The Role of Board Structure and Audit Committee Structure on Financial Reporting Timeliness: Evidence from Public Listed Companies in Malaysia

This study examines the effect of board structure and audit committee structure on financial reporting timeliness among Malaysia’s top 100 public listed companies. Specifically, this study examines whether board independence, CEO duality, board ownership, audit committee independence, audit committee competence, and audit committee diligence influence the financial reporting timeliness of the public listed companies. This study selects the top 100 public listed companies by market capitalization listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia as the sample since the main board has more public reprimands on financial reporting timeliness compared to other boards. The content analysis on annual reports for five years from 2015 to 2019 is utilized. The results show that audit committee competence and audit committee diligence significantly affect financial reporting timeliness. In contrast, board independence, CEO duality, board ownership, and audit committee independence have insignificant relationships with financial reporting timeliness. The findings in this study are helpful for compliance analysis and strategy formation in enhancing financial reporting timeliness. This study contributes to the agency theory by providing a new perspective on how different sections of corporate governance features interact together to influence financial reporting timeliness. In addition, the findings can assist the regulators in establishing quality corporate governance.