PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of board and audit committee characteristics on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Iranian companies listed in stock exchanges.Design/methodology/approachThis is a descriptive-correlational and an applied research. The statistical population of this research is all companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange and the research period is from 2012 to 2018. Using screening method a sample of 150 companies was selected. Multivariate regression and the software Eviews 10 were used for data analysis and hypothesis testing.FindingsThe results indicated that board size had a significant effect on CSR; board independence had a significant effect on CSR; managerial ownership did not have a significant effect on CSR; CEO duality did not have a significant effect on CSR; audit committee size had a significant effect on CSR; audit committee independence had a significant effect on CSR; and financial expertise of audit committee members had a significant effect on CSR.Originality/valueThe present study is the first research performed on the effect of board and audit committee characteristics on CSR in Iran. The results of this study contribute to the literature on the effect of board and audit committee characteristics on CSR and provide suggestions for capital market participants. CSR helps reduce asymmetric distribution of information among the internal and external organizational entities and reduce agency problems and conflicts among different groups. Based on the results, an effective audit committee as an effective mechanism enhances the credibility of financial and non-financial reporting such as social responsibility, which means that an effective audit committee can improve the level of voluntary disclosure of information through effective oversight of the reporting process. It is also suggested that companies focus on audit committee characteristics to increase the level of CSR.

PurposeThe main objective of the present study is to assess the potential impact of readability of financial statement notes on the auditor's report lag, audit fees and going concern opinion (GCO).Design/methodology/approachThe statistical population of this study includes all listed firms on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) for the period of 2012–2017. The systematic elimination method is used for sampling and multiple regression and EViews software are used for testing the hypothesis models.FindingsThe obtained results show that there is a significant and positive relationship between audit report lags and readability of financial statements. Moreover, it is also revealed that readability of financial statements is positively associated with audit fees. Furthermore, the findings suggest a negative correlation between readability indexes and issuing GCOs, denoting hard-to-read statements is considered as a risk factor by auditors. Finally, the observations of our robustness tests suggest that the association between audit report lag and readability of financial statements is robust.Originality/valueThis is the first conducted investigation concerning auditor's response to the readability of financial statement notes in TSE. The outcome of current paper may pave the way for revising and developing Iranian accounting standards in order to give a fairer and clearer picture of financial reports.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on financial accounting concepts (including the stock return, real earnings management, information asymmetry and financial performance) in Iranian companies listed in stock exchanges. Design/methodology/approach This is descriptive-correlational and applied research. The statistical population of this research is all companies listed on Tehran Stock Exchange, and the research period is from 2012 to 2018. Using the screening method a sample of 150 companies was selected. Multivariate regression and the software Eviews 10 were used for data analysis and hypothesis testing. Findings The results indicated that CSR has a significant effect on stock return; however, it does not have a significant effect on real earnings management. CSR has a significant effect on information asymmetry and financial performance. Originality/value The present study is the first research conducted on CSR and financial concepts in Iran. The results of this study contribute to the literature by introducing social responsibility to financial accounting variables and provide suggestions for capital market participants. Social responsibility has received growing attention from many companies and managers, as it influences the interests of indirect stakeholders in addition to direct ones. CSR reporting can enhance the development of scientific and cultural skills by promoting a culture of knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation, leading to a reduced gap between the expectations of economic enterprises and the community.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of board characteristics on money laundering in Iranian listed companies. Design/methodology/approach This was a descriptive-correlational study, and in terms of purpose, it was an applied research. The statistical population of this study was all companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange during the years 2012-2018. A sample of 150 companies was selected by screening method. Data analysis and hypothesis testing were performed using logistic regression and Eviews 10. Findings The results indicated that the board bonus and CEO duality (chief executive officer duality) had a significant effect on money laundering. CEO gender also had a significant effect on money laundering. Originality/value Sound management of risks related to money laundering by the board of directors is associated with stability, soundness and overall health of a country's financial system, which enables the integrity of the international financial system by meeting the Basel Committee goals, including strengthening the regulations, monitoring and improving current procedures, promoting financial stability and maintaining and enhancing a good corporate reputation; however, banks and other financial institutions are exposed to more serious risks, especially the reputation risk, operational risk, etc., if management does not play an effective role in the fight against money laundering. If management considers efficient and risk-driven policies and procedures in the fight against money laundering, then many problems and losses as well as many costs, including failure to collect receivables and to bring legal proceedings, can be prevented.

Purpose The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of audit features, including audit quality, audit fees and auditor tenure on money laundering in Iranian stock companies. Design/methodology/approach This research is descriptive-correlational and applied in terms of purpose. To evaluate the audit features, variables including audit quality, audit fee and auditor tenure were used. The statistical population of this study includes all companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange and the research period from 2012 to 2018. A sample of 150 companies was selected by the screening method. In this study, logistic regression and Eviews 10 software were used for data analysis and hypothesis testing. Findings The results showed that variables including audit quality, normal audit fee and auditor tenure have a significant effect on money laundering. Originality/value Observing money laundering rules and regulations for businesses involves is a critical issue. In auditing the financial statements of the business units subject to these laws, the auditor reviews their actions to obtain reasonable assurance of guaranteeing the money laundering laws, evaluates their effectiveness and gains approval of managers regarding observing laundering regulations. In this regard, the auditor is required to report definitive or suspected money-laundering cases or its certain or suspected evidence to the relevant authorities. Although the law prohibits the auditor from disclosing such matters to the client, it is not necessary. It seems that even if the auditors perform non-audit functions, they should report money laundering or suspicious operations and transactions.