Purpose This study investigates the relationship between management's psychological characteristics (managers' narcissism, overconfidence and managers' myopia) and earnings management in the pre-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and post-ISIS eras. Design/methodology/approach A multivariate regression model was used to test the hypotheses. The research hypotheses were tested using a sample of all companies listed on the Iraqi Stock Exchange from 2014 to 2020. Findings Findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between managers' narcissism, overconfidence and myopia with accrual and real earnings management. According to the results, the ISIS weakens the relationship between managers' narcissism, managers' overconfidence and managers' myopia with accrual and real earnings management. Originality/value Because no study has addressed this issue in Iraq so far, the results of this research can provide helpful information for its users and improve the knowledge and science in this area.

The present research aims to assess the potential impact of audit adjustments on the audit quality for the listed companies on the Iraqi Stock Exchange. In other words, this research attempts to answer whether the audit adjustments can improve the audit quality or not. To achieve the objectives, a multivariate regression model was employed to test the hypotheses. The research hypotheses were tested using a sample of 35 listed firms on the Iraqi Stock Exchange for 2014–2020 by exploiting a multiple regression model based on the panel data technique. The research findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between audit adjustments and quality. Such findings demonstrate that audit adjustment might be considered a quality factor for audit services. Since no research has addressed such a subject in Iraq, the study can provide helpful information for the equity owners, board of directors, and audit firms, contributing to developing science and knowledge in the auditing field of study.

Purpose This study aims to assess the relationship between managerial entrenchment and accounting conservatism in Iran. Design/methodology/approach To test hypotheses, all listed companies on the Tehran Stock Exchange during 2013–2018 (six years) that qualified were selected. Given the defined limitations of the study, a total of 120 firms with 720 year-observations was selected. After collecting data and figures, they were analyzed using EViews software. Having presented the inferential model tests, the panel data with fixed effects model is chosen. Findings The study results indicate a positive and significant relationship between managerial entrenchment and unconditional conservatism presented in the income statement. Moreover, the authors find a meaningful relationship between managerial entrenchment and unconditional conservatism about the balance sheet. Practical implications Managers will be more aware of the positive consequences of employment optimal corporate governance such as conservative accounting. Such corporate governance is likely to serve their interest in the long run by providing positive signals to the equity owners and board of directors. Originality/value By assessing conservatism’s literature in Iran, we observe many studies on this concept. Still, no investigation is carried out on the relationship between conservatism in accounting and managerial entrenchment. The present study is innovative because it evaluates the relationship between managerial entrenchment and two types of conservatism, namely, balance sheet and income statement conservatism, which have never been investigated by prior studies, notably in emerging markets.