{"title":"Board informal hierarchy and audit quality: evidence from China","authors":"Yi Zhang, Yang Wang, Jiaxin Liao","doi":"10.1108/maj-07-2022-3642","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"\nPurpose\nImproving audit quality is an important research area of managerial accounting. This study focuses on the informal institutions within organizations and their impact on audit quality. Specifically, this study aims to examine the impact of the informal hierarchy among directors on audit quality.\n\n\nDesign/methodology/approach\nThe authors examine Chinese companies with listed shares from 2008 to 2020. The authors proxy for audit quality using discretionary accruals and small profits, and use ordinary least squares regression to test their hypotheses.\n\n\nFindings\nThe results demonstrate that the informal hierarchy of the board improves audit quality. The results are robust to a battery of sensitivity analyses. Additionally, there is weak evidence that the effect of the board’s informal hierarchy on audit quality is weaker in state-owned enterprises. Moreover, the mechanism tests indicate that the board’s informal hierarchy improves audit quality through the improvement of internal controls. In addition, the impact of the informal hierarchy among directors on audit quality further improves firm performance. However, audit fees are not reduced further because the board’s informal hierarchy demands higher audit quality by choosing industry audit experts.\n\n\nOriginality/value\nThis study not only enriches the research on the economic consequences of the board’s informal hierarchy but also expands on studies on antecedents of audit quality.\n","PeriodicalId":47823,"journal":{"name":"Managerial Auditing Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2023-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Managerial Auditing Journal","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1108/maj-07-2022-3642","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS, FINANCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Purpose
Improving audit quality is an important research area of managerial accounting. This study focuses on the informal institutions within organizations and their impact on audit quality. Specifically, this study aims to examine the impact of the informal hierarchy among directors on audit quality.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors examine Chinese companies with listed shares from 2008 to 2020. The authors proxy for audit quality using discretionary accruals and small profits, and use ordinary least squares regression to test their hypotheses.
Findings
The results demonstrate that the informal hierarchy of the board improves audit quality. The results are robust to a battery of sensitivity analyses. Additionally, there is weak evidence that the effect of the board’s informal hierarchy on audit quality is weaker in state-owned enterprises. Moreover, the mechanism tests indicate that the board’s informal hierarchy improves audit quality through the improvement of internal controls. In addition, the impact of the informal hierarchy among directors on audit quality further improves firm performance. However, audit fees are not reduced further because the board’s informal hierarchy demands higher audit quality by choosing industry audit experts.
Originality/value
This study not only enriches the research on the economic consequences of the board’s informal hierarchy but also expands on studies on antecedents of audit quality.
期刊介绍:
The key areas addressed are: ■Audit and Assurance (financial and non-financial) ■Financial and Managerial Reporting ■Governance, controls, risks and ethics ■Organizational issues including firm cultures, performance and development In addition, the evaluation of changes occurring in the auditing profession, as well as the broader fields of accounting and assurance, are also explored. Debates concerning organizational performance and professional competence are also covered.