Investigating the Factors Affecting the Performance of Audit Committees Using the Meta-Synthesis Method

Audit committees are one of the key pillars of the corporate governance system, whose effectiveness is important in achieving the objectives of the system. The purpose of this study was to analyze the dimensions and components of each dimension of audit committee performance in companies. To this end, this research has systematically evaluated and systematically analyzed the results and findings of previous researches using a qualitative approach and meta-synthesis tools. In this study, a total of 291 articles were extracted and reviewed. The findings of this research led to the identification of twelve dimensions including committee collective characteristics, reporting characteristics, quantitative performance characteristics, corporate governance characteristics, control environment, continuous improvement and training, organizational structure, characteristics Financial, internal regulatory characteristics, external regulatory characteristics, organizational culture, and socio-psychological characteristics. Finally, using the Shannon entropy quantitative method, based on the content analysis approach, the effect coefficients of the identified components were investigated in the final research. The findings indicated that the most important factors affecting the performance of the Audit Committee are the expertise and financial expertise of the Audit Committee members, the establishment of the Internal Audit Unit, the establishment of the necessary internal authority, and the gender diversity within the Audit Committee. Applying the results to increase the performance of audit committees leads to issues such as financial reporting, risk management, stakeholder compliance, etc., all of which are deeply rooted in corporate governance.