مطالعه نقش واسطه‌ای ضعف‌های کنترل‌های داخلی در رابطه بین شاخص‌های محتوای اطلاعاتی سود شرکت‌ها و کیفیت حسابرسی

دﺳﺘﯿﺎﺑﯽ ﺑﻪ ﻣﺤﺘﻮای اﻃﻼﻋﺎﺗﯽ ﺳﻮد واﺑﺴﺘﻪ اﺳﺖ ﺑﻪ اﻋﺘﺒﺎر و ﺻﺤﯿﺢ ﺑﻮدن ﻫﺮ ﯾﮏ از ﺣﻠﻘﻪﻫﺎی زﻧﺠﯿﺮه ﮔﺰارﺷﮕﺮی ﻣﺎﻟﯽ، ازﺟﻤﻠﻪ اﻟﺰام ﺑﻪ اﻧﺠﺎم ﺣﺴﺎﺑﺮﺳﯽ ﻣﺴﺘﻘﻞ، ﺗﻌﯿﯿﻦ و اﻋﻤﺎل ﺷﺎﺧﺺﻫﺎی ﮐﯿﻔﯿﺖ ﺣﺴﺎﺑﺮﺳﯽ، ﮐﻨﺘﺮل، اﻓﺸﺎ و اراﺋﻪ راﻫﮑﺎر ﺑﺮای ﺿﻌﻒﻫﺎی ﮐﻨﺘﺮل داﺧﻠﯽ و ﮐﺎﻫﺶ آن. در اﯾﻦ راﺳﺘﺎ، ﭘﮋوﻫﺶ ﺣﺎﺿﺮ ﺑﻪ ﻣﻄﺎﻟﻌﻪ ﻧﻘﺶ واﺳﻄﻪای ﺿﻌﻒﻫﺎی ﮐﻨﺘﺮلﻫﺎی داﺧﻠﯽ در راﺑﻄﮥ ﺑﯿﻦ ﺷﺎﺧﺺﻫﺎی ﻣﺤﺘﻮای اﻃﻼﻋﺎﺗﯽ ﺳﻮد ﺷﺮﮐﺖﻫﺎ و ﮐﯿﻔﯿﺖ ﺣﺴﺎﺑﺮﺳﯽ ﭘﺮداﺧﺘﻪ اﺳﺖ. در اﯾﻦ ﻣﻮرد ﻣﺤﺘﻮای اﻃﻼﻋﺎﺗﯽ ﺳﻮد و ﻣﻌﯿﺎرﻫﺎی آن ﺑﻪﻋﻨﻮان ﻣﺘﻐﯿﺮ واﺑﺴﺘﻪ، ﮐﯿﻔﯿﺖ ﺣﺴﺎﺑﺮﺳﯽ و ﻣﻌﯿﺎرﻫﺎی آن ﺑﻪﻋﻨﻮان ﻣﺘﻐﯿﺮ ﻣﺴﺘﻘﻞ و ﺿﻌﻒﻫﺎی ﮐﻨﺘﺮلﻫﺎی داﺧﻠﯽ و ﻣﻌﯿﺎرﻫﺎی آن ﺑﻪﻋﻨﻮان ﻣﺘﻐﯿﺮ واﺳﻄﻪای اﯾﻔﺎی ﻧﻘﺶ ﻣﯽﮐﻨﻨﺪ. روش ﭘﮋوﻫﺶ اﺳﺘﻔﺎدهﺷﺪه ﺗﻮﺻﯿﻔﯽﻫﻤﺒﺴﺘﮕﯽ اﺳﺖ. 122 ﺷﺮﮐﺖ ﻓﻌﺎل در ﺑﻮرس اوراق ﺑﻬﺎدار ﺗﻬﺮان در دوره زﻣﺎﻧﯽ ﺳﺎلﻫﺎی 1386 ﺗﺎ 1395 ﻧﻤﻮﻧﻪ اﯾﻦ ﭘﮋوﻫﺶ را ﺗﺸﮑﯿﻞ ﻣﯽدﻫﻨﺪ. ﻧﺘﺎﯾﺞ ﭘﮋوﻫﺶ ﻧﺸﺎن داد ﺿﻌﻒﻫﺎی ﮐﻨﺘﺮلﻫﺎی داﺧﻠﯽ ﻣﺮﺗﺒﻂ ﺑﺎ ﮔﺰارﺷﮕﺮی ﻣﺎﻟﯽ دارای ﻧﻘﺶ واﺳﻄﻪای در راﺑﻄﮥ ﺑﯿﻦ ﺷﺎﺧﺺﻫﺎی ﻣﺤﺘﻮای اﻃﻼﻋﺎﺗﯽ ﺳﻮد ﺷﺮﮐﺖﻫﺎ و ﮐﯿﻔﯿﺖ ﺣﺴﺎﺑﺮﺳﯽ اﺳﺖ؛ اﻣﺎ ﺿﻌﻒﻫﺎی ﮐﻨﺘﺮلﻫﺎی داﺧﻠﯽ ﻣﺮﺗﺒﻂ ﺑﺎ ﻋﻤﻠﯿﺎت و ﻗﻮاﻧﯿﻦ و ﻣﻘﺮرات ﺑﻪ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﮐﻠﯽ دارای ﭼﻨﯿﻦ ﻧﻘﺸﯽ ﻧﯿﺴﺖ. اﯾﻦ ﯾﺎﻓﺘﻪﻫﺎ ﻣﯽﺗﻮاﻧﺪ ﺑﻪ ﺑﻬﺒﻮد ﻣﺤﺘﻮای اﻃﻼﻋﺎﺗﯽ ﺳﻮد ﺷﺮﮐﺖﻫﺎ از ﻃﺮﯾﻖ ﮐﯿﻔﯿﺖ ﺣﺴﺎﺑﺮﺳﯽ ﮐﻤﮏ ﮐﻨﺪ.

Study the mediating role of internal control weaknesses on the relationship between indicators of companies’ income information content and audit quality

Reaching to the income information content is depend on the accuracy of each chain in the financial reporting chain including the requirement for doing independent audit, the determination and application of audit quality indicators, control, disclosure and presentation of strategies for remedies and reduction of internal control weaknesses. In this regard, the present research attempts to study the mediating role of internal control weaknesses on the relationship between indicators of companies’ income information content and audit quality. For this, the quality of information content of income and its criteria regarded as dependent variable, audit quality and its criteria regarded as independent variables and weaknesses of internal control and its criteria act as mediating variable. Research method is descriptive correlational. Research sample is includes 122 companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange from 1386 to 1395. Research results showed that internal control weakness for financial reporting can play mediating role in the relation between audit quality and information content of income. However, internal control weakness for operation and rules do not such a role. These findings can improve the information content of companies’ income thorough the audit quality.   1 Introduction This research focuses on the companies’ income information content, which has triggered a vivid discussion on the topic since Beaver’s (1968) seminal paper on market reaction to earnings announcements. Prior research on investor reactions to earnings announcements has shown that the institutional setting significantly influences the information content of these announcements (e.g. DeFond, Hung, & Trezevant, 2007). However, this literature does not consider the role of firmspecific governance mechanisms and the role they play in enhancing the companies’ income information content. We posit that audit quality has a significant influence on the companies’ income information content and that this relationship varies across institutional settings. On the other hand, highprofile accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom and other major corporations in the early 2000s prompted the public to question the reliability of firms’ financial reporting. Accounting theory suggests that the reliability of financial reporting is a function of the effectiveness of firms’ internal control (Donaldson, 2005). However, the evidence in studies of Zhang, Zhou and Zhou (2007), Chen, Gul, Truong and Veeraraghavan (2012), Ravenstein, Georgakopoulos, Kalantonis and Kaldis (2013), and Chen, Gul and Truong (2016) suggests that audit quality has a beneficial role in reducing the weakness of internal controls. Therefore, weaknesses of firms’ internal control are a mediating variable (Baron and Kenny, 1968; Namazi and Namazi, 2017). In general, reaching to the information content of companies’ income is dependent on the accuracy of each link in the financial reporting chain including the requirement for doing independent audit, the determination and application of audit quality indicators, control, disclosure and presentation of strategies for remedies and reduction of internal control weaknesses. For this, the present research attempts to study the mediating role of internal control weaknesses on the relationship between indicators of companies’ income information content and audit quality.   2 Hypothesis Based on the theoretical literature and the conducted studies, research hypothesis was developed as follows: H1: audit quality affects companies’ income information content through the mediation of internal control weaknesses related to financial reporting. H2: audit quality affects companies’ income information content through the mediation of internal control weaknesses related to operations, laws and regulations. In general, based on the number of criteria for each of the independent variables (four criteria) and dependent (four criteria), each of the main hypothesis will have 16 subset hypothesis.   3 Methods The research methodology is a quantitative research that adopts the scientific method and empirical evidence, based on hypothesis and expost research designs. This type of research is utilized when criteria data quantitative are used. In this research, data of 122 companies are analyzed for the period of 20082017. The related data was collected through observation of Iranian database of the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) named Tadbir Pardaz, annual data files and accompanying notes as found on www.codal.ir.,. Descriptive statistics (i.e., mean, maximum, minimum and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (i.e., Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)) are used For statistical analysis and to test hypothesis. Collected data was calculated via the Excel software and was analyzed using Eviews9, SPSS22, and also PLS. In this research, the information content of companies’ income and its criteria regarded as dependent variable, audit quality and its criteria regarded as independent variables and weaknesses of internal control and its criteria act as mediating variable.   4 Results Research results showed that internal control weaknesses related to financial reporting have a mediating role on the relationship between indicators of companies’ income information content and audit quality. However, generally internal control weaknesses related to operations, laws and regulations do not play such a role. These findings can improve the information content of accounting earnings thorough the audit quality.   5 Discussion and Conclusion The companies’ income information content is an important determinant of investors’ decisions, and in particular on decisions about a dealing strategy. The goal of this research was to study the effects of audit quality on the companies’ income information content through the mediation of internal control weaknesses for the companies listed in the TSE. This study would enhance our understanding of companies’ income information content when facing various degrees of the audit quality. Furthermore, the results might be able to resolve the seemingly conflicting predictions from prior analytical models and will provide some implications for regulatory agencies’ future policy setting. One important suggestion is that, investors be recommended to pay attention to the information related to the auditor of the company and its features as a factor affecting the companies’ income information content.