scholarly journals Determinants of Audit Committees Effectiveness in Enhancing Compliance With Regulations: Evidence From Saudi Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 438
Author(s):  
Ali A. Alnodel
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Resource Dependence ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Resource Dependence Theory ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Financial Expertise ◽  
Dependence Theory ◽  
Governance Practices

This paper aims to investigate how effective audit committees are in ensuring compliance with regulations in the Saudi context. Particularly, it examines whether there is an association between the value of fines imposed by the Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA) and the size, frequency of meeting, and the financial expertise of the audit committee. Other variables have also been incorporated to control for possible effects, particularly size, leverage, ROA, age of the company, and year of fines. Data has been collected from the archives of CMA and from the annual reports of listed companies from 2014 to 2016. In total, 360 year-observations relating to 120 non-financial listed companies were analyzed among which 95 fines and actions imposed by CMA. The results suggest that the size and financial expertise of the audit committee and the leverage of the company and years of fines have significant association with the value of the fines imposed by CMA. In contrast, the regression analysis does not show significant association between the frequency of meeting of the audit committee and other controlled variables on the value of the fines imposed by CMA. These results suggest that the availability of resources to the audit committee, as suggested by the resource dependence theory, has a significant impact on its effectiveness. Regulators and companies could benefit from these findings to enhance compliance with regulations and to improve the role of audit committees. Moreover, these findings could be valuable to strengthen corporate governance practices in similar emerging markets.

Internal Audit's Role in GHG Emissions and Energy Reporting: Evidence from Audit Committees, Senior Accountants, and Internal Auditors

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Trotman ◽  
Ken T. Trotman
Keyword(s):  
Agency Theory ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Resource Dependence ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Resource Dependence Theory ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Internal Auditors

SUMMARY Internationally, disclosures related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy usage have increased dramatically due to trends toward increased sustainability reporting, growing concerns about climate change, and the introduction of new legislation and taxes. Audit committees, management, internal auditors, external auditors, and other stakeholders all have a potential role in relation to GHG disclosures. Our study addresses the role of internal auditors. We conducted 29 interviews with senior audit committee members, senior accountants, in-house internal auditors, and partners specializing in internal audit from the major accounting firms. These interviews allowed us to gain insights into the present role of internal auditors in GHG/energy reporting, the factors explaining internal audit's role, and the future role of internal audit. In addition, audit committee members describe their present involvement in GHG/energy reporting. We consider the consistency of our findings with three corporate governance theories (agency theory, institutional theory, and resource dependence theory). Although our results support the importance of effective monitoring consistent with agency theory, no one theory fully explains our results.

Audit committee effectiveness and financial reporting timeliness

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Atef Oussii ◽  
Neila Boulila Taktak
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Expertise ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there is any relationship between the effectiveness of an audit committee and the financial reporting timeliness of Tunisian listed companies as proxied by external audit delay (AD). Analysis focuses on five audit committee characteristics: authority, financial expertise, independence, size and diligence. Design/methodology/approach Empirical tests address 162 firm-year observations drawn from Tunisian listed companies during 2011-2013. Findings Multivariate analyses indicate that audit committees with members who have financial expertise are significantly associated with shorter AD. Thus, the results suggest that audit committee financial expertise contributes to the improvement of financial statements’ timeliness. Research limitations/implications The audit committee attributes examined in this study were based on DeZoort et al. (2002) framework. There could be other aspects of audit committee effectiveness such as audit committee tenure and audit committee chair characteristics, which were not addressed in the present study. Thus, future research may consider and examine these other components of audit committee effectiveness. Practical implications Findings have managerial implications. Companies can re-look into how to further improve audit committee composition in order to enhance the timeliness of financial reporting. The issues of audit committee effectiveness and timely reporting also affect regulators and policy makers since they need to play a role in the establishment of effective audit committees and the improvement of financial reporting timeliness. Originality/value This study is one of few that have examined the impact of audit committee effectiveness on ADs in an emerging market country. Findings lend credence to the belief that audit committee members’ financial expertise enhances the quality of financial reporting by firms in a North African market criticized for the lack of maturity of its corporate governance system (Klibi, 2015; Fitch Ratings, 2009).

A theoretical and econometric evaluation of corporate governance and capital structure in JSE-listed companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1063-1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navitha Singh Sewpersadh
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Capital Structure ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Ceo Duality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Director Ownership

PurposeA vital resource for attracting investments and boosting economic growth is compliance with corporate-governance practices. To achieve firm growth, businesses often rely on leverage as a source of finance, which has tax-saving benefits but could attract financial distress costs. In this context, this study aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance and the use of debt financing in Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)-listed companies.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a six-year period to examine 713 annual reports in an unbalanced panel of 130 JSE-listed companies from 2011 to 2016. The empirical econometric methodology used was the two-step difference generalised method of moments estimation model, which is robust in controlling endogeneity and potential bi-directional causality between leverage and corporate governance.FindingsThis study illustrated that corporate governance practices and firm-specific variables such as profitability, firm size and firm age have a significant influence on the capital structure decisions of JSE-listed firms. This study found support for four out of the six hypotheses. CEO duality and director ownership are positively correlated with leverage, whereas audit committee independence and board size are negatively correlated with leverage. This study also found contraventions of board independence, audit committee independence and CEO duality. The technology sector was the least compliant, with only 40 per cent of their boards being independent. The consumer-services sector had the maximum presence of CEO duality (7 per cent). The industrial sector had the highest average director ownership (18 per cent). The heath-care sector had 28 per cent of their audit committees in contravention of the independence rule.Practical implicationsA useful analysis of the theoretical frameworks used by academic writers are provided. This study revealed the governance practices contravened by the relevant sectors, as well as the associations between corporate governance and leverage.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature on capital structure and corporate governance by an emerging economy such as South Africa (SA) which has not been explored. This study’s results have key implications for policy-makers, practitioners, investors and regulatory authorities. This study informs these constituencies about a set of governance attributes that are catalysts and/or inhibitors of leverage.

scholarly journals The Effect of Audit Committee Characteristics on the Profitability: Panel Data Evidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Yazan Oroud
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Agency Theory ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Resource Dependence ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Fixed Effect Model ◽  
Resource Dependence Theory ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Industrial Firms ◽  
Industrial Companies

This study attempts to investigat the relationship between audit committee characteristics (size, independence, meeting and financial expertise) and the profitability of industrial companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) for the years 2013 to 2017. The model of this study is theoretically founded on both the agency theory and the resource dependence theory. To examine the developed model, the data were gathered from the annual reports of 51 listed industrial firms. To analyse the data, this study utilized the panel data methodology on 51companies with 255 observations. Moreover, this study used company size and leverage as control variables. Based on the panel data results, the fixed-effect model was used to examine the effect of the experimental variables on profitability, measured by return on investment (ROI) and return on equity (ROE). The results show that the audit committee characteristics have a significant effect on profitability of the industrial companies listed on the ASE. This study evinces that the RD theory is more significant compared to the agency theory when describing CG practices in Jordan.

scholarly journals Audit Committee Effectiveness and Earnings Management Among Publicly Listed Firms in Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-44
Author(s):  
Collins Kapkiyai ◽  
Josephat Cheboi ◽  
Joyce Komen
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Expertise ◽  
Financial Scandals ◽  
Practical Implications

Objective: The paper sought to investigate the role of an effective audit committee in controlling earnings management practices. Design / Methodology: A panel data sourced from the audited financial reports of firms listed at the Kenyan Nairobi Securities Exchange for the periods between 2004 and 2017 were analyzed using a panel regression model. Findings: Audit committee effectiveness proved an important monitoring mechanism for earnings management. The independence, Meeting frequency, and financial expertise of the audit committee evidenced a negative and significant effect on earnings management. Practical Implications: Firms need to ensure that their audit committees operate effectively. This is achieved through enhancing their independence, ensuring optimal meeting frequency, and a higher number of members with financial expertise for fewer earnings management. Originality: The paper suggests the ways through which audit committee effectiveness can be enhanced to reduce earnings management amid rampant global financial scandals.

Voluntary adoption of AAOIFI disclosure standards for takaful operators: the role of governance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahru Azwa Mohd Zain ◽  
Wan Amalina Wan Abdullah ◽  
Majella Percy
Keyword(s):  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Supervisory Board ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Voluntary Adoption

Purpose This paper aims to determine the role governance plays in the voluntary adoption of Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) Disclosure Standards by Islamic insurance (takaful) operators in the Southeast Asia (SEA) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a sample of 44 takaful operators in the SEA and the GCC regions. While corporate governance (CG) strength is measured by the use of the frequently examined variables of the board of directors and audit committee, Shari’ah governance strength is measured by the characteristics of the Shari’ah Supervisory Board (SSB). Content analysis is used to extract disclosure items from the 2014 annual reports. Agency theory, stakeholder theory and political economy theory are argued to support the hypotheses. Findings The results show that CG strength has a positive and significant effect on the voluntary adoption of AAOIFI Disclosure Standards by takaful operators, indicating that CG plays an important role in the disclosure of information in the annual reports of takaful operators. However, the results show a lack of association between SSB strength and voluntary adoption of AAOIFI Disclosure Standards. Our results suggest that the SSBs may not be as involved as the other CG mechanisms (such as a board of directors and audit committees) in reviewing financial reports. On another note, the level of the political right and civil liberties has a negative and significant effect on the voluntary adoption of AAOIFI Disclosure Standards, providing an indication that stakeholders in a community with greater freedom tend to be more active in pressuring takaful operators to provide more information to justify their existence in the community. Similar to SSB strength, the legal system is also found to have no significant association with the voluntary adoption of the AAOIFI disclosure standards. Practical implications This study provides stakeholders with a tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the governance role in increasing the transparency of takaful operators by examining the governance factors using a self-constructed disclosure index. Originality/value Our study is among the first to provide an in-depth analysis of voluntary adoption of AAOIFI Disclosure Standards for takaful operators in these two regions; therefore, this study has implications for regulators and standard setters. The findings of this study are expected to provide information to regulators and standard setters on the role of governance in improving the transparency of takaful operators.

Audit Committee and Tax Planning Of Listed Firms: Evidence from Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-115
Author(s):  
B. Tijjani ◽  
Z. Peter
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Tax Planning ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Executive Directors ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Financial Expertise ◽  
Negative Effect

This study investigates the effect of audit committee on tax planning of listed non-financial firms in Nigeria. It aims at finding out the audit committee structure that improves tax planning thereby reducing tax liability of the firms. Data for the study were extracted from annual reports and accounts of the sampled non-financial companies for a period of ten years (2008 – 2017). The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics to provide summary statistics for the variables, and correlation analysis was carried out using Pearson product-moment correlation to determine the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Regression analysis was also conducted. The study reveals that the audit committee's compositions, frequency of meetings, and financial expertise have a negative effect on tax planning of listed non-financial firms in Nigeria. In addition, profitability shows a positive and significant effect on tax planning, and leverage has a negative effect. Theoretically, the study is significant for its contribution to agency and stakeholder theories as they explain relationship between corporate governance and tax planning. The findings have implications for the various stakeholders of listed non-financial firms in Nigeria. They should be assured of tax planning for companies who have a good number of non-executive directors in audit committees, frequent meetings which are attended by members, and financial experts. Keywords: Tax planning, audit committee, corporate governance, tax expenses, non-executive directors.

The role of audit committee attributes in corporate sustainability reporting

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Buallay ◽  
Jasim Al-Ajmi
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disclosure Requirements ◽  
Sustainability Disclosure ◽  
Financial Expertise ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extent to which sustainability reporting by banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is affected by the attributes of audit committees. Design/methodology/approach The research is positivist and quantitative, based on a cross-sectional and time series analysis of 59 banks from 2013 to 2017. A multivariate model is used to investigate the impact of selected audit committee attributes (financial expertise, size, members’ independence and meeting frequency) on sustainability reporting. The model is built on agency, legitimacy, resources and stakeholders theories. Findings In contrast to the hypothesis, the authors report a negative association between financial expertise and sustainability reporting. Members’ independence and meeting frequency play a positive role in determining the extent of disclosure. The control variables (bank size, age and auditor type) are positively associated with corporate sustainability reporting. Research limitations/implications The main limitations of this study are related to the chosen attributes of audit committee and do not consider the board’s attributes. However, the authors believe these limitations do not affect the findings. Future research that includes more attributes when they became available will offer more insights into the role of audit committees on sustainability disclosure of financial institutions. Overcoming these limitations may make the results more generalizable. Practical implications The results of this study have important implications for regulators, bank management, investors and creditors. For regulators, in the countries of the GCC and in countries like them, the findings reveal the importance of disclosure requirements. The development of disclosure requirements is likely to improve corporate sustainability reporting and reduce variations in the extent of disclosure among banks. Banks could use these results to improve their reporting to outsiders. For creditors and investors, the study improves their awareness of the importance of corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and environmental information on credit and investment decisions and encourages banks to improve their disclosures of non-financial information. Originality/value This research makes a contribution to the scarce literature on sustainability reporting by banks, especially in an environment where capital markets lack active institutional investors, where regulators play the dominant role in determining the extent of disclosure and where banks are the main source of external finance for the corporate sector.

scholarly journals Corporate governance, ownership, company structure and environmental disclosure: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murya Habbash
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Iso 26000 ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
One Year

This study examines the Environmental Disclosure (ED) practices in Saudi Arabia and the potential relationship with Corporate Governance (CG) , ownership and company structure, following the application of the Saudi 2006 CG code in 2007. The study deepens the understanding of ED and its main determinants in one of the largest economies in the Middle East. A self-constructed ED checklist, based on ISO 26000, is used. We employ regression and content analyses to examine a sample of 267 annual reports covering the period 2007-2011. The analysis finds that the average ED has improved following the application of the Saudi 2006 CG code to 30%, more than double the 14.61% found by Al-Janadi et al. (2013) during 2006-2007. The analysis also finds that audit committee effectiveness, role duality, state and institutional ownerships, firm profitability, and industry sensitivity positively affect ED. However, board independence, family ownership, and firm size are found not to be significant determinants, while a negative significant correlation was found with firm leverage. The results imply that CG regulators and stakeholders should acknowledge the importance of active audit committees comprising relevant experts and independent directors, in addition to the role of state and institutional ownership in enhancing ED. The study covers a five-year period, contrary to the majority of ED studies which focus on only one year. The study helps to fill the gap in ED literature in developing countries. Finally, the study provides a recent evaluation for the Saudi CG code recently applied in 2007.

scholarly journals Audit committees in listed companies: an international comparison of composition and meetings

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-85
Author(s):  
Esmée Van Gansbeke ◽  
Patricia Everaert ◽  
Gerrit Sarens ◽  
Ignace De Beelde
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Internal Auditor ◽  
Corporate Governance Codes ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

This paper compares the number of audit committee (AC) members, meeting frequency and the presence of internal auditors at AC meetings of listed companies according to their country of domicile. We consider the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, France and Belgium. Hypotheses are developed based on differences in corporate governance codes. Data are gathered from annual reports of 100 listed companies in these countries. Our results indicate fewer AC members in the Netherlands, and a higher frequency of AC meetings in the UK and Belgium, countries where corporate governance codes do not proscribe a minimum number of meetings. The presence of an internal auditor at AC meetings was, on average, highest for firms listed in the USA.

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