Client negotiation strategy spillover to integrated audit judgments

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 1261-1278
Author(s):  
Sanaz Aghazadeh ◽  
Tamara Lambert ◽  
Yi-Jing Wu
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Negotiation Strategy ◽  
Material Weakness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Client Retention ◽  
Negotiation Research ◽  
Public Company ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to explore the effect of negotiating audit differences on auditors’ internal control deficiency (ICD) severity assessments, an ensuing, non-negotiated judgment, in an integrated audit. Design/methodology/approach The experiment manipulates the client’s concession timing strategy as either immediate or gradual, holding the outcome constant. A total of 34 auditors (primarily managers) resolve an audit difference with the client. Findings The client’s concession timing strategy during the negotiation of an audit difference spills over to affect auditors’ severity assessment of a related ICD. Auditors judged the ICD severity to be higher (lower) in the immediate (gradual) condition. Client retention risk inferences mediate this effect. Research limitations/implications The effect on auditors’ ICD severity assessments may not ultimately affect the audit report. Participants did not control their negotiation strategy, allowing the client’s negotiation strategy and the outcome to be held constant; it is possible that interactive effects between the client and auditor’s strategy might affect the study’s implications. Practical implications Features of the auditor–client negotiation process may influence auditors’ downstream, post-negotiation judgments and may therefore help to explain empirical evidence and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board inspection findings that show auditors often fail to identify an internal control material weakness after identifying a financial statement misstatement. Originality/value This paper expands current negotiation research by exploring the impact of inferences made based on counterparty concession strategy for downstream, non-negotiated judgments and current integrated audit research by identifying client retention perceptions as a driving factor of lower ICD severity assessments.

Board structure changes after accounting fraud: the case of Schneider Electric

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedicte Millet-Reyes ◽  
Nancy Uddin
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Multinational Corporation ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Accounting Fraud ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Theoretical basis The impact of corporate governance on internal controls and quality of financial disclosures. Research methodology Analysis of a real financial fraud event for a non-US multinational corporation. The case relies on accessing and analyzing annual reports for the firm, both before and after the fraud. Additional information on industry governance characteristics are provided in the case itself so that students can compare the firm to the industry. Case overview/synopsis This business case is centered on the analysis of Schneider Electric, a French multinational corporation, which had to restate their financial statements in 2011 because of accounting fraud. Following this event, Schneider undertook major changes in their board structure to improve internal control mechanisms. This pedagogical business case familiarizes students with international differences in ownership and board structure and emphasizes potential corporate governance changes after financial statement fraud. Complexity academic level Managerial finance, corporate finance, international finance, auditing. This case is more appropriate for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses.

Organizational identity, professional identity salience and internal auditors’ assessments of the severity of internal control concerns

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Burt ◽  
Theresa Libby
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Organizational Identity ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Identity Salience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
Internal Control Weaknesses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether increasing the salience of the internal auditor’s professional identity, defined by the expectations of their professional group, increases internal auditors’ judgments of the severity of internal control concerns when their organizational identity is high. Design/methodology/approach This paper tests the hypothesis using a laboratory experiment with internal auditors as participants. Findings The results support the hypothesis that professional identity salience moderates the relation between organizational identity and the assessed severity of identified internal control weaknesses. Increasing the salience of professional identity results in a more severe assessment of identified internal control weaknesses when organizational identity is high than when it is low. Originality/value Prior research in the lab and in the field provides mixed results about the impact of organizational identity on internal auditors’ judgments of the severity of identified internal control concerns. This paper contributes to the discussion on this issue. In addition, the results have implications for the debate about the benefits and costs of in-house versus out-sourced internal audit functions.

Improving service employee work affect: the transformative potential of work design

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W. Rayburn
Keyword(s):  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Work Design ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Specific Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Work Affect ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to employ Self-Determination Theory to explain the mediated impact of work design – empowerment and serial and investiture socialization – on employee work affect. The theory proposes fulfilment of three psychological needs – autonomy, competence, and relatedness – will mediate individuals' ability to achieve contextually relevant well-being. An empirical study tests this claim and exposes the structure of the mediating effects. Design/methodology/approach – Survey responses were collected from a sample of 239 front-line service employees using snowball data collection. SEM was used to test hypotheses. Findings – Findings suggest that empowerment and serial and investiture socialization are significantly differentially related to need fulfilment. Additionally, all forms of need fulfilment do not directly influence employee affect. Instead, there are both direct and interactive effects that work simultaneously to influence employees' positive work affect. Practical implications – This study exposes specific work design levers managers can manipulate to benefit employees. This research highlights the different effects of specific work design variables on employee work affect. Originality/value – This paper extends understanding of Self-Determination Theory by exposing the direct and interactive effects of need fulfilment on work affect for service workers. Also, it delivers a deeper exploration of the impact of work design on employees by modelling multiple work design variables as well as process variables simultaneously to provide a more detailed picture of how work design influences employee work affect.

Understanding the influence of lean and agile strategies on creating firms’ supply chain risk management capabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Waqar Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Zaki Rashdi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Market Condition ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Supply Chain Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Capabilities ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Lean and agile strategies are two basic supply chain paradigms that strategist decouples based on their internal and external environment. This study aims to identify the influence of market orientation (MO) and quality management (QM) deployment on the supply chain strategies. Furthermore, this study also seeks empirical evidence of the impact of these core strategies on creating risk management capabilities. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative research technique is deployed to explain the phenomenon. The data was gathered through a structured scale questionnaire from supply chain professionals working at different manufacturing firms. Valid data of 134 respondents is then analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling for further empirical understanding. Findings The outcome of the research indicates that MO capability; as an external drive is a key to make an operational strategy. QM as an internal control is more prone to formulating a lean strategy (LS). Another important finding is that LS does not complement risk management capabilities especially in an uncertain market condition. Practical implications The study suggested concrete implications for risk management through the right mix of lean and agile supply chain strategies. There are some good insights for the supply chain policy-makers working in a developing country. Originality/value This study will provide empirical evidence for managing supply chain risk through an effective strategy making.

Corporate dispersion and tax avoidance

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 706-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Su ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Chen Ma
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Executive Officers ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of corporate dispersion on tax avoidance from geographical and institutional dispersion perspectives by using evidence from China. Design/methodology/approach Using a panel data of Chinese listed firms during 2003-2015, this paper estimates with correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Findings Both geographical and institutional dispersion are negatively associated with the degree of corporate tax avoidance. Furthermore, corporate governance mechanisms and female chief executive officers can mitigate the negative relation between corporate dispersion and tax avoidance. The results also indicate that ineffective internal control is one of the channels through which corporate dispersion reduces tax avoidance. Originality/value This is the first paper about the impact of firm dispersion on the degree of tax avoidance, complementing the research content of diversification and corporate decision-making.

Relation between internet financial information disclosure and internal control in Spanish local governments

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
María del Rocío Moreno-Enguix ◽  
Ester Gras-Gil ◽  
Joaquín Henández-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Variables ◽  
New Public ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The application of new public governance by many countries has led to the creation of new management systems in public administration and the development of an effective accounting structure with efficient internal control to guarantee a proper provision of services that meet citizens’ requirements. The purpose of this paper is to focus on Spanish local government with the intention of determining the impact of the internal control structure on the disclosure of financial information on the internet. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis used combines a descriptive aspect with an explanatory one and seeks to answer the question of whether the internal control system (ICS) influences the disclosure of financial information on the websites of Spanish LGs. The authors use a multivariate model that allows us to verify the predictive capability of the previously defined explanatory variable, internal control, in 1,806 local governments. To test the hypotheses, the authors use two different models. Findings The authors consider the existence and quality of the financial information disclosure in relation to ICSs, and a series of financial and non-financial variables. The authors conclude that the structure of the ICS influences financial information disclosure and its quality. Also, the socio-political variable gives a better explanation of financial information disclosure than the financial variable. Originality/value This research is novel to determine whether the development of ICSs in Spanish municipalities has favored and increased the disclosure of financial information financial through the municipalities’ website transparency portal. These findings will contribute to increase the importance of internal control in the management of public entities.

The impact of corporate social responsibility and internal controls on stakeholders’ view of the firm and financial performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orhan Akisik ◽  
Graham Gal
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to empirically examine whether two major stakeholder groups – customers and employees – consider third party-reviewed corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports and assurance on the quality of internal controls as value determinant in their decisions, and how their decisions influence financial performance through the halo effect of these reports. Design/methodology/approach Using Compustat North America and Global Reporting Initiative data, the authors used first-order autoregressive models over the period from 2006 to 2012. Findings The results indicate that the impacts of customers and employees on financial performance are influenced by third party-reviewed CSR reports and effective internal control. Moreover, it is found that the third party-reviewed CSR reports and effective internal control enable the persistence of financial performance. Social implications The findings have implications for stakeholders in terms of third party-reviewed CSR reports and effective internal control. The findings are important due to the influence that these stakeholders (customers and employees) have on the financial performance of firms and the impact that CSR actions can have on society as a whole. Originality/value To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that contributes to the literature by demonstrating that information about third party-reviewed CSR reports and internal control reviews may influence the perceptions of firms by two primary stakeholders – customers and employees.

scholarly journals The Reliance of External Auditors on Internal Audit's Use of Continuous Audit

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Malaescu ◽  
Steve G. Sutton
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Automated Control ◽  
Material Weakness ◽  
Internal Auditor ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
External Auditor ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT As a response to the increased demand for timely and ongoing assurance over the effectiveness of risk management and control systems, companies are moving toward a more automated control environment through the implementation of continuous audit modules. The purpose of this study is to evaluate external auditors' reliance on internal audit's work when advanced audit techniques are introduced by the internal auditor and the impact this reliance has on budgeted audit hours. Prior literature suggests that internal control deficiencies also have an impact on external auditor reliance and the audit budget. The reliance decision of an external auditor has important economic consequences and implications for efficiency and effectiveness of the overall audit. In recent years, the PCAOB has encouraged greater such reliance to improve audit efficiency. An experiment is conducted with 87 experienced external auditors to investigate the theorized effects. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design, the frequency of the internal audit (traditional versus continuous audit) and prior year material weakness (absent versus present) are manipulated. Consistent with predictions, we find that auditors are willing to rely more on internal audit work in a continuous audit environment than in a traditional environment, and this effect is magnified when the prior year audit report on the effectiveness of internal controls indicates that controls are working properly. The presence of a material weakness, however, negatively impacts judgments on the budget for the valuation of a complex account. In addition, both material weakness and continuous audit have an impact on the overall audit budget, which is reduced only when the company has no prior year material weakness and a functioning continuous audit module is put in place. The results show that auditors increase budgeted hours for the engagement at a higher rate when the client uses traditional internal audit procedures.

Non-founder CEOs, R&D investment and output

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-169
Author(s):  
Nan Xu ◽  
Hanyi Tian ◽  
Jing Cai
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Ceo Succession ◽  
Entrepreneurial Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Growth Enterprise Market ◽  
Level Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
D Investment

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of non-founder CEO succession on firms’ research and development (R&D) decision, and further explore its mechanism and economic consequences. Design/methodology/approach Using founders’ personal-level information of entrepreneurial firms in the Chinese growth enterprise market from 2009 to 2015, the authors empirically investigate whether firms can be motivated to launch more R&D activities as the result of switching to non-founder CEOs. The author’s further test the impact of non-founder CEOs on R&D output to distinguish their motivation. Moreover, the authors use stepwise regression to explore the mechanism and possible channels. Findings The authors find that R&D investment significantly increases in firms with non-founder CEOs and the R&D output that comes in the form of patent exhibits an upward trending in numbers, too, ruling out non-founder CEOs’ incentive to chase private benefits. Specifically, the authors find that non-founder CEOs can promote R&D investment through their more professional human capital and better internal control. The authors also show mitigating effects under different circumstances on the relationship between non-founder CEOs and R&D investment. Practical implications This study helps the authors to understand the impact of non-founder CEO succession on R&D investment in emerging markets. It also indicates that human capital of non-founder CEOs is critical in driving firms’ innovation, proposing policy suggestions to improve formal intermediary labor market of professional CEOs. Originality/value This study provides elaborate theoretical analysis and empirical tests on the mechanism and economic consequences of (non-)founders’ impact on R&D activities.

Repeat offenders: examining cases of multiple years of internal control weaknesses

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-520
Author(s):  
Kathleen Bakarich ◽  
Devon Baranek
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Securities And Exchange Commission ◽  
Repeat Offenders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Company ◽  
Material Weaknesses ◽  
General Material ◽  
Current Sample ◽  
One Year

Purpose This study aims to identify characteristics of firms reporting multiple years of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting (MWICFR), labeled “Repeat Offenders”, and examine their characteristics and the types of material weaknesses they report using both broad and COSO-based classification schemes. The analysis compares these firms with firms reporting only one year of MWICFR and examines the differences between Repeat Offenders reporting consecutive and non-consecutive weaknesses. Design/methodology/approach Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted on a sample of 1,793 firm-year observations, split into Repeat Offenders and non-Repeat Offenders, and collected from AuditAnalytics and Compustat from 2007 to 2015. Findings On average, 40% of adverse opinions in ICFR each year can be attributed to Repeat Offenders. Compared to one-time MWICFR firms, Repeat Offenders are significantly more likely to report general material weaknesses and, within the COSO framework, are significantly more likely to report issues with Segregation of Duties and Processes and Procedures. Repeat Offenders reporting consecutive years of MWICFR are significantly more likely to have general weaknesses than non-consecutive Repeat Offenders and are also significantly more likely to report issues with Segregation of Duties and Personnel. Research limitations/implications Prior studies have examined unremediated ICFR issues in the periods immediately following SOX implementation. This study extends this literature with a longer, more current sample period, focusing on both broad and COSO-specific control issues, as well as examining consecutive and non-consecutive MWICFR and firms with more than two years of MWICFR. Originality/value This study underpins recent Securities and Exchange Commission and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board concerns regarding pervasive ICFR issues. This study identifies some of the characteristics of firms associated with weaker ICFR and pinpoints more specific areas within internal controls that frequently lead to adverse opinions.

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