The Effects of the Extant Clauses Limiting Auditor Liability on Audit Fees and Overall Reporting Quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henock Louis ◽  
Thomas C. Pearson ◽  
Dahlia M. Robinson ◽  
Michael N. Robinson ◽  
Amy X. Sun
Keyword(s):  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Auditor Liability

CEO Financial Background and Audit Pricing

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachana Kalelkar ◽  
Sarfraz Khan
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Fixed Effect Model ◽  
Audit Pricing ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

SYNOPSIS Accounting scholars theorize that audit price is a function of a client's audit and business risk. Existing research finds that the functional expertise of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in finance improves financial reporting quality (Matsunaga, Wang, and Yeung 2013), increases profitability, and reduces the likelihood of firm failure (Custodio and Metzger 2014). These factors suggest that auditors' engagement risk decreases when incumbent CEOs possess financial expertise, raising the likelihood that auditors will charge these firms lower fees. In this study, we examine whether CEOs' work experience in accounting- and finance-related jobs affects audit fees. Using a panel of U.S. firms between 2004 and 2013, we find that firms that have a financial expert CEO pay lower audit fees. Our results are robust to various specifications, including firm-fixed effect model and specifications that control for other CEO- and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)-specific and audit committee characteristics. Our findings thus add to the literature on the advantages and disadvantages of a functional background of top managers and how this background can create value for a firm through savings in audit fees.

Family ownership and financial reporting quality: Iranian evidence

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Mousavi Shiri ◽  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Fatemeh Abbasi ◽  
Shayan Farhangdoust
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Family Ownership ◽  
Content Type

PurposeIn the process of reporting accounting information, the auditor’s objective is to detect possible misstatements and errors in accounting information. Audit evidence aids auditors in providing reasonable assurance about the quality of financial reporting. Studying the quality of family firms’ financial reporting is of higher importance relative to non-family firms due to lower risk of accounting manipulation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between family ownership structure and financial reporting quality from an auditing perspective.Design/methodology/approachTo analyze the research hypotheses, the authors use a sample data consisted of 221 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (including 52 family and 169 non-family firms) over a five-year span from 2011 to 2015.FindingsUsing multivariate regression analysis of panel data, our results indicate that audit risk in family firms is lower than their counterparts. Likewise, the findings are indicative of lower audit fees paid by family firms as compared to non-family ones. The authors also find that auditors put more effort in family firms and thus audit effort is more significant for these kinds of firms.Originality/valueThe study focuses on family ownership and financial reporting quality in a developing country like Iran and the results of the study may be beneficial to other developing nations, as Iran stock market possesses some unique features which are not normally prevailing in other equity markets, even in the Middle East.

The efficiency of corporate boards and firms’ audit fees: the case of the FTSE financial institutions

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabih Nehme ◽  
Mohammad Jizi
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Reverse Causality ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The quality of financial reporting for the financial institutions is vital for the public, as the negative consequences of manipulated financial statements will not only affect shareholders but also the regulators’ reputation and the society at large. The purpose of this paper is to assess the association between different corporate governance mechanisms and their impact on audit and reporting quality. The gender factor is introduced from a diverse boards’ perspective to highlight any impact of female presence on the quality of financial statements. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine a sample of financial institutions listed on the FTSE-350 index for the years 2011 to 2015. The financial sector has its own and different regulations, and financial reporting framework and auditors are expected to behave into more scrutiny. Bloomberg database is used to obtain governance and financial data, while firms’ annual reports are used to collect audit fees and audit committee information. A panel data regression is used to test hypotheses. The authors also control for unobservable heterogeneity, reverse causality and endogeneity. Findings The results suggest that boards with larger size and higher independence pay higher audit fees to enhance the monitoring capacity and protect the wider group of stakeholders. The results also show that women on boards are likely to reduce the risk of manipulated financial statements, as women are more inclined toward truthfulness, cautiousness and conservatism. In addition, the reported results show that audit committees with more independent members are more inclined toward obtaining higher quality audit to enhance firm’s reporting quality. Originality/value Given the recent governments’ intervention to avoid financial institutions’ negative impact on the economy, this study is relevant and provide policymakers insights into the existing relationships between audit fees and financial institutions’ governance structure.

Audited Financial Reporting and Voluntary Disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Chen ◽  
Bin Srinidhi ◽  
Albert Tsang ◽  
Wei Yu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social

ABSTRACT Prior studies show that corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting is informative to investors but lacks credibility. This study examines whether a commitment to audits of financial outcomes, proxied by audit fees, is associated with greater CSR reporting credibility. We find that audit fees are positively associated with the likelihood of standalone CSR report issuance, and this positive association becomes stronger when managers perceive a greater need for credibility, i.e., when CSR reports are longer or issued with external assurance, when firms have strong CSR concerns, and when reports are issued sporadically. Corroborating our results, we find that CSR reports issued by firms committing to high audit fees accelerate the incorporation of future earnings information into current stock price. Taken together, our findings suggest that a commitment to higher financial reporting quality has the potential to bring positive externality to firms' nonfinancial disclosures and ultimately affects the issuance of CSR reports.

Effect of Client Reputation on Audit Fees at the Office Level: An Examination of S&P 500 Index Membership

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharad C. Asthana ◽  
Rachana Kalelkar
Keyword(s):  
Stock Prices ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Rent Extraction ◽  
Auditor Switching ◽  
Market Shares ◽  
Audit Fee ◽  
Office Level

SUMMARY Prior studies have examined the effect of a decline in the auditor's or client's reputation on auditor switching, market shares, and stock prices. We extend these studies by examining the effect of an unexpected increase in a client's reputation on audit fees at the office level. We argue that association with a reputed client will enhance the auditor's reputation and establish a brand name, thus enabling the auditor to charge higher fees from other clients. Using a client's inclusion into the prestigious S&P 500 index as a proxy for the client's change in reputation, we find that the audit fees are discounted for this S&P client when it enters the index. The audit fee for this client increases following its exit from the index. We posit that changes in the audit fees for the S&P 500 clients are attributable to the changes in the reporting quality of these firms following their entry to and exit from the index. We also find increases in the audit fees of non-S&P clients of the audit office around such events. We argue that the presence of S&P clients helps auditors differentiate themselves from other auditors and allows them to extract rents from non-S&P clients. Last, we find no evidence of improvement in the reporting quality of other non-S&P clients, supporting our rent-extraction story.

The impact of demographic characteristics of CEOs and directors on audit fees and audit delay

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 963-997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maretno Agus Harjoto ◽  
Indrarini Laksmana ◽  
Robert Lee
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Top Executives ◽  
The Us ◽  
Female Ceos ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of gender and ethnicity of CEO and audit committee members (directors) on audit fees and audit delay in the US firms. Design/methodology/approach – Audit-related corporate governance literature has extensively examined the determinants of audit fees and audit delay by focusing on board characteristics, specifically board independence, diligence and expertise. The authors provide empirical evidence that gender and ethnicity diversity in corporate leadership and boardrooms influence a firm’s audit fees and audit delay. Findings – This study finds that firms with female and ethnic minority CEOs pay significantly higher audit fees than those with male Caucasian CEOs. The authors also find that firms with a higher percentage of ethnic minority directors on their audit committee pay significantly higher audit fees. Further, the authors find that firms with female CEOs have shorter audit delay than firms with male CEOs and firms with a higher percentage of female and ethnic minority directors on their audit committee are associated with shorter audit delay. Results indicate that female CEOs and both female and ethnic minority directors are sensitive to the market pressure to avoid audit delay. Research limitations/implications – The results suggest that gender and ethnic diversity could improve audit quality and the firms’ overall financial reporting quality. Practical implications – This study provides insights to regulators and policy-makers interested in increasing diversity within a firm’s board and top executives. Recently, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the European Commission have been pressing publicly traded companies to improve diversity among their directors. This study provides evidence and perspective on how diversity can enhance financial reporting quality measured by audit fees and audit delay. Originality/value – Previous studies have not given much attention on the impact of racial ethnicity in addition to gender characteristics of top executives and audit committee directors on audit fees and audit delay.

The Impact of Mandatory IFRS Adoption on Audit Fees: Theory and Evidence

2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
pp. 2061-2094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong-Bon Kim ◽  
Xiaohong Liu ◽  
Liu Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
Audit Fee ◽  
European Union Countries ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT: This study examines the impact of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption on audit fees. We first build an analytical audit fee model to analyze the impact on audit fees for the change in both audit complexity and financial reporting quality brought about by IFRS adoption. We then test the model's predictions using audit fee data from European Union countries that mandated IFRS adoption in 2005. We find that mandatory IFRS adoption has led to an increase in audit fees. We also find that the IFRS-related audit fee premium increases with the increase in audit complexity brought about by IFRS adoption, and decreases with the improvement in financial reporting quality arising from IFRS adoption. Finally, we find some evidence that the IFRS-related audit fee premium is lower in countries with stronger legal regimes. Our results are robust to a variety of sensitivity checks. Data availability: Data are available from public sources identified in the paper.

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