Board Characteristics and Earnings Management of Listed Consumer Goods Firms in Nigeria

Abstract

Corporate governance mechanisms have continued to strengthen the operations and activities of corporate entities in Nigeria. Board characteristics and earnings management have attracted many scholars trying to establish relevant relationship that will assist policy makers and regulatory agencies in facilitating good corporate governance. This study examines the impact of board characteristics on earnings management of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. The Agency Theory was used to underpin the study. Board characteristics as the independent variable was proxied using board independence, board meetings, board gender diversity and board expertise while earnings management as the dependent variable was measured using the Modifies Jones Model. The panel data multiple regression was used on data extracted from annual reports of sixteen listed consumer goods firms from 2011 to 2020. The study found that, board gender diversity and board expertise negatively and significantly influence earnings management while board independence and board meetings have no significant influence on listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that, regulatory agencies and policy makers should encourage listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria to increase diversity in boards and expertise as this will minimize earnings management activities by management.