Drug shops for stronger health systems: learning from initiatives in six LMICs

Background Private sector retail pharmacies, or drug shops, play an important role in access to essential medicines and services in low-and-middle-income countries. Recognising that they have the potential to contribute to health system strengthening efforts, many recent initiatives to engage with drug shops have been launched. These include initiatives that focus on changes in policy, regulation and training. However, the specific factors that influence their success remain poorly understood. Seven country case studies supported under the Alliance’s programme of work ‘Strengthening health systems: the role of drug shops’ help to explore this issue. Methods Country case studies from the above programme of research from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia were used as the main sources of data for this paper. A modified version of Bigdeli et al.’s Access to Medicines framework was applied within a partially grounded approach to analyze each country case study and compare themes between countries. Results Many factors may help initiatives targeting drug shops successfully achieve their intended outcomes. At the micro level, these include community demand for drug shops and a positive relationship between drug shops and their clients. At the meso level, facilitators of initiative success include training and positive attitudes from drug shops towards the initiative. Barriers include client pressure, procurement challenges and financial and administrative costs associated with initiatives. At the macro level, collaboration between stakeholders, high-level buy in and supervision, monitoring and regulation may influence initiative success. These factors are inter-dependent and interact with each other in a dynamic way. Conclusions Using a framework approach, these country case studies demonstrate common factors that influence how drug shops can strengthen health systems. These learnings can help inform the design and implementation of successful strategies to engage drug shops towards sustainable systems change.

Client Relationships, Analyst Coverage, and Earnings Management

Financial analysts have two important roles in the capital market. In addition to their informational role, which has been widely studied, they play an important monitoring role. Similar to their informational role, their monitoring role might be negatively affected when they face conflicts of interest. Using a sample of Chinese firms, we show that if analysts are under pressure (i.e., housed in a brokerage firm where specific mutual funds hold large positions in a company covered by the analyst), their role in lowering the firm earnings management activities is significantly compromised. We find that the closer the business relationship between the mutual fund and the brokerage firm, the greater the firm earnings management. Our findings caution investors and regulators to heed the impact of client pressure on analysts' roles in financial markets.

The Importance of Partner Narcissism to Audit Quality: Evidence from Taiwan

Relying on the size of partner signatures in audit reports in Taiwan to measure their narcissism, we find that audit quality rises with partner narcissism. Our analysis also implies that changes in audit quality are positively associated with changes in partner narcissism stemming from mandatory partner rotation. We also find that the impact of partner narcissism on audit quality only manifests when auditor independence is more likely to be compromised, although it does not vary with engagement complexity. These results suggest that partner narcissism improves audit quality mainly through increased auditor independence, rather than auditor competence. Additionally, we document that although partner narcissism has no perceptible impact on the incidence of Type I going concern reporting errors, it is negatively associated with the probability of making a Type II error, implying that more narcissistic partners are less likely to succumb to client pressure to issue opportunistic reports.

How sustainability assurance engagement scopes are determined, and its impact on capture and credibility enhancement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how sustainability assurance providers’ (SAPs) promotion of sustainability assurance influences the scope of engagements, its implications for professional and managerial capture and the ability of sustainability assurance to promote credible reporting. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted in-depth interviews with sustainability reporting managers (SRMs) and SAPs in Australia and New Zealand, using an institutional work lens to focus the analysis. Findings At the start of a new assurance engagement, SAPs offer pre-assurance and flexible assurance scopes, allowing them to recruit clients on narrow-scoped engagements. These narrow-scoped engagements focus on disclosed content and limit SAPs’ ability to add value and enhance credibility. During assurance engagements, SAPs educate managers and encourage changing the norms underlying sustainability reporting. At the end of the assurance engagement, SAPs provide a management report demonstrating added-value of assurance and encouraging clients broader-scoped engagements. However, with each assurance engagement, the recommendations offer diminishing returns, often leading managers to question the value of broad-scoped engagements and to consider narrowing the scope to realize savings. Under these conditions, client pressure (potentially managerial capture) along with practitioners’ desires to grow assurance income (potentially professional capture) can affect SAPs’ independence and the quality of their assurance work. Practical implications The study implies that regulation mandating the scope of engagements may be called for. Originality/value The authors contribute to the research literature in several ways. First, the findings show how professional and managerial capture occurs before, during and at the end of the assurance process. The authors highlight how perceived value addition from sustainability assurance diminishes over time and how this impacts the scope of engagements (with implications for SAPs independence and the quality of assurance work). The authors show these findings in a table, clarifying the complicated interrelationships. Second, the authors contribute to theory by identifying a new form of institutional work. Third, unlike previous studies focused on SAPs, the authors provide insights from the perspectives of both SAPs and SRMs.

Age and Experience versus Susceptibility to Client Pressure among Property Valuation Professionals—Implications for Rethinking Institutional Framework

This research deals with the problem of the client–valuer relationship, possibly resulting in valuation biases. It aims to identify the influence of age and professional experience, along with other specific factors, on the perception and susceptibility of valuation professionals to pressure exerted by clients during the valuation process. We hypothesize that susceptibility to pressure from clients is conditioned by a number of factors, among which age and work experience are of key importance. The analysis is based on information obtained in a survey among Polish valuers who are members of professional associations. We used the linear probability and logit models. The conclusions of the analysis allow us to take a critical look at the existing institutional framework of the valuation profession in Poland. Our recommendations for revising the system may provide insights on the evolution of the profession, especially in Central and Eastern European countries where it is relatively new.

PENGARUH INDEPENDENSI AUDITOR DAN KOMPETENSI AUDITOR TERHADAP KUALITAS AUDIT DENGAN TEKANAN KLIEN SEBAGAI VARIABEL MODERASI

This study aims to test whether client pressure can moderate the influence of auditor’s independence and auditor’s competence on audit quality. This study used a survey approach with questionnaire form which filled by 80 auditors who work at the Public Accounting Firm of North Jakarta listed at the Indonesian Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis. The result of the research shows that if the auditor has high independence and competence, then audit quality will be higher also. Based on testing of a pure moderator, client pressure is able to moderate and strengthen each influence of auditor’s independence and auditor’s competence on audit quality. This suggests that this study produces an ideal condition in which client pressure makes the auditor more independent and competent to the job. Keywords: Auditor’s independence, Auditor’s competence, Audit quality, Client pressure

The Influence Of Independence, Work Experience, Due Professional Care, Accountability, Integrity, And Clients Pressure On Audit Quality

<p>This research aims to prove the influence of independence, work experience, due professional care, accountability, integrity, and client pressure. The respondent of this research is auditors that working at big four and non-big four Public Accountant Firms (KAPs) located in Jakarta, which is junior, senior, and manager position. The total respondents are 91. This research was conducted using a survey method. Data were collected by distributing questionnaires using convenience sampling. The data analysis used multiple regression.<strong> </strong>The results indicate that independence, work experience, due professional care, integrity, and clients pressure have a significant influence on audit quality. Since the mean score for all variable are not achieved Likert scale 3 or agree, for future research need to consider for distributing from senior auditor with experience for more than five years.<strong></strong></p>

Does considering key audit matters affect auditor judgment performance?

This study examines the impact of considering key audit matters (KAM) on auditor judgment performance. This study uses a 2×2 between-subjects experiment based on a goodwill impairment testing case with 73 auditors. The two independent variables KAM consideration (present vs. absent) and client pressure (high vs. low) are manipulated. As dependent variables, skeptical judgment and action as different facets of auditor judgment performance are used. The results suggest that auditors exhibit significantly less skeptical judgment when KAM consideration is present than when KAM consideration is absent. This implies that, when considering KAM, auditors are more willing to acquiesce to their clients’ desired accounting treatments due to moral licensing. By showing that KAM consideration leads to less skeptical judgment, it can be documented that the new KAM reporting requirement, intended to improve the communicative value of the auditor’s report for users (IAASB, 2012), comes at the expense of auditor judgment performance. As in every experiment, the risk that the results are case-specific has to be acknowledged.

HOW DECISION MAKING TO THE AUDIT FEE, AUDIT COMMITTEE ON A AUDIT QUALITY

This article writes related the purpose of writing is to measure the extent of audit fees, audit committee on audit quality in a decision making. When to pay a fee should not be done by an auditee, because avoiding the existence of a form of problem to the loss of an auditor independence. Especially for clients who have opinions other than unqualified (WTP). It may also encourage an auditee to pressure the auditor, such as the form of pressure that will replace his or her public accounting firm with another accounting firm. Fee audit and audit committee are very influential in audit quality, when the actual audit cost is higher than normal audit cost. And then, audit fee of expensive can create an incentive to the auditor to agree on client pressure in a form of report result so that it can result to quality audit. In addition, audit fees also arise over a clients business risk relationship which has important implications for the obligation of an independent auditor for an audit that has been allegedly negligent in doing so, as well as on audit fees which theoretically relate to both an audit effort and a business's risk auditors. Keywords: Fee Audit, Audit Committee, Audit Quality, Financial Statements

KEMAMPUAN AUDIT TENURE MEMODERASI PENGARUH PENGALAMAN DAN SKEPTISISME AUDITOR DENGAN KUALITAS AUDIT

ABSTRAKPentingnya laporan keuangan bagi banyak pihak, menyebabkan laporan tersebut harus disajikan secara relevan dan reliabel. Kualitas audit yang baik dapat menyebabkan laporan keuangan semakin dipercaya keasliannya. Kualitas audit tergantung pada independensi dan kompetensi auditor. Independensi dan kompetensi seorang auditor tergantung pada pengalaman maupun sikap skeptis yang dimiliki auditor tersebut. Pengalaman auditor akan meningkat dikarenakan telah terbiasa dengan pekerjaannya sehingga auditor akan bekerja secara efisien dan lebih tahan terhadap tekanan klien. Sampel yang dipilih menggunakan teknik sampel jenuh dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 85 auditor. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan menyebarkan kuesioner kepada auditor yang menjadi sampel penelitian. Teknik analisis datanya menggunakan analisis regresi tanpa dan dengan variabel moderasi. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data dan pembahasan yang telah dilakukan, maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa kualitas audit di KAP Provinsi Bali memiliki hubungan secara positif dengan pengalaman dan skeptisisme auditor, audit tenure tidak mampu memoderasi hubungan pengalaman auditor dengan kualitas audit auditor di KAP Provinsi Bali, dan audit tenure mampu memoderasi hubungan skeptisisme auditor dengan kualitas audit auditor di KAP Provinsi Bali.Kata Kunci: audit tenure, pengalaman , skeptisisme auditor, kualitas audit ABSTRACTThe importance of financial statements for many, causing the report to be presented in a relevant and reliable manner. A good audit quality can lead to more authentic financial reports. The quality of the audit depends on the independence and competence of the auditor. The independence and competence of an auditor depends on the experience and skepticism of the auditor. The experience of the auditor will increase due to the familiarity with the work so that the auditor will work efficiently and more resistant to client pressure. The samples were selected using a sample saturated technique with a total sample of 85 auditors. Data collection was done by distributing questionnaires to the auditor who became the research sample. Data analysis techniques use regression analysis without and with moderation variables. Based on the results of data analysis and discussion that have been done, it can be concluded that the audit quality in KAP Bali Province has a positive relationship with the experience and skepticism of auditors, audit tenure unable to moderate the relationship of auditor experience with audit auditor quality in KAP Bali Province and audit tenure able to moderate the relationship of auditor skepticism with audit auditor quality in KAP Bali Province.Keywords: audit tenure, experience, auditor skepticism, audit quality