a significant effect on the level of voluntary reporting of environmental information. The results also reveal that the presence of the environmental audit committee, as well as the corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee, the size of the environmental external assurance and corporate governance index, affect the timely environmental reporting. Research limitations/implications This study helps all market participants to more comprehensively evaluate the quality of environmental reporting in the French context and highlights whether various factors could affect the quality of the environmental information disclosed using a multi-theoretical framework. Originality/value This paper fills the gap in the literature by highlighting an unexplored field of literature about the quality of environmental reporting by linking on the division of the quality of environmental information reporting into sub-dimensions (voluntary reporting and timely reporting) in the French context. To the knowledge, no empirical study has been done on the timely reporting of environmental information in the French context or other contexts. The originality of the work consists of the fact that it is one of the first works that deal with the relationship between environmental external assurance, corporate governance and the quality of environmental reporting.

Audit committee versus other governance mechanisms and the effect of investment opportunities: evidence from Palestine

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Islam Abdeljawad ◽  
Ghassan A.I. Oweidat ◽  
Norman Mohd Saleh
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to explore how the presence of an audit committee is associated with other corporate governance mechanisms, i.e. board structure, ownership structure and quality of external audit. The present study evaluated whether the presence of the audit committee complements or substitutes other governance mechanisms in Palestinian companies. Moreover, the effect of investment opportunities on the relationship between the formation of the audit committee and the quality of the auditor was addressed. Design/methodology/approach The association between the formation of the audit committee and other governance variables was modelled as a binary logistic model. The sample comprising 44 firms listed on Palestine exchange for the period between 2013 and 2017, amounting to 220 firm-year observations. Findings Based on the investigation, the results have indicated that board independence, the distinction between the chairman and chief executive officer function, ownership concentration and audit quality enhance the chance of audit committee formation, implying complementary effect. Contrastingly, board size and board ownership serve as a substitute to audit committee formation. It has also been found that investment opportunities act as an effective moderating factor that strengthens the relationship between audit quality and the formation of the audit committee. Originality/value The study provides valuable insight into the interaction between multiple corporate governance mechanisms within the economy of Palestine where the external uncertainty is high and investment opportunities are constrained by the decisions of the occupying authority. The findings may help regulators and policymakers in Palestine alongside those of other countries with similar environmental features to revise and update their corporate governance codes to ensure that the best control can be achieved, subsequently attracting more foreign and domestic investments.

Corporate governance and sustainability reporting quality: evidence from Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olayinka Erin ◽  
Alex Adegboye ◽  
Omololu Adex Bamigboye
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Board Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

Purpose This study aims to examine the association between corporate governance and sustainability reporting quality of listed firms in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The authors measure corporate governance using board governance variables (board size, board independence, board gender diversity and board expertise) and audit committee attributes (audit committee size, audit expertise and audit meeting). The authors measured sustainability reporting quality using a scoring system, which ranges between 0 and 4. The highest score is achieved when sustainability reporting is independently assured by an audit firm. The lowest score refers to the absence of sustainability reporting. The study emphasizes 120 listed firms on Nigeria Stock Exchange using the ordered logistic regression technique. Findings The results indicate that board governance variables (board size, board gender diversity and board expertise) and audit committee attributes (audit committee size, audit expertise and audit meeting) are significantly associated with sustainability reporting quality. Additional analysis reveals that external assurance contributes to the quality of sustainability reporting through corporate governance characteristics. Research limitations/implications This study is restricted to a single country. Future studies should consider a cross-country study, which may help to establish a comparative analysis. Likewise, the future study could consider other regression techniques using a continuous measurement of the global reporting initiative in measuring sustainability reporting quality. Practical implications This study’s findings have important implications for policymakers and practitioners, especially the corporate executives and top management. Companies are encouraged to restructure their board to enhance better monitoring and support towards better sustainability reporting. Social implications Disclosure on sustainability reporting helps corporate organizations advance the issues of sustainability both nationally and globally. Originality/value This current study adds to accounting literature by examining how corporate governance contributes to sustainability reporting practices within the Nigerian context. Drawing from the result, the study provides strong interconnectivity between the corporate board and audit committee in driving sustainability reporting quality within an organizational context.

scholarly journals THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUDIT COMMITTEE, POLITICAL INFLUENCE AND FINANCIAL REPORTING QUALITY: MALAYSIAN EVIDENCE

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
AZIATUL WAZNAH GHAZALI ◽  
NUR AIMA SHAFIE
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Pool Data ◽  
The Relationship

This paper examines the relationship between audit committee, political influence and financial reporting quality of Malaysian listed companies. This study uses pool data consisting of 3,255 firm-year observations listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia from year 2010 to 2014. The findings are robust after controlling for the endogeneity. The current findings indicates that audit committee’s independence and the frequency of audit committee meetings are effective in controlling for both real earnings management and accounting misstatements. Nonetheless, in terms of audit committee size and audit committee’ audit expertise, the relationships are still insignificant. It is important to note that there is some improvement after the corporate governance reforms since studies prior to the reforms found audit committee’s variables are ineffective towards a higher quality of financial reporting. Meanwhile, political influence is still relevant in a Malaysian business environment with regard to financial reporting quality, however, the aggressiveness of the influence may have been diluted by the improvement of recent corporate governance reform.

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 Characteristics and Earnings Quality

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-49
Author(s):  
Fatima Albedal ◽  
Allam Mohammed Hamdan ◽  
Qasim Zureigat
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Pooled Data ◽  
Data Regression ◽  
Code Of Corporate Governance ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter investigates the relationship between the audit committee and earnings quality of listed companies in Bahrain Bourse and to examine whether those companies comply with the obligatory code of corporate governance. The sample of this study includes 40 companies listed in Bahrain Bourse for the period 2013-2017. The model of the study tested the relationship between the independent variables of audit committee characteristics and the dependent variable of earnings quality using pooled data regression. The findings of the study showed that the Bahraini listed companies comply and follow the code of corporate governance and some audit committee characteristics have an impact on earnings quality.

The association between disclosure of forward-looking information and corporate governance mechanisms

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 578-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basil Al-Najjar ◽  
Suzan Abed
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Computerized Content Analysis ◽  
Forward Looking

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.

Audit committee impact on the quality of financial reporting and disclosure

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 1639-1662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Mohammadamin Shirazi
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Corporate Disclosure ◽  
Content Type

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.

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.

Audit committee and financial reporting quality: the moderating effect of audit quality

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sana Mardessi
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Real Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to address the impact of audit quality on financial reporting quality proxied by real earnings management. To further clarify the mentioned links, this study empirically assesses the moderating effect of audit quality. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a sample consisting of 90 non-financial companies that are listed in the Amsterdam stock exchange in AEX all share index over the 2010–2017 period. This study applies a quantitative approach and secondary data as the main source of information for analysis. This paper performs an ordinary least squares regression to examine the moderating effect of audit quality on the relationship between financial reporting quality. Findings Empirical findings demonstrate that corporate governance mechanism, mainly independence members, financial expert and audit committee size has a statistically significant relationship with real earnings management. However, the effect of audit committee meetings on real earnings management is not significant. There is also evidence that audit quality moderates the audit committee – real earnings management links. Originality/value This study extends the existing literature by examining the moderating effect of audit quality on the relationship between financial reporting quality proxied by real earnings management in the Dutch context.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Audit Committee Characteristics, Audit Firm Quality and Companies’ Profitability

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Laith A Aryan
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Committee Meeting ◽  
Audit Firm ◽  
The Relationship

<p>Jordan displayed keen interest in corporate governance in terms of enhancing the quality of financial statements and to restore the investors’ confidence. This study aimed to highlight the role of audit committee and external audit in enhancing companies’ profitability. Since there are contradictions in previous studies results, there is a need to test these relationships in Jordanian context to provide empirical evidence on this issue,especially after the corporate governance application became mandatory since 2009. This study has used industrial sector, which include 91 companies, only 69 companies were included in this study, the other 22 companies were excluded either newly listed or delisted during the study period (2009-2014). Multiple regression were used to analyze the data, the result showed positive relationships between audit committee meeting, audit committee size and companies profitability, while no significant relationship between audit committee composition, audit committee members literacy, audit quality and companies profitability. Such results would be beneficial to companies’ corporate governance committees to play their supervisory role. </p>

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