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PCAOB inspections and audit quality evidence from cross-listed securities
Title
PCAOB inspections and audit quality evidence from cross-listed securities.
Creator
Stewart, Errol G.G., College of Business, School of Accounting
Abstract/Description
In the period leading up to the early 2000s there were a series of large company failures attributed at least in part to audit failures. Consequently, the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) was promulgated in July 2002 to restore confidence in public company financial reporting and the work of auditors. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) was established by SOX and appointed as the regulator of the accounting firms that audit the financial statements of public companies. The PCAOB is...
Show moreIn the period leading up to the early 2000s there were a series of large company failures attributed at least in part to audit failures. Consequently, the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) was promulgated in July 2002 to restore confidence in public company financial reporting and the work of auditors. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) was established by SOX and appointed as the regulator of the accounting firms that audit the financial statements of public companies. The PCAOB is required to routinely inspect the operations of these accounting firms in an effort to satisfy its mandate to bring about an improvement in the audit quality of these companies. These inspections extend to the non-US auditors of companies that are cross-listed in the US. Despite various mainly US studies on inspections, there is limited evidence that the inspections have resulted in improved audit quality. ... I examine companies whose securities are cross-listed in the US in the periods before and after inspection in order to provide evidence on the benefits of inspections. I find some evidence that inspections improve the audit quality of companies that are cross-listed in the US. This suggests the audit quality of companies from countries that do not permit inspections may be positively affected should inspections be permitted.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3356016
Subject Headings
Auditing, Standards, Financial services industry, Management, Corporate governance, Law and legislation, Corporations, Auditing, Standards
Format
Document (PDF)
economic consequences of auditor industry specialization
Title
The economic consequences of auditor industry specialization.
Creator
Almutairi, Ali R., Florida Atlantic University, Skantz, Terrance R., Dunn, Kimberly
Abstract/Description
This paper examines the association between the employment of industry specialist auditors, and the degree of information asymmetry and the cost of debt of a client company. Unlike auditors without industry expertise, auditors with industry expertise can better improve the credibility of financial statements (Krishnan 2003; Balsam et al. 2003) and verify management forecasts, thereby minimizing management's discretion in applying accounting principles and standards (Kwon 1996). This suggests...
Show moreThis paper examines the association between the employment of industry specialist auditors, and the degree of information asymmetry and the cost of debt of a client company. Unlike auditors without industry expertise, auditors with industry expertise can better improve the credibility of financial statements (Krishnan 2003; Balsam et al. 2003) and verify management forecasts, thereby minimizing management's discretion in applying accounting principles and standards (Kwon 1996). This suggests that industry specialist auditors can enhance audit quality. Consequently, clients of industry specialist auditors are expected to achieve more significant economic benefits than clients of nonspecialist auditors. Based on product differentiation theory and signaling theory, it is hypothesized in this study that clients of industry specialist auditors are more likely to enjoy a lower level of information asymmetry and a lower cost of debt than clients of nonindustry specialist auditors. In addition, this study hypothesizes that the marginal economic value added by auditor industry specialization varies between financially troubled clients and financially healthy clients that seek external financing. The results indicate that clients of specialists experience a lower information asymmetry level than clients of nonspecialists. This economic value provided by specialists is important and more pronounced for unregulated firms than for regulated firms. This inference, however, does not hold when information asymmetry is measured using analyst forecast dispersion. In addition, clients hiring specialists enjoy better credit ratings and lower cost of debt than clients of nonspecialists, and this economic value is more significant for financially troubled firms than for financially healthy firms. However, these findings do not hold for each proxy of auditor industry specialization.
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Date Issued
2006
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12191
Subject Headings
Financial services industry--Auditing, Corporations--Auditing, Total quality management, Organizational effectiveness--Measurement
Format
Document (PDF)
Can Priming a Firm’s Organizational Identity Overcome the Influences of National Culture on Auditor Judgment?
Title
Can Priming a Firm’s Organizational Identity Overcome the Influences of National Culture on Auditor Judgment?.
Creator
Killey, Michael, Higgs, Julia, Florida Atlantic University, College of Business, School of Accounting
Abstract/Description
A significant challenge faced by large auditing firms is offering consistent quality across the global network. Unfortunately, variation in judgments and decision-making, resulting from cultural differences, can undermine the provision of a uniform level of audit quality for these international firms. Previous research has determined that national culture influences an auditors’ professional judgments and decisions. Relying on Social Identity Theory, I explore whether inducing one’s...
Show moreA significant challenge faced by large auditing firms is offering consistent quality across the global network. Unfortunately, variation in judgments and decision-making, resulting from cultural differences, can undermine the provision of a uniform level of audit quality for these international firms. Previous research has determined that national culture influences an auditors’ professional judgments and decisions. Relying on Social Identity Theory, I explore whether inducing one’s organizational identification can both enhance auditor judgment and mitigate any deleterious impact that culture may have on the provision of a uniform level of audit quality. I also examine current cultural variations in auditor judgment in order to ensure that the results of earlier studies still typify the international auditing environment. National culture is assessed using two dimensions (individualism/collectivism, power distance) included in Hofstede’s 1980 cultural values framework. Participants from the United States are used to represent an individualistic/low power distance culture while individuals from India are used to represent a collectivistic/high power distance culture. Firms need mechanisms to elicit desired behaviors that may not be consistent with cultural tendencies in order to provide a uniform level of audit quality. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences are identified between the judgments of auditors from India and The United States. The results, however, do provide evidence that enhancing one’s organizational identification can impact certain professional judgments during the audit process. An association between national culture and auditor attitudes pertaining to client trust is also found. The implications of these findings for the professional auditing environment and future academic research are discussed.
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Date Issued
2016
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004736, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004736
Subject Headings
Corporate governance., Corporations--Auditing., Auditing--Quality control., Identity (Psychology), Accounting--Moral and ethical aspects., Accounting--Professional ethics., Social responsibility of business.
Format
Document (PDF)
Corporate Tax Aggressiveness, Auditor Provided Tax Services, And Audit Quality: Evidence From Recent PCOAB Rules Concerning Independence And Tax Services
Title
Corporate Tax Aggressiveness, Auditor Provided Tax Services, And Audit Quality: Evidence From Recent PCOAB Rules Concerning Independence And Tax Services.
Creator
Carr, Kellie M., Cao, Jian, Florida Atlantic University, College of Business, School of Accounting
Abstract/Description
Using tax accrual quality as a proxy for audit quality, I investigate whether companies that significantly decreased APTS surrounding the effective date of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s 2006 Rules on Ethics, Independence, and Tax Services experienced an improvement in audit quality after the change. Given the specific target of the PCAOB 2006 restrictions is companies aggressively avoiding taxes with the assistance of APTS, I also investigate whether companies associated...
Show moreUsing tax accrual quality as a proxy for audit quality, I investigate whether companies that significantly decreased APTS surrounding the effective date of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s 2006 Rules on Ethics, Independence, and Tax Services experienced an improvement in audit quality after the change. Given the specific target of the PCAOB 2006 restrictions is companies aggressively avoiding taxes with the assistance of APTS, I also investigate whether companies associated with tax aggressive services are also more likely to experience an improvement in audit quality following the reductions in APTS. Results suggest an increase in audit quality due to a reduction in economic bonding following APTS restrictions. Consistent with the economic bonding theory, companies that significantly reduced APTS experienced a larger improvement in audit quality after the change compared to companies that did not significantly reduce APTS. For tax aggressive companies, those that reduced APTS did experience a significant increase in audit quality after the change compared to tax aggressive companies that did not significantly reduce APTS. Moreover, companies considered important tax clients by their audit firms that significantly reduced APTS did experience a marginally greater increase in audit quality after the change compared to other important tax clients that did not significantly reduce APTS. Overall, my results indicate that the PCOAB 2006 restrictions were effective in decreasing APTS and economic bonding, thereby leading to improved audit quality, especially among companies associated with tax aggressive services. Accordingly, concerns for loss of knowledge spillover seem to be minimal. There are few studies that investigate the effectiveness of the PCAOB 2006 restrictions on audit quality. Therefore, my study fills this void by using a tax specific measure of audit quality, tax accrual quality, to specifically examine the target of the restrictions— audit clients that are associated with aggressive tax services. My study confirms and expands APTS, economic bonding, audit quality, tax accrual quality, and tax aggressive research, and also provides insight into and support for current policy debates concerning APTS and tax aggressive services.
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Date Issued
2017
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004884, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004884
Subject Headings
Auditing--Standards--United States., Corporations--Standards--United States., Corporations--Auditing., Organizational effectiveness--Measurement., Financial services industry--Management.
Format
Document (PDF)
Strategic information disclosure when there is fundamental disagreement: an empirical investigation
Title
Strategic information disclosure when there is fundamental disagreement: an empirical investigation.
Creator
Volkov, Nikanor, Agapova, Anna, Florida Atlantic University, College of Business, Department of Finance
Abstract/Description
I empirically investigate the managements’ decision to voluntarily disclose strategic information. While carrying a benefit of reduced information asymmetry, strategic information disclosure carries a cost of investors disagreeing with managements’ strategy and thus refusing to provide funding to the firm. Using a hand- collected sample of information releases, I identify firm characteristics that affect the likelihood of strategic information disclosure.
Date Issued
2015
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004473, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004473
Subject Headings
Corporate governance, Corporations -- Auditing, Disclosure of information, Management information systems, Social responsibility of business, Strategic planning
Format
Document (PDF)
Economic Consequences of Implementing the Engagement Partner Signature Requirement in the UK
Title
Economic Consequences of Implementing the Engagement Partner Signature Requirement in the UK.
Creator
Liu, Min, Kohlbeck, Mark, Florida Atlantic University, College of Business, School of Accounting
Abstract/Description
I investigate the effects of requiring the audit engagement partner (EP) signature and individual EP’s quality on information asymmetry, analysts’ forecast errors and forecast dispersion. I predict and find that, ceteris paribus, there is a significant decline in information asymmetry, analysts’ forecast errors and forecast dispersion from the pre- to post-EP signature period in the UK over both of short-term (e.g., 2008-2010) and long-term (e.g., 2004-2014). These findings hold when using a...
Show moreI investigate the effects of requiring the audit engagement partner (EP) signature and individual EP’s quality on information asymmetry, analysts’ forecast errors and forecast dispersion. I predict and find that, ceteris paribus, there is a significant decline in information asymmetry, analysts’ forecast errors and forecast dispersion from the pre- to post-EP signature period in the UK over both of short-term (e.g., 2008-2010) and long-term (e.g., 2004-2014). These findings hold when using a control sample approach and a different proxy for the information asymmetry, which indicate that my results are not likely due to the effect of concurrent events and correlated omitted variables. These findings provide timely and important empirical evidence to the ongoing debate about whether the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board should pass a similar requirement in the U.S.
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Date Issued
2016
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004651, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004651
Subject Headings
Auditing -- Standards -- United States, Corporate governance, Corporations -- Auditing -- Standards -- United States, Disclosure in accounting, Financial risk management -- Forecasting, Financial services industry -- Management, International standard on auditing, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
Format
Document (PDF)
Big 4 global networks: degree of homogeneity of audit quality among affiliates and relevance of PCAOB inspections
Title
Big 4 global networks: degree of homogeneity of audit quality among affiliates and relevance of PCAOB inspections.
Creator
Kassawat, Paulina M., Higgs, Julia, Florida Atlantic University, College of Business, School of Accounting
Abstract/Description
The Big 4 global networks (Deloitte, Ernst & Young [E&Y], KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers [PwC]) market themselves as providers of worldwide seamless services and consistent audit quality through their members. Under the current environment in which these auditors operate, there are three types of global network members: inspected non-U.S. affiliates (inspected affiliates, hereafter), non-inspected non-U.S. affiliates (non-inspected affiliates, hereafter), and inspected U.S. offices (U.S....
Show moreThe Big 4 global networks (Deloitte, Ernst & Young [E&Y], KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers [PwC]) market themselves as providers of worldwide seamless services and consistent audit quality through their members. Under the current environment in which these auditors operate, there are three types of global network members: inspected non-U.S. affiliates (inspected affiliates, hereafter), non-inspected non-U.S. affiliates (non-inspected affiliates, hereafter), and inspected U.S. offices (U.S. offices, hereafter). The recent suspension of the China-based Big 4 affiliates from auditing U.S.-listed companies calls into question whether these global networks can deliver the same level of audit quality across all their members and whether those located in jurisdictions denying access to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB or Board, hereafter) to conduct inspections may benefit from such inspections. This study examines the effect of being an affiliate and the effect of PCAOB inspections on perceived audit quality. I use earnings response coefficients (ERCs) as a proxy for perceived audit quality.
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Date Issued
2015
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004385, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004385
Subject Headings
Auditing standards -- United States, Business enterprises -- Computer networks, Corporate governance, Disclosure in accounting -- United States, Financial services industry -- Management, Government accountability, Intternational standard on auditing, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
Format
Document (PDF)
Are the regulatory reforms working?
Title
Are the regulatory reforms working?: evidence from audit committee members' selection of auditors.
Creator
Looknanan-Brown, Veena., College of Business, School of Accounting
Abstract/Description
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act made audit committees directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, and supervision of companies' auditors. Limited research in the auditor selection process and PCAOB inspections suggest that managers, not audit committees, may still be selecting the auditors, and that inspection reports are not useful. This study addresses both of these areas. This paper considers two theories of governance, Agency Theory and Institution Theory, to analyze the audit...
Show moreThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act made audit committees directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, and supervision of companies' auditors. Limited research in the auditor selection process and PCAOB inspections suggest that managers, not audit committees, may still be selecting the auditors, and that inspection reports are not useful. This study addresses both of these areas. This paper considers two theories of governance, Agency Theory and Institution Theory, to analyze the audit committee members' auditor selection process. The study examines whether Audit Committee Members use two specific types of audit quality indicators, other than managers' recommendation, in evaluating auditors. In a setting where the manager recommends the auditor, the auditors' inspection results (favorable/unfavorable) and a prior manager/auditor affiliation (absent/present) are manipulated in a between-subject research design, using financially literate professionals as a proxy for audit committee members. The study finds that audit quality perception and auditor selection are jointly determined. Inspection results are positively associated with audit quality perception and auditor selection. The nature of a manager-auditor affiliation is directly associated with audit quality perception and inversely related to auditor selection. Further, controlling for perception, audit committee members are more likely to recommend auditors with unfavorable inspection results, if a prior affiliation with management is present than if an affiliation is absent. Overall, the results indicate that audit committee members are diligent in evaluating auditors, and PCAOB inspection results are useful. The results of this study contribute to the audit committee effectiveness and PCAOB literature.
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Date Issued
2011
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3318671
Subject Headings
Financial services industry, Management, Financial institutions, Law and legislation, Corporate governance, Law and legislation, Auditing, Standards, Corporations, Auditing, Standards
Format
Document (PDF)