Going-Concern Audit Opinions and the Provision of Nonaudit Services: Implications for Auditor Independence of Bankrupt Firms

2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Callaghan ◽  
Mohinder Parkash ◽  
Rajeev Singhal
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Managerial Incentives ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Empirical Question ◽  
Going Concern ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
Auditor Fees ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The U.S

SUMMARY: Researchers in the area of auditor independence have examined the relationship between auditors' opinions and auditor-provided services. While DeFond et al. (2002) and Geiger and Rama (2003) fail to find auditor impairment for distressed U.S. companies, Sharma (2001) and Sharma and Sidhu (2001) find a negative relationship between the likelihood of a going-concern (GC) opinion and nonaudit fees paid to auditors for bankrupt Australian companies. These conflicting results may arise from jurisdictional differences between Australia and the U.S. or differential managerial incentives and firm costs between distressed and bankrupt firms. In light of these differences, an empirical question exists as to whether the results of the Australian studies will obtain in the U.S. We examine the relationship between the propensity of auditors to render GC opinions and nonaudit fees (and other auditor fees) for a sample of bankrupt U.S. firms. We do not observe any association between GC opinions and nonaudit fees, audit fees, total fees, or the ratio of nonaudit fees to total fees.

scholarly journals Internal Auditing Outsourcing, Nonaudit Services and Audit Fees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Effiezal Aswadi Abdul Wahab ◽  
Willie E. Gist ◽  
Ferdinand A. Gul ◽  
Mazlina Mat Zain
Keyword(s):  
Audit Quality ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Internal Auditing ◽  
External Audit ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines the relationship between outsourced internal audits, nonaudit services and audit fees. We use Malaysian data to show that client firms that outsource their internal auditing function (IAF) are associated with lower external audit fees than those with in-house IAF. Moreover, this negative relationship is significantly stronger for firms that purchase greater amounts of nonaudit services (NAS) from the auditor. The results suggest that an auditor who provides NAS to a client and thus earns additional overall revenue is willing to accept lower audit fees provided a high audit quality can be achieved through reliance on outsourced IAFs.

Auditor Fees and Auditor Independence—Evidence from Going Concern Reporting Decisions in Germany

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 129-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole V. S. Ratzinger-Sakel
Keyword(s):  
Audit Quality ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Litigation Risk ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Going Concern ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Reporting Decisions ◽  
Auditor Fees

SUMMARY This study examines the potential for non-audit services to impair auditor independence using going concern modifications as a proxy for audit quality. While prior research has focused primarily on Anglo-Saxon environments, this study focuses on Germany because of the country's unique reporting attributes and lower litigation risk when compared to Anglo-Saxon settings. Based on a sample of financially stressed manufacturing companies during the period 2005–2009, the results do not suggest that German auditors are less independent when the level of non-audit fees is high. However, there is some evidence that Big 4 audit firms are less likely than their non-Big 4 counterparts to issue a going concern emphasis-of-matter paragraph for engagements characterized by both relatively high levels of non-audit fees and financial stress.

scholarly journals Auditor Fees and Going-Concern Reporting Decisions on Bankrupt Companies: Additional Evidence

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. A13-A27 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Read
Keyword(s):  
Audit Fees ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Failure ◽  
The Public ◽  
Going Concern ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Public Company ◽  
Reporting Decisions ◽  
Auditor Fees

SUMMARY The recent growth in non-audit services (NAS) at the major audit firms has the attention of auditing regulators. On several occasions recently, board members of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) have indicated that the rise in NAS may place auditor independence at risk (Harris 2014; Tysiac 2014). Impaired independence can result in audit failure, which includes situations when auditors fail to issue going-concern (GC) audit opinions to soon-to-be bankrupt companies. In this paper, I examine the association between the propensity of auditors to issue GC opinions and NAS fees (and audit fees) to 203 bankrupt companies during 2002–2013. In analysis, I find no significant relation between GC decisions and NAS fees and audit fees. My results may interest U.S. regulators, who recently expressed concerns about the threat to auditor independence from the spike in NAS at the major firms. Data Availability: Publicly available from sources identified in the paper.

scholarly journals Nonaudit services, audit committee characteristics and accruals quality in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Zurina Nik Abdul Majid ◽  
Effiezal Aswadi Abdul Wahab ◽  
Hasnah Haron ◽  
Dian Agustia ◽  
Mohammad Nasih
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accruals Quality ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe study examines the relationship between nonaudit services (NAS) and accruals quality in Malaysia. The study also considers several important characteristics of audit committee as the determinant for accruals quality. Next, the study examines whether these characteristics mitigate the relationship between NAS and accruals quality.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs descriptive analysis, univariate tests and multivariate regression to investigate the potential effect of NAS on acruals quality. Data for audit committee characteristics were hand collected from annual reports downloaded from Bursa Malaysia's website.FindingsBased on 1,118 firm-year observations for the period 2009–2011, the study finds that NAS negatively impact accruals quality. This empirical result indicates that the economic bond that is created between auditors and clients restricts the auditors from performing their duty objectively. A fully independent audit committee weakens the negative relationship between NAS and auditor independence.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample period represents a limitation since it only covers three years of data. This limitation is largely driven by the nature of data collection of NAS fees.Practical implicationsThese results contribute to Malaysia's policy deliberation to account for the effects of NAS on auditor independence and the oversight role of an audit committee. This study contributes to theoretical perspectives on accruals quality and corporate governance in Malaysia.Originality/valueThe novelty of this research, coupled with institutional data in Malaysia, claims the originality of this research.

Factors Associated with the Early Adoption of the SEC's Revised Auditor Fee Disclosure Rules

2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharad Asthana ◽  
Jayanthi Krishnan
Keyword(s):  
Audit Fees ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Securities And Exchange Commission ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Disclosure Requirements ◽  
Early Adoption ◽  
Disclosure Rules ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Auditor Fees ◽  
Considerable Concern

Corporate disclosures of auditor fees (beginning in February 2001) caused considerable concern among regulators and investors about auditor independence because they revealed that nonaudit fees were a substantial proportion of total auditor fees. However, in 2003 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) introduced revised disclosure requirements, specifying a broader definition of audit fees, and additional fee categories (SEC 2003). About 31 percent of our sample firms adopted the new rules in advance of the required date. We investigate the pattern of early adoption of the new fee disclosure rules by companies. Our results indicate that companies with greater nonaudit fee ratios during the prior year, companies that could show a greater decline in nonaudit fee ratios due to reclassification under SEC (2003), and companies that had greater audit-related fees after the reclassification were likely to adopt the new rules early. We conjecture that companies that had the most to gain from reclassifying fees—possibly by reducing negative investor perceptions about nonaudit services—adopted the new rules earlier than required.

scholarly journals EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMPETING INFORMATION: THE INDONESIAN EVIDENCE

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dedhy Sulistiawan ◽  
Jogiyanto Hartono ◽  
Eduardus Tandelilin ◽  
Supriyadi Supriyadi
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Earnings Announcements ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Technical Analysis ◽  
Earnings Announcement ◽  
Price Reaction ◽  
Price Reactions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The U.S

The main purpose of this study is to provide empirical evidence of the relationship betweeninvestors’ responses to two events, which are, (1) earnings anouncements, and (2) technicalanalysis signals, as competing information. This study is motivated by Francis, et al. (2002),whose study used stock analyst’s recommendations as competing information in the U.S stockmarket. To extend that idea, this study uses technical analysis signals as competing informationin the Indonesian stock market. Using Indonesian data from 2007-2012, this study shows thatthere are price reactions on the day of a technical analysis signal’s release, which is prior toearnings announcements. It means that investors react to the emergence of competinginformation. Reactions on earnings announcements also produce a negative relationship withthe reaction to a technical analysis signal before an earnings announcement. This study givesevidence about the importance of technical analysis as competing information to earningsannouncements.Keywords: competing information, earnings announcements, technical analysis, price reaction

scholarly journals Political connections: a threat to auditor independence?

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Effiezal Aswadi Abdul Wahab ◽  
Mazlina Mat Zain ◽  
Rashidah Abdul Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Political Connections ◽  
Panel Regression ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether political connections further impair auditor independence by investigating the relationship between non-audit fees and audit fees and as to whether political connections moderate such relationship. Design/methodology/approach – This study employs panel regression analysis. The panel data set consists of 379 firm-year observations for three years from year 2001 to 2003. Findings – Based on 379 firm-year observations for the period of 2001-2003, grounded on two proxies of political connections namely politically connected firms and the proportion of Bumiputras directors, the authors find a positive and significant relationship between non-audit fees and audit fees, and the relationship becomes weaker, only for Bumiputra-dominated firms connected firms. Originality/value – This study contributes to the extant literature by examining the role of political connections in the context of auditor independence. In addition, this study is conducted in Malaysia, which provides a unique institutional environment with the existence of political connections that is built on ethnic grounds.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Corporate Governance Mechanisms and Going Concern Evaluation: Evidence from Firms Listed on Amman Stock Exchange

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Bilal Nayef Zureigat ◽  
Faudziah Hanim Fadzil ◽  
Syed Soffian Syed Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Institutional Ownership ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Board Meeting ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Going Concern ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms (representative by each of managerial, institutional ownership, board independence and board meeting) and going concern evaluation among Jordanian listed firms. Through using multiple regression analysis, the results of this study illustrates that there is a positive relationship between managerial ownership, board independence and board meeting and going-concern evaluation, while a negative relationship is found with institutional ownership. There are four main hypotheses, two of them which are managerial and institutional ownership are accepted, while board independence and board meeting are not supported. This study shed more light on the importance of complying with the requirements of governance code and instructions by the companies and the need to impose fines or sanctions on non-compliant companies. The results of this study contribute to the creditors’ interest to be more alert to companies which may possess characteristics that contribute in manipulation of future companies.

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