Extracting the cause and effect relationship of variables affecting the quality of financial reporting using DEMATEL's approach

The main goal of this research is to extract the most important factors affecting the quality of financial reporting by accountants and auditors in Iran by using the expert consensus approaches proposed by Lawshe , Waltz and Bussell, and then to determine the most important factors using DEMATEL's approach. First, the completion of open questionnaires by 14 experts and then ensuring its content validity with the approaches of Lawshe Waltz and Bussell, were considered. In the following, with the participation of 10 experts and using DEMATEL's approach, the cause and effect relationship between the factors has been identified. According to this study, the most important variables affecting the quality of reporting are: disclosure of information, management ability, corporate governance, audit committee, audit quality, information asymmetry, internal control system, rules and requirements of the stock exchange and conflict of interest. The three variables of management ability, corporate governance and audit quality have a significant role and importance in the quality of financial reporting. Analyzing the network of identified connections between these variables, it is possible to identify the most important variables more precisely and to set strategies and policies related to improving the quality of financial reporting based on them.