scholarly journals Do Gender Diversity Recommendations in Corporate Governance Codes Matter? Evidence from Audit Committees

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigar Sultana ◽  
Steven F. Cahan ◽  
Asheq Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Corporate Governance Codes ◽  
Limited Supply ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARY Motivated by two opposing views, the limited supply view and the discrimination view, we examine the impact of gender diversity guidelines on the strength of the association between the presence of female audit committee members and audit quality. The limited supply view predicts that the effect of female audit committee members on audit quality would decrease after the guidelines were issued because they increased the demand for women directors without a commensurate increase in the supply of qualified women directors. The discrimination view predicts this relation would increase after the guidelines were issued since some firms would have abandoned their suboptimal hiring practices that favored men over better qualified women, resulting in higher quality firm-director matches as opportunities for women increase. Consistent with the limited supply view, we find that the positive association between audit committee gender diversity and audit quality weakened after gender diversity guidelines were introduced in Australia. JEL Classifications: G38; M42; M48. Data Availability: Data are available from the databases cited in the text.

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.

Strategic Audit Inquiry: The Impact of Timing and the Promotion of Statutory Protections on Client Fraud Disclosures

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-167
Author(s):  
John R. Lauck ◽  
Stephen J. Perreault ◽  
Joseph R. Rakestraw ◽  
James S. Wainberg
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Inquiry Process ◽  
The Impact

SYNOPSIS Auditing standards require external auditors to inquire of client-employees regarding their knowledge of actual or suspected fraud (PCAOB 2010b; AICPA 2016). However, the extant literature provides little guidance on practical methods that auditors can employ to increase the likelihood of fraud disclosure and improve audit quality. Drawing upon best practices in the whistleblowing literature and psychological theories on self-regulation, we experimentally test the efficacy of two practical strategies that auditors can employ during the fraud inquiry process: actively promoting statutory whistleblower protections and strategically timing their fraud inquiries. Our results indicate that auditors are more likely to elicit client-employee fraud disclosures by actively promoting statutory whistleblower protections and strategically timing the fraud inquiry to take place in the afternoon, when client-employee self-regulation is more likely to be depleted. These two audit inquiry strategies should be of considerable interest to audit practitioners, audit committees, and those concerned with improving audit quality. Data Availability: From the authors by request.

Audit Committee Incentives and the Resolution of Detected Misstatements

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 109-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marsha B. Keune ◽  
Karla M. Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Stock Option ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Analyst Forecast ◽  
Agency Conflicts ◽  
Option Compensation ◽  
Stock Option Compensation

SUMMARY We investigate the role of audit committee economic incentives in judgments involving the resolution of detected misstatements. The results reveal a positive association between audit committee short-term stock option compensation and the likelihood that managers are allowed to waive income-decreasing misstatements that, if corrected, would have caused the company to miss its analyst forecast. Complementary results reveal a positive association between the audit committee long-term stock option compensation and the likelihood that managers are allowed to waive income-increasing misstatements when the company reports just missing, meeting, or beating its analyst forecast. These findings illustrate agency conflicts that can arise when compensating audit committees with options. We obtain these results while controlling for CEO option compensation and audit committee characteristics, along with indicators of corporate governance, auditor incentives, and company characteristics. Data Availability: Data used in the study are available from public sources

The impact of audit committee characteristics on internal audit professionalization: empirical evidence from Greece

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Vadasi ◽  
Michalis Bekiaris ◽  
Andreas G. Koutoupis
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the association between audit committee characteristics and internal audit quality through internal audit professionalization. Design/methodology/approach The investigation of the research question was based on 45 usable responses that were received from a survey of chief audit executives from firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange and combined with publicly available information from annual reports. Findings The results indicate that audit committee characteristics (independence, diligence through frequent meetings and interaction with internal audit through valuation) influence internal audit professionalization. In addition, they demonstrate that internal audit professionalization is also influenced by CEO duality and firm’s external auditor. Practical implications The findings of this study have implications for audit committees wishing to improve their overall effectiveness, by identifying areas with substantial impact on internal audit quality. Moreover, regulators of corporate governance bodies can also benefit from the results to strengthen audit committee’s efficiency regarding internal audit function oversight. Originality/value The results add to the literature on the discussion of internal audit professionalization and complement the work of other researchers in the field of audit committee’s impact on internal audit quality/effectiveness. This study attempts to fill a gap in the literature on the effect of audit committee characteristics on internal audit professionalization, an element introduced from an institutional theory perspective.

The Impact on Auditor Judgments of CEO Influence on Audit Committee Independence

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 129-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey R. Cohen ◽  
Lisa Milici Gaynor ◽  
Ganesh Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Arnold M. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Undue Influence ◽  
Management Incentives ◽  
Auditor Judgments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Of

SUMMARY Despite the importance of audit committee independence in ensuring the integrity of the financial reporting process, recent research suggests that even when audit committees meet regulatory independence requirements, certain factors, such as undue influence by the CEO over the selection of the audit committee, may diminish the ability of its members to be substantively independent. This study investigates whether auditors consider CEO influence over audit committee independence when making audit judgments where management's incentives to manage earnings differ. In an experiment, we find that audit partners and managers waive a larger amount of a proposed audit adjustment when management's incentives for earnings management are low than when incentives are high. However, when management incentives are high, auditors are less likely to waive as much of an adjustment when the CEO has less influence over the audit committee's independence than when the CEO's influence is greater. In all, the results support our expectations that auditors consider CEO influence on audit committee independence in the resolution of contentious accounting issues. Data Availability: Contact the authors.

scholarly journals INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL DISCLOSURES AND AUDIT COMPONENTS IN NON-DISCRETIONARY INCOME

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Saarce Elsye Hatane ◽  
Dewi Rembulan ◽  
Josua Tarigan
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Random Effect Model ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Net Income ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to determine the relationship of Intellectual Capital Disclosures (ICD), audit committee characteristics (size, gender, education, expertise), and audit quality toward the performance of the company measured through Non-Discretionary Net Income (NDNI) and Cash Flow Operation (CFO). This study is conducted on service listed companies in the Indonesia Stock Exchange (Service Industry) from 2010 to 2016 by panel data regression method analyzed using random effect model. The results of this study indicate that components in ICD have no significant impact on firm performance. Some components in the audit committees are found to have significant positive relationship towards financial performance. The empirical results suggest that ICD serve as a tool in aiding firm performance. A corporation should practice ICD extensively to enjoy the impact on the firm performance and value. Most research studies the relationship between intellectual capital disclosures and board diversity toward firm performance individually. The interaction of intellectual capital disclosures and audit committee characteristics is analyzed and studied to see whether audit committee characteristics is a factor that can help and improve the effectiveness of firm performance. Audit quality is also being analyzed and being taken into consideration as a variable. This is the first study to find the relationship towards the firm performance using NDNI and CFO as the dependent variables

scholarly journals Presence of Quality of Audit Committee and Organization’s Monetary Data: An In-depth Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-91
Author(s):  
Ashfaque Ali Banbhan ◽  
Najia Shaikh ◽  
Khalid Hussain Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Audit Process ◽  
Depth Analysis

All financial regulatory institutions legally bound their listed companies todisclose the information regarding the formulation of their audit committees.This study quantitatively investigates whether the quality of the auditcommittees affects the quality of a firm’s financial information. Using the dataof publicly listed non-financial companies of Pakistan Stock Exchange, thisresearch found a positive association between audit committee qualitymeasures and the firm’s quality of reported earnings. This study extends theunderstanding of measures for audit committee quality to stabilize thefinancial reporting process as it relates to the ongoing discussion byresearchers and financial regulators. Additionally, the study also increasesthe understanding of the concept of external audit quality for various partieswhich are involved in deliverance of good corporate governance practices; forexample, audit committees, external auditors, corporate boards, and topmanagement team. The study also explores the influencing factors, internal aswell as external, in the audit process by constructing its meaning andexplaining its practical importance. This detailed exploration andinvestigation into the procedures of audit quality are vital because auditing isthe process through which numbers in financial reports are checked and reevaluated for any potential clerical errors and omissions

scholarly journals Family control, audit committees and audit fees

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney Leung ◽  
Ran Wang
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Audit Risk ◽  
Family Control ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the impact of family control on audit effort and audit risk as proxied by audit fees, the relation between the quality of the audit committee (AC) and audit fees, and how family control influences the association between AC quality and audit fees. Using a sample of Hong Kong companies from the 2005/06 fiscal year, we find that family-controlled firms have lower audit fees. The results also show a positive association between AC quality and audit fees in Hong Kong. Moreover, the association of higher AC quality with higher audit fees is stronger in family-controlled firms than in non-family-controlled firms. Collectively, our findings suggest that audit committees in family-controlled firms require a higher degree of external audit effort than do those in non-familycontrolled firms.

scholarly journals Audit Committee Effectiveness and Audit Fee among Listed Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Abdulrasaq Mustapha ◽  
Abdulrauf O. Isiaka ◽  
Kudirat A. Babatunde
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
P Value ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Audit Fee

The persistent cases of corporate accounting scandals which have rocked the Nigerian banking sector in spite of auditor certification of financial statements as free from material error have raised concern not only on the effectiveness of audit committees but also on audit services despite the huge amount charged on their clients. Hence, this study examined the effect of audit committee effectiveness on audit fee of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. Using an ex-post facto research design, the data sourced through the annual reports of twelve (12) banks for the period between 2012 and 2018 were analysed using random-effect regression analysis. The result of the study revealed that audit committee effectiveness proxy with audit committee audit committee expertise (t-value =3.22 & p-value = 0.000), audit committee diligence (t-value = 3.57, & p-value = 0.000) and audit committee gender diversity (t-value = 3.85 & p-value =0.000) has significant positive effect on audit fee of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. This implies that an effective audit committee would demand for high audit quality service from the auditor, thereby increasing the audit efforts and time which subsequently result to higher audit fee. The study concluded that an effective audit committee would demand high audit service from the external auditor thereby ensuring that the financial statement published is relevant and of faithful representation.

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