Corporate Governance and Earnings Management Among Listed Companies in Nigeria (Published)
The relevance of preparing quality financial statement reveals the need to rely on corporate governance mechanism, which can warn against earnings management. Global corporate scandals that took its toll with the collapse of once prestigious companies around the globe has increased the clamoring for a better governance mechanism worldwide and captivated the concern of academia to empirically establish any association between corporate governance and the earnings management among non-financial companies in Nigeria. It is against this backdrop this study specifically evaluated the influence of board size, board independence, board activity, board diversity and audit committee independence and expertise on real earnings management. The study sample 46 non-financial listed companies from 82 listed companies between the period of 2018 to 2021 and the result from panel corrected standard error regression analyses revealed a relationship between real earnings management and independent variables (board size, board independence, diversity, and audit committee expertise) with 0.006065, -0.27174, -0.03364 and 0.137426 as coefficient, and 0.027, 0.000, 0.000, and 0.000 as p-value respectively. Thus, in accordance with the findings, it can be concluded that collective corporate governance mechanism and real earnings management are related. Based on the above conclusion, it was recommended that firms should encourage larger board members with independence and sensitivity to constrain manipulation annual reports. Finally, companies should persist in expanding audit committee expertise and independence in order to promote effectiveness of the committee which, thus, increases the quality of financial reporting.
Keywords: Corporate Governance, Financial Statement, accounting earnings, earning management, non-financial companies
Financial statement fraud likelihood determinants in micro financial institutions in Cameroon (Published)
The state of health of an organisation is scientifically diagnosed from its financial statements. Where the financial statements’ quality is compromised, decisions taken based on such fraud infected financial statements could lead to devastating consequences. Many consumers of micro-financial services, sometimes express worries about the quality of financial reports issued. These worries are further compounded by empirical studies which disclose that financial statement fraud though the least common, is the most costly to an organisation. As a consequence this study sets out to investigate the financial statement fraud likelihood determinants prevalent in micro financial institutions in Cameroon. Data was collected through a survey, analysed and regressed. The empirical results revealed that fraudulent audit confirmations, falsification of financial amounts, alteration of accounting records, misrepresentations, and improper capitalisation of expenses are the main likelihood determinants. Although financial statement fraud cannot be completely eradicated given that they are perpetuated by human beings who themselves are imperfect, it can be significantly mitigated when micro financial institutions become conscious of the events or conditions that motivate the commission of financial statement fraud. Micro financial institutions are encouraged to create enabling environment for the stagnation of these elements by strengthening the internal control systems of assets, liabilities, expenses, and revenues. Independent audits be carried out irregularly, perpetrators of fraud held responsible, and employees treated decently and fairly. Management should introduce financial management ethics to employees and be very sensitive to behavioural red flags.
Keywords: Financial Statement, Fraud, bid rigging, falsification, fraudulent audit confirmation, improper capitalisation of expenses., micro-financial institutions, misrepresentation
The Role of External Auditors in Error and Fraud Discovered in the Financial Statements in the Jordanian Public Shareholding Companies (Industrial) (Published)
The Purpose of this study is to identify the role of external auditors in error and fraud discovered in the financial statements in the Public shareholding industrial Companies in Jordan. It is also about recognizing the role of external auditors with the duties assigned to them when auditing financial statements and discovering error and fraud in those statements. The current study also concentrated on the principle of confidentiality whether it should prevent the external auditor from informing the competent authorities about any fraud or error that takes place in the company they are auditing. The researcher chose a random sample of external auditors affiliated to Jordan Association of certified public Accountants, who audited the financial statements of the public shareholding industrial companies in Jordan. The study produced a set of important results and recommendations the most prominent of which was that there is a statistically significant relationship between the prompt reporting by the auditor about the existence of error or fraud cases and the maintenance of privacy towards the establishment they are reviewing its accounts. There is also a statistically significant relationship between uncovering error and fraud in the financial statements of the companies and the responsibility shouldered by the external auditor. The researcher also advises the shareholders to follow up the financial systems of the companies they participate in and to demand for periodical modernization of those systems.
Keywords: Auditors, Error, Financial Statement, Fraud, Jodan, Shareholding Company
FINANCIAL REPORTING AND COMPLIANCE OF IMPAIRMENT OF NON-CURRENT ASSETS IN THE NIGERIAN BANKS (Published)
The significant value in financial statement is denoted by the non –current assets. The implementation of the International financial reporting standard in Nigeria commenced in the year 2012 which insisted on the implementation of impairment of assets (IAS 36) and how the impairment loss should be recognised .According to Beisland, Hamberg and Navak, 2010 , one is not aware of any expansive study that has explored the subject of value relevance of accounting information in Nigeria., This study attempts to fill the gap in literature by assessing the disclosure of impairment of assets in Nigerian Banks. The objective of this study is to investigate the level of compliance of Nigerian banks with impairment of non – current assets (IAS 36) in their year 2012 financial reports and also the no of banks which disclosed additional information on significant impairment of assets on their financial statements for the year 2012 . For this study, eleven banks were selected out of the twenty two banks. The disclosure of impairment was analysed by using descriptive statistics. The results of the research showed an increase in the number of Banks which disclosed impairment losses as well as the value of impairment losses. It is expected that there will be an improvement in the extent of disclosure in the subsequent annual reports.
Keywords: : Impairment Of Non- Current Assets, Disclosure, Financial Statement, Impairment Losses.
The Impact of Information Disclosure on Goodwill Impairment in Merger and Acquisition Decision in Nigerian Banks (Published)
The need for quality accounting information is to bring investors’ in an economy. Investors require financial position of business asset to be prepared in line with the international accounting standards. Goodwill as an asset requires quality reporting in accordance to the Nigerian GAAP. Provision of goodwill impairment in Nigerian banks has been provided on SAS26 for Financial information. Questionnaires were administered to the bank staff and preparers of financial statements for banks. 10 banks were selected for the study. Chi-square was used as a statistical tool from the data analysis. Form the study it was found that financial reporting in Nigerian universal banks recognized goodwill impairment in a low term for merger and acquisitions. The quality of accounting information disclosure in respect of goodwill has been low. Nigerian universal banks should ensure there is enough information in respect of goodwill impairment before taking merger and acquisition decision as this will foster quality decision. Also Nigerian universal banks should providing adequate and accurate information in foot notes of financial statement in respect of goodwill impairment
Keywords: : Goodwill impairment, Financial Statement, Information, Nigerian GAAP, SAS 26
The Governance Capability to Support Accounting & Financial Disclosure in the financial Statements (Case Study – Industrial Sector) (Review Completed - Accepted)
In the last years we can see increased in attention of disclosure & transparency, because it have an important role to providing the necessary information that will help to improve & understand the financial instrument and improve the joint-stock companies performance in order to provide specific information to be used .then the companies can take the appropriate accounting policies and the best way to risk management, because all the investors need to achieve those goal and maximization wealth in legitimate ways. This study reached to the existence of the basis of an arbitrator & effective governance rules through fit the requirements of the rules of governance with the amount of disclosed in the joint-stock companies under study, that provide a regulatory framework that will help to give an effectively controls all aspects of governance and corporate performance and provide clear legislation sets out the responsibilities to ensure that the interests of public in joint-stock companies.The study proved the existence of an effective working mechanism between stakeholders and the Board of Directors to provide continuity of the company and provide an opportunity for stakeholders to get proper compensation when their rights are violated
Keywords: Disclosure, Financial Statement, Governance, Industrial Sector, Joint-stock Companies, Transparency