Prof. dr. Barbara Majoor

Vice-Rector Magnificus
Barbara Majoor
  • Audit quality
  • Corporate Governance
  • Advanced Auditing
  • Financial Auditing
Always being curious to better understand the accountancy world in order to contribute to improve audit quality


Prof. dr. Barbara Majoor is Professor and Vice-Rector Magnificus at Nyenrode Business University. She is part of Nyenrode's Faculty Research Center for Accounting, Auditing & Control. 

Her research concentrates on audit quality, auditing standards, ethics with a special focus on the behavioral aspects and incentives of audit quality. She is proud on working together with the faculty of her center in different research projects and contributing to the development of the auditing profession. She is also energized by thesis supervision of auditing students.

Majoor studied Business Economics at the University of Amsterdam. After obtaining a degree as a certified public accountant from the University of Amsterdam, she went on to obtain her Doctorate in 1997, with a thesis on: ‘The Authority of Auditing Guidelines'. Majoor has relevant experience in the audit practice as a partner of KPMG (until 2008) and Deloitte (until 2015).

Secondary positions

  • As of 2015, Majoor is employed by the Dutch Regulator AFM.
  • She is chair of the editorial board of the ‘Maandblad voor Bedrijfsadministratie en Organisatie’.
  • From 2009 until 2015, Majoor was a member of the disciplinary law court for accountants in the Netherlands. She was also the Dutch representative at the Ethics Standards Board of Accountants (IESBA; 2005-2009), one of the bodies of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).

International activities

Working together with visiting professors Steve (Stephen K.) Asare (University of Florida) and Greg Trompeter (University of Central Florida) on their research agenda.

Interests

Majoor loves to hike and climb in the mountains. She also likes gardening and having good talks with her friends.

Most relevant publications

  • Van Brenk, H., Majoor, G.C.M. (Barbara), & Wright, A.M. (2020). The effects of profit-sharing plans, client importance, and reinforcement sensitivity on audit quality. Auditing: A Journal of Practice. In press. 
  • Asare, S., Buuren van, J., Majoor, G.C.M. (Barbara). (2019,). The Joint Role of Auditors’ and Auditees, Incentives and Disincentives in the Resolution of Detected Misstatements. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory
  • Asare, S., Wright, A.M., Majoor, G.C.M. (Barbara). (2017). The Occurrence and awareness of a misstatement effect in auditor’s internal control severity judgements. Internal Journal of Auditing
  • Peytcheva, M., Wright, A.M., & Majoor, G.C.M. (Barbara). (2014). The impact of principles-based versus rules-based accounting standards on auditors' motivations and evidence demands. Behavioral Research in Accounting, 26(2), 51-72. 
  • Majoor, G.C.M. (Barbara). (2017). Audit Quality Indicators: het ei van Colombus? Maandblad voor Accountantcy en Bedrijfseconomie, 90 (april), 112-115. 
  • Majoor, G.C.M. (Barbara), & et al.,. Elementaire theorie accountantscontrole : Dl. 1, 2 en 3: Groningen: Noordhoff.