IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/buseth/v35y2026i3p1467-1492.html

Curbing Corporate Fraud From Within: A Perspective From Rank‐and‐File Employees

Author

Listed:
  • Qilin Wang
  • Shuaiqi He
  • Xinyuan Xu
  • Jinzhao Liu

Abstract

This study examines the impact of rank‐and‐file employees on corporate fraud. Using the educational levels of employees as a proxy for employee quality, we demonstrate that higher‐quality employees serve as notable deterrents to corporate fraud. This effect operates through two underlying mechanisms: earnings pressure alleviation and monitoring role enhancement. Our findings survive after addressing potential endogeneity concerns. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the inhibitory effect of employee quality is more pronounced in firms facing severer financing constraints, weaker CEO power, greater reliance on employees, lower unemployment concerns, and better corporate governance. Lastly, we find that internal employee monitoring substitutes for external mechanisms, while employee stock ownership plans enhance the monitoring effectiveness of employees.

Suggested Citation

  • Qilin Wang & Shuaiqi He & Xinyuan Xu & Jinzhao Liu, 2026. "Curbing Corporate Fraud From Within: A Perspective From Rank‐and‐File Employees," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(3), pages 1467-1492, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:35:y:2026:i:3:p:1467-1492
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12852
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12852
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/beer.12852?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wei, Jiuchang & Ouyang, Zhe & Chen, Haipeng (Allan), 2018. "CEO characteristics and corporate philanthropic giving in an emerging market: The case of China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 1-11.
    2. Olubunmi Faleye & Emery Trahan, 2011. "Labor-Friendly Corporate Practices: Is What is Good for Employees Good for Shareholders?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(1), pages 1-27, June.
    3. Nana Liu & Chuanzhe Liu & Quan Guo & Bowen Da & Linna Guan & Huiying Chen, 2019. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance: A Quantile Regression Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-22, July.
    4. Larcker, David F. & Rusticus, Tjomme O., 2010. "On the use of instrumental variables in accounting research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 186-205, April.
    5. Liuyang Ren & Xi Zhong & Liangyong Wan, 2022. "Missing Analyst Forecasts and Corporate Fraud: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(1), pages 171-194, November.
    6. Huasheng Gao & Huai Zhang & Jin Zhang, 2018. "Employee turnover likelihood and earnings management: evidence from the inevitable disclosure doctrine," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1424-1470, December.
    7. Emily Oster, 2019. "Unobservable Selection and Coefficient Stability: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(2), pages 187-204, April.
    8. Adriana S. Cordis & Elizabeth M. Lambert, 2017. "Whistleblower laws and corporate fraud: Evidence from the United States," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(4), pages 289-299, December.
    9. Heese, Jonas & Pérez-Cavazos, Gerardo, 2021. "The effect of retaliation costs on employee whistleblowing," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2).
    10. Adams, Renée & Almeida, Heitor & Ferreira, Daniel, 2009. "Understanding the relationship between founder-CEOs and firm performance," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 136-150, January.
    11. Michael C. Jensen, 2010. "Value Maximization, Stakeholder Theory, and the Corporate Objective Function," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 22(1), pages 32-42, January.
    12. Call, Andrew C. & Kedia, Simi & Rajgopal, Shivaram, 2016. "Rank and file employees and the discovery of misreporting: The role of stock options," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 277-300.
    13. Deng, Xin & Kang, Jun-koo & Low, Buen Sin, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility and stakeholder value maximization: Evidence from mergers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(1), pages 87-109.
    14. Farhadi, Reza & Nanda, Vikram, 2021. "What do employees know? Quality perception and ‘over-satisfaction’ in firms going public," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    15. Xingqiang Du, 2016. "Does Confucianism Reduce Board Gender Diversity? Firm-Level Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 399-436, June.
    16. Charles J. Hadlock & Joshua R. Pierce, 2010. "New Evidence on Measuring Financial Constraints: Moving Beyond the KZ Index," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(5), pages 1909-1940.
    17. Ben-Nasr, Hamdi & Ghouma, Hatem, 2018. "Employee welfare and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 700-725.
    18. Wu, Fang & Cao, June & Zhang, Xiaosan, 2023. "Do non-executive employees matter in curbing corporate financial fraud?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    19. Lin Liao & Guanting Chen & Dengjin Zheng, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility and financial fraud: evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 59(5), pages 3133-3169, December.
    20. Dennis W. Campbell & Ruidi Shang, 2022. "Tone at the Bottom: Measuring Corporate Misconduct Risk from the Text of Employee Reviews," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(9), pages 7034-7053, September.
    21. 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.
    22. Sergiy D. Dmytriyev & R. Edward Freeman & Jacob Hörisch, 2021. "The Relationship between Stakeholder Theory and Corporate Social Responsibility: Differences, Similarities, and Implications for Social Issues in Management," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(6), pages 1441-1470, September.
    23. Rui Xiang & Wenyan Zhu, 2023. "Academic independent directors and corporate fraud: evidence from China," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(2), pages 285-303, March.
    24. Tracy Yue Wang & Andrew Winton & Xiaoyun Yu, 2010. "Corporate Fraud and Business Conditions: Evidence from IPOs," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 65(6), pages 2255-2292, December.
    25. Xing Li & Xia Chen & Baolei Qi & Gaoliang Tian, 2020. "Employee quality and audit fee: evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(5), pages 4533-4566, December.
    26. Fuxiu Jiang & Kenneth A Kim, 2020. "Corporate Governance in China: A Survey [The role of boards of directors in corporate governance: a conceptual framework and survey]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 24(4), pages 733-772.
    27. Dongmin Kong & Junyi Xiang & Jian Zhang & Yiyang Lu, 2019. "Politically connected independent directors and corporate fraud in China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 58(5), pages 1347-1383, March.
    28. Rajib Doogar & Padmakumar Sivadasan & Ira Solomon, 2015. "Audit fee residuals: Costs or rents?," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1247-1286, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Zhai, Qifan & Xu, Lin, 2025. "Employee welfare and earnings management," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Chen, Xiaoqiu & Hu, Feng, 2025. "Employee pension welfare and corporate risk-taking: Evidence from the enterprise annuity system in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. Wu, Fang & Cao, June & Zhang, Xiaosan, 2023. "Do non-executive employees matter in curbing corporate financial fraud?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    4. Yi Si & Chongwu Xia, 2023. "The Effect of Human Capital on Stock Price Crash Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(3), pages 589-609, October.
    5. Chen, Yunyan & Wu, Shinong & Zhou, Yucheng & Huo, Di, 2023. "Gambling culture and corporate violations: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    6. Su, Fei & Guan, Mengyao & Liu, Yujie & Liu, Jia, 2024. "ESG performance and corporate fraudulence: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    7. Kryzanowski, Lawrence & Li, Mingyang & Xu, Sheng & Zhang, Jie, 2025. "Share pledging and corporate misconduct," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(3).
    8. Miao, Miao & Yang, Yuxuan & Li, Xueyao & He, Wenjian, 2025. "Bankruptcy judicial reform and corporate fraud: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    9. Andrew C. Call & Gerald S. Martin & Nathan Y. Sharp & Jaron H. Wilde, 2018. "Whistleblowers and Outcomes of Financial Misrepresentation Enforcement Actions," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 56(1), pages 123-171, March.
    10. El Ghoul, Sadok & Guedhami, Omrane & Wang, He & Kwok, Chuck C.Y., 2016. "Family control and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 131-146.
    11. Yifei Chen & Dan Palmon, 2026. "Workers’ Voices Matter: Crowdsourced Employee Reviews and Insider Trading," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 1235-1262, June.
    12. Shima Amini & Sofia Johan & Eilnaz Kashefi Pour & Abdulkadir Mohamed, 2023. "Employee Welfare, Social Capital, and IPO Firm Survival," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(6), pages 2174-2204, November.
    13. Banerjee, Pradip & Bose, Sudipta & Dhole, Sandip & Truong, Cameron, 2025. "Greening up their act: Corporate carbon emissions reduction in response to political risk," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    14. Wang, Ziyue & Yuan, Zhizhu, 2024. "Employee education level and the cost of equity capital," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    15. Ghada Ismail, 2024. "Awe of the blue minds: Location, corporate social responsibility, and firm value," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 59(3), pages 625-656, August.
    16. Ji Dong & Yanning Liu & Jinfang Tian & Yunjing Wang, 2025. "Concealment Breeds Suspicion: CEO Dishonesty and Corporate Green Innovation," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 46(8), pages 4253-4276, December.
    17. Sun, Yanyang & Gao, Jun & Wu, Wenruo & Liu, Suyi, 2025. "ESG performance and corporate fraud: Evidence based on the MOE framework," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    18. Thomas J. Chemmanur & Dimitrios Gounopoulos & Panagiotis Koutroumpis & Yu Zhang, 2022. "CSR and Firm Survival: Evidence from the Climate and Pandemic Crises," Working Papers 935, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    19. Liu, Haiming & Chiang, Yao-Min, 2024. "Employment protection and environmental corporate social responsibility: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    20. Wanyu (Tina) Chen & Janus Jian Zhang & Gaoguang Zhou, 2024. "Internal governance and corporate social responsibility performance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(7-8), pages 2201-2238, July.

    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:wly:buseth:v:35:y:2026:i:3:p:1467-1492. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26946424 .

    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.