Pub Date : 2023-04-25DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-04-2022-0070
Ling Tuo, Shipeng Han, Z. Rezaee, Ji Yu
Purpose This study aims to address the unanswered question of whether corporate sustainability has an impact on auditors’ overall judgment and to provide incremental evidence that corporate sustainability reporting has significant effect on financial auditors’ judgment. Design/methodology/approach Following prior research, the authors, respectively, apply auditors’ decisions on going-concern opinions and three discretionary accrual measures as proxies for auditor conservatism over financial risk and financial reporting risk. The authors collect corporate sustainability reporting and sustainability assurance data of U.S. firms from the global reporting initiative (GRI) database to construct and measure firms’ sustainability reporting activities. Findings The authors find that nonreporting firms are more likely to receive going-concern opinions than the reporting firms. In addition, reporting firms have a larger scale of discretionary accruals than their nonreporting counterparts. The authors also obtain consistent findings that sustainability assurance or accounting assurance providers strengthen the effect of sustainability reporting on auditors’ judgment. Research limitations/implications First, using discretionary accruals as measures of auditor conservatism is controversial, as accruals are the joint product by auditors and clients. Second, binary variables as a measure of sustainability reporting activities limit the inference. Lastly, the findings based on limited samples may weaken the external validity. Practical implications The findings imply that firms engaging in sustainability activities are lower in financial or financial reporting risk. Firms can influence audit practitioners’ overall judgment through sustainability reports. Sustainability commitments and reporting have become a part of firms’ risk management. Social implications The findings imply that sustainability reporting could become an integrated part of regulated corporate disclosure. Sustainability assurance reduces social costs by lending credibility to sustainability reports. Originality/value This paper provides incremental evidence that sustainability reports provide useful information and signals that influence auditors’ professional judgment. The findings also suggest that sustainability assurance strengthens auditors’ confidence in using sustainability information, thus amplifying the effect of sustainability reporting on auditors’ judgment.
{"title":"What does corporate sustainability reporting imply to auditors? Evidence from going-concern opinions and discretionary accruals","authors":"Ling Tuo, Shipeng Han, Z. Rezaee, Ji Yu","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-04-2022-0070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-04-2022-0070","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to address the unanswered question of whether corporate sustainability has an impact on auditors’ overall judgment and to provide incremental evidence that corporate sustainability reporting has significant effect on financial auditors’ judgment.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Following prior research, the authors, respectively, apply auditors’ decisions on going-concern opinions and three discretionary accrual measures as proxies for auditor conservatism over financial risk and financial reporting risk. The authors collect corporate sustainability reporting and sustainability assurance data of U.S. firms from the global reporting initiative (GRI) database to construct and measure firms’ sustainability reporting activities.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The authors find that nonreporting firms are more likely to receive going-concern opinions than the reporting firms. In addition, reporting firms have a larger scale of discretionary accruals than their nonreporting counterparts. The authors also obtain consistent findings that sustainability assurance or accounting assurance providers strengthen the effect of sustainability reporting on auditors’ judgment.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000First, using discretionary accruals as measures of auditor conservatism is controversial, as accruals are the joint product by auditors and clients. Second, binary variables as a measure of sustainability reporting activities limit the inference. Lastly, the findings based on limited samples may weaken the external validity.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000The findings imply that firms engaging in sustainability activities are lower in financial or financial reporting risk. Firms can influence audit practitioners’ overall judgment through sustainability reports. Sustainability commitments and reporting have become a part of firms’ risk management.\u0000\u0000\u0000Social implications\u0000The findings imply that sustainability reporting could become an integrated part of regulated corporate disclosure. Sustainability assurance reduces social costs by lending credibility to sustainability reports.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This paper provides incremental evidence that sustainability reports provide useful information and signals that influence auditors’ professional judgment. The findings also suggest that sustainability assurance strengthens auditors’ confidence in using sustainability information, thus amplifying the effect of sustainability reporting on auditors’ judgment.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132233041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-18DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0203
M. Nnadi, Atis Keskudee, W. Amaewhule
Purpose This paper examines the impact of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 9 on earnings management (EM) using data from 2011 to 2019 of 100 commercial banks in Europe. Design/methodology/approach Using data from 2011 to 2019 of 100 commercial banks in Europe, the authors conducted several empirical investigations to test the mediating role of IFRS 9 on earnings manipulation through loan loss provision (LLP) by banks. Findings The result shows that the new accounting standards (IFRS 9) significantly affect the way banks report LLP. This paper provides evidence that non-listed banks in the EU engage in EM through LLP following IFRS 9 but experience less volatility of net income following the adoption. The findings indicate that such behaviour by banks cannot be suppressed by level of audit quality; suggesting that an improvement in accounting standards might not always guarantee accounting quality. Originality/value This finding has some policy implications; and regulators will need to identify additional tools to regulate or supervise EM behaviour.
{"title":"IFRS 9 and earnings management: the case of European commercial banks","authors":"M. Nnadi, Atis Keskudee, W. Amaewhule","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0203","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper examines the impact of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 9 on earnings management (EM) using data from 2011 to 2019 of 100 commercial banks in Europe.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Using data from 2011 to 2019 of 100 commercial banks in Europe, the authors conducted several empirical investigations to test the mediating role of IFRS 9 on earnings manipulation through loan loss provision (LLP) by banks.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The result shows that the new accounting standards (IFRS 9) significantly affect the way banks report LLP. This paper provides evidence that non-listed banks in the EU engage in EM through LLP following IFRS 9 but experience less volatility of net income following the adoption. The findings indicate that such behaviour by banks cannot be suppressed by level of audit quality; suggesting that an improvement in accounting standards might not always guarantee accounting quality.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This finding has some policy implications; and regulators will need to identify additional tools to regulate or supervise EM behaviour.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127645868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-28DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0184
Ernest Ezeani, R. Salem, M. Usman, Frank O. Kwabi, Bilal
Purpose Prior studies suggest that corporate cash holding will reflect firms' corporate governance (CG) environment. Consistent with this prediction, this study aims to examine the impact of board characteristics on firms' cash holding in the UK, France and Germany. Design/methodology/approach Using 2,805 firm-year observations between 2009 and 2019, the authors examine the relationship between board characteristics and corporate cash holding. The authors used two measures of cash holdings as our dependent variables. As independent variables, the authors used CG characteristics relevant to effective board monitoring such as board meetings, outside directors, board size and board gender diversity. Findings The authors find that board characteristics influence firms' cash holdings of firms in the UK, France and Germany. However, this study documents evidence of varying impacts of board monitoring on the cash holding of the UK when compared to German and French firms, the countries that are classifiable as bank-based economies. The result of this study is robust to alternative cash-holding measures and endogeneity. Practical implications This study provides evidence supporting the board's impact in mitigating agency conflict in shareholder- and stakeholder-oriented CG environments. Originality/value This study contributes to previous works on firms’ financial orientation by showing that the impact of board characteristics on corporate cash holdings varies between bank- and market-based economies.
{"title":"Board characteristics and corporate cash holding: evidence from the UK, France and Germany","authors":"Ernest Ezeani, R. Salem, M. Usman, Frank O. Kwabi, Bilal","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0184","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0184","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Prior studies suggest that corporate cash holding will reflect firms' corporate governance (CG) environment. Consistent with this prediction, this study aims to examine the impact of board characteristics on firms' cash holding in the UK, France and Germany.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Using 2,805 firm-year observations between 2009 and 2019, the authors examine the relationship between board characteristics and corporate cash holding. The authors used two measures of cash holdings as our dependent variables. As independent variables, the authors used CG characteristics relevant to effective board monitoring such as board meetings, outside directors, board size and board gender diversity.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The authors find that board characteristics influence firms' cash holdings of firms in the UK, France and Germany. However, this study documents evidence of varying impacts of board monitoring on the cash holding of the UK when compared to German and French firms, the countries that are classifiable as bank-based economies. The result of this study is robust to alternative cash-holding measures and endogeneity.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000This study provides evidence supporting the board's impact in mitigating agency conflict in shareholder- and stakeholder-oriented CG environments.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This study contributes to previous works on firms’ financial orientation by showing that the impact of board characteristics on corporate cash holdings varies between bank- and market-based economies.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129000525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-27DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0204
Ahmed Aboud, Babangida Haruna, A. Diab
Purpose This paper aims to examine the association between income smoothing and the cost of debt in two different countries, namely, the UK and Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a sample from listed firms in the UK and Nigeria during 2000–2019. The study hypotheses are examined by implementing quantitative methods, including panel regression analysis, cross-sectional regression analysis and parametric independent samples t-test. Findings The results reveal that Nigerian companies have a substantially higher cost of debt and are more active in using income-smoothing practices. However, the relationship between income smoothing and the cost of debt is not found to be statistically significant in both countries. Besides, the results of this study show that financial leverage, profitability, company size and asset turnover are significantly associated with the cost of debt. Originality/value The study contributes to the existing literature by providing new insights concerning the contrast between developed and developing countries in financial and reporting issues.
{"title":"The relationship between income smoothing and the cost of debt: evidence from the United Kingdom and Nigeria","authors":"Ahmed Aboud, Babangida Haruna, A. Diab","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0204","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to examine the association between income smoothing and the cost of debt in two different countries, namely, the UK and Nigeria.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The authors used a sample from listed firms in the UK and Nigeria during 2000–2019. The study hypotheses are examined by implementing quantitative methods, including panel regression analysis, cross-sectional regression analysis and parametric independent samples t-test.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The results reveal that Nigerian companies have a substantially higher cost of debt and are more active in using income-smoothing practices. However, the relationship between income smoothing and the cost of debt is not found to be statistically significant in both countries. Besides, the results of this study show that financial leverage, profitability, company size and asset turnover are significantly associated with the cost of debt.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The study contributes to the existing literature by providing new insights concerning the contrast between developed and developing countries in financial and reporting issues.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131184709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-14DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-10-2022-0226
Waleed S. Alruwaili, Abdullahi D. Ahmed, M. Joshi
Purpose Under a gradual long-term plan of the Saudi Stock Market (TADWUAL) from 2016, Saudi Arabia decided to work with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) board to fully adopt its accounting standards. Saudi Arabia has undergone several reforms in governance and standards of internal controls are changing rapidly. This study aims to assess whether IFRS adoption has any moderator role in the relationship between disclosure quality and firm-specific characteristics in the Saudi Stock Market. Design/methodology/approach This study assesses whether IFRS adoption has any moderator role in the relationship between disclosure quality and firm-specific characteristics in the Saudi Stock Market. The key research hypotheses postulate that compared to IFRS status, after adoption, several independent variables influence the disclosure level. The analysis covers a local sample of 184 Saudi listed firms over the period 2016 to 2020. Using an in-depth content analysis technique, the voluntary disclosure and number of annual report pages are measured manually and year by year to capture levels and unique characteristics. The authors apply cross-sectional regression, first difference method, Pooled OLS and feasible general least square estimations. The mean of disclosure level increases from 33.03% in 2016 to 56.14% in 2020. Findings The results reveal that the vast majority of firm-specific characteristics were significant in pre-IFRS adoption period. First difference analysis shows a significant impact of firm size and non-executive composition on the disclosure level. The authors confirm that IFRS adoption plays a critical role in the quality of firms’ financial reports and supports to create a conducive economic environment in Saudi Arabia. Practical implications First, the implementation of IFRS adoption should impact the Saudi accounting information and disclosure quality in Saudi context markedly. Second, firm-specific characteristics align with corporate governance are the main determinants of accounting information and transparency; therefore, focusing on this angle enables regulators and policymakers to mitigate uncertainty and asymmetric information. Third, the findings of this research state that there is a negative relationship between disclosure quality and board meetings. This encourages policymakers to reconsider the number of board meetings in firms that was not as high as in the developed markets. Notwithstanding all previous implications, it is recommended that future research undertake a various quasi-experimental design such as a difference-in-difference approach to estimate the causal effect of corporate governance mechanisms on IFRS 7 mandatory disclosure requirements on in Saudi Arabia context. Social implications There is a lack of studies on this realm and such as these studies will enrich the understanding of aspects of IFRS adoption and contribute to the prior empirical literature. Importantly, the extend of th
{"title":"IFRS adoption, firms’ investment efficiency and financial reporting quality: a new empirical assessment of moderating effects from Saudi listed firms","authors":"Waleed S. Alruwaili, Abdullahi D. Ahmed, M. Joshi","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-10-2022-0226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-10-2022-0226","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Under a gradual long-term plan of the Saudi Stock Market (TADWUAL) from 2016, Saudi Arabia decided to work with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) board to fully adopt its accounting standards. Saudi Arabia has undergone several reforms in governance and standards of internal controls are changing rapidly. This study aims to assess whether IFRS adoption has any moderator role in the relationship between disclosure quality and firm-specific characteristics in the Saudi Stock Market.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This study assesses whether IFRS adoption has any moderator role in the relationship between disclosure quality and firm-specific characteristics in the Saudi Stock Market. The key research hypotheses postulate that compared to IFRS status, after adoption, several independent variables influence the disclosure level. The analysis covers a local sample of 184 Saudi listed firms over the period 2016 to 2020. Using an in-depth content analysis technique, the voluntary disclosure and number of annual report pages are measured manually and year by year to capture levels and unique characteristics. The authors apply cross-sectional regression, first difference method, Pooled OLS and feasible general least square estimations. The mean of disclosure level increases from 33.03% in 2016 to 56.14% in 2020.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The results reveal that the vast majority of firm-specific characteristics were significant in pre-IFRS adoption period. First difference analysis shows a significant impact of firm size and non-executive composition on the disclosure level. The authors confirm that IFRS adoption plays a critical role in the quality of firms’ financial reports and supports to create a conducive economic environment in Saudi Arabia.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000First, the implementation of IFRS adoption should impact the Saudi accounting information and disclosure quality in Saudi context markedly. Second, firm-specific characteristics align with corporate governance are the main determinants of accounting information and transparency; therefore, focusing on this angle enables regulators and policymakers to mitigate uncertainty and asymmetric information. Third, the findings of this research state that there is a negative relationship between disclosure quality and board meetings. This encourages policymakers to reconsider the number of board meetings in firms that was not as high as in the developed markets. Notwithstanding all previous implications, it is recommended that future research undertake a various quasi-experimental design such as a difference-in-difference approach to estimate the causal effect of corporate governance mechanisms on IFRS 7 mandatory disclosure requirements on in Saudi Arabia context.\u0000\u0000\u0000Social implications\u0000There is a lack of studies on this realm and such as these studies will enrich the understanding of aspects of IFRS adoption and contribute to the prior empirical literature. Importantly, the extend of th","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117024159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-08DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-07-2022-0156
Mohamed A. Saleh, Yasmine M. Magdi
Purpose This paper aims to empirically examine the determinants affecting audit fees in the Egyptian context concerning different organizational forms and governance mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts financial and non-financial data from 62 Egyptian firms listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2020. The proposed audit fees model is developed by adopting panel data analysis to examine the effect of auditee, auditor and engagement attributes on audit fees. The validity of the proposed equation for determining audit fees on an annual basis was established by applying the fixed effect model results for the year 2020. Findings The results revealed that the most significant determinants that affect audit fees are liquidity, audit committee independence, audit report lag and the status of the audit firm. Audit fees of 95.7% are determined by these factors. The validation test proved that the proposed model was more accurate and closer to the estimated data at nearly 90.2%. Practical implications The results of this paper would send early signals to audit firms, stakeholders and regulators regarding the determinants of audit fees, and provide an objective standard for fee-setting to be used by stock market regulators and professional bodies, in determining a minimum amount of audit fees that ensure a reasonable level of audit quality. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, this paper empirically examines the determinants of audit fees in an emerging market like Egypt and presents evidence for a period of six years.
{"title":"Determining audit fees: evidence from the Egyptian stock market","authors":"Mohamed A. Saleh, Yasmine M. Magdi","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-07-2022-0156","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-07-2022-0156","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to empirically examine the determinants affecting audit fees in the Egyptian context concerning different organizational forms and governance mechanisms.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This study adopts financial and non-financial data from 62 Egyptian firms listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2020. The proposed audit fees model is developed by adopting panel data analysis to examine the effect of auditee, auditor and engagement attributes on audit fees. The validity of the proposed equation for determining audit fees on an annual basis was established by applying the fixed effect model results for the year 2020.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The results revealed that the most significant determinants that affect audit fees are liquidity, audit committee independence, audit report lag and the status of the audit firm. Audit fees of 95.7% are determined by these factors. The validation test proved that the proposed model was more accurate and closer to the estimated data at nearly 90.2%.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000The results of this paper would send early signals to audit firms, stakeholders and regulators regarding the determinants of audit fees, and provide an objective standard for fee-setting to be used by stock market regulators and professional bodies, in determining a minimum amount of audit fees that ensure a reasonable level of audit quality.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, this paper empirically examines the determinants of audit fees in an emerging market like Egypt and presents evidence for a period of six years.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121600387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-08DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0180
Redhwan Al-Dhamari, H. Al-Wesabi, O. Farooque, M. Tabash, G. E. El Refae
Purpose The purpose of this study is to empirically examine how the voluntary formation of a specialised investment committee (IC) and IC characteristics affect financial distress risk (FDR) and whether such impact is influenced by the level of investment inefficiency. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a large sample of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) non-financial companies during 2006–2016. A principal component analysis is done to aggregate and derive a factor score for IC characteristics (i.e. independence, size and meeting) as a proxy for the effectiveness of IC. This study also uses three measurements of FDR to corroborate the findings and partitions sample firms into overinvesting and underinvesting companies to examine the potential impact of investment inefficiency on the IC–FDR nexus. Findings Using feasible generalised least square estimation method, the authors document that the likelihood of financial distress occurrence decreases for firms with separate ICs. The authors also find that firms with effective ICs enjoy lower FDR. In other words, the probability of financial distress minimises if the IC is large, meets frequently and has a high number of independent directors. However, the authors find neither any moderation nor any mediation effect of investment inefficiency for the impact of IC and IC attributes on FDR. The additional analysis indicates the expected benefits of an actively performing IC are amplified for firms with risk of both over- and underinvestment. These findings are robust to alternative measures of FDR and investment inefficiency, sub-sample analysis and endogeneity concerns. Originality/value This study, to the best of researchers’ knowledge, is the first to provide evidence in GCC firms’ perspective, suggesting that the existence of an effective IC is associated with a lower risk of financial distress, and to some extent, the economic benefits of IC are aggrandised for companies with a high probability of over- and underinvestment problems. These results are unique and contribute to a small but growing body of literature documenting the need for effective ICs and their economic consequences on investment efficiency in the FDR environment. The findings of this study carry valuable practical implications for regulatory bodies, policymakers, investors and other interested parties in the GCC region.
{"title":"Does investment committee mitigate the risk of financial distress in GCC? The role of investment inefficiency","authors":"Redhwan Al-Dhamari, H. Al-Wesabi, O. Farooque, M. Tabash, G. E. El Refae","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0180","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this study is to empirically examine how the voluntary formation of a specialised investment committee (IC) and IC characteristics affect financial distress risk (FDR) and whether such impact is influenced by the level of investment inefficiency.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The authors use a large sample of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) non-financial companies during 2006–2016. A principal component analysis is done to aggregate and derive a factor score for IC characteristics (i.e. independence, size and meeting) as a proxy for the effectiveness of IC. This study also uses three measurements of FDR to corroborate the findings and partitions sample firms into overinvesting and underinvesting companies to examine the potential impact of investment inefficiency on the IC–FDR nexus.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Using feasible generalised least square estimation method, the authors document that the likelihood of financial distress occurrence decreases for firms with separate ICs. The authors also find that firms with effective ICs enjoy lower FDR. In other words, the probability of financial distress minimises if the IC is large, meets frequently and has a high number of independent directors. However, the authors find neither any moderation nor any mediation effect of investment inefficiency for the impact of IC and IC attributes on FDR. The additional analysis indicates the expected benefits of an actively performing IC are amplified for firms with risk of both over- and underinvestment. These findings are robust to alternative measures of FDR and investment inefficiency, sub-sample analysis and endogeneity concerns.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This study, to the best of researchers’ knowledge, is the first to provide evidence in GCC firms’ perspective, suggesting that the existence of an effective IC is associated with a lower risk of financial distress, and to some extent, the economic benefits of IC are aggrandised for companies with a high probability of over- and underinvestment problems. These results are unique and contribute to a small but growing body of literature documenting the need for effective ICs and their economic consequences on investment efficiency in the FDR environment. The findings of this study carry valuable practical implications for regulatory bodies, policymakers, investors and other interested parties in the GCC region.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"404 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125191341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-18DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0171
Shuming Bai, Kai S. Koong, Yanni Wang
Purpose China adopted its new Accounting Standards for Business Enterprises No. 6 in 2007, which substantially converges with the International Financial Reporting Standards. It stipulates that firms operating in China shall capitalize development costs provided specific criteria have been met. This paper aims to examine the effects of the new accounting policies of R&D on the value-relevance and stock performance of 36,299 Chinese firms-years from 2007 to 2020. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive multi-stage analysis was conducted. Multiple linear regressions were performed on the pooled cross-sectional time-series total R&D, capitalized expenditures, expensed costs and other key financial factors to test for the effects of R&D on the stock prices, contemporaneous stock returns and subsequent stock returns for the full sample, capitalizer sample and expenser sample, respectively. Findings First, majority of Chinese firms (about 80% of those reported) elect to adopt expensing R&D approach, while about 20% deploys capitalization treatment. Second, key attributes such as size, profitability, leverage and R&D intensity are highly associated with capitalization propensity. Third, current capitalization affects the contemporaneous stock prices and stock returns (priced-in) with yearly volatility. Finally, intertemporal association exists between firms’ expensing costs and subsequent returns due to a delayed reaction. Originality/value As the world largest emerging economy, the results show that research and development information adds value, and capitalizers outperforms expensers in the area of stock performance. This strategy works irrespectively of economic development stage or capital market maturity. The findings call for more capitalization.
{"title":"Research and development reporting and stock performance: evidence from China","authors":"Shuming Bai, Kai S. Koong, Yanni Wang","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0171","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000China adopted its new Accounting Standards for Business Enterprises No. 6 in 2007, which substantially converges with the International Financial Reporting Standards. It stipulates that firms operating in China shall capitalize development costs provided specific criteria have been met. This paper aims to examine the effects of the new accounting policies of R&D on the value-relevance and stock performance of 36,299 Chinese firms-years from 2007 to 2020.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000A comprehensive multi-stage analysis was conducted. Multiple linear regressions were performed on the pooled cross-sectional time-series total R&D, capitalized expenditures, expensed costs and other key financial factors to test for the effects of R&D on the stock prices, contemporaneous stock returns and subsequent stock returns for the full sample, capitalizer sample and expenser sample, respectively.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000First, majority of Chinese firms (about 80% of those reported) elect to adopt expensing R&D approach, while about 20% deploys capitalization treatment. Second, key attributes such as size, profitability, leverage and R&D intensity are highly associated with capitalization propensity. Third, current capitalization affects the contemporaneous stock prices and stock returns (priced-in) with yearly volatility. Finally, intertemporal association exists between firms’ expensing costs and subsequent returns due to a delayed reaction.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000As the world largest emerging economy, the results show that research and development information adds value, and capitalizers outperforms expensers in the area of stock performance. This strategy works irrespectively of economic development stage or capital market maturity. The findings call for more capitalization.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134216155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-03DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0195
Xiangyan Shi, Juan Wang, Xiaoyi Ren
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of share pledging by controlling shareholders on earnings informativeness. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 23,120 firm-year observations from 2003 to 2019 in China, this paper examines how share pledging by controlling shareholders affects earnings informativeness, measured by earnings persistence and earnings response coefficients. Findings This paper finds that share pledging by controlling shareholders makes earnings less informative. The adverse impacts are more pronounced when share pledging distorts incentives of controlling shareholders to a greater extent and when the signaling of share pledging about a firm’s weak future performance is stronger. Finally, this paper further shows that the 2018 new regulation on share pledging effectively alleviates the negative impacts of share pledging on earnings informativeness. Originality/value First, this paper adds to the growing literature on the economic consequence of share pledging by documenting the adverse impacts of share pledging on earnings informativeness. The literature on the economic consequence of share pledging is often mixed, which justifies further research on the impacts of share pledging on earnings informativeness. Second, this paper documents a new signaling channel through which share pledging affects earnings informativeness. Third, the finding of this paper on the 2018 new regulation on share pledging may be interesting to research agencies, such as the Chartered Financial analyst institute and Institutional Shareholder Services institute that recommend tightening regulations on share pledging.
{"title":"Share pledging and earnings informativeness","authors":"Xiangyan Shi, Juan Wang, Xiaoyi Ren","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-09-2022-0195","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of share pledging by controlling shareholders on earnings informativeness.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Using a sample of 23,120 firm-year observations from 2003 to 2019 in China, this paper examines how share pledging by controlling shareholders affects earnings informativeness, measured by earnings persistence and earnings response coefficients.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000This paper finds that share pledging by controlling shareholders makes earnings less informative. The adverse impacts are more pronounced when share pledging distorts incentives of controlling shareholders to a greater extent and when the signaling of share pledging about a firm’s weak future performance is stronger. Finally, this paper further shows that the 2018 new regulation on share pledging effectively alleviates the negative impacts of share pledging on earnings informativeness.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000First, this paper adds to the growing literature on the economic consequence of share pledging by documenting the adverse impacts of share pledging on earnings informativeness. The literature on the economic consequence of share pledging is often mixed, which justifies further research on the impacts of share pledging on earnings informativeness. Second, this paper documents a new signaling channel through which share pledging affects earnings informativeness. Third, the finding of this paper on the 2018 new regulation on share pledging may be interesting to research agencies, such as the Chartered Financial analyst institute and Institutional Shareholder Services institute that recommend tightening regulations on share pledging.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"82 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121894747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-14DOI: 10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0178
Mahmoud Elmarzouky, K. Hussainey, Tarek Abdelfattah
Purpose This paper aims to investigate the relationship between key audit matters (KAMs) and audit costs and whether board size and independence affect this relationship. Furthermore, this paper examines the moderating effect of corporate governance on the relationship between KAMs and audit costs. Design/methodology/approach The authors hypothesise that disclosing more KAMs in the audit report is positively associated with audit costs because of the greater effort. The agency theory suggests that firms with good governance will mitigate the agency conflict of interest and improve financial reporting quality. Thus, good governance might moderate the relationship between reported KAMs and audit costs. The authors use a quantitative approach. The authors are using a sample of the UK FTSE all-share non-financial firms from 2014 to 2018 for the UK Financial Times Stock Exchange all-share non-financial firms. Findings The authors provide evidence of a significant positive relationship between KAMs and audit costs. The relationship is relatively higher when considering the independent directors' percentage as a moderating factor. These results came consistent with the agency theory literature. However, the authors found no empirical evidence to support a moderating effect of board size on the relationship between KAMs and audit cost. Practical implications The finding benefits the regulatory setters to better understand the consequences of the new auditing standards. This paper has theoretical and practical implications for regulators, standard setters, professional bodies, shareholders and academics. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature assessing the regulatory changes related to audit reform and adds to the debate on the impact on audit costs. This paper underlines governance factors as a moderating role in this relationship between KAMs and audit costs.
{"title":"The key audit matters and the audit cost: does governance matter?","authors":"Mahmoud Elmarzouky, K. Hussainey, Tarek Abdelfattah","doi":"10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-08-2022-0178","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to investigate the relationship between key audit matters (KAMs) and audit costs and whether board size and independence affect this relationship. Furthermore, this paper examines the moderating effect of corporate governance on the relationship between KAMs and audit costs.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The authors hypothesise that disclosing more KAMs in the audit report is positively associated with audit costs because of the greater effort. The agency theory suggests that firms with good governance will mitigate the agency conflict of interest and improve financial reporting quality. Thus, good governance might moderate the relationship between reported KAMs and audit costs. The authors use a quantitative approach. The authors are using a sample of the UK FTSE all-share non-financial firms from 2014 to 2018 for the UK Financial Times Stock Exchange all-share non-financial firms.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The authors provide evidence of a significant positive relationship between KAMs and audit costs. The relationship is relatively higher when considering the independent directors' percentage as a moderating factor. These results came consistent with the agency theory literature. However, the authors found no empirical evidence to support a moderating effect of board size on the relationship between KAMs and audit cost.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000The finding benefits the regulatory setters to better understand the consequences of the new auditing standards. This paper has theoretical and practical implications for regulators, standard setters, professional bodies, shareholders and academics.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This paper contributes to the literature assessing the regulatory changes related to audit reform and adds to the debate on the impact on audit costs. This paper underlines governance factors as a moderating role in this relationship between KAMs and audit costs.\u0000","PeriodicalId":229587,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting & Information Management","volume":"66 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114055236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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