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CEO Power, Internal Control Quality, and Audit Committee Effectiveness in Substance Versus in Form

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  • Ling Lei Lisic
  • Terry L. Neal
  • Ivy Xiying Zhang
  • Yan Zhang

Abstract

During the past decade, new regulations have been adopted to improve audit committee effectiveness. Prior research has generally provided evidence in support of these regulations and suggests that a more independent and expert audit committee is more effective. We posit that CEO power reduces or even eliminates the improvements in audit committee effectiveness resulting from independent and financially expert committee members. Thus, CEO power may result in an audit committee that appears effective in form but is not in substance. We construct a composite index for CEO power by combining ten CEO characteristics and employ the incidence of internal control weaknesses as a proxy for audit committee monitoring quality. Since all the firms in our sample have completely independent audit committees, we use financial expertise to examine the impact of CEO power on audit committee effectiveness. We find that, when CEO power is low, audit committee financial expertise is negatively associated with the incidence of internal control weaknesses. However, as CEO power increases, this association monotonically weakens. When CEO power reaches a sufficiently high level, this association is no longer negative. The moderating effect of CEO power on audit committee effectiveness is more prominent when the CEO extracts more rents from the firm through insider trading. Our results are not driven by the CEO's involvement in director selection. Our paper suggests that more expert audit committees in form do not automatically translate into more effective monitoring. Rather, the substantive monitoring effectiveness of audit committees is contingent on CEO power.

Suggested Citation

  • Ling Lei Lisic & Terry L. Neal & Ivy Xiying Zhang & Yan Zhang, 2016. "CEO Power, Internal Control Quality, and Audit Committee Effectiveness in Substance Versus in Form," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(3), pages 1199-1237, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:coacre:v:33:y:2016:i:3:p:1199-1237
    DOI: 10.1111/1911-3846.12177
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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Tao, 2023. "Common auditors and internal control similarity: Evidence from China," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(2).
    2. Yin, Meiqun & Zhang, Jidong & Han, Jing, 2020. "Impact of CEO-board social ties on accounting conservatism: Internal control quality as a mediator," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    3. Patrick Velte, 2023. "The link between corporate governance and corporate financial misconduct. A review of archival studies and implications for future research," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 353-411, February.
    4. Theophilus Lartey & Diana Owusu Yirenkyi & Samuel Adomako & Albert Danso & Joseph Amankwah‐Amoah & Ashraful Alam, 2020. "Going green, going clean: Lean‐green sustainability strategy and firm growth," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 118-139, January.
    5. Huang, Zhen & Gao, Weiwei, 2022. "The effects of formal and informal CEO power on debt policy persistence," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    6. Florackis, Chris & Sainani, Sushil, 2021. "Can CFOs resist undue pressure from CEOs to manage earnings?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    7. Sohail Ahmad Javeed & Tze San Ong & Rashid Latief & Haslinah Muhamad & Wei Ni Soh, 2021. "Conceptualizing the Moderating Role of CEO Power and Ownership Concentration in the Relationship between Audit Committee and Firm Performance: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-26, June.
    8. Imran Abbas Jadoon & Umara Noreen & Usman Ayub & Muhammad Tahir & Naima Shahzadi, 2021. "The Impact of Family Ownership on Quality and Disclosure of Internal Control in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-16, August.
    9. Ahmad A. Toumeh & Sofri Yahya & Azlan Amran, 2023. "Surplus Free Cash Flow, Stock Market Segmentations and Earnings Management: The Moderating Role of Independent Audit Committee," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 24(6), pages 1353-1382, December.
    10. Huai-Chun Lo & Shin-Rong Shiah-Hou, 2022. "The effect of CEO power on overinvestment," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 23-63, July.
    11. C. S. Agnes Cheng & Yuan Huang & Sun & Yumiao Yu, 2021. "Geographic location of audit committee chairs and accruals quality: evidence from China," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1215-1246, November.
    12. Chalmers, Keryn & Hay, David & Khlif, Hichem, 2019. "Internal control in accounting research: A review," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 80-103.
    13. Gunasekarage, Abeyratna & Luong, Hoa & Truong, Thanh Tan, 2020. "Growth and market share matrix, CEO power, and firm performance," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    14. Sani Saidu, Usman Belo Baba, 2020. "CEO Experience and Firm Performance: Evidence from Nigerian Financial Sector," Journal of Finance and Economics Research, Geist Science, Iqra University, Faculty of Business Administration, vol. 5(2), pages 77-88, October.
    15. Nadeem, Muhammad & Suleman, Tahir & Ahmed, Ammad, 2019. "Women on boards, firm risk and the profitability nexus: Does gender diversity moderate the risk and return relationship?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 427-442.
    16. Ja Eun Koo & Eun Sun Ki, 2020. "Internal Control Personnel’s Experience, Internal Control Weaknesses, and ESG Rating," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-16, October.
    17. Ghannam, Samir & Matolcsy, Zoltan P. & Spiropoulos, Helen & Thai, Nathan, 2019. "The influence of powerful non-executive Chairs in Mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 87-104.
    18. Philip Beaulieu & Louise Hayes & Lev M. Timoshenko, 2023. "Changes in accounting estimates: An update of priors or an earnings management strategy of “last resort”?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(3-4), pages 622-659, March.
    19. Redhwan Al‐Dhamari & Abdulsalam Saad Alquhaif & Bakr Ali Al‐Gamrh, 2022. "Modelling the impact of audit/remuneration committee overlap on debtholders' perceptions of accounting information quality: The role of CEO power," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(3), pages 2898-2920, July.
    20. Sungchang Kang & Jeongseok Bang & Doojin Ryu, 2024. "Female CEOs’ risk management and earnings performance during the financial crisis," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(1), pages 110-138, February.
    21. Oliver Henk, 2020. "Internal control through the lens of institutional work: a systematic literature review," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 239-273, September.
    22. Abubakr Saeed & Qasim Ali & Hammad Riaz & Muhammad Asif Khan, 2022. "Audit Committee Independence and Auditor Reporting for Financially Distressed Companies: Evidence From an Emerging Economy," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.
    23. Wided Bouaine & Yosr Hrichi, 2019. "Impact of Audit Committee Adoption and its Characteristics on Financial Performance: Evidence from 100 French Companies," Accounting and Finance Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 8(1), pages 1-92, February.

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