IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v47y2022ipbs1544612322000915.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corporate governance and financial reporting quality during the COVID-19 pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Hsu, Yu-Lin
  • Yang, Ya-Chih

Abstract

This paper analyzes whether COVID-19 affects the financial reporting quality of companies and whether corporate governance has a mitigating effect. Using data from UK listed companies, we show that the quality of companies’ financial reporting has been lower during the pandemic. Specifically, companies have engaged in more earnings management through real activities during the pandemic. We also find that a larger board helps to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on financial reporting quality, although we find no mitigating effect for board independence and CEO duality. This paper provides additional evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on financial reporting quality using a strong country-level governance setting. It is also the first study to analyze the mitigating effect of corporate governance on financial reporting quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study provide useful suggestions to the practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Hsu, Yu-Lin & Yang, Ya-Chih, 2022. "Corporate governance and financial reporting quality during the COVID-19 pandemic," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:47:y:2022:i:pb:s1544612322000915
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2022.102778
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612322000915
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2022.102778?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Duru, Augustine & Iyengar, Raghavan J. & Zampelli, Ernest M., 2016. "The dynamic relationship between CEO duality and firm performance: The moderating role of board independence," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 4269-4277.
    2. Nooraisah Katmon & Omar Al Farooque, 2017. "Exploring the Impact of Internal Corporate Governance on the Relation Between Disclosure Quality and Earnings Management in the UK Listed Companies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(2), pages 345-367, May.
    3. Moritz Bassemir & Zoltán Novotny‐Farkas, 2018. "IFRS adoption, reporting incentives and financial reporting quality in private firms," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(7-8), pages 759-796, July.
    4. Joan Farre-Mensa & Alexander Ljungqvist, 2016. "Do Measures of Financial Constraints Measure Financial Constraints?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 29(2), pages 271-308.
    5. Roychowdhury, Sugata, 2006. "Earnings management through real activities manipulation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 335-370, December.
    6. Yew Ming Chia & Irvine Lapsley & Hing-Wah Lee, 2007. "Choice of auditors and earnings management during the Asian financial crisis," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 22(2), pages 177-196, January.
    7. Pietro Bonetti & Michel L. Magnan & Antonio Parbonetti, 2016. "The Influence of Country- and Firm-level Governance on Financial Reporting Quality: Revisiting the Evidence," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(9-10), pages 1059-1094, October.
    8. Seraina C. Anagnostopoulou & Andrianos E. Tsekrekos, 2017. "The effect of financial leverage on real and accrual-based earnings management," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(2), pages 191-236, February.
    9. Enomoto, Masahiro & Kimura, Fumihiko & Yamaguchi, Tomoyasu, 2015. "Accrual-based and real earnings management: An international comparison for investor protection," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 183-198.
    10. Boone, Audra L. & Casares Field, Laura & Karpoff, Jonathan M. & Raheja, Charu G., 2007. "The determinants of corporate board size and composition: An empirical analysis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(1), pages 66-101, July.
    11. Erkens, David H. & Hung, Mingyi & Matos, Pedro, 2012. "Corporate governance in the 2007–2008 financial crisis: Evidence from financial institutions worldwide," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 389-411.
    12. Khaled Elsayed, 2007. "Does CEO Duality Really Affect Corporate Performance?," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(6), pages 1203-1214, November.
    13. Persakis, Anthony & Iatridis, George Emmanuel, 2015. "Cost of capital, audit and earnings quality under financial crisis: A global empirical investigation," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 3-24.
    14. Persakis, Anthony & Iatridis, George Emmanuel, 2015. "Earnings quality under financial crisis: A global empirical investigation," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 1-35.
    15. Paul Guest, 2009. "The impact of board size on firm performance: evidence from the UK," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(4), pages 385-404.
    16. Filip, Andrei & Raffournier, Bernard, 2014. "Financial Crisis And Earnings Management: The European Evidence," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 455-478.
    17. Alhadab, Mohammad & Clacher, Iain, 2018. "The impact of audit quality on real and accrual earnings management around IPOs," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 442-461.
    18. Riccardo Cimini, 2015. "How has the financial crisis affected earnings management? A European study," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(3), pages 302-317, January.
    19. Coles, Jeffrey L. & Daniel, Naveen D. & Naveen, Lalitha, 2008. "Boards: Does one size fit all," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 329-356, February.
    20. Jia Lu & Agyenim Boateng, 2018. "Board composition, monitoring and credit risk: evidence from the UK banking industry," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 1107-1128, November.
    21. Ding, Wenzhi & Levine, Ross & Lin, Chen & Xie, Wensi, 2021. "Corporate immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 802-830.
    22. Eng, Li Li & Fang, Hanqing & Tian, Xi & Yu, T. Robert & Zhang, Hongxian, 2019. "Financial crisis and real earnings management in family firms: A comparison between China and the United States," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 184-201.
    23. Gillan, Stuart L., 2006. "Recent Developments in Corporate Governance: An Overview," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 381-402, June.
    24. Yaying Yeh & Hui-Wen Chen & Mei-Ching Wu, 2014. "Can Information Transparency Improve Earnings Quality Attributes? Evidence from an Enhanced Disclosure Regime in Taiwan," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(4), pages 237-253.
    25. Cohen, Daniel A. & Zarowin, Paul, 2010. "Accrual-based and real earnings management activities around seasoned equity offerings," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 2-19, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Jun, 2023. "The impact of investor communication on enterprise green innovation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    2. Song, Bomi & Chung, Heesun & Kim, Bum-Joon & Sonu, Catherine Heyjung, 2023. "Do business trainings for audit committees matter in organizations? Focusing on earnings management," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    3. Fasano, Francesco & Javier Sánchez-Vidal, F. & La Rocca, Maurizio, 2022. "The role of government policies for Italian firms during the COVID-19 crisis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    4. Alsuhaibani, Waleed & Houmes, Robert & Wang, Daphne, 2023. "The evolution of financial reporting quality for companies listed on the Tadawul Stock Exchange in Saudi Arabia: New emerging markets' evidence," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    5. Francesco Fasano & Maurizio La Rocca & F. Javier Sánchez-Vidal & Maria Josephin Lio & Alfio Cariola, 2024. "How Local Finance and Enforcement Shaped SME Credit Choices before and during the COVID Crisis," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, January.
    6. Hung Chi Chen & Hsiang-Tsai Chiang & Dessy Voren, 2023. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Quality of Financial Reports," Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 13(4), pages 1-1.
    7. Joanna Lizińska & Leszek Czapiewski, 2023. "Earnings Management amid the COVID-19 Financial Crisis: The Experience of Poland," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 1, pages 93-112.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Joanna Lizińska & Leszek Czapiewski, 2023. "Earnings Management amid the COVID-19 Financial Crisis: The Experience of Poland," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 1, pages 93-112.
    2. Ahsan Habib & Dinithi Ranasinghe & Julia Yonghua Wu & Pallab Kumar Biswas & Fawad Ahmad, 2022. "Real earnings management: A review of the international literature," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4279-4344, December.
    3. Naeem Tabassum & Satwinder Singh, 2020. "Corporate Governance and Organisational Performance," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-030-48527-6, January.
    4. Yang, Jingwen & Hemmings, Danial & Jaafar, Aziz & Jackson, Richard H.G., 2022. "The real earnings management gap between private and public firms: Evidence from Europe," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    5. Afroditi Ntokozi & Christos A. Tzovas & Constantinos G. Chalevas, 2022. "Earnings Management During Financial Crisis: The Case of Greece," Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 21(2), pages 200-219, June.
    6. Zahra H. Oskouei & Zahra Heidary Sureshjani, 2021. "Studying the relationship between managerial ability and real earnings management in economic and financial crisis conditions," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(3), pages 4574-4589, July.
    7. Eman F. Attia & Tariq H. Ismail & Messaoud Mehafdi, 2022. "Impact of board of directors attributes on real-based earnings management: further evidence from Egypt," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, December.
    8. Loureiro, Gilberto & Silva, Sónia, 2022. "Earnings management and stock price crashes post U.S. cross-delistings," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    9. Saoussen Boujelben & Hela Khemakhem-Feki & Ahmad Alqatan, 2020. "Real earnings management and the relevance of operating cash flows: A study of french listed firms," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(4), pages 218-229, December.
    10. Isaac Selasi Awuye & François Aubert, 2022. "The impact of leverage on earnings management and the trade-off between discretionary accruals and real earnings management," Post-Print hal-03824383, HAL.
    11. Mao, Yaping & Renneboog, Luc, 2015. "Do managers manipulate earnings prior to management buyouts?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 43-61.
    12. Ana Belen Tulcanaza-Prieto & Younghwan Lee & Jeong-Ho Koo, 2020. "Effect of Leverage on Real Earnings Management: Evidence from Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-20, March.
    13. Walter Gontarek & Yacine Belghitar, 2021. "CEO chairman controversy: evidence from the post financial crisis period," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 675-713, February.
    14. Sri Murni & Rahmawati Rahmawati & Ari Kuncara Widagdo & Eko Arief Sudaryono & Doddy Setiawan, 2023. "Effect of Family Control on Earnings Management: The Role of Leverage," Risks, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-15, January.
    15. John K. Malagila & Alaa M. Zalata & Collins G. Ntim & Ahmed A. Elamer, 2021. "Corporate governance and performance in sports organisations: The case of UK premier leagues," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(2), pages 2517-2537, April.
    16. Ahmed Bouteska, 2020. "Do Board Characteristics Affect Bank Performance? Evidence from the Eurozone," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(6), pages 535-548, October.
    17. Kałdoński, Michał & Jewartowski, Tomasz & Mizerka, Jacek, 2020. "Capital market pressure, real earnings management, and institutional ownership stability - Evidence from Poland," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    18. Belal Ali Abdulraheem Ghaleb & Shaker Dahan Al-Duais & Abdulwahid Ahmed Hashed, 2021. "Audit Committee Chair s Legal Expertise and Real Activities Manipulation: Empirical Evidence from Malaysian Energy and Utilities Sectors," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(1), pages 65-73.
    19. Awais Amin, Qazi & Cumming, Douglas, 2023. "Regulatory reforms, board independence and earnings quality," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    20. Li, Zhaochu & Lytvynenko, Iryna P. & Philippoff, Karl S., 2021. "Stock market reactions to R&D cuts used to manage earnings," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:47:y:2022:i:pb:s1544612322000915. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.