Relationship between the Size of Accounting Firm and the Quality of Carbon Accounting Information Disclosure——The Case of Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies in heavy pollution industry in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

Abstract

The quality of carbon accounting disclosure has attracted much attention as carbon neutrality and carbon peaking targets were mentioned in the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly in 2020. As the world's largest country of Carbon Emission, China lacks research related to the size of accounting firms and the quality of carbon accounting disclosure. This paper establishes an evaluation system of carbon accounting information disclosure quality from the perspective of accounting information quality characteristics, selects Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei regions in 2021 as the research sample, and compares carbon accounting information disclosure quality of listed companies audited by accounting firms of varying sizes from each characteristic dimension of accounting information quality characteristics, and lastly a comprehensive comparison and one-way ANOVA were conducted to explore the relationship between the size of accounting firms and the quality of carbon accounting information disclosure of listed companies in the heavy pollution industry as a whole. The research results indicate that the reliability, timeliness, understandability, and integrity of carbon accounting information of listed companies audited by larger accounting firms are better, but comparability and relevance are not significantly related to accounting firm size; overall, the larger accounting firms correspond to higher quality of carbon accounting information disclosure of listed companies in heavy pollution industries. Based on the research results, this paper puts forward relevant suggestions at three levels: accounting firms, the state, and enterprises, to improve the quality of carbon accounting information disclosure of listed companies, and then to promote the carbon emission reduction work of enterprises, thereby facilitating the achievement of "dual carbon" objectives.