Does Auditor Explanatory Language in Unqualified Audit Reports Indicate Increased Financial Misstatement Risk?

2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 2115-2149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Czerney ◽  
Jaime J. Schmidt ◽  
Anne M. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Accounting Principles ◽  
Client Relationship ◽  
Financial Misstatement ◽  
Audit Reports

ABSTRACT According to auditing standards, explanatory language added at the auditor's discretion to unqualified audit reports should not indicate increased financial misstatement risk. However, an auditor is unlikely to add language that would strain the auditor-client relationship absent concerns about the client's financial statements. Using a sample of 30,825 financial statements issued with unqualified audit opinions during 2000–2009, we find that financial statements with audit reports containing explanatory language are significantly more likely to be subsequently restated than financial statements without such language. We find that this positive association is driven by language that references the division of responsibility for performance of the audit, adoption of new accounting principles, and previous restatements. In addition, we find that (1) “emphasis of matter” language that discusses mergers, related-party transactions, and management's use of estimates predicts restatements related to these matters, and that (2) the financial statement accounts noted in the explanatory language typically correspond to the accounts subsequently restated. In sum, our results suggest that present-day audit reports communicate some information about financial reporting quality.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Reporting Quality:Evidence from Restatements

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Hung Lin ◽  
Hua-Wei (Solomon) Huang ◽  
Mark E. Riley ◽  
Chih-Chen Lee
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Reporting Environment ◽  
The Relationship

We find a negative relationship between aggregate CSR scores and the probability that firms restated financial statements over the period 1991-2012. We then break that period into three sub-periods in order to determine whether the relationship holds for all three sub-periods. During the sub-periods of 1991-2001 and 2002-2005, the negative CSR score - restatement probability relationship holds. The negative relationship disappears in the 2006-2012 sub-period. Additional analyses indicate CSR scores are significantly higher in the 2006-2012 sub-period, suggesting the disappearance of the relationship between aggregate CSR scores and financial statement quality may relate to changes in CSR assessments and the CSR reporting environment. Our findings update the literature linking CSR scores and financial reporting quality and identify the need for further research as to the reasons the link between these constructs disappeared.

scholarly journals The Role of Financial Reporting Quality in Accessing to Financial Debt: Evidence From Italy

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
Andrea Rey ◽  
Giovanni Landi
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Institution ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Accrual Quality

This paper aims to assess whether financial reporting quality affect the access of Italian Non-SME firms to financial debt. In order to measure the financial reporting quality, we assume as proxy the accrual quality. We carried out a regression analysis, using financial statement data of firms sampled. The results reveal a positive association between financial reporting quality and the access to bank and financial institution debt. In addition, our findings also show no association between financial debt maturity and the accounting quality of firms.

The Effect of Lame Duck Auditors on Management Discretion: An Empirical Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 51-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory A. Cassell ◽  
Linda A. Myers ◽  
Timothy A. Seidel ◽  
Jian Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Client Relationship ◽  
Manager Behavior ◽  
Lame Duck

SUMMARY We identify instances in which the auditor-client relationship has been terminated but the auditor continues to complete a subsequent quarterly review. We refer to these instances as “lame duck auditor” quarters, and we contrast financial reporting quality in these quarters with that in non-lame duck auditor quarters. Using discretionary accruals and financial statement misstatements as proxies for financial reporting quality, we find that financial reporting quality is higher in lame duck auditor situations, suggesting that lame duck auditors perform more stringent quarterly reviews. We attribute these results to improvements in auditor independence and/or heightened reputation concerns. We perform a number of tests to alleviate concerns that our results are attributable to fundamental differences between clients with lame duck auditors and clients with non-lame duck auditors and to alleviate concerns that our results are attributable to changes in manager behavior rather than changes in auditor behavior. Collectively, our results provide insights that are relevant to regulators, auditors, and other stakeholders who are interested in the factors that affect auditor independence and financial reporting quality. Data Availability: The data used are publicly available from the sources cited in the text.

Auditor and FASB Responsibilities for Representing Underlying Economics—What U.S. Standards Actually Say

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe-Vonna Palmrose ◽  
William R. Kinney
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Or Practice

SYNOPSIS Does the auditor's responsibility under U.S. authoritative guidance extend to providing assurance of financial reporting quality—specifically whether financial statements “faithfully reflect the firm's underlying economics”—after the auditor has concluded that financial statements are fairly presented in conformity with GAAP, in all material respects? The question arises because DeFond and Zhang (2014) state such a view and cite U.S. authoritative guidance as support. We review SEC, PCAOB, and FASB guidance and other sources and find no authoritative support for DeFond and Zhang's (2014) view. We also find that the PCAOB explicitly recognizes the lack of objective criteria that would be necessary to evaluate financial reporting quality beyond application of GAAP to events and transactions. Further, we find no evidence that practicing auditors do (separately) assess or assure that financial statements faithfully reflect the entire firm's underlying economics. Overall, these findings suggest DeFond and Zhang (2014) express a personal (and impracticable) normative view and not the auditor's actual responsibility or practice under extant U.S. standards. More broadly, results reinforce the importance of defining and measuring audit quality based on the auditor's actual responsibilities and the importance of accurately characterizing authoritative guidance and practice for scholarship regarding complex and multifaceted matters, including audit quality.

Related-Party Transactions and Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from China

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150020
Author(s):  
Ahsan Habib ◽  
Haiyan Jiang ◽  
Donghua Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Future Price ◽  
Accounting Data ◽  
Related Party Transactions ◽  
Representational Faithfulness

This paper investigates the association between related-party transactions (RPTs) and stock price crash risk in China. Our investigation is motivated by the controversy in the RPT literature over whether RPTs are value enhancing or opportunistic. Through the lens of stock price crash risk, we reveal that RPTs may violate the arm’s-length assumption of regular market-based transactions, impairing the representational faithfulness and verifiability of accounting data and, consequently, increasing the risk of future price crash. Importantly, we find that this detrimental economic consequence of RPTs is driven by abnormal RPTs that are opportunistic in nature. Our analyses also extend to operating RPTs, related-party loans, and two types of opportunistic RPTs: tunneling and propping. The positive association between RPTs and stock price crash risk is not mediated by financial reporting quality, suggesting that the risk factors associated with RPTs are operational. Our main results remain robust to a series of tests done to address the potential endogeneity between RPTs and stock price crash risk.

scholarly journals A literature review on the impact of IAS/IFRS and regulations on quality of financial reporting

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 102-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Newman Wadesango ◽  
Edmore Tasa ◽  
Khazamula Milondzo ◽  
Ongayi Vongai Wadesango
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
The Impact

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in its objectives and preamble, presume that IFRS adoption and perceived compliance to regulatory framework is associated with increased financial reporting quality. Based on these assumptions, this desktop study reviewed several documents to determine whether the IFRS adoption has led to increased financial reporting quality in Zimbabwe. The researchers reviewed literature on how the IAS/IFRS and regulations affect the financial reporting quality of listed companies. The factors around IFRS adoption were identified (mandatory, voluntary and convergence) and discussed in relation to the financial reporting quality. Evidence from previous studies conducted in line with this same issue shows that there is no conclusive evidence on how IFRS and regulations affect the financial reporting quality. Issues to be addressed in further studies include the importance of financial statements prepared under IFRS framework and the importance of compliance with accounting and auditing requirements.

scholarly journals Impact of Changes in Accounting Standards on Earnings Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-175
Author(s):  
Kawa W. Muhamad ◽  
Subhi M. Saleh ◽  
Kees van Paridon
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Accounting Principles

This study considers the question whether the changes in Accounting Standards has led to companies making less use of earnings management. The paper is an attempt to investigate whether the application of high quality standards like International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is related to high financial reporting quality. This study addresses this issue empirically. Furthermore, this research examines whether German companies that have applied IFRS have less earnings management compared to German companies that report according to the German Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GGAAP). The sample, consisting of two equally large listed companies in Germany (Südzucker Group and Henkel Group) from 2003-2014. The study suggests that IFRS-adopters show different earnings management performance compared to companies reporting under German GAAP. This finding contributes to the discussion on whether high quality standards are appropriate and operational in countries with weak investor protection rights. The result shows that adopters of IFRS in Germany can be related with less use of earnings management as a result of changes in accounting standards. This result is contradictory with previous research that was done by Van Tendeloo and Vanstraelen, (2005), and consistent with the previous research conducted by Ball et al. (2003).

scholarly journals Relevance of financial reporting quality - Theory and practice in Vietnamese enterprises

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (Q2) ◽  
pp. 119-128
Author(s):  
Thuan Quoc Pham
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality

Financial reporting quality is one the most interesting topics which draw a great deal of attention to researchers and scientists in the field of accounting (Céline Michailesco, 2010). In the review of research on financial information from 1980 to 2016, Pham (2016) found that characteristics of useful financial information are relatively diverse with as many as 15 attributes being identified. In addition, he also found that all research in any period has employed the characteristics published by professional associations such as American Institute of Accountants, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB as theoretical basis. Research on the quality of financial information is diverse yet have many things in common, above all is the Relevance characteristic which considered to be the basic qualitative component of the quality of financial information in financial statements. Conceptual Framework officially issued by FASB & IASB in 2010 (FASB & IASB 2010) has further confirmed Relevance is the basic quality component of financial information. Compared with previous announcements, there has been a considerable change in the criteria and attributes used to evaluate the appropriateness of Relevance characteristic of financial information in financial statements. This study aims at confirming the importance of the Relevance component in evaluating the quality of financial information, clarifyingg the characteristics of Relevance measurement before and after Conceptual Framework 2010 and constructing relevant scales as well as measuring the qualitative characteristic of Relevance among enterprises in Vietnam.

Factors Influencing KAM Reporting: A Structured Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (164) ◽  
pp. 743-758
Author(s):  
Teodora Porumbacean ◽  
◽  
Adriana Tiron-Tudor ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Audit Report ◽  
Expectation Gap ◽  
Big Four ◽  
Relevant Factors

The disclosure of KAMs contribute to the increase of financial-reporting quality, the value of the audit report and implicit interest in it. Moreover, KAM’s disclosure has a positive influence over the expectation gap between the auditors and other users of the audit report and financial statements. This study aims to identify relevant drivers influencing the Key Audit Matters (KAMs) disclosed in the audit report, based on a review of the articles published in top accounting journals. Our results reveal the fact that the audited company itself especially influences the disclosure of the KAMs, emphasizing the size of the company, the complexity of the business, the applicable regulation of the industry in which the company operates, all of which impact the overall client-risk level. Other relevant factors are the accounting standards with which the company must comply and on which it must report, the audit company (‘Big Four’ or not) and the audited company’s location.

Audit committee ownership and audit report lag: evidence from Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-125
Author(s):  
Md. Borhan Uddin Bhuiyan ◽  
Mabel D’Costa
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Audit Report ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Using Data

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether audit committee ownership affects audit report lag. Independent audit committees are responsible for overseeing the financial reporting process, to ensure that financial statements are both credible and released to external stakeholders in a timely manner. To date, however, the extent to which audit committee ownership strengthens or compromises member independence, and hence, influences audit report lag, has remained unexplored. Design/methodology/approach This paper hypothesizes that audit committee ownership is associated with audit report lag. Further, the author hypothesize that both the financial reporting quality and the going concern opinions of a firm mediate the effect of audit committee ownership on audit report lag. Findings Using data from Australian listed companies, the author find that audit committee ownership increases audit report lag. The author further document that financial reporting quality and modified audit opinions rendered by external auditors mediate this positive relationship. The results are robust to endogeneity concerns emanating from firms’ deliberate decisions to grant shares to the audit committee members. Originality/value The study contributes to both the audit report timeliness and the corporate governance literatures, by documenting an adverse effect of audit committee ownership.

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