Role Of Corporate Governance Mechanisms Research Articles

Does the board of directors play a role in mitigating real and accrual-based earnings management in the MENA context?

Purpose In light of the key role attributed to the board of directors as a monitoring tool to constrain earnings management practices, this study aims to examine the effect of some board attributes on accrual-based earnings management and real earnings management in the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) context, whose institutional, economic and legal environment is markedly different from that of most organization for economic cooperation and development countries. Design/methodology/approach The authors selected a sample of 161 nonfinancial companies from nine MENA countries between 2014 and 2021 (corresponding to an unbalanced data panel of 486 observations). The authors used the generalized least squares regression test to examine the relationship between board attributes and earnings management. Findings The authors found that three board attributes (size, independence and gender diversity) have no effect on both types of earnings management practices, while CEO duality has no effect on accrual-based earnings management but has a significant and negative effect on real earnings management. Overall, the results suggest that most board attributes do not play a crucial role in reducing earnings management. Research limitations/implications The results provide valuable insights into the universal role of corporate governance mechanisms and raise questions about the role of the board of directors in improving reporting quality in the MENA context. Practical implications Regulators should adapt corporate governance mechanisms to the characteristics of the institutional context in which they are inserted. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the effect of various board characteristics on both types of earnings management practices in the MENA context. It also provides the first empirical evidence of the relationship between board gender diversity and earnings management in the MENA region.

Analysis of The Role of Corporate Governance Mechanisms in Shaping the Financial Reporting Practices of MNEs in Nigeria

This study analysed the role of corporate governance on the quality of financial reporting practices of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) in Nigeria. The study made use of managerial hegemony theory to establish a theoretical foundation in examining the effect of corporate governance mechanisms in the quality of the financial reporting practices of MNEs in Nigeria. Ex-post facto research design and panel regression were employed by the study. The study extracted data from the audited financial statement of 20 active MNEs in the consumer manufacturing sector listed on Nigeria Exchange Group (NGX). The population forms the sample size using census sampling. Findings revealed that the size of board, board independence, gender diversity and board shareholding did not significantly affect the quality of financial reporting practices of MNEs in Nigeria. Firm size and firm leverage significantly moderate the interaction between corporate governance and the quality of financial reporting practices of MNEs in Nigeria. The study concluded that this finding is a pointer to the fact that the quality of financial reporting of MNEs in Nigeria may be determined by factors other than corporate governance such as the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS), regulations, and Nigerian laws (CAMA 2020). Therefore, the study recommends that MNEs in the consumer sector in Nigeria should strengthen their corporate governance mechanism with the aim of improving the quality of financial reporting of their businesses in the short-run and the confidence of their customers and investors in the long-run.

The role of corporate governance mechanisms in influencing sustainable supply chain management disclosure

The role of corporate governance mechanisms in influencing sustainable supply chain management disclosure

Decoding tax management: The role of corporate governance mechanisms

While tax pressure remains a major concern in corporate management, it is legitimate to ask whether tax has always been among the core factors of corporate governance (Chytis et al., 2020). This study aims to examine the influence of corporate governance on tax management practices within Moroccan firms listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE). Focusing on three dimensions of corporate governance — board composition, audit committee structure, and external audit quality — we employed multiple regression analysis on data spanning 2014–2019 from a sample of 48 listed firms, totaling 288 firm observations. Significantly, board size, chief executive officer (CEO) duality, and external audit quality are found to be pivotal factors shaping tax management practices. Other corporate governance variables, notably the independence of the board of directors and the structure of the audit committee, do not appear to exert a significant influence on the tax management of listed Moroccan companies. Our study is one of the few to have addressed the issue of tax management in the Moroccan context. Moreover, it may also serve as a fundamental resource for researchers exploring the complex dynamics of tax practices in the organizational context.

The role of corporate governance mechanisms in influencing sustainable supply chain management disclosure

The role of corporate governance mechanisms in influencing sustainable supply chain management disclosure

Scaling up the transition: The role of corporate governance mechanisms in promoting circular economy strategies

This study examines the role of corporate governance (CG) mechanisms in promoting Circular Economy (CE) strategies among non-financial listed companies in manufacturing industries, which is still a relatively unexplored topic in the CE literature. Our findings indicate that the presence of stakeholder engagement practices, sustainability reporting, and environment management teams have a direct impact on the adoption of CE strategies, while the presence of a CSR committee, adherence to the United Nations' Global Compact, and executives' compensation linked to environmental, social, and corporate governance performance do not have a direct effect but support CE strategies through other mechanisms. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for policymakers and managers as it shows that CG mechanisms can be used to promote the adoption of CE business models, thus contributing to climate risk mitigation objectives.

Capital Structure–Firm Performance Nexus: The Moderating Effect of Board Independence

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between capital structure and firm performance by exploring the moderating effect of one of the corporate governance mechanisms, namely board independence. Panel data regression was employed based on a sample of 492 non-financial listed companies in Malaysia from 2010 to 2019. The results showed that capital structure has a significant positive impact on firm performance. Meanwhile, board independence significantly and negatively moderates the relationship between capital structure and firm performance. The findings of this study shall provide better insights for investors, firm managers, and policymakers on the critical role of corporate governance mechanisms in enhancing firm performance, particularly in implementing suitable actions and policies.

The Role of Corporate Governance Mechanisms in limiting Creative Accounting Practices: A View from Specialists in Middle East Countries

The Role of Corporate Governance Mechanisms in limiting Creative Accounting Practices: A View from Specialists in Middle East Countries

Corporate Governance Role as Moderating Green Intellectual Capital and Green Accounting Influence on Sustainable Finance Implementation in IDX Listed Banks

The sustainable finance implementation is a comprehensive support for the financial services industry as an intermediary institution that supports Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of this study was to analyze the role of corporate governance mechanisms as moderating effect of green intellectual capital and green accounting on sustainable finance implementation in banks listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The study use quantitative method and data in this study uses 149 firm years banking companies taken from the company's Annual Report and/or Sustainability Report using the 2016 to 2020 observation period. This study uses the Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) method. The result of study that green human capital, green structural capital and green accounting have a positive effect on sustainable finance implementation. Meanwhile, green relational capital has no effect on sustainable finance implementation. In addition, the corporate governance mechanism is not able to moderate the influence of green human capital, green structural capital, green relational and green accounting on sustainable finance implementation. For control variables, firm size, leverage and firm age have an effect on sustainable finance implementation, while profitability has no effect on sustainable finance implementation.

Board cultural diversity and bank social performance: The mediating role of corporate social responsibility strategy

AbstractThe study investigates how board cultural diversity (BCD) affects bank stakeholder engagement through improved corporate social performance (CSP) and whether banks' corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy mediates the relationship between BCD and banks' social performance. Adopting an international sample of 379 banks from 2010 to 2019, we found that BCD improves engagement in socially responsible issues in the banking sector. Moreover, we show a mediating role of strategic CSR on the relationship between BCD and banks' social performance. Hence, we contribute to the research on the role of corporate governance mechanisms as drivers of CSR engagement. Furthermore, based on the mediation effect of strategic CSR, we advance the discussion on the link between BCD and banks' social performance. Our findings provide implications for banks and policy‐makers, indicating the opportunity to promote cultural diversity, which supports socially responsible banking, while a CSR strategy positively impacts the stakeholder approach in the banking industry.

International corporate social responsibility and post-entry performance of developing market INVs: The moderating role of corporate governance mechanisms

Building on the stakeholder, agency, and resource dependence theories; this paper investigates the role of international corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the post-entry performance of developing market international new ventures (INVs) in the presence of corporate governance mechanisms to overcome their agency and environmental problems. We test and validate the conceptual model using survey data collected from 110 INVs operating in the developing market of Pakistan. Our results show that international CSR promotes the post-entry performance of developing market INVs. Further, we found that this association is moderated by corporate governance mechanisms of ownership, board independence, and returnee board members. Specifically, the relationship between international CSR and post-entry performance is weaker when ownership is concentrated but stronger when outsider and returnee board members are present in developing market INVs. The findings of this study have important theoretical and practical implications for INVs' social strategies and international performance contingent upon corporate governance.

Public governance, corporate governance and excessive ESG

PurposeGrowing social concerns and ecological issues accelerate firms’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) engagement. Hence, this study aims to advance the existing literature by focusing on the interplay between institutional and firm governance mechanisms for greater ESG engagement. More specifically, the authors investigate whether public governance stimulates excessive ESG engagement and whether corporate governance moderates this relationship.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 43,803 firm-year observations affiliated with 41 countries and 9 industries, the authors adopt a country, industry and year fixed-effects regression analysis.FindingsThe authors find that public governance strength via its six dimensions stimulates excessive ESG engagement. This implies that firms in countries with strong voice and accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law and control of corruption are more motivated for ESG engagement. Furthermore, corporate governance negatively moderates the relationship between all public governance dimensions (except political stability) and excessive ESG engagement. This implies that public governance and corporate governance are substitutes for encouraging firms to commit to ESG. Further tests reveal that whereas these results in the baseline analyses are valid for developed countries, they are not valid in emerging markets.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings support the interplay between institutional and agency theories. In countries with strong (weak) institutional mechanisms, corporate governance becomes weak (strong) in inciting greater stakeholder engagement. This implies that the public governance mechanism alleviates agency costs, rendering internal mechanisms of corporate governance noncompulsory for ESG engagement.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that emerging countries need to reinforce their institutions for greater accountability, regulatory quality and control of corruption, which will have a domino effect on firms in addressing stakeholder expectations. The results also advise emerging country firms to augment their internal monitoring mechanisms for greater stakeholder engagement, such as structuring boards and establishing corporate social responsibility mechanisms, committees and policies.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the recent literature investigating the role of corporate governance mechanisms in excessive ESG engagement. The study also explores whether public governance is associated with greater ESG involvement and provides a comprehensive analysis of the association between six indicators of public governance quality and excessive ESG practices in developed and emerging economies.

The right time for a big bath: asset impairment recognition in earnings management

PurposeThe article investigates the patterns of asset impairment recognition in search of signs of “big bath” earnings management practices across an internationally diversified sample of public companies. It also elucidates the incentives that may underlie such practices and explores possible safeguards embedded in the existing corporate governance mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachThe article applied static panel and binary logit models to an international firm-level panel dataset of 1045 public companies observed between 2003 and 2018.FindingsOur empirical results suggest that recognition of asset impairment has no determinate impact on earnings volatility. Investigating the possibility of “big bath” earnings management practices, the authors found no impact of asset impairment recognition on total senior executive compensation in firms, which pay performance-based remuneration. The quality of corporate governance has appeared to impact the firms’ intertemporal proclivity to recognize asset impairment with those having the more entrenched and management-controlled boards being more likely to time impairment recognition by delaying it during exceptionally good and exceptionally bad years. While generally unlikely, recognition of asset impairment in a period with a recorded negative operating performance is found to be closely associated with key executive departures.Originality/valueThe article corroborates the salient role of corporate governance mechanisms in shaping the intertemporal patterns of asset impairment recognition. The possible remedies to the phenomenon should be derived therefrom.

Circular economy disclosure and integrated reporting: The role of corporate governance mechanisms

AbstractIn recent years, attention to the circular economy (CE) has grown considerably and it is now recognised as a model capable of overtaking the current linear economy of unsustainable production and consumption. Organisations have started to implement circular practices to transition towards this sustainable business model and to disclose CE performance to their stakeholders. In this context, the integrated report serves as a suitable tool to provide a holistic representation of how CE could impact the companies' ability to create value over time. The relevance of this model has prompted various scholars to examine CE disclosure. However, only some studies have investigated this topic in the integrated reporting (IR) context. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no studies have examined how corporate governance mechanisms can affect the amount of CE information disseminated through the integrated reports. By applying the lens of stakeholder‐agency theory, this study aims to fill this important gap by analysing the effect of the characteristics of the corporate governance mechanisms on the level of CE disclosure within the integrated reports. The analysis, conducted using a sample of 124 European companies, indicates a positive impact of the board size, board gender diversity and the presence of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee on the level of CE disclosure within the integrated reports.

Does IFRS adoption enhance foreign ownership? Empirical evidence from French listed companies

This paper examines the moderating role of corporate governance mechanisms on the relationship between mandatory international financial reporting standards (IFRS) and foreign investors’ ownership. This study is based on a sample of French firms listed on the SBF 120 stock index with an observation period from 2002 to 2012. The results show that IFRS adoption leads to an increase in foreign equity in the French firms. This is consistent with the idea that international accounting harmonization improves financial statements comparability and transactions transparency which attracts more foreign investors. We also show the role of governance mechanisms as means of IFRS enforcement. In fact, the increase in foreign investors’ ownership depends on effective enforcement. However, for the French case, only BIG four auditors are efficient in enforcing IFRS adoption while independent board members have close relationship with managers which results in a passive attitude. Our findings imply that information quality has an important role in decision making. But they also show that IFRS adoption should be joined by efficient enforcement tools to conduct presumed benefits.

Corporate tax planning, the use of SPV, board independence, and firm value

Although many studies discuss the significant role of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) in the corporate tax planning context, no prior empirical research exists on the value relevance of such use. Our study fills the gap by investigating the impact of the use of SPVs in corporate tax planning on firm value. Since tax planning is a risky endeavor, of particular interest is the role of corporate governance mechanisms in ensuring that firms select optimal levels of corporate tax planning activities and preventing managerial diversion of tax-saving related cash flows. Using moderated regression analysis on a sample of 119 listed non-financial firms from 2013 to 2017, we find that the use of SPVs in corporate tax planning enhances firm value and that corporate tax planning moderated by board independence also increases firm value.

The role of corporate governance mechanisms on equity overvaluation

This study investigates how corporate governance mechanisms, particularly board characteristics, influence equity overvaluation. We use secondary data of 4,185 firm-year observations spanning 2009 to 2015 across 1,351 publicly listed U.S. firms to estimate a logistic regression model. We focus on governance metrics such as gender diversity, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) duality, independent board members, and board size in relation to overvaluation, primarily measured using the price-to-intrinsic-value ratio. We test Jensen’s (2005) proposition that the solution to overvaluation lies in the board of directors or the governance system of firms. In line with our hypothesis, our results present evidence to show that the governance system, specifically board gender diversity, has a significant and negative relationship with the overvaluation of equity. We do not find any significant association between other governance metrics and overvaluation. Equity overvaluation misinforms investors (Eisdorfer et al., 2019), prompting further examination of firm value factors. This study underscores the significance of governance mechanisms, particularly gender diversity, for equity value. Future research should expand governance metrics and explore diverse contexts to enhance the results’ robustness and applicability across industries and contexts.

Corporate governance systems and financial risks: A developing country evidence

Banks are one of the essential pillars of the financial sector (Alzuod & Alqhaiwi, 2022), however, banking is a high-risk industry (de Andres & Vallelado, 2008). The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of the board’s structure and ownership structure on the financial risks of Jordanian commercial banks. Data was gathered manually from the financial reports. Notably, the study addressed two types of financial risks: liquidity risk and credit risk. The study sample included commercial banks listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) to cover the period 2014–2019. To achieve the study’s objectives, multiple regression analysis was run to test the hypotheses. The results reveal a negative, statistically significant impact of the board size, institutional ownership, and bank size on liquidity risk. The results also demonstrated a negative effect of board independence, ownership concentration, bank size, and CEO duality on credit risk. In sum, the results support previous studies that found a statistically significant role of corporate governance mechanisms in reducing financial risks. The study recommended the need to enhance foreign investment and institutional ownership.

Business Students Expectations of Brazilian Corporate Governance: Insights for a Sustainable Path in an Emerging Business Environment

This paper aimed to better understand business students’ expectations of Brazilian corporate governance after recent scandals, focusing on capturing their perceptions after the Lava Jato (Car Wash) police investigation. Adapting a prior survey applied to business students, data were collected from three colleges in São Paulo, the largest city in Latin America, with a total of 328 responses. The data were initially submitted to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), after which we employed a structural equation model (SEM). Our main finding indicates that students are skeptical of an increase in Brazilian corporate governance after this police operation. This result is supported by the prior literature and denotes student consciousness of the need for deep reforms in the business environment and compliance rules. Furthermore, strategic human resources management is the most prominent corporate governance tool today, and the survey revealed disbelief that the Board of Directors and internal audits will act as potential inhibitors of fraud and corruption. These findings are associated with a broad view related to sustainability which denotes that future firm leaders, who are currently business students, comprehend that an ethical business environment needs to be built by professionals who are able to understand the role of corporate governance mechanisms. This paper contributes to the literature by offering a holistic assessment of business student perceptions and encourages a discussion of current models and instruments of Brazilian corporate governance. The scarcity of studies involving education and governance can be considered a constraint to building sustainable companies from a long-term perspective. Comprehending business students’ perceptions about corporate governance mechanisms can be considered a path to increasing the number of business courses with topics aligned with practical effects on environmental, social, and governance subjects, mainly when these mechanisms are evaluated from an integrated perspective.

How Does Financial Technology Affect the Credit and Risk of Commercial Banks in China?

Purpose - Fintech integrates the characteristics of “finance + technology”, applying emerging technologies such as big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, leading to a great challenge to existing financial service providers. With the rise in development of financial technology, Chinese fintech firms and online payments including third-party and mobile payments systems have attracted worldwide attention. Therefore, this paper aims to study the potential impact of financial technology on the traditional credit business of the banking sector from the perspectives of credit expansion and risk-sharing. Moreover, this study also explores how fintech influences Chinese commercial banks with the moderating effect of corporate governance. Design/Methodology/Approach - The study used a firm-level panel data of 34 Chinese banks over a period of 10 years from 2011 to 2020. The study applies a fixed regression method for hypotheses examining the relationship between fintech development and the credit supply and risk-taking of commercial banks. Findings - The results indicate that the development of fintech has significant impacts on the scale of credit loan and the level of risk bearing. Further research finds that board independence as a moderator positively and significantly influences fintech and bank credit loan scales, while board independence positively but insignificantly affects fintech and risk control in the banking sector. Research Implications - This paper enriches our understanding of the impacts of fintech on traditional financial institutions, and provides a new method for the operations of the banking sector. In addition, this paper provides a new research perspective for managers, especially in Chinese banking, to expand credit business under the moderating role of corporate governance mechanism.