IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/acceur/v8y2011i2p235-256.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Determinants of Voluntary Audit Committee Formation in a Two-Tier Board System of a Post-transitional Economy – The Case of Slovenia

Author

Listed:
  • Maja Zaman Groff
  • Aljoša Valentinčič

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of voluntary audit committee (AC) formation in a setting characterized by: (i) a two-tier board system; (ii) a post-transitional economy. Both factors may affect the system of incentives that influences the decision to form an AC and both factors distinguish this paper from existing studies that are usually done under a unitary-board system in a developed capital market. Only a minority (17%) of companies in our sample had voluntarily established ACs by the time ACs had become mandatory by law. We find that larger firms, firms with larger supervisory boards and firms with less debt (rather than more) are more likely to have voluntarily established an AC. Although the inverse relationship between debt and AC formation contradicts the debt holder–manager conflict it can be explained in the context of a post-transitional economy, where the ownership structure appears not to have stabilized yet and where debt has been used as a means of achieving effective control of firms by insiders.

Suggested Citation

  • Maja Zaman Groff & Aljoša Valentinčič, 2011. "Determinants of Voluntary Audit Committee Formation in a Two-Tier Board System of a Post-transitional Economy – The Case of Slovenia," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 235-256.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acceur:v:8:y:2011:i:2:p:235-256
    DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2011.621674
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/17449480.2011.621674
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/17449480.2011.621674?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. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    2. Mark S. Beasley & Steven E. Salterio, 2001. "The Relationship between Board Characteristics and Voluntary Improvements in Audit Committee Composition and Experience," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(4), pages 539-570, December.
    3. Jan Hanousek & Evžen Kočenda & Jan Svejnar, 2007. "Origin and concentration," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 15(1), pages 1-31, January.
    4. Neil Garrod & Ivan Turk, 1995. "The development of accounting regulation in Slovenia," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(4), pages 749-764.
    5. Pincus, Karen & Rusbarsky, Mark & Wong, Jilnaught, 1989. "Voluntary formation of corporate audit committees among NASDAQ firms," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 8(4), pages 239-265.
    6. Anderson, Don & Francis, Jere R. & Stokes, Donald J., 1993. "Auditing, directorships and the demand for monitoring," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 353-375.
    7. Saul Estrin & Jan Hanousek & Evzen Kocenda & Jan Svejnar, 2009. "The Effects of Privatization and Ownership in Transition Economies," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(3), pages 699-728, September.
    8. Myers, Stewart C., 1977. "Determinants of corporate borrowing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 147-175, November.
    9. Menon, Krishnagopal & Deahl Williams, Joanne, 1994. "The use of audit committees for monitoring," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 121-139.
    10. Michael Firth & Oliver M. Rui, 2007. "Voluntary audit committee formation and agency costs," International Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Performance Evaluation, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 4(2), pages 142-160.
    11. Aleksandra Gregoric & Cristina Vespro, 2009. "Block trades and the benefits of control in Slovenia1," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 17(1), pages 175-210, January.
    12. Paul Collier & Alan Gregory, 1996. "Audit committee effectiveness and the audit fee," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(2), pages 177-198.
    13. Eichenseher, John W. & Shields, David, 1985. "Corporate director liability and monitoring preferences," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 13-31.
    14. Bradbury, Michael E., 1990. "The incentives for voluntary audit committee formation," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 19-36.
    15. Stuart Turley & Mahbub Zaman, 2004. "The Corporate Governance Effects of Audit Committees," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 8(3), pages 305-332, June.
    16. Ken Y. Chen & Jian Zhou, 2007. "Audit Committee, Board Characteristics, and Auditor Switch Decisions by Andersen's Clients," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(4), pages 1085-1117, December.
    17. Adams, Mike, 1997. "Determinants of audit committee formation in the life insurance industry: New Zealand evidence," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 123-129, February.
    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. Vesna Å tager, 2018. "Strong Competition Among Audit Companies and Power to Achieve Higher Audit Fees: Who is at the Forefront?," Scientific Annals of Economics and Business (continues Analele Stiintifice), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 65(2), pages 119-138, June.

    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. Kwansagool Tengamnuay & Pamela Stapleton, 2009. "The role of the audit committee in Thailand: a mature monitoring mechanism or an evolving process?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 13(3), pages 131-161, August.
    2. Adams, Mike, 1997. "Determinants of audit committee formation in the life insurance industry: New Zealand evidence," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 123-129, February.
    3. Deli, Daniel N. & Gillan, Stuart L., 2000. "On the demand for independent and active audit committees," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 427-445, December.
    4. Carlo Regoliosi & Alessandro d’Eri, 2014. "“Good” corporate governance and the quality of internal auditing departments in Italian listed firms. An exploratory investigation in Italian listed firms," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 18(3), pages 891-920, August.
    5. Maria Consuelo Pucheta‐Martínez & Cristina De Fuentes, 2007. "The Impact of Audit Committee Characteristics on the Enhancement of the Quality of Financial Reporting: an empirical study in the Spanish context," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(6), pages 1394-1412, November.
    6. Husam Aldamen & Keith Duncan & Simone Kelly & Ray McNamara & Stephan Nagel, 2012. "Audit committee characteristics and firm performance during the global financial crisis," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 52(4), pages 971-1000, December.
    7. Deumes, R.W.J., 2000. "Voluntary reporting on internal control by listed Dutch companies," Research Memorandum 042, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    8. Li (Glenda) Chen & Alan Kilgore & Renee Radich, 2009. "Audit committees: voluntary formation by ASX non-top 500," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 24(5), pages 475-493, May.
    9. G. Sarens & I. De Beelde, 2006. "Interaction between internal auditors and the audit committee: An analysis of expectations and perceptions," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 06/357, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    10. Zhou, Haiyan & Owusu-Ansah, Stephen & Maggina, Anastasia, 2018. "Board of directors, audit committee, and firm performance: Evidence from Greece," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 20-36.
    11. Charles Piot, 2004. "The existence and independence of audit committees in France," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(3), pages 223-246.
    12. G. Sarens & I. De Beelde, 2005. "Interaction between internal audit and different organisational parties: An analysis of expectations and perceptions," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 05/353, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    13. George Drogalas & Michail Nerantzidis & Dimitrios Mitskinis & Ioannis Tampakoudis, 2021. "The relationship between audit fees and audit committee characteristics: evidence from the Athens Stock Exchange," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(1), pages 24-41, March.
    14. Julia Yonghua Wu & Ronán Feehily & Beverley Rae Lord, 2022. "The Corporate Governance Role of Audit Committees: Through the Lenses of New Zealand Institutional Investors," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 32(1), pages 63-76, March.
    15. Puławska Karolina & Dobija Dorota & Piotrowska Katarzyna & Kravchenko Grygorii, 2021. "Audit Committee Formation: The Case of Poland," Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, Sciendo, vol. 29(2), pages 169-212, June.
    16. Charles Piot, 2005. "Les Comités De Rémunération Et De Sélection Sont-Ils Perçus Comme Des Mécanismes De Contrôle En France ?," Post-Print halshs-00581273, HAL.
    17. Toufik Saada, 1998. "Les comités d'audit en France: un an après le rapport Viénot," Revue Finance Contrôle Stratégie, revues.org, vol. 1(3), pages 159-184, September.
    18. Tao, Ngoc Bich & Hutchinson, Marion, 2013. "Corporate governance and risk management: The role of risk management and compensation committees," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 83-99.
    19. Ismail Adelopo & Kumba Jallow & Peter Scott, 2012. "Multiple large ownership structure, audit committee activity and audit fees," Journal of Applied Accounting Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(2), pages 100-121, September.
    20. Ahmad Yuosef Alodat & Zalailah Salleh & Hafiza Aishah Hashim & Farizah Sulong, 2021. "Corporate governance and firm performance: empirical evidence from Jordan," Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(5), pages 866-896, August.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:taf:acceur:v:8:y:2011:i:2:p:235-256. 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: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RAIE20 .

    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.