Grey Directors and Earnings Management of Selected Quoted Non- Financial Firms in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the effect of grey directors on earnings management of selected non- financial firms in Nigeria. Earnings management was used as dependent variable while grey director’s presence, grey director’s size, grey director’s gender diversity and grey director’s stock holding were used as independent variables. A sample of 44 selected non-financial firms were used for the period of ten years spanning 2012 to 2021. The study employed ex-post facto and cross-sectional research design. The secondary sources of data were collected from annual reports of the selected non-financial firms and four (4) specific objectives and hypotheses were subjected to some preliminary data tests like descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis and Variance Inflation factor (VIF) were analyzed using panel regression analysis after taking cognizance of hausman effect tests. Using a sample of 440 firm-year observations, the result revealed that grey director’s presence and grey directors gender diversity have a negative and significant effect on earnings management of selected quoted non-financial firms in Nigeria which was statistically significant at 5% level of significance respectively while grey directors stock holding has negative but insignificant effect on earnings management of quoted non- financial firms in Nigeria. Based on the findings above, the study recommends among others, that shareholders of non-financial firms in Nigeria should ensure that there is presence of grey directors in their team of management to help curtail the opportunistic behavior of managers and contend earnings management practices. Again, having more women as grey directors in top management should be the priority of every non-financial firms in order to reduce earnings management practices of the firms.