The role of the audit committee in moderating the negative effect of non-audit services on earnings management among industrial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange

Abstract

This paper examines the effectiveness of the audit committee in limiting the adverse effects of the provision of non-audit services (NAS) on earnings management. In addition, the current study examines the effect of surplus free cash flow and NAS on earnings management. Earnings management occurs less frequently when the audit committee is effective. In this study, audit committee effectiveness refers to the overall effectiveness of the committee that was measured using a composite measurement of effectiveness. The sample comprised 336 industrial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange from 2014 to 2016. The results documented that the positive relationship between surpluses free cash flow and earnings management. This study contributes to the literature by providing evidence that investors realise that NAS harms the independence of the auditor by creating an economic bond between the auditor and client that could negatively affect audit quality and hence earnings credibility. As does all research, this study suffers from limitations, including the fact that this study sheds the light only on the industrial sector in Jordan, Thus, the need exists for more research to be conducted using other sectors in Jordan and other countries as well to determine the effects of other variables on earnings management from other perspectives.