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The Effectiveness of Corporate Governance in Constraining Earnings Management in Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Aysha S. Latif

    (Lecturer, University of Peshawar.)

  • Fahad Abdullah

    (Assistant professor, Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar.)

Abstract

Although firms’ annual reports are supposed to provide an unbiased and accurate picture of their financial position, managers may be induced to engage in earnings management in order to circumvent expectations. Such incentives can take the shape of stock prices, management incentives, or debt covenants. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of three attributes of corporate governance in constraining earnings management practices. These include board characteristics, audit committee characteristics, and ownership structure. Based on a sample of 120 nonfinancial firms listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange during 2003–12, we find that audit committee independence is negatively associated with earnings management, while CEO duality and institutional shareholding is positively associated with earnings management. Moreover, the effectiveness of governance mechanisms in constraining earnings management practices differs across high- and low-growth firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Aysha S. Latif & Fahad Abdullah, 2015. "The Effectiveness of Corporate Governance in Constraining Earnings Management in Pakistan," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 20(1), pages 135-155, Jan-June.
    • Handle: RePEc:lje:journl:v:20:y:2015:i:1:p:135-155
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Huma Fatima & Abdul Haque & Muhammad Usman, 2020. "Is there any association between real earnings management and crash risk of stock price during uncertainty? An evidence from family-owned firms in an emerging economy," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Dewan Muktadir-Al-Mukit & Tahera Jabin Keyamoni, 2019. "Corporate Governance and Earnings Management Practices among Listed Firms: A Study on Post Stock Market Crisis Period in Bangladesh," Journal of Asian Business Strategy, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 9(1), pages 1-9, June.
    5. Sattar Khan & Yasir Kamal & Shahid Hussain & Muhammad Abbas, 2022. "Corporate governance looking back to look forward in Pakistan: a review, synthesis and future research agenda," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-32, December.
    6. Ali Meftah Gerged & Khaldoon Albitar & Lara Al‐Haddad, 2023. "Corporate environmental disclosure and earnings management—The moderating role of corporate governance structures," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 2789-2810, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Earnings management; financial statements; corporate governance; board characteristics; audit committee characteristics; ownership structure; Pakistan.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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