scholarly journals Does Auditor Industry Expertise Improve Audit Quality In Complex Business Environments?

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sansaloni Butar-Butar ◽  
Stefani Lily Indarto Lily Indarto

This study examines the role of specialist auditors in enhancing the quality of financial statements by taking into account industry complexity. The test of hypotheses are conducted in two steps. The first step is to provide evidence that earnings quality, measured by earnings persistent, of firms operating in the complex and non-complex industry are different. The second step is to compare the absolute abnormal accruals of companies engaged in the complex industry with those from non-complex industry audited by non-specialist and specialists auditors. Results show: 1) earnings persistence of firms in complex industries are lower than those in non-complex industries. 2) absolute abnormal accruals of firms operating in complex industries are higher than those in non-complex industries regardless industry specialization. Overall, the results suggest that auditor industry expertise does not play a significant role in improving the quality of audited earnings in complex business environ­ment.

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudip Bhattacharjee ◽  
Mario J. Maletta ◽  
Kimberly K. Moreno

ABSTRACT This study replicates Bhattacharjee, Maletta, and Moreno (2007), who find that audit preparers are susceptible to contrast effects in a multi-client environment. We demonstrate that auditors in the role of reviewers are also susceptible to contrast effects from a prior client. Audit reviewers' assessments of internal audit quality of a current client were significantly affected by the quality of the internal audit group of a client they previously reviewed. Specifically, when auditors first reviewed a client with a weak internal audit group they assessed the subsequent moderate internal audit group as being of higher quality than when they first reviewed a prior client with a strong internal audit group or did not review a prior client. Reviewers' documentation of evidence was also influenced by comparative information from the prior client. These results corroborate the key findings of Bhattacharjee et al. (2007) and confirm audit reviewers' susceptibility to contrast effects.


2002 ◽  
Vol 77 (s-1) ◽  
pp. 35-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Dechow ◽  
Ilia D. Dichev

This paper suggests a new measure of one aspect of the quality of working capital accruals and earnings. One role of accruals is to shift or adjust the recognition of cash flows over time so that the adjusted numbers (earnings) better measure firm performance. However, accruals require assumptions and estimates of future cash flows. We argue that the quality of accruals and earnings is decreasing in the magnitude of estimation error in accruals. We derive an empirical measure of accrual quality as the residuals from firm-specific regressions of changes in working capital on past, present, and future operating cash flows. We document that observable firm characteristics can be used as instruments for accrual quality (e.g., volatility of accruals and volatility of earnings). Finally, we show that our measure of accrual quality is positively related to earnings persistence.


2021 ◽  
pp. 69-94
Author(s):  
Li-Jen He

Abstract In 2015, International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) released new International Standards on Auditing 701 and required auditors to disclose key audit matters (KAM) in the audit report. Similar standards were also released in the United States in 2017 and the United Kingdom and Ireland Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in 2014. As KAM are expected to inform on matters of the greatest significance during an audit, before exploring the question regarding whether investors will obtain useful information from additional matter disclosures, the anterior consideration may be in regard to how audit quality affects the disclosure quality of KAM. This study use hand-collected data of the KAM disclosed in the audit reports of Taiwanese listed companies in 2016 to explore the association between auditor industry specialization and audit quality by the disclosure of KAM in new audit reports. The empirical results show that the association between the industrial specialist audit partner and the measurement of KAM quality is significantly positively related. The findings support our hypothesis that specialist auditors’ KAM are more informative than those issued by non-specialist auditors, and provide new evidence supporting prior studies about the superior auditing ability and disclosure quality of auditor industry specialist. Keywords: Key Audit Matters, KAM, International Standards on Auditing 701, International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-73
Author(s):  
Muhammad Aamir ◽  
Siti Zaleha Abdul Rasid ◽  
Shathees Baskaran ◽  
Fadillah Binti Ismail ◽  
Faiza Manzoor

Quality Threatening Behaviours (QTBs) in auditing are associated with reduced audit quality and are under the focus of researchers and practitioners for the last two decades following the major corporate failures around the globe.  QTBs are a constant threat for audit profession and lawmakers, regulatory bodies, practitioners and researchers are striving to reduce auditors’ engagement in these undesirable behaviours.  Existing literature advocates that emotional intelligence (EI) meaningfully affects workplace behaviours. Wong and Law (2002) affirm that emotional intelligence is linked to job performance.  Emotionally intelligent individuals respond to negative issues related to work in a better way (Greenidge, Devonish, & Alleyne, 2014).  On the other hand, individuals who score low on emotional intelligence face problems in regulating emotions instigated by negative work practices reacting in a manner that can be detrimental for the organization and its members (Quebbeman and Rozell, 2002).  Emotional intelligence is equally important for individuals in the accounting profession (Daff, de Lange, & Jackling, 2012).  Akers and Porter (2003) proclaim that “EI skills are critical for the success of the accounting profession” (p. 65).  Auditing is a frantic occupation that causes pressure on auditors (Fisher, 2001) that fetch damaging outcomes.  Negative behaviours of auditors are caused by different pressures and lessen the quality of audit, emotional intelligence ability can help auditors in avoiding indulgence in these behaviours (Yang, Brink, & Wier, 2018). Grounding on the role of emotional intelligence at work across different contexts and its ability to negatively affect harmful workplace behaviours, it can be inferred that emotional intelligence can reduce auditors engagement in quality threatening audit behaviours.


Manajerial ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali Sartono

<p align="justify">This research will examine the views from stakeholders on the quality of audits based on issues of expertise and professionalism of auditors, audits commercialization  and transparency the audit. This study focuses attention on the response from implementation of audits quality regulations according to the company’s audits, the audit committee and investors. The focus of this research is an analysis of research by identifying four major drivers of audit quality, namely: culture in an audit firm; skills and personal qualities of audit partners and staff; the effectiveness of the audit process; the reliability and usefulness of audit reporting. In this study also identifies a number of factors that affect the quality of audit beyond the control of the auditor, namely: the approach taken by management; the contribution made by the audit committee; role of shareholders and commentators; role as a driver of audit quality litigation; regulatory approaches; the pressure caused by the acceleration reports. The results showed that the regulatory bodies and professionals involved in the management and improvement of audit quality to make efforts to improve the tarnished image, increase its legitimacy and reputation as well as the dominance of responses raised concerns about potential damage to the profession.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 251
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina Kolozsvari ◽  
Marcelo Alvaro Da Silva Macedo

This research approaches the influence of smoothing on persistence, two time-series properties of the same earnings stream, considering the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), in Brazil. This influence is interesting from the possibility of the disclosure to inform stability to influence the information quality for valuation. The objective was to investigate whether the IFRS adoption modified the smoothing-persistence relation. We inserted dummies in autoregressive models, to identify the influence of smoothing on persistence regarding different accounting environments. The findings show that (i) the IFRS adoption increased the quality of earnings; (ii) the IFRS shifted the role of smoothing, that previously increased and then decreased the persistence; and (iii) the smoothing suppressed the benefits for information quality brought by IFRS adoption. We conclude that IFRS increased the informational level of earnings, evidencing that interferences to mitigate impacts on reported income ceased to increase and started to decrease its usefulness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-200
Author(s):  
Paul N. Tanyi ◽  
Dasaratha V. Rama ◽  
K. Raghunandan ◽  
Gregory W. Martin

SYNOPSIS This study examines the association between shareholder dissatisfaction, as proxied using auditor ratification voting, and subsequent auditor effort and audit quality. We document that increases in shareholder dissatisfaction are associated with (1) higher audit fees and longer audit report lags, and (2) lower abnormal accruals and reduced likelihood of financial statement misstatements, in the subsequent period. These findings inform the debate about auditor ratification voting, as governance activists and some regulators argue to increase the role of shareholders in auditor selection despite opposition from some firms and the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission. We provide empirical evidence that increases in shareholder dissatisfaction with the auditor are associated with increases in subsequent auditor effort and audit quality. This suggests that shareholder action (even nonbinding) may potentially influence subsequent audit outcomes.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Laith A Aryan

<p>Jordan displayed keen interest in corporate governance in terms of enhancing the quality of financial statements and to restore the investors’ confidence. This study aimed to highlight the role of audit committee and external audit in enhancing companies’ profitability. Since there are contradictions in previous studies results, there is a need to test these relationships in Jordanian context to provide empirical evidence on this issue,especially after the corporate governance application became mandatory since 2009. This study has used industrial sector, which include 91 companies, only 69 companies were included in this study, the other 22 companies were excluded either newly listed or delisted during the study period (2009-2014). Multiple regression were used to analyze the data, the result showed positive relationships between audit committee meeting, audit committee size and companies profitability, while no significant relationship between audit committee composition, audit committee members literacy, audit quality and companies profitability. Such results would be beneficial to companies’ corporate governance committees to play their supervisory role. </p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Do Huu Hai ◽  
Ngo Sy Trung

<p>The development of a market economy, especially the financial markets is asking for transparency and truthfulness of the financial information with high quality. The information in the financial statements will impact directly and indirectly to the rights and decisions of investors. Independent auditors play a role of evaluating truthfulness and reasonable financial information in enterprises, however there are still risks. This study focuses on analyzing the factors affecting the quality of financial statements audit in enterprises. The analytical methods used in this study are: factor analysis method to explore and test the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the construction and testing of measuring scales. Moreover, linear structural modeling method (Structural Equation Modeling SEM) is used to test the reliability and value of discrimination, convergence, unitary of the concept and scale of research. The study results showed that occupational qualification is an important factor affecting the audit quality in the establishment of the business financial statements and legal environment factors, factors belonging to business, factor of independence, factors of quality control system of audit firm.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4-4) ◽  
pp. 391-399
Author(s):  
Fujen Daniel Hsiao ◽  
Jerry W. Lin ◽  
Joon S. Yang

Several highly publicized financial reporting fraud cases (e.g., Enron, Tyco International, and WorldCom) have put the role of external auditors and quality of their audit in ensuring corporate financial reporting quality under considerable scrutiny. Much research has been conducted on the determinants of earnings management. Since earnings management is inherently unobservable, most studies use various measures of accruals as proxies for earnings management. This study examines the relationship between audit quality and a more direct measure of earnings management – financial reporting fraud. Contrary to the concerns that nonaudit services are the primary reason for auditor independence impairment that results in lower audit and earnings quality, this study finds no significant relationship between reporting fraud and fees paid to auditors for various services.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document