Investigating the impact of audit features on money laundering

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 913-930
Author(s):  
Shaban Mohammadi ◽  
Nader Naghshbandi ◽  
Zahra Moridahmadibezdi

Purpose The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of audit features, including audit quality, audit fees and auditor tenure on money laundering in Iranian stock companies. Design/methodology/approach This research is descriptive-correlational and applied in terms of purpose. To evaluate the audit features, variables including audit quality, audit fee and auditor tenure were used. The statistical population of this study includes all companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange and the research period from 2012 to 2018. A sample of 150 companies was selected by the screening method. In this study, logistic regression and Eviews 10 software were used for data analysis and hypothesis testing. Findings The results showed that variables including audit quality, normal audit fee and auditor tenure have a significant effect on money laundering. Originality/value Observing money laundering rules and regulations for businesses involves is a critical issue. In auditing the financial statements of the business units subject to these laws, the auditor reviews their actions to obtain reasonable assurance of guaranteeing the money laundering laws, evaluates their effectiveness and gains approval of managers regarding observing laundering regulations. In this regard, the auditor is required to report definitive or suspected money-laundering cases or its certain or suspected evidence to the relevant authorities. Although the law prohibits the auditor from disclosing such matters to the client, it is not necessary. It seems that even if the auditors perform non-audit functions, they should report money laundering or suspicious operations and transactions.

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (04) ◽  
pp. 1950015
Author(s):  
Konstantina Michalopoulou

This study examines the impact of the first mandatory corporate governance regulation in the Greek environment on audit quality. Audit quality is operationalized with the number of audit qualifications, the monetary amount of audit qualifications, audit hours, and audit fees. It also utilizes the full content of the Greek audit report and constructs new audit quality proxies while it is the first that examines the association between corporate governance and actual audit hours. The findings suggest that following the implementation of the new regulation, auditors became more independent during the audit opinion process. Furthermore, the audit fee increases without audit hours showing a respective increase. It is concluded that the audit fee increase does not reflect differentiation in the delivered audit quality, as auditors do not exert more audit effort. The audit fee increase could reflect a risk premium due to the increase in auditors’ perceived business risk as a result of the increased spending and additional liability of listed companies under the new regulation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo-Jung Jung ◽  
Bum-Joon Kim ◽  
Ju-Ryum Chung

Purpose This paper aims to examine how the relationship between abnormal audit fees and audit quality changed after adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Korea. Design/methodology/approach Using empirical data collected over the period from 2008 to 2013, this study analyzes the association between abnormally high/low audit fee and audit quality. This study uses linear regression to test the hypothetical relation using discretionary accrual as a proxy for audit quality. Findings This study finds that there exists no significant relationship between abnormally high audit fees and audit quality measured by the magnitude of discretionary accruals in the pre-IFRS adoption period. However, the relationship between abnormally high audit fees and the magnitude of discretionary accruals turns to be positive in the post-IFRS adoption period. These finding suggests that the IFRS enables some clients to engage more discretion in the choice of discretionary accruals and auditors charge higher audit fees in return for allowing the discretion for such clients. Practical implications This study provides insight to regulators of the need to review carefully the financial statements of firms with abnormally high audit fees, and to investors to be more cautious when using financial information about these firms. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to assess IFRS impact on audit fee-quality relation. Also, unique Korean audit market with intensifying competition and discounting audit fee provides interesting setting to review the impact of abnormal audit fee on audit quality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 751-767
Author(s):  
Shaban Mohammadi ◽  
Hadi Saeidi ◽  
Nader Naghshbandi

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of board characteristics on money laundering in Iranian listed companies. Design/methodology/approach This was a descriptive-correlational study, and in terms of purpose, it was an applied research. The statistical population of this study was all companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange during the years 2012-2018. A sample of 150 companies was selected by screening method. Data analysis and hypothesis testing were performed using logistic regression and Eviews 10. Findings The results indicated that the board bonus and CEO duality (chief executive officer duality) had a significant effect on money laundering. CEO gender also had a significant effect on money laundering. Originality/value Sound management of risks related to money laundering by the board of directors is associated with stability, soundness and overall health of a country's financial system, which enables the integrity of the international financial system by meeting the Basel Committee goals, including strengthening the regulations, monitoring and improving current procedures, promoting financial stability and maintaining and enhancing a good corporate reputation; however, banks and other financial institutions are exposed to more serious risks, especially the reputation risk, operational risk, etc., if management does not play an effective role in the fight against money laundering. If management considers efficient and risk-driven policies and procedures in the fight against money laundering, then many problems and losses as well as many costs, including failure to collect receivables and to bring legal proceedings, can be prevented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-55
Author(s):  
Wasiu Ajani Musa ◽  
Ramat Titilayo Salman ◽  
Ibrahim Olayiwola Amoo ◽  
Muhammed Lawal Subair

Greater pricing presume on audit service has been put by the regulations of the auditing and accounting practices for the disclosure of audit fees, since audit fee is directly related to audit quality. However, the audit fees perceived by the client is often different from the amount charged by the auditors. Hence, this study investigated the impact of firm-specific characteristics on audit fees of quoted consumer goods firms in Nigeria using a purposive sampling technique. Secondary data were obtained from annual reports of the companies for the period from 2009-2016. The empirical result from Breusch-Pagan Lagrange Multiplier Test (BP-LM) produced a chi-square value of 13.94 with p-value of 0.0001 indicating that pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) will not be appropriate for the study. The Hausman test showed a chi-square of 23.55 with a p-value of 0.001 indicating that the null hypothesis is strongly rejected. Thus, the only estimate from the fixed effect model was interpreted to explain the relationship between firm-specific characteristics and audit fees of quoted consumer goods firms in Nigeria. The result revealed that auditee size, auditee risk, auditee profitability and IFRS adoption are the firm specific characteristics that impact on audit fees with only auditee size and IFRS adoption being positively related to audit fees while the other factors are negatively related to audit fees. Based on this finding, this study concluded that the firm’s specific factors are the major drivers of audit fees in Nigeria consumer goods firms. This study recommends among others that companies should implement corporate governance principles that address issues relating to board independence and committee sizes to guide activities in the consumer goods sector since profitability behave negatively with audit fees.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-99
Author(s):  
Carl W. Hollingsworth ◽  
Terry L. Neal ◽  
Colin D. Reid

SUMMARY While prior research has examined audit firm and audit partner rotation, we have little evidence on the impact of within-firm engagement team disruptions on the audit. To examine these disruptions, we identify a unique sample of companies where the audit firm issuing office changed but the audit firm did not change and investigate the effect of these changes on the audit. Our results indicate that companies that have a change in their audit firm's issuing office exhibit a decrease in audit quality and an increase in audit fees. In additional analysis, we partition office changes into two groups—client driven changes and audit firm driven changes. This analysis reveals that client driven changes are more likely to result in a higher audit fee while audit quality is unchanged. Conversely, audit firm driven changes do not result in a higher audit fee but do experience a decrease in audit quality.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fakhroddin MohammadRezaei ◽  
Norman Mohd-Saleh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of auditor switching on audit fee discounting in Iran. The increased competition in the Iranian audit market following audit market liberalization in 2001 has resulted in a rapid increase in auditor switching and reduces the relative bargaining power of auditors compared to the clients. It is expected that auditor switching results in fee discounting because the relative bargaining power of an auditor (client) is likely to be at the minimum (maximum) point during the initial period of engagement. Since the increased bargaining power of a client in initial year seems to be different in the case of different type of auditor switching (from a state auditor to a private and from a private auditor to another), the magnitude of fee discounting is expected to be different. Design/methodology/approach The objective is tested using a sample of 1,022 firm-year observations between 2001 and 2010. This study applies the multivariate regression model using the first difference specification of audit fee as a dependent variable. Findings Multivariate analysis reveals that auditor switching results in 14 percent of fee discounting. In addition, the results show that 18 and 13 percent of fees discounting during the initial year of engagement arise from cases of auditor switching involving a change from state auditors to private auditors, and a change from one private auditor to another, respectively. The findings support bargaining power view explanation in relation to audit fees discounting in initial year engagement. Originality/value This study is the first to examine the impact of auditor switching (and analyzed different types of auditor switching) on audit fee discounting using the bargaining power view.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-28
Author(s):  
Amadea Devota ◽  
Hero Priono

The objective of this  research  is to test and analyze the impact of the audit fee, independency, and competency on audit quality with ethics of auditor as moderation variable of Public Accountant Firm in Surabaya. The sample used in the research as many as 10 Public Accountant Firms which are represented by 46 people of auditors and  selected by convenience sampling method. Questionnaires is used as the primary data of this research, distributed  right to the auditors  in the  Public Accountant Firms  in Surabaya City that  are  used  as  research  sample. The  data  analysis  technique  used  Structural Equation Model (SEM) based Partial Least Square Analysis (PLS). The results in this research showed that (1) audit fee had positive and significant influence on audit quality, (2) independency had negative and significant influence on audit quality, (3) competency had positive and significant influence on quality audit, (4) ethics of auditor could moderate the influence on audit fee of quality audit, (5) ethics of auditor couldn’t moderate the influence on independency of quality audit, and (6) ethics of auditor could moderate the influence on competency of quality audit.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Jahangir Ali ◽  
Rajbans Kaur Shingara Singh ◽  
Mahmoud Al-Akra

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of audit committee effectiveness on audit fees and non-audit service (NAS) fees in a less regulatory environment. Design/methodology/approach The authors construct a composite audit committee effectiveness measure incorporating audit committee independence, diligence, size, financial expertise and the chairperson’s accounting expertise. Findings The authors find that audit committee effectiveness has a positive significant impact on both audit fees and NAS fees. This suggests that effective audit committees can hold auditors accountable resulting in better audit quality and consequently higher audit fees. Originality/value The link between more effective audit committees with higher NAS purchases can be explained in light of the difference in regulatory requirements providing audit committees with decision rights on the use of NASs, therefore approving more NAS and increasing NASF. Additional tests and robustness analyses confirm the results.


Author(s):  
Wuchun Chi ◽  
Ling Lei Lisic ◽  
Linda A Myers ◽  
Mikhail Pevzner ◽  
Timothy A Seidel

We examine whether engagement partners who have recently been associated with client restatements experience increased audit fee pressures from their non-restating clients. Using data from the United States (U.S.) and Taiwan, we find evidence of lower audit fees among non-restating companies whose audit engagement partner was recently associated with another client’s restatement. These findings are generally strongest when the partner-associated restatement is more prominent or severe, and in the U.S., when non-restating clients are in the same industry as the restating client. Although we find very limited evidence that fee pressures lead to lower quality audits for these partners’ other clients in Taiwan, we find that when the partner-associated restatement is more prominent or severe, fee pressures negatively impact audit quality in the U.S. These findings provide further insight on the impact of engagement partner disclosure for audit quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 41-61
Author(s):  
Jengfang Chen ◽  
Rong-Ruey Duh ◽  
Kuei-Fu Li

ABSTRACT While mandatory audit fee disclosure makes fee information transparent, there have been concerns about the impact of price adjustment on audit quality. Taking advantage of a regulatory change in Taiwan that required public companies to disclose audit fee but allowed two alternative disclosure forms (amount disclosure or range disclosure), this study investigates the impact of the fee disclosure form on price adjustment and the influence of such adjustment on audit quality. Using a dataset including audit fees under the two disclosure forms, we find that, for overcharged companies, the downward adjustment is larger for amount disclosure companies than range disclosure companies and such downward adjustment increase discretionary accruals in amount disclosure companies but not for range disclosure companies. Our study helps understand the impact of different fee disclosure forms on price adjustment and audit quality, which should be of interest to regulators and financial statement users in Taiwan and beyond.


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