Indonesian Journal of Taxation and Accounting
Vol 4, No 2 (2026): June 2026

Earnings Management and Firm Value: The Activities of Independent Commissioners and Audit Committees as Proxies For Corporate Governance

Muhammad Ilham Pakawaru (Faculty of Economics and Business, Tadulako University)
Irham Pakawaru (Faculty of Economics and Business, Datokarama State Islamic University)
Rika Febby Rhamdhani (Faculty of Economics and Business, Tadulako University)
Nurlailah (Faculty of Economics and Business, Abdul Azis Lamadjido University)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Jun 2026

Abstract

Purpose - This study examines whether corporate governance, through the activities of independent commissioners and audit committees, mitigates earnings management and enhances firm value. Methods - This study employs a quantitative panel data approach using 90 firm-year observations from 18 State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) during 2019-2023. Winsorization at the 5th and 95th percentiles was applied to Tobin’s Q, earnings management, and leverage, while other variables remained unchanged. Multicollinearity was assessed using the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF), and orthogonalization was applied to earnings management and interaction terms. Hypotheses were tested using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) with the Fixed Effects Model (FEM), selected based on the Chow and Hausman tests, using robust standard errors. Findings - Earnings management has a significant negative effect on firm value. Independent commissioners’ activities do not moderate this relationship, where audit committee activities significantly weaken its negative effect. Because audit committee activities are measured by cumulative attendance, the findings reflect monitoring intensity rather than monitoring effectiveness or governance quality. Greater audit committee participation is associated with preserving firm value. Research implications - The findings emphasize the importance of increasing audit committee participation in governance activities. Companies should strengthen oversight quality and corporate governance practices. Originality - This study contributes to the corporate governance literature by examining the moderating roles of Independent commissioners’ activities and audit committee activities. Unlike prior studies relying on structural governance measures, it uses cumulative meeting attendance to capture monitoring intensity, providing a behavioural perspective on corporate governance in Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).

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Journal Info

Abbrev

IJOTA

Publisher

Subject

Economics, Econometrics & Finance Social Sciences

Description

1. Taxation Tax Policy and Fiscal Policy Tax Compliance and Tax Administration Tax Planning and Tax Avoidance Corporate Taxation International Taxation Digital Taxation and Tax Technology Behavioral Aspects in Tax Compliance 2. Financial Accounting and Reporting Financial Reporting Standards ...