Examining the extent of and determinants for sustainability assurance quality: The role of audit committees

This study examines the extent of and determinants for sustainability assurance quality. Data comprise sustainability assurance statements published by the top 100 listed companies in Australia and New Zealand from 2017 to 2019. The findings indicate that Australian companies lead their New Zealand counterparts in sustainability assurance. Although sustainability reporting has risen, assurance rates remain significantly low. Accountants dominate the market, and companies prefer to use their own auditors for sustainability assurance work. Sustainability assurance quality is poor and does not vary significantly among Australian and New Zealand companies. Low-quality sustainability assurance plays a limited role in mitigating potential stakeholder–agency conflicts. The regression analysis indicates that audit committee characteristics such as members' independence, industry/market expertise, and attending meetings enhance sustainability assurance quality, whereas audit committee size has no affect. These findings suggest that audit committee characteristics such as independence, industry expertise, and regular meeting attendance have the potential to reduce stakeholder–agency conflicts by improving the quality of sustainability statement assurance. Our findings build on the sustainability assurance literature by exploring current trends in sustainability assurance practices in Australia and New Zealand where corporate governance codes have been recently revised. Further, these findings are timely given recent changes in standards (International Standard on Assurance Engagements [ISAE] 3000 and Global Reporting Initiative [GRI]). Our study contributes to the audit committee literature and sheds light on the role played by audit committee characteristics on sustainability assurance statement quality. The study findings potentially offer useful insights for practitioners, standard setters, and regulators.     

The role of the board and the audit committee in corporate risk management

This paper examines the impact of corporate governance on corporate risk-management activities in S&P 500 firms over the period 2004–2010 by measuring the characteristics of the board directors and audit committee. Our results show that the board of directors, especially the audit committee, plays an important role in the firm’s hedging decisions, including whether to hedge and to what extent. Such evidence is even stronger in high-leveraged firms with large risk-shifting incentives. These results are robust to the consideration of endogenous concerns, a board corporate governance index, and industrial effects. Our study contributes to the literature by showing the influential role of the audit committee on corporate risk management.     

Toward sustainable development: Board characteristics,country governance quality,and environmental performance

The objective of this study is to examine the effects of board characteristics and country governance quality on both individual aspects and the overall level of environmental performance through the lens of agency, resource dependency, and institutional theories. The study is based on a sample of 3023 firm-year observations from European companies operating in 22 countries between 2009 and 2016. Data on the resources, emissions, and innovation dimensions of environmental performance and board governance data were collected from the Refinitiv database, whereas financial data were extracted from the Worldscope database. The study employs a multilevel modeling analysis and the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation technique to analyze the data. The findings suggest that board gender diversity and the presence of a corporate social responsibility and sustainability committee have a positive impact on environmental performance. The results also show that country governance quality is positively related to environmental performance. The findings have important implications for practitioners, regulators, and policymakers with respect to the effectiveness of corporate governance mechanisms and country governance systems in determining corporate environmental practices.     

Audit committees and financial reporting quality: The 8th EU Company Law Directive perspective

In order to increase corporate governance quality, the 8th EU Company Law Directive enacted a mandatory audit committee in publicly listed companies in the EU and defined its tasks and responsibilities. In response to the directive, we examine the incremental value of audit committee monitoring effectiveness and audit committee competencies over the mere existence of an audit committee. We find that audit committee monitoring effectiveness and competencies are positively associated with financial reporting quality, whereas, somewhat surprisingly, the effect of the existence of an audit committee is negative. This finding shows that the existence of audit committees is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for enhancing financial reporting quality. Collectively, the study’s findings suggest that the 8th Directive has had a positive effect on corporate governance quality and, in turn, financial reporting quality in the EU.     

The International Integrated Reporting Framework: Key Issues and Future Research Opportunities

This paper has three main aims. First, the paper introduces the concept of integrated reporting (<IR>) as described by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC). A background to the development of the <IR> concept over the 4‐year period from the inception of the IIRC in 2010 is provided, culminating in the release by the IIRC of a Consultation Draft (CD) of the <IR> framework in March 2013. Second, the paper discusses key issues currently being debated relating to the CD that the IIRC will need to resolve prior to the expected release of their <IR> framework in late 2013. This discussion is based on issues identified and reported to the IIRC by a subcommittee of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER) comprised of international accounting academics. Finally, the paper identifies a range of potential research issues relating to the development and implementation of <IR>.     

The Impact of Corporate Governance on IFRS Adoption Choices

We investigate the association between corporate governance strength and EU listed firms' choices with respect to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption in 2005. We measure governance strength by aggregating variables such as board independence, board functioning and audit committee effectiveness. The firms exhibit heterogeneity in both compliance and disclosure quality; some firms do not even meet the minimum disclosure requirements. Regression results show that stronger governance firms disclose more information, comply more fully and use IAS 39's carve-out provision less opportunistically. These findings are germane to accountants, managers and regulators in countries soon to adopt IFRS.     

Sustainable development disclosure: Environmental,social, and governance reporting and gender diversity in the audit committee

This paper analyzes the link between female representation on audit committees (ACs) and specific information attributes of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures. We also examine whether the role of women is moderated by the busyness and intensity of the committee. Our results reveal a positive association between gender diversity in the AC and the quality of voluntary ESG reporting, which results in greater comprehensiveness and relevance. These findings extend the academic debate concerning the role of female directors on sustainability policies. Moreover, given the importance of ESG information in capital markets and its potential benefits for firms, this evidence may help regulators and owners to implement adequate corporate governance mechanisms. In addition, the busyness of the AC negatively moderates the influence of female AC members. Therefore, we highlight the need to consider the context in which women work in order to understand their influence on sustainability reporting.     

Die Implementierung von Prüfungsausschüssen/ Audit Committees des Aufsichtsrats/Board of Directors mit unabhängigen und finanzkompetenten Mitgliedern

The agency- and stewardship theory attach great importance to the implementation of audit committees in the one tier- and two tier system. The mentioned theories can explain the corporate governance function of audit committees. In order to strengthen corporate governance, the job specification emphasises the independence and financial expertise of the committee’s members. The present article provides an overview of the historical development of audit committees and their normative affiliation in the German stock corporation law (two tier system). Moreover, their role as representatives of the one tier system in the US American capital market is being addressed. The results suggest more restrictive standards regarding the implementation and job specification of the audit committee at the US stock exchange (Sarbanes Oxley Act; New York Stock Exchange [NYSE], National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations [NASDAQ]) than in the German stock corporation law (including the German corporate governance code). In addition to the normative analysis, the present paper provides a summary of results of existing, primarily US American empirical research with regard to the influence of audit committees on selected corporate governance indicators. The results show that the vast majority of the respective studies prove a significant correlation between audit committees and the restriction of earnings management, the identification and prevention of management failures and fraud with regard to the balance sheet, the external management reporting as well as the quality of the external audit. As a consequence of differing corporate governance systems, the results of the US American corporate governance studies can be applied only to a limited extend to the German two tier system. Monitoring by the capital market is even lower in Germany. In support of the respective empirical results and in order to strengthen corporate governance in the one tier system, future research is needed regarding the implementation of audit committees in the German two tier system.     

Corporate Compliance with Non-Mandatory Statements of Best Practice: The Case of the ASB Statement on Interim Reports

ABSTRACT

This paper contributes to our understanding of compliance with non-mandatory statements of best practice. Specifically, we examine the efficacy of agency-related mechanisms on the degree of disclosure compliance with the ASB Statement on interim reports. Using data drawn from a sample of 259 UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, we show that although overall disclosure compliance is high (74.5% of the items of information being disclosed), companies do not fully comply with the ASB Statement on interim reports. We employ an ordinary least square (OLS) regression model to establish whether selected company-specific and corporate governance characteristics (proxying for agency-related mechanisms) are related to the degree of disclosure compliance. Our results indicate that multiple listing, company size, interim dividend and new share issuance are positively associated with the degree of compliance. We also find that the degree of disclosure compliance is positively associated with auditor involvement, audit committee independence and audit committee financial expertise. These results have important implications for policy because they suggest that whilst agency-related mechanisms may motivate compliance with best practice non-mandatory statements, full compliance may be unattainable without regulations.     

Corporate social and environmental disclosure as a sustainable development tool provided by board sub-committees: Do women directors play a relevant moderating role?

The aim of this research is to examine the impact of three audit committee characteristics on corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR) disclosure: the existence of an audit committee, audit committee independence, and audit committee financial expertise. Moreover, this research analyzes the moderating effect of board gender diversity between these audit committees' attributes and CSR reporting. The results of analyzing 13,178 firm-year observations of non-financial companies show that the presence of an audit committee and audit committee financial expertise are positively associated with CSR disclosure. However, a higher proportion of non-executive directors in audit committees has a negative effect on the disclosure of CSR information. These findings suggest that some audit committees' features play an important role in ensuring the reporting of environmental, social, and economic information. Our evidence also indicates that the presence of female directors on boards increases the positive impact of financial expert membership of audit committees on CSR disclosure, while women directors moderate any negative effect of the percentage of independent directors on audit committees on CSR reporting by increasing the latter. In addition, female directors moderate the positive impact of the existence of an audit committee on the disclosure of CSR information by reducing the latter.     

审计委员会、盈余管理与信息透明度

通过分析审计委员会的设立对盈余管理、信息披露透明度的影响等方面的研究发现,设立审计委员会的公司进行扭亏盈余管理的行为显著要低,信息披露的透明度显著要高。这一研究结果表明,审计委员会的设立在一定程度上提高了公司治理效果,改善了财务报告质量。但审计委员会并没有对配股的盈余管理行为产生作用,这说明审计委员会对财务报告的监督作用较为有限。监管部门还需要设法采取相关措施,进一步提高审计委员会的独立性,更好地发挥审计委员会对财务报告披露质量的监督作用,使之成为维护广大投资人权益的有效治理机制。     

公司治理与审计意见

本文实证分析了公司治理质量与审计意见类型的关系。研究表明：公司治理总体质量的高低与审计意见清洁度在统计上显著相关。董事长兼任总经理、董事会会议次数、第一大股东持股比例、国有股与不洁净意见正相关,异地上市与不洁净意见负相关。研究结论对上市公司、注册会计师和监管部门有借鉴意义。     

Do Board's Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Orientation Influence Environmental Sustainability Disclosure? UK Evidence

The environmental implications of corporate economic activities have led to growing demands for firms and their boards to adopt sustainable strategies and to disseminate more useful information about their activities and impacts on environment. This paper investigates the impact of board's corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and orientation on the quantity and quality of environmental sustainability disclosure in UK listed firms. We find that effective board CSR strategy and CSR‐oriented directors have a positive and significant impact on the quality of environmental sustainability disclosure, but not on the quantity. Our findings also suggest that the existence of a CSR committee and issuance of a stand‐alone CSR report are positively and significantly related to environmental sustainability disclosure. When we distinguish between firms with high and low environmental risk, we find that the board CSR/sustainability practices that affect the quantity (quality) of environmental sustainability disclosure appear to be driven more by highly (lowly) environmentally sensitive firms. These results suggest that the board CSR/sustainability practices play an important role in ensuring a firm's legitimacy and accountability towards stakeholders. Our findings shed new light on this under‐researched area and could be of interest to companies, policy‐makers and other stakeholders. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

公司治理结构与民间审计关系及职能定位

审计委员会制度作为公司治理结构中一项重要制度安排,是公司治理结构稳定的重要支点之一。在新的公司治理结构中,审计委员会委托注册会计师对上市公司进行审计,注册会计师向审计委员会提交报告;民间审计的主要目标是确定财务报表的公允性;民间审计的主要的职能是鉴证。     

上市公司审计委员会与年报风险信息披露——基于管理层信息操纵视角

上市公司年报风险信息是了解公司经营现状与预测未来发展的重要信息来源,它具有信息增量价值,但容易受到管理层信息操纵的影响。审计委员会作为公司治理的独立机制,对管理层具有内部监督作用。基于此,利用2010—2021年上市公司风险信息披露数据,实证检验了审计委员会对管理层信息操纵的治理作用。研究发现,审计委员会独立性、勤勉性和专业性越强,年报风险信息披露水平越高,且在不同性质市场环境中审计委员会的治理作用存在差异。机制检验结果表明,内部控制发挥了部分中介作用;此外,在内部治理环境较弱与外部监督压力较大时,审计委员会的治理作用更加显著。结论拓展了年报风险信息披露的影响因素研究,并通过构建不同维度的风险信息指标来综合衡量披露水平,证实了审计委员会对管理层信息操纵的治理效应,为审计委员会更好发挥监督效果以及监管部门进一步完善上市公司风险信息披露制度提供了重要支撑。     

董事会职能变迁轨迹及职能重塑

董事会在公司治理机制中发挥关键作用。伴随着公司治理的发展,董事会职能经历了由经营管理到监督,再从监督到监督和决策并重的变迁过程。股权分置改革后,我国公司治理呈现以下特征:国有股"一股独大"状况得到改善;公司控制权市场逐步形成;中小股东的利益逐渐得到保护;公司治理目标由股东价值最大化转变为企业价值最大化。公司治理的变化促使董事会职能发生相应的调整,董事会职能应从权利格局、组织结构、董事素质与激励约束机制、董事会与经理的职责方面实现重塑。     

审计委员会海归背景与商誉减值计提

审计委员会中海归成员日益增多,其对审计委员会治理的有效性有何影响值得关注。基于此,以商誉减值计提为切入点,选择2008—2016年间中国资本市场发生商誉事项的A股上市公司为样本,试图通过检验审计委员会海归背景与商誉减值计提之间的关系来分析审计委员会治理的有效性。研究发现:(1)审计委员会海归背景能够显著促进商誉减值计提程度的提高;(2)盈余管理程度越高,审计委员会海归背景对商誉减值计提程度的正向促进作用越显著;(3)审计质量弱化了审计委员会海归背景对商誉减值计提程度的正向促进作用;(4)审计委员会海归背景增加审计费用,且商誉减值计提在这一过程中发挥了中介作用。研究结论丰富了海归人员经济后果领域的相关文献,有助于明晰审计委员会海归背景对商誉减值计提的影响机理。     

公司绩效、审计费用与公司内部治理

本文以股权结构—董事会—经营者为逻辑,采用主成分分析法对上市公司的内部治理机制进行综合评价,取得内部治理质量好坏两个样本组。检验了公司内部治理质量对公司绩效与审计费用的影响。结果显示:较好的样本组中内部治理质量与公司绩效正相关,与审计费用负相关,验证了有效的公司治理机制可以提高企业经营效益,降低经营风险,进而降低审计费用。而公司治理质量较差的样本组不存在这种关系。     

Sustainability,accountability and corporate governance: exploring multinationals' reporting practices

Recent years have seen a rapid increase in accountability pressures on particularly large global companies. The increased call for transparency comes from two different angles, which show some (potential) convergence in terms of topics and audiences: accountability requirements in the context of corporate governance, which expand to staff‐related, ethical aspects; and sustainability reporting that has broadened from environment only to social and financial issues. This article examines to what extent and how current sustainability reporting of Fortune Global 250 companies incorporates corporate governance aspects. Many multinationals, particularly in Europe and Japan, have started to pay attention to board supervision and structuring of sustainability responsibilities, to compliance, ethics and external verification. While detailed disclosures are not yet common, some notable practices can be found. Underlying dilemmas and complexities for managers in dealing with accountability to shareholders and stakeholders, and the role of auditors, are indicated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Do audit committee attributes influence integrated reporting quality? An agency theory viewpoint

The limits of financial disclosure in meeting the investors' needs have led to the request for reporting frameworks capable of incorporating information of different nature. Integrated reporting (IR), which is the latest novelty in organisational reporting practice, promises to bring together material financial and non-financial information. IR has received considerable academic attention in recent years. However, little attention has been paid to the role of the audit committee in IR processes, despite the influence that this body has on disclosure, thanks to its supervisory and monitoring functions. This study bridges this gap by analysing the effect of the audit committee attributes on integrated reporting quality (IRQ) from an agency theory perspective. The regression analysis, conducted on a sample of 125 international firms, demonstrated a positive effect of size, independence and meeting frequency of the audit committee on IRQ and a non-significant effect of financial expertise.