• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권7호
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• pp.517-523
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• 2021

Audit quality encompasses the key elements that create an environment that maximizes the likelihood that quality audits are performed consistently. This study aimed to identify the impact of auditing quality on the market value of the manufacturing companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). The analytical method was adopted in this research to extract and collect the necessary data. This study hypothesizes that audit quality leads to an increase in the market value by the offering of high-quality services. The study used the panel data approach to analyze cross-sectional data for 41 industrial companies that included time series data for the period (2019-2019). To test its hypotheses, the study used the fixed-effect model. The study found that the audit quality factors (audit office size, client retention period, auditor's fees, and linking with international audit offices) did not have a significant impact on market value. It found also the positive impact of the audit office size on the market value of the listed companies on the ASE for the period from 2009 to 2019. The study recommended the management of the company realize the importance of contracting with audit offices of large size and good reputation because these offices are more capable of increasing their efficiency, qualifying their employees, and thus be fully prepared for the audit process efficiently and effectively.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.341-350
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• 2021

This study tested the effect of the board of directors' (BOD) characteristics on the corporate performance of the Jordanian industrial and service companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) during the period 2015-2019. The characteristics of the BOD were measured through the following variables: MO = managerial ownership; CEODU = CEO duality; BI = board independence; GD = gender diversity; ND = nationality diversity; AE = advanced education; BM = board meetings; BSIZ = board size; CSIZ = corporate size; CA = corporate age. The corporate performance was measured by return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). The corporate size and corporate age were used as control variables. The study sample consisted of 85 industrial and service companies with 425 observations to identify the nature of the effect of the BOD characteristics on performance. This study applied time-series data (panel data), and the multiple linear regression method was used to achieve study objectives. Results showed a positive effect of the study variables on performance, while the corporate age and the education level (BOD members) have a negative effect on performance.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.539-549
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• 2021

This study aims to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditures and both financial and non-financial performance of Jordanian commercial banks during the period 2008-2018. To measure the variables of interest, secondary data published on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) website were processed to become preliminary data suitable for the nature of the study. The study sample amounted to 13 commercial banks, which represent all Jordanian commercial banks listed on ASE.. The study found that there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between CSR expenditures and financial performance, as the study showed that the return on equity (ROE) has a positive and significant relationship with CSR expenditure, while the return on assets (ROA) and Tobin's Q model have a statistically significant negative relationship with CSR expenditure, while the market stock price (MSP) had a positive, but not statistically significant. The study also found that there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between CSR expenditures and non-financial performance, which was represented by total deposits and total training expenditures in Jordanian commercial banks. Accordingly, the study recommends encouraging banks to prepare sustainability reports and CSR reports, which are considered comprehensive, and not only with disclosures within the annual reports.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제7권12호
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• pp.615-626
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the determinants of risk factor model for the Jordanian banking stocks from 2006 to 2018. This study employs the Five-factor Fama and French's (2015) methodology and uses the annual returns of all Jordanian banks including 2 Islamic and 13 commercial banks listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) over a period of 13 years. The results show that the factors of value and profitability have an important role in evaluating the expected return in Jordanian banking stocks. Moreover, the value HML and profitability RMW factors provide the highest cumulative returns among these five factors, while the investment CMA and size SMB factors are still around zero cumulative returns. For the market factor, it provides the least negative cumulative returns. The results showed that the largest correlation is between value and investment factors which means that banks with a high book to market value become banks with a conservative investment strategy. The result of the sub-periods confirmed the value and profitability results. The findings of this study suggest that the five-factor Fama and French model is the choice of building an investment portfolio, especially the factors of value and profitability.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제7권11호
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• pp.33-43
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• 2020

This study aims to investigate the importance of earnings quality as a determinant of companies' performance. It provides some empirical evidences from an emerging market, specifically from the Jordanian market. This study developed an econometric model for the effect of earnings quality on the companies' performance using empirical evidence. The study employs a panel data analysis method by using a sample of all Jordanian industrial public shareholding companies listed on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) during 2010-2018. The results reveal that Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Earnings Per Share (EPS) as proxies of company's performance are affected by the earnings quality. This provides the importance of positive earnings quality that eventually influences the companies' performance. The results of this study suggest that the higher control level on the managers' behavior and its outcome will have an effect on earnings quality, and thus the company's performance increases. As well as, high relevance of accounting information will improve earnings quality, and thus earnings quality with the interaction factors of the company's environment work on improving performance. As a conclusion, this study can work as a reference to assist standard setters, security analysts, regulators and other accounting-information users in appraising relation between the earnings quality and companies' performance.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제7권10호
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• pp.531-541
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• 2020

This study aims to determine the nature of the association between dividend policy and a corporation's financial performance in emerging countries, as well as the main variables that may have an effect on financial performance. The study included 92 industrial and service sector companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) during the period from 2015 to 2019. The study used Panel Data Analysis and cross-sectional time-series data and simple and multiple linear regression models. A multiple regression model was also developed in order to test whether guess factors may have a possible impact on financial performance (such as Dividend Yield, Dividend Pay-out Ratio, Firm Size, Leverage Ratio, Current Ratio). The data was collected from the annual reports and information that was available on the ASE website covering the period from 2015 to 2019. The results detect a strong relation between DY, DPR, and FSIZE variables that explain firm performance. Also leverage ratio is negatively and significantly associated with ROA and AOE. Moreover, no relations were detected between current ratio and financial performance. The study's conclusion is that dividend policy explains a lot of a company's financial performance, meaning that the dividend policy has a statistically significant impact on company financial performance.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권5호
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• pp.627-637
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• 2021

This research extends the literature on the effect of board characteristics and ownership structure on audit fees; these factors affect the firm's agency costs and how the auditor assesses various risks, hence the audit efforts and fees. The paper introduces political connections as a determinant of audit fees for the first time in Jordan, where the political connection is prevalent and affects decision making on the Jordanian boards. The sample consists of 109 manufacturing and service firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) over the years 2012-2019. Data is obtained from the ASE and the company's annual reports. Board characteristics are measured by board size, independence, leadership duality, meetings frequency, political connections, and audit committee. Ownership structure was measured by concentration, foreign ownership, and Institutional ownership. The study hypotheses were tested by using Generalized Least Squares regression. The Findings showed that larger boards, politically connected firms, and firms with leadership duality are more likely to pay higher fees. Besides, Firms with greater foreign ownership pay less fees, whereas the rest of the variables are insignificant. Results suggest that political connections play a major role in determining audit fees; this provides a recommendation to policymakers in Jordan to reconsider regulations regarding political connections.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.243-253
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• 2021

This study aims to examine (1) the association between the chief executive officer tenure and audit quality, (2) the relationship between chief executive officer duality and audit quality, (3) the association between board independence and audit quality, (4) the relationship between board size and audit quality, and (5) the role of controlling variables (client size, leverage debt, and business complexity) in controlling these relationships. The research sample includes 325 financial reports from manufacturing firms listed in Amman Stock exchange over the 2014-2018 period. The study relationships are tested by using logistic regression. The results revealed a negative relationship, but not significant between CEO tenure and independent directors with audit quality. In addition, the results showed there is a negative effect of CEO duality on audit quality; also the results revealed that there is a statistically significant effect on the board of directors (board size) on the AQ. In general, the coefficient estimates of controlling variables show that client size and leverage debt positively affect audit quality, and on the contrary, business complexity has an insignificant positive relationship with audit quality. The summary of the study findings play an active role to external auditor opinion on business practice in towered the corporate governance system.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.797-808
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• 2021

This study examines the interaction between internal auditors' personality traits and the internal audit function effectiveness. It also investigates the effect of such interacted variables on financial reporting quality. This study employed a questionnaire survey to collect data from 193 internal auditors of Jordanian companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. The study model is validated and tested using the partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results reveal that all the examined personality traits of internal auditors significantly impact internal audit function effectiveness except for the extraversion trait. The results also show that personality traits have indirect effects on financial reporting quality via internal audit function effectiveness. These results suggest that internal auditors with high scores on openness to experience, emotional stability, and conscientiousness traits can be among the most significant contributors to the internal audit function effectiveness. The results also suggest that internal auditors' personality traits can be regarded as an internal audit function intangible resource that enhances effectiveness. The study's findings might be of interest to many different parties interested in enhancing internal audit function effectiveness and boosting the financial reporting quality, such as external and internal auditors, auditees, human resource departments, and Chief Internal Audit Executives.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.201-208
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• 2021

This study aimed to identify the key factors that affect the financial market performance (Price-Earnings Model) through a sample of 35 public shareholding industrial companies on the Amman Stock Exchange for the period 2010-2019, using statistical models and methods, such as the Simple Linear Regression Model, Correlation Coefficient, and dispersion board. The study results showed the nonexistence of a statistically significant effect between the intellectual capital and market value added (MVA) and market performance. Results also showed a statistically significant positive effect between financial leverage (FL) and the market performance, where the interpreted variation reached 64%. It showed from the analysis results that the relationship between (MVA) and market performance (P/E) agrees with the study hypotheses, while the result related to (FL) disagrees with the study hypotheses. The study recommends that public shareholding industrial companies should focus more on intellectual capital and show its value in the annual financial statements and reports, and those companies that have high profitability and the chance to hold gains and profits should rely less on debt and more on retained earnings, due to the high risk of debt and in line with the present unstable circumstances in Jordan, especially in light of the global Covid-19 crisis.