THE LINKAGE BETWEEN CONSERVATIVE ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL ADEQUACY AND THE MODERATING ROLE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The current study aims to verify the influence of the practices of conservative accounting on financial adequacy measured by four measures, namely the return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), earnings per share (EPS) and Tobin's Q expressed by price to book value (P-BV). The study model was adapted to include corporate governance variables as moderating variables on the relationship between accounting conservatism and financial adequacy; four governance mechanisms were engaged. The study is distinguished by its incorporation of conservative accounting into corporate governance. Data was collected about Jordanian-listed industrial companies from 2012-2020. The methodology employed statistical methods such as correlation and multiple regression tests in order to convey assumed correlations. The results of the study provided conclusive empirical evidence for the positive statistical impact of accounting conservatism on return on assets, return on equity and earnings per share, while the results failed to ascertain any effect of accounting conservatism on the market value measured by price to book value. The results of the study also did not advocate any evidence for the moderating role of corporate governance on the relationship between conservative accounting and financial adequacy.