IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jmgtgv/v21y2017i2d10.1007_s10997-016-9347-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Audit quality and earnings management in less developed economies: the case of Saudi Arabia

Author

Listed:
  • Murya Habbash

    (King Khalid University)

  • Salim Alghamdi

    (Taif University)

Abstract

This paper aims to determine if significant associations exist between audit quality and earnings management in less developed economies, providing their various shortcomings and differences. Five different measures of audit quality (auditor size, auditor industry specialization, auditor opinion, auditor change and timeliness of auditor report) were examined based on a sample of 337 non-financial Saudi listed firms from 2006 to 2009. The absolute value of discretionary accruals is used as a proxy for earnings management by using a cross-sectional variation of the Kothari model. The results of this research indicate that only auditor opinion indicates earnings management practice. The results support the argument that auditors are powerless in front of managerial opportunistic activities. Issues that may impair audit quality in Saudi Arabia are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Murya Habbash & Salim Alghamdi, 2017. "Audit quality and earnings management in less developed economies: the case of Saudi Arabia," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 21(2), pages 351-373, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jmgtgv:v:21:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s10997-016-9347-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10997-016-9347-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10997-016-9347-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10997-016-9347-3?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. Brenda Van Tendeloo & Ann Vanstraelen, 2008. "Earnings Management and Audit Quality in Europe: Evidence from the Private Client Segment Market," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 447-469.
    2. Klein, April, 2002. "Audit committee, board of director characteristics, and earnings management," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 375-400, August.
    3. Chang, Jui Chin & Sun, Huey-Lian, 2009. "Corrigendum to "Crossed-listed Foreign Firms' Earnings Informativeness, Earnings Management and Disclosures of Corporate Governance Information under SOX" [International Journal of Accountin," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 217-217, June.
    4. Xie, Biao & Davidson, Wallace III & DaDalt, Peter J., 2003. "Earnings management and corporate governance: the role of the board and the audit committee," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 295-316, June.
    5. Nan Sun & Aly Salama & Khaled Hussainey & Murya Habbash, 2010. "Corporate environmental disclosure, corporate governance and earnings management," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 25(7), pages 679-700, July.
    6. Kathleen Herbohn & Vanitha Ragunathan, 2008. "Auditor reporting and earnings management: some additional evidence," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 48(4), pages 575-601, December.
    7. Butler, Marty & Leone, Andrew J. & Willenborg, Michael, 2004. "An empirical analysis of auditor reporting and its association with abnormal accruals," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 139-165, June.
    8. Chee‐Yeow Lim & Hun‐Tong Tan, 2008. "Non‐audit Service Fees and Audit Quality: The Impact of Auditor Specialization," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 199-246, March.
    9. Charles Piot & Rémi Janin, 2007. "External Auditors, Audit Committees and Earnings Management in France," Post-Print halshs-00176969, HAL.
    10. Mohamad Naimi Mohamad-Nor & naimi@uum.edu.my & Rohami Shafie & Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin, 2010. "Corporate Governance and Audit Report Lag in Malaysia," Asian Academy of Management Journal of Accounting and Finance (AAMJAF), Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, vol. 6(2), pages 57-84.
    11. Habib, Ahsan & Bhuiyan, Md. Borhan Uddin, 2011. "Audit firm industry specialization and the audit report lag," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 32-44.
    12. Kanagaretnam, Kiridaran & Lim, Chee Yeow & Lobo, Gerald J., 2010. "Auditor reputation and earnings management: International evidence from the banking industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 2318-2327, October.
    13. Healy, Paul & Lys, Thomas, 1986. "Auditor changes following big eight mergers with non-big eight audit firms," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 251-265.
    14. DeAngelo, Linda Elizabeth, 1981. "Auditor size and audit quality," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 183-199, December.
    15. Lowensohn, Suzanne & Johnson, Laurence E. & Elder, Randal J. & Davies, Stephen P., 2007. "Auditor specialization, perceived audit quality, and audit fees in the local government audit market," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 705-732.
    16. Jaggi, Bikki & Leung, Sidney & Gul, Ferdinand, 2009. "Family control, board independence and earnings management: Evidence based on Hong Kong firms," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 281-300, July.
    17. Steven Maijoor & Ann Vanstraelen, 2006. "Earnings management within Europe: the effects of member state audit environment, audit firm quality and international capital markets," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 33-52.
    18. Francis, Jere R., 2004. "What do we know about audit quality?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 345-368.
    19. DeFond, Mark L. & Subramanyam, K. R., 1998. "Auditor changes and discretionary accruals," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 35-67, February.
    20. Charles Piot & Remi Janin, 2007. "External Auditors, Audit Committees and Earnings Management in France," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 429-454.
    21. Dye, Ronald A, 1993. "Auditing Standards, Legal Liability, and Auditor Wealth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(5), pages 887-914, October.
    22. Mark T. Bradshaw & Scott A. Richardson & Richard G. Sloan, 2001. "Do Analysts and Auditors Use Information in Accruals?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 45-74, June.
    23. Jones, Jj, 1991. "Earnings Management During Import Relief Investigations," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 193-228.
    24. Ahmed Ebrahim, 2007. "Earnings management and board activity: an additional evidence," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(1), pages 42-58, February.
    25. Hanwen Chen & Jeff Zeyun Chen & Gerald J. Lobo & Yanyan Wang, 2011. "Effects of Audit Quality on Earnings Management and Cost of Equity Capital: Evidence from China," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(3), pages 892-925, September.
    26. Rani Hoitash & Ariel Markelevich & Charles A. Barragato, 2007. "Auditor fees and audit quality," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 22(8), pages 761-786, September.
    27. Kothari, S.P. & Leone, Andrew J. & Wasley, Charles E., 2005. "Performance matched discretionary accrual measures," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 163-197, February.
    28. Othman, Hakim Ben & Zeghal, Daniel, 2006. "A study of earnings-management motives in the Anglo-American and Euro-Continental accounting models: The Canadian and French cases," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 406-435, 012.
    29. Gul, Ferdinand A. & Fung, Simon Yu Kit & Jaggi, Bikki, 2009. "Earnings quality: Some evidence on the role of auditor tenure and auditors' industry expertise," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 265-287, June.
    30. Chang, Jui Chin & Sun, Heuy Lian, 2009. "Crossed-listed foreign firms' earnings informativeness, earnings management and disclosures of corporate governance information under SOX," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 1-32, March.
    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. Sarhan, Ahmed A. & Ntim, Collins G. & Al-Najjar, Basil, 2019. "Antecedents of audit quality in MENA countries: The effect of firm- and country-level governance quality," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 85-107.
    2. Le Ha Thi Thu, 2020. "The Impact of Auditor Specialization and Banks’ Listing Status on Earnings Management in Vietnamese Commercial Banks," Asian Journal of Law and Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, April.
    3. Alrashidi, Rasheed & Baboukardos, Diogenis & Arun, Thankom, 2021. "Audit fees, non-audit fees and access to finance: Evidence from India," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    4. Ines Ben Jazia & Maali Kachouri, 2024. "Board Size as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Audit Quality: Insights from Europe," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(2), pages 91-112.
    5. Chi Duong Thi, 2023. "Audit Quality, Institutional Environments, and Earnings Management: An Empirical Analysis of New Listings," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(2), pages 21582440231, June.
    6. Mahmoud Alghemary & Nereida Polovina & Basil Al-Najjar, 2024. "Earnings management of acquiring and non-acquiring companies: the key role of ownership structure and national corporate governance in GCC," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(4), pages 568-588, December.
    7. Harman Preet Singh & Hilal Nafil Alhulail, 2023. "Information Technology Governance and Corporate Boards’ Relationship with Companies’ Performance and Earnings Management: A Longitudinal Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-24, April.
    8. Le, Ha Thi Thu & Tran, Ha Giang & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2021. "Audit quality, accruals quality and the cost of equity in an emerging market: Evidence from Vietnam," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    9. Mohammad Abedalrahman Alhmood & Hasnah Shaari & Redhwan Al-dhamari, 2022. "Audit Partner Characteristics and Real Earnings Management Practices in Jordan," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 6, pages 185-200.
    10. Ibrahim Khalifa Elmghaamez & Jacinta Nwachukwu & Collins G. Ntim, 2024. "ESG disclosure and financial performance of multinational enterprises: The moderating effect of board standing committees," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 3593-3638, July.
    11. Tikkos Sitanggang & Titik Aryati & Bambang Pamungkas & Sukrisno Agoes, 2022. "The role of the audit committee to increase the influence of audit quality and internal control on earnings management," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 29(1), pages 399-418, March.
    12. Mujeeb Saif Mohsen Al-Absy & Redhwan Al-Dhamari & Hamid Abdulkhaleq Hasan Al-Wesabi & Khaldoon Albitar, 2024. "Are country-level political uncertainty and power distance important to the CSR-audit report lag nexus? Evidence from the GCC region," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 483-515, July.

    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. Giuseppe Iuliano & Gaetano Matonti, 2015. "Do big 4 audit companies detect earnings management and report it in the audit opinion? Empirical evidence from italian non-listed firms," ESPERIENZE D'IMPRESA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(2), pages 5-43.
    2. DeFond, Mark & Zhang, Jieying, 2014. "A review of archival auditing research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 275-326.
    3. Alzoubi, Ebraheem Saleem Salem, 2018. "Audit quality, debt financing, and earnings management: Evidence from Jordan," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 69-84.
    4. 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.
    5. Tsipouridou, Maria & Spathis, Charalambos, 2012. "Earnings management and the role of auditors in an unusual IFRS context: The case of Greece," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 62-78.
    6. Ujkan Bajra & Simon Cadez, 2018. "The Impact of Corporate Governance Quality on Earnings Management: Evidence from European Companies Cross†listed in the US," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 28(2), pages 152-166, June.
    7. Xingqiang Du & Xu Li & Xuejiao Liu & Shaojuan Lai, 2018. "Underwriter–Auditor Relationship and Pre-IPO Earnings Management: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 365-392, October.
    8. Nitai Chandra Debnath & Suman Paul Chowdhury & Safaeduzzaman Khan, 2022. "The impact of audit quality on real earnings management: evidence from Bangladesh," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(2), pages 218-231, June.
    9. Benjamin T. Albersmann & Daniela Hohenfels, 2017. "Audit Committees and Earnings Management – Evidence from the German Two-Tier Board System," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 18(2), pages 147-178, May.
    10. Tsipouridou, Maria & Spathis, Charalambos, 2014. "Audit opinion and earnings management: Evidence from Greece," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 38-54.
    11. Ku He & Xiaofei Pan & Gary Tian, 2017. "Legal Liability, Government Intervention, and Auditor Behavior: Evidence from Structural Reform of Audit Firms in China," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 61-95, January.
    12. Chia-Ling Chao & Shwu-Min Horng, 2013. "Asset write-offs discretion and accruals management in Taiwan: the role of corporate governance," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 41-74, January.
    13. Sayaf Algrady & Xie Xiaojun, 2022. "Influential Factors Affecting Earnings Management in Public Listed Companies: A Conceptual Model," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 12(2), pages 1-10, March.
    14. Persakis, Anthony & Iatridis, George Emmanuel, 2016. "Audit quality, investor protection and earnings management during the financial crisis of 2008: An international perspective," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 73-101.
    15. Salem, Rami & Usman, Muhammad & Ezeani, Ernest, 2021. "Loan loss provisions and audit quality: Evidence from MENA Islamic and conventional banks," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 345-359.
    16. Isaac Selasi Awuye, 2022. "The impact of audit quality on earnings management: Evidence from France," Post-Print hal-03824396, HAL.
    17. Marra, Antonio & Mazzola, Pietro & Prencipe, Annalisa, 2011. "Board Monitoring and Earnings Management Pre- and Post-IFRS," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 205-230, June.
    18. Daniela Hohenfels & Reiner Quick, 2020. "Non-audit services and audit quality: evidence from Germany," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(5), pages 959-1007, October.
    19. Jorge Farinha & Luis Filipe Viana, 2006. "Board structure and modified audit opinions: the case of the Portuguese Stock Exchange," CEF.UP Working Papers 0609, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    20. Reguera Alvarado, Nuria & Laffarga Briones, Joaquina & de Fuentes Ruiz, Pilar, 2015. "Modelos de gestión de resultados: un estudio transnacional," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 11-19.

    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:kap:jmgtgv:v:21:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s10997-016-9347-3. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.