Client Importance, Nonaudit Services, and Abnormal Accruals

2003 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeesoo Chung ◽  
Sanjay Kallapur
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Big 5 ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Jones Model ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
Abnormal Accruals

The economic theory of auditor independence (DeAngelo 1981b) suggests that auditors' incentives to compromise their independence are related to client importance. Using ratios of client fees and of nonaudit fees divided by the audit firm's U.S. revenues or a surrogate for the audit-practice-office revenues as measures of client importance, we investigate their association with Jones-model abnormal accruals. In a sample of 1,871 clients of Big 5 audit firms we do not find a statistically significant association between abnormal accruals and any of the client importance measures. Our theory development also suggests that auditor incentives to compromise independence should increase with the extent of client opportunities and incentives to manage earnings, and decrease with the strength of corporate governance and auditor expertise. We also do not find a statistically significant association between abnormal accruals and client importance in subsets of the samples partitioned by proxies for these factors.

Strong Corporate Governance and Audit Firm Rotation: Effects on Judges' Independence Perceptions and Litigation Judgments

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Moody Jennings ◽  
Kurt J. Pany ◽  
Philip M. J. Reckers
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Corporate Board ◽  
Auditor Liability ◽  
Audit Firm ◽  
Auditor Rotation ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
Governance Environment ◽  
Audit Firms

The Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) legislation mandated modest threshold levels of corporate board independence and expertise, as well as audit partner (not firm) rotation. One objective was to create an environment supportive of enhanced actual and perceived auditor independence. This study examines whether perceptions of auditor independence and auditor liability are incrementally influenced by further strengthening corporate governance and by rotating audit firms. Our experimental study addresses these questions by analyzing responses of 49 judges attending a continuing education course at the National Judicial College. The experiment manipulates corporate governance at two levels (minimally compliant with current corporate governance requirements versus strong) and auditor rotation at two levels (partner rotation versus audit firm rotation). We find that strengthening corporate governance (beyond minimal SOX levels) and rotating audit firms (compared to partner rotation) lead to enhanced auditor independence perceptions. We also find that judges consider auditors less likely to be liable for fraudulently misstated financial statements when firm rotation is involved in a minimally compliant corporate governance environment.

scholarly journals The Influence Of Nonaudit Services On Perceptions Of Auditor Independence

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gregory Jenkins ◽  
Kathy Krawczyk
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Big 5 ◽  
Cpa Firms ◽  
Expectations Gap ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines how nonaudit services influence public perceptions of auditor independence.  Recent expansion of these services by public accounting firms has caused some to question whether auditors who provide nonaudit services to audit clients can remain independent of their clients.  However, others view nonaudit services as enhancing the auditor's uniqueness to the client, thus strengthening the auditor's independence.  Given the importance of auditor independence, a survey was conducted to assess the specific influence of six particular nonaudit services on the ratings of auditor independence from members of the general public, professionals from non-Big 5 CPA firms and professionals from Big 5 CPA firms.  Results suggest that an expectations gap may exist between the general public and the accounting profession with respect to how they view the impact of nonaudit services on auditor indpendence.  Implications of the survey as well as directions that future research may take are discussed.

Enriching AIS Courses With SOX Compliance Activities

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joann Segovia ◽  
Carol M. Jessup ◽  
Marsha Weber ◽  
Sheri Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Accounting Profession ◽  
Investor Confidence ◽  
Reporting Requirements ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Significant Change

A very significant change to the accounting profession occurred in 2002 when the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was enacted. This legislation had a significant impact on corporations and their audit firms. The objective was to improve corporate governance and its quality of financial reporting to improve investor confidence. This paper provides instructors with a background on SOX and suggests readings and activities that reflect the requirements of SOX as it relates to the AIS environment and the analysis of internal controls. These activities can strengthen students' understandings of how corporations respond to the various reporting requirements of this Act.

Do Investors' Perceptions Vary with Types of Nonaudit Fees? Evidence from Auditor Ratification Voting

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suchismita Mishra ◽  
K. Raghunandan ◽  
Dasaratha V. Rama
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Support ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Single Measure ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
Recent Initiative

In FRR No. 68, the SEC (2003b) updated the rules related to the disclosure of fees paid to the independent auditor by requiring more detailed information about nonaudit fees. The SEC (2002, 2003b) asserted that the partition of nonaudit fees into the categories of audit-related, tax, and other fees would be useful for investors in assessing the auditor's independence and in voting on ratifying the auditor. The SEC suggested that investors would view audit-related and tax services more favorably than “other” nonaudit services. In this paper we test the SEC's assertions by examining shareholder ratification votes, during 2003, at 248 of the S&P 1500 firms. Our results support the SEC's assertion that investors would view audit-related fees differently than the other two types of nonaudit fees. However, contrary to the SEC's assertion, both the tax fee ratio and the other fee ratio have a positive association with the proportion of votes against auditor ratification. The results related to tax fees provide empirical support to the PCAOB's recent initiative to examine the association between tax services and auditor independence. Our results can be useful for client managements and audit committees considering purchases of nonaudit services from auditors. Our findings also suggest that it may be useful to replicate some prior studies (that use a single measure of nonaudit fees) using the newer, more finely partitioned, fee data.

Leaving a joint audit system: conditional fee reductions

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Holm ◽  
Frank Thinggaard
Keyword(s):  
Audit Quality ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Audit Firm ◽  
Audit System ◽  
Interaction Terms ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Audit Fee

Purpose – The authors aim to exploit a natural experiment in which voluntary replace mandatory joint audits for Danish listed companies and analyse audit fee implications of using one or two audit firms. Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis is used. The authors apply both a core audit fee determinants model and an audit fee change model and include interaction terms. Findings – The authors find short-term fee reductions in companies switching to single audits, but only where the former joint audit contained a dominant auditor. The authors argue that in this situation bargaining power is more with the auditors than in an equally shared joint audit, and that the auditors' incentives to offer an initial fee discount are bigger. Research limitations/implications – The number of observations is constrained by the small Danish capital market. Future research could take a more qualitative research approach, to examine whether the use of a single audit firm rather than two has an effect on audit quality. The area calls for further theory development covering audit fee and audit quality in joint audit settings. Practical implications – Companies should consider their relationship with their auditors before deciding to switch to single auditors. Fee discounts do not seem to reflect long-lasting efficiency gains on the part of the audit firm. Originality/value – Denmark is the first country to leave a mandatory joint audit system, so this is the first time that it is possible to study fee effects related to this.

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF AUDITOR INDEPENDENCE AND GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE TOWARD ACCOUNTING CONSERVATISM IN INDONESIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Dovi Septiari ◽  
Wirdani Atika Sari
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Managerial Ownership ◽  
Good Corporate Governance ◽  
Internal Control System

Accounting conservatism is the precautionary principle to the profit recognition and one of the corporate governance to reduce the ability of the manager in manipulate and exaggerating the financial statements. Corporate governance is a internal control system which has its business objectives through securing company’s assets. This research is aiming to see the correlation among auditor independence and good corporate governance in accounting conservatism. Characteristics of good corporate governance in this are managerial ownership, profitability, company size and leverage. This research uses two measurements of conservatism non operating accrual and market to book ratio. This research as carried out at manufacture company in the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2010-2014. Sample selection do by purposive sampling method and obtained 49 companies in criteria accordingly. This research used data analysis and multiple liniear regression program eviews 9. The result showed that the effect of auditor independence is not significant in accounting conservatism in indonesia. Good corporate governance influential only the size of the company and ownership. The measurement of non operating accrual and market to book ratio show different results. Further research is expected to use another proxy for other variables to measure accounting conservatism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document