Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Thevenot, Maya

Abstract

I examine whether and how racially/ethnically diverse board impacts the quality of reported earnings. Agency theory suggests that the board of directors acts as a robust governance mechanism to reduce opportunistic managerial behavior that may harm shareholders' wealth. Further, diversity coalesces a variety of attributes from different directors that are valuable in predicting organizational outcomes. The majority of extant literature focuses on gender-diverse boards and various firm outcomes, while little is known about how directors' race/ethnicity affects earnings quality. Using a sample of firms publicly traded in the U.S., I find that increased board racial/ethnic diversity is associated with better earnings quality as proxied by lower discretionary accruals and lower probability of internal control weaknesses and financial statement restatements. I further examine whether firms with increased diversity (racial/ethnic and gender diversity) enjoy incrementally higher earnings quality than other firms. However, I fail to find support that racial/ethnic and gender intersectionality is associated with improved earnings quality. Lastly, based on critical mass theory, I test whether an industry descriptive norm is necessary for firms to enjoy increased earnings quality. I find that racial/ethnic directors have a meaningful impact on a firm's earnings quality regardless of the level of diversity; even firms with lower than the industry descriptive norm of racial/ethnic diversity enjoy improved earnings quality.

Extent

163 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00013754

Format

pdf

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