Earnings Management and Tone and Complexity of the Audit Reporting

Since the auditor's information tool is the audit report, the language and wording used in this report are critical. Although the auditor's report has improved over time, it still suffers from problems. Therefore, audit reports must be prepared carefully to reduce misconceptions as much as possible. In the present study, the effect of earnings management on the tone and complexity of the auditor's reports has been investigated. After prior research and hypothesis development, 135 companies listed with the Tehran Stock Exchange during the years 1396 and 1397 were selected and tested using ordinary least squares regression. The results indicate a significant negative relationship between accrued earnings management and the positive tone of the auditor's report. The findings also show a significant positive relationship between earnings management and reporting complexity. In addition to expressing the importance and application of this issue for auditors, text mining of audit reports can also help policymakers and developers of reporting standards recognize the expectations gap and take steps to reduce this gap by providing readable audit reports. In addition, it helps to broaden people's understanding of the effects of using qualitative information, such as reporting language, in financial and auditing reports. Also, it shows the relationship between the tone of the auditor's report that is influenced by strategic choice and the use of qualitative disclosure is closely related to the company's performance.