Strategic Audit Inquiry: The Impact of Timing and the Promotion of Statutory Protections on Client Fraud Disclosures

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-167
Author(s):  
John R. Lauck ◽  
Stephen J. Perreault ◽  
Joseph R. Rakestraw ◽  
James S. Wainberg
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Inquiry Process ◽  
The Impact

SYNOPSIS Auditing standards require external auditors to inquire of client-employees regarding their knowledge of actual or suspected fraud (PCAOB 2010b; AICPA 2016). However, the extant literature provides little guidance on practical methods that auditors can employ to increase the likelihood of fraud disclosure and improve audit quality. Drawing upon best practices in the whistleblowing literature and psychological theories on self-regulation, we experimentally test the efficacy of two practical strategies that auditors can employ during the fraud inquiry process: actively promoting statutory whistleblower protections and strategically timing their fraud inquiries. Our results indicate that auditors are more likely to elicit client-employee fraud disclosures by actively promoting statutory whistleblower protections and strategically timing the fraud inquiry to take place in the afternoon, when client-employee self-regulation is more likely to be depleted. These two audit inquiry strategies should be of considerable interest to audit practitioners, audit committees, and those concerned with improving audit quality. Data Availability: From the authors by request.

scholarly journals Do Gender Diversity Recommendations in Corporate Governance Codes Matter? Evidence from Audit Committees

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigar Sultana ◽  
Steven F. Cahan ◽  
Asheq Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Corporate Governance Codes ◽  
Limited Supply ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARY Motivated by two opposing views, the limited supply view and the discrimination view, we examine the impact of gender diversity guidelines on the strength of the association between the presence of female audit committee members and audit quality. The limited supply view predicts that the effect of female audit committee members on audit quality would decrease after the guidelines were issued because they increased the demand for women directors without a commensurate increase in the supply of qualified women directors. The discrimination view predicts this relation would increase after the guidelines were issued since some firms would have abandoned their suboptimal hiring practices that favored men over better qualified women, resulting in higher quality firm-director matches as opportunities for women increase. Consistent with the limited supply view, we find that the positive association between audit committee gender diversity and audit quality weakened after gender diversity guidelines were introduced in Australia. JEL Classifications: G38; M42; M48. Data Availability: Data are available from the databases cited in the text.

Market Reactions to a High-Quality Auditor and Managerial Preference for Audit Quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 131-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Hurley ◽  
Brian W. Mayhew
Keyword(s):  
Loss Aversion ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Quality Competition ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Market Reactions ◽  
Comprehensive Theory ◽  
Audit Reports ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Quality Theory

SUMMARY We insert an automated high-quality (HQ) auditor into established experimental audit markets to test the impact of high-quality competition on other auditors' supply of and managers' demand for audit quality. Theory predicts that managers will demand high levels of audit quality to avoid investors' price-protecting behavior. This demand should result in the HQ auditor dominating the market and increase other auditors' audit quality provision to compete with the HQ auditor. However, we find that the HQ auditor does not dominate the market—despite holding audit costs constant and investors placing a premium on HQ auditor reports. We also find that adding an HQ auditor results in other auditors lowering audit quality. Additional analyses indicate some managers demand lower audit quality to avoid negative audit reports, consistent with loss aversion as a potential explanation. Our findings indicate a need to develop a more comprehensive theory of the demand for auditing. Data Availability: The laboratory market data used in this study are available from the authors upon request.

The impact of audit reforms on objectivity during the performance of non-audit services

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Brody ◽  
Christine M. Haynes ◽  
Craig G. White
Keyword(s):  
Audit Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Auditor Liability ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Regulatory Perspective ◽  
External Auditor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Non Audit Services

Purpose – This research aims to explore whether recent audit reforms have improved auditor objectivity when performing non-audit services. Design/methodology/approach – In two separate experiments, the authors tested whether external and internal auditors' inventory obsolescence judgments are influenced by their client's (or company's) role as the buyer or seller in an acquisition setting. Findings – External auditors assessed the likelihood of inventory obsolescence objectively, regardless of their consulting role in the acquisition setting. Internal auditors assessed the likelihood of inventory obsolescence as higher when consulting for the buyer than when consulting for the seller, consistent with the supposition that the buyer would prefer to write-down inventory and negotiate a lower purchase price, whereas the seller would prefer the inventory not be written down. Practical implications – From a regulatory perspective, external auditors may be relying too much on the work of internal auditors if internal auditors' lack of objectivity as consultants extends to their assurance role. Originality/value – This paper extends prior research in the area of internal and external auditor objectivity and is the first paper to include both subject groups in the same experiment. It also addresses the current policy issues that may have a significant effect on audit quality and auditor liability.

The impact of audit committee characteristics on internal audit professionalization: empirical evidence from Greece

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Vadasi ◽  
Michalis Bekiaris ◽  
Andreas G. Koutoupis
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the association between audit committee characteristics and internal audit quality through internal audit professionalization. Design/methodology/approach The investigation of the research question was based on 45 usable responses that were received from a survey of chief audit executives from firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange and combined with publicly available information from annual reports. Findings The results indicate that audit committee characteristics (independence, diligence through frequent meetings and interaction with internal audit through valuation) influence internal audit professionalization. In addition, they demonstrate that internal audit professionalization is also influenced by CEO duality and firm’s external auditor. Practical implications The findings of this study have implications for audit committees wishing to improve their overall effectiveness, by identifying areas with substantial impact on internal audit quality. Moreover, regulators of corporate governance bodies can also benefit from the results to strengthen audit committee’s efficiency regarding internal audit function oversight. Originality/value The results add to the literature on the discussion of internal audit professionalization and complement the work of other researchers in the field of audit committee’s impact on internal audit quality/effectiveness. This study attempts to fill a gap in the literature on the effect of audit committee characteristics on internal audit professionalization, an element introduced from an institutional theory perspective.

Enhancing Perceived and Actual Audit Committee Effectiveness through Financial Expert Certification

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. A15-A25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Grenier ◽  
Brian Ballou ◽  
Seth Philip
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Potential Method ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Certification Program ◽  
Audit Process ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Strong Signal ◽  
Financial Expert ◽  
Role Sharing

SUMMARY:  The purpose of this paper is to generate and inform academic, practitioner, and regulatory discussion on means to promote perceived and actual audit committee effectiveness. As one potential method, we propose that the SEC initiate a CPE-driven certification program for audit committee members designated as financial experts. Our proposal addresses many of the challenges that post-SOX audit committees face (cf. Beasley et al. 2009; Cohen et al. 2010) by emphasizing their oversight role, sharing audit committee best practices, enhancing the accountabilities of external auditors, and sending a strong signal to stakeholders that the audit committee owns the audit process.

The Effects of Employer and Client Identification on Internal and External Auditors' Evaluations of Internal Control Deficiencies

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad M. Stefaniak ◽  
Richard W. Houston ◽  
Robert M. Cornell
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Internal Auditor ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Audit Efficiency ◽  
Public Company ◽  
External Auditor ◽  
Internal Control Deficiencies

SUMMARY The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's (PCAOB) Auditing Standard No. 5 (AS5) encourages external auditors to rely on internal auditors to increase the efficiency of lower-risk internal control evaluations (PCAOB 2007). We use post-SOX experimental data to compare the levels and effects of employer (client) identification on the control evaluations of internal (external) auditors. First, we find that internal auditors perceive a greater level of identification with the evaluated firm than do external auditors. We also find some evidence that, ceteris paribus, internal auditors are less lenient than external auditors when evaluating internal control deficiencies (i.e., tend to support management's preferred position to a lesser extent). Further, while we support Bamber and Iyer's (2007) results by finding that higher levels of external auditor client identification are associated with more lenient control evaluations, we demonstrate an opposite effect for internal auditors—higher levels of internal auditor employer identification are associated with less lenient control evaluations. Our results are important because we are the first to capture the relative levels of identification between internal and external auditors, as well as the first to compare directly internal and external auditor leniency, both of which are important in light of AS5. That is, we provide initial evidence that external auditors' increased reliance on internal auditors' work, while increasing audit efficiency, also could improve audit quality by resulting in less lenient internal control evaluations, due, at least in part, to the effects of employer and client identification. Data Availability: Contact the first author.

The Effects of Auditor Designation by the Regulator on Auditor Decisions: Evidence from Korea

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-36
Author(s):  
Tae Sup Shim ◽  
Su Jin Pae ◽  
Eugene Choi
Keyword(s):  
Audit Quality ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Research Setting ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Policy Choices ◽  
External Audits ◽  
Auditor Selection ◽  
Korean Market ◽  
Engagement System ◽  
Quasi Experiment

ABSTRACT The Korean market regulator designates external auditors for certain companies that have strong incentives to manage their earnings or that require strict external audits (the auditor designation system [ADS]). The ADS offers an interesting research setting for examining the effects of transferring the power of auditor selection to the regulator. Based on the results of a quasi-experiment with Korean auditors, we find that the ADS may be effective in reducing aggressive client accounting policy choices and achieve greater consensus in a hypothetical impairment loss recognition case. Although more research is needed on the various types of audit engagement systems, the results imply that the ADS may improve audit quality. Thus, auditor designation by the regulator for certain companies that try to manage their earnings (i.e., the ADS) may be a favorable alternative to the current audit engagement system. Data Availability: Data are available from the authors upon request.

Customer-Base Concentration: Implications for Audit Pricing and Quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal V. Krishnan ◽  
Panos N. Patatoukas ◽  
Annika Yu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Audit Quality ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Process ◽  
Audit Pricing ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Customer Base ◽  
Conventional View ◽  
Audit Fee

ABSTRACT What are the implications of major customer dependency, i.e., the degree of a supplier firm's dependency on its major customers, for external auditors? While the conventional view emphasizes the negatives of major customer dependency for client business risk, we find that suppliers with more concentrated customer bases spend less on audit fees. The evidence is consistent with reduced audit effort due to efficiency gains in the audit process, especially when suppliers with more concentrated customer bases share the same auditors with their long-standing major customers. The audit fee discount we identify does not imply that audit quality declines with customer-base concentration. In fact, we find that suppliers with more concentrated customer bases are less likely to experience material restatements of previously audited financial statements. Taking the external auditors' perspective, our study provides new managerial insights on the costs and benefits of major customer relationships for supplier firms. Data Availability: All data are available from sources identified in the text.

The Impact on Auditor Judgments of CEO Influence on Audit Committee Independence

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 129-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey R. Cohen ◽  
Lisa Milici Gaynor ◽  
Ganesh Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Arnold M. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Undue Influence ◽  
Management Incentives ◽  
Auditor Judgments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Of

SUMMARY Despite the importance of audit committee independence in ensuring the integrity of the financial reporting process, recent research suggests that even when audit committees meet regulatory independence requirements, certain factors, such as undue influence by the CEO over the selection of the audit committee, may diminish the ability of its members to be substantively independent. This study investigates whether auditors consider CEO influence over audit committee independence when making audit judgments where management's incentives to manage earnings differ. In an experiment, we find that audit partners and managers waive a larger amount of a proposed audit adjustment when management's incentives for earnings management are low than when incentives are high. However, when management incentives are high, auditors are less likely to waive as much of an adjustment when the CEO has less influence over the audit committee's independence than when the CEO's influence is greater. In all, the results support our expectations that auditors consider CEO influence on audit committee independence in the resolution of contentious accounting issues. Data Availability: Contact the authors.

scholarly journals INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL DISCLOSURES AND AUDIT COMPONENTS IN NON-DISCRETIONARY INCOME

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Saarce Elsye Hatane ◽  
Dewi Rembulan ◽  
Josua Tarigan
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Random Effect Model ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Net Income ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to determine the relationship of Intellectual Capital Disclosures (ICD), audit committee characteristics (size, gender, education, expertise), and audit quality toward the performance of the company measured through Non-Discretionary Net Income (NDNI) and Cash Flow Operation (CFO). This study is conducted on service listed companies in the Indonesia Stock Exchange (Service Industry) from 2010 to 2016 by panel data regression method analyzed using random effect model. The results of this study indicate that components in ICD have no significant impact on firm performance. Some components in the audit committees are found to have significant positive relationship towards financial performance. The empirical results suggest that ICD serve as a tool in aiding firm performance. A corporation should practice ICD extensively to enjoy the impact on the firm performance and value. Most research studies the relationship between intellectual capital disclosures and board diversity toward firm performance individually. The interaction of intellectual capital disclosures and audit committee characteristics is analyzed and studied to see whether audit committee characteristics is a factor that can help and improve the effectiveness of firm performance. Audit quality is also being analyzed and being taken into consideration as a variable. This is the first study to find the relationship towards the firm performance using NDNI and CFO as the dependent variables

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