Corporate Governance, Audit Quality, Family Ownership and Earnings Management

Abstract

This study aimed to obtain empirical evidence regarding the influence of corporate governance and audit quality on earnings management measures, as well as their relationship with the effect of family ownership. Research on earnings management has been widely conducted, but research in family firms is still limited, while based on previous observational data, 95% of companies in Indonesia are family firms. In addition, the difference in the concept of corporate governance in developing countries compared to developed countries is crucial in relation to company supervision patterns. Earnings management practices carried out by company management can be caused by the occurrence of information asymmetry in which management as an agent has more information related to the company than the company owner. This information asymmetry is used by managers to mislead other parties with the aim of increasing their managerial career or compensation. Implementing the corporate governance mechanism is a way to reduce earnings management. Another factor affecting earnings quality is audit quality. This study took a sample of manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange during the 2017- 2018 period. 152 sample data were tested. This study used secondary data obtained from annual reports of companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Moderated regression analysis (MRA) was used. Corporate governance had no effect on earnings management and audit quality had a significant effect on earnings management behavior. Family ownership was able to strengthen the effect of audit quality in determining earnings management actions.
 Keywords: corporate governance, audit quality, earnings management, family ownership