Abstract

This study ascertained the determinants of unethical financial reporting, exploring the views of professional and academic accountants in Nigeria. The study utilized the survey design with a sample of 212 respondents drawn from a population made of professional and academic accountants resident in Benue State of Nigeria. The postulated hypotheses were tested using multinomial logistic regression, Kruskal-Wallis H and Chi-square tests, and Mann-Whitney U test. The empirical results evidenced, in order of severity, ‘weak corporate governance’, ‘attempts to conceal deteriorating financial position’, and ‘compensation and bonus incentives’ as the main determinants of unethical financial reporting. The results, however, suggested significant differences in the views of respondent groups on the identified determinants of unethical financial reporting with manifest implications on how policies aimed at addressing the phenomenon of interest would be initiated. The major recommendation of the study is the urgent need to incorporate good corporate governance systems in the overall strategies of corporations in order to curtail incidences of unethical financial reporting.

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