Download or read book Auditor Independence written by Ismail Adelopo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-08 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Auditor Independence, Ismail Adelopo argues that the importance of auditors' independence cannot be over-emphasised. Not only do auditors provide certification of the truth and fairness of the information prepared by managers, they also have a duty to express opinions on the degree of compliance with laws and regulations guiding a firm's operations. Theirs is a socially important responsibility. In all that has been proposed to mitigate the governance crisis and restore confidence in the market system, relatively little attention has been paid to auditor independence. Examining the historical role of auditing in corporate governance and the regulatory context, this book sets the function within a theoretical framework and then provides empirical analysis of the problem issues such as the relationship between audit committees and external auditors and the probity of providing non-auditing services to audit clients. The focus on matters that are damaging to market confidence and threatening to the reputation of the auditing profession, means the conclusions and recommendations in this book are important for key stakeholders, including policy makers, regulators, those running companies, and their investors and customers. This is also a book for those responsible for training in the auditing profession and for others with a research or academic interest in the matters addressed.

Download or read book Auditor Reputation and Auditor Independence written by Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The paper examines the impact of auditor reputation (i.e. size of audit firm) on auditor independence. Questionnaires and interview survey were used to seek the perceptions of senior managers of Malaysian audit firms, banks and public listed companies. Consistent with the documented evidence, the Big Four firms were perceived to be superior compared to the non-Big Four firms in all aspects relating to independence from their clients. Respondents indicated that Big Four auditors are better able to resist management pressure in conflict situations, are more effective at detecting activities that will affect clients' company continuity, are more risk averse and thus more disinclined to be associated with public scandals and/or audit failures, are more risk averse with regard to litigation arising from fraud/misstatement/irregularities and are more independent than non-Big Four auditors. It may be that the Big Four auditors are more exposed and subject to close scrutiny by the public and regulators, especially when negative behaviour is perceived. The findings suggest that the Big Four auditors are perceived to be more independently than the non-Big Four auditors.

Download or read book Auditor Reputation and Auditor Independence in an Emerging Market written by Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of auditor reputation (i.e. size of audit firm) on auditor independence. Questionnaire and interview survey were employed to seek the perceptions of senior managers of Malaysian audit firms, banks and public listed companies. Consistent with prior studies, the results indicated that clear majority of the auditors, loan officers and senior managers of public listed companies agreed that auditors in Big Four firms are superior to their counterparts in non-Big Four firms in all of the reputation issues presented to them. The majority of respondents indicated that Big Four auditors are better able to resist management pressure in conflict situations, the Big Four auditors are more effective at detecting activities that will affect clients' company continuity, that Big Four auditors are more risk averse and thus more disinclined to be associated with public scandals and/or audit failures than non-Big Four auditors, the Big Four auditors are more risk averse with regard to litigation arising from fraud/misstatement/irregularities and finally, the majority of the respondents agreed that Big Four auditors are more independent than non-Big Four auditors. It may be that the Big Four auditors are likely to become the subject of interest to the public and regulators, especially when they are suspected to exhibit negative behaviour. Thus, Big Four auditors have more incentive to behave independently than the non-Big Four auditors. The results of the interview survey were found to confirm the questionnaire survey findings.

Download or read book The Effect of Accounting Uncertainty and Auditor Reputation on Auditor Independence written by Brian W. Mayhew and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper reports the results of experimental economic markets designed to examine whether an auditor's objectivity (independence) is impacted by uncertainty regarding the appropriate accounting treatment for a client. In particular, we are interested in whether the auditor exploits this uncertainty by agreeing with her client's preferred accounting treatment even when her evidence suggests an alternative treatment is more likely to be correct. We examine the effect of accounting uncertainty in a setting where the auditor not only wants to satisfy her client but also wants to maintain a reputation for audit objectivity in the market.The results provide strong evidence that the level of accounting uncertainty impacts auditor independence. Specifically, when accounting uncertainty did not exist, auditors maintained their independence by truthfully reporting the observed value. Auditors appeared to remain independent due to concerns about their reputations with managers and investors. However, when accounting uncertainty existed, auditors impaired their independence by misreporting the observed value in favor of the manager. Our results specify some initial boundary conditions for the impact of auditor reputation and investor pricing on auditor independence, and suggest that regulators should focus on enhancing auditor incentives to maintain independence when faced with accounting uncertainty. It appears that regulators do not need to be as concerned about independence violations when accounting pronouncements provide unambiguous guidance. An auditor's concern about her reputation provides adequate incentive to prevent independence impairment when she is certain about the appropriate accounting treatment. Our results also suggest future research should assess the ability of other audit market forces to reduce the propensity of auditors to violate independence when faced with accounting uncertainty.

Download or read book Auditor Reputation Auditor Independence and the Stock Market Reaction to Andersen s Clients written by Srinivasan Krishnamurthy and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this paper, we study a comprehensive sample of Andersen clients and investigate whether the deterioration of Andersen's reputation after its criminal indictment on March 14, 2002 adversely impacted the perceived credibility of their audit quality. Since these reputational concerns are more of an issue if an auditor's independence is impaired, we investigate the relationship between the abnormal market returns around the indictment announcement for Andersen clients and auditor independence. Our results suggest that when news about Andersen's indictment was released, the market reacted more negatively to Andersen clients than to clients of the other Big Four auditors. More importantly, the indictment period abnormal return is significantly higher when auditor independence is perceived to be high, i.e., the audit firm provides fewer non-audit related services to the client. This result is robust when we include size, book to market ratio, ownership structure, sales growth, leverage and proxies for investor losses as control variables. We also document that when firms announce Andersen's replacement with a non-Big Four auditor, the CAR is significantly negative. This is significantly lower than the return to firms that switch to other Big Four auditors. Collectively, our empirical results provide evidence in support of the notion that auditor reputation and independence have a material impact on audit quality and credibility of audited financial statements, and that the market prices this.

Download or read book Auditor Independence and Regulation written by Stefan Bode and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2008-02 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essay from the year 2006 in the subject Business economics - Revision, Auditing, grade: 88 %, University of Glamorgan, 34 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: This essay is concerned with the pros and cons of auditor independence and describes the way to the current audit regulation. The editor specifies five major threats which could jeopardise auditor independence. If auditors have any financial or personal interests in their clients then the self-interest threat, the self-review threat, the advocacy threat, the familiarity threat and finally the intimidation threat may occur. The intimidation threat is stressed as the most important one: as auditors highly rely on companies' directors. They have the power to interfere with auditors' work and can cease all lucrative non-audit service contracts if auditors do not agree with their view. Moreover, auditors' remuneration is determined and auditors are appointed by them in reality. Furthermore, it is emphasised that especially in recent times some safeguards have been implemented by the profession, regulation, within the assurance clients and within auditing firms to eliminate the above-mentioned threats. Within the assurance client introduced independent audit committees are widespread. Further, auditing firms have implemented their own more narrowly prescribed ethical standards. Beyond this, it is highlighted that legislation is of paramount importance. The Companies Act 1985, 1989, 2004 and above all the ISA were enacted to enhance auditor independence. The third section commences by describing the past of audit regulation. It is explained that in response to the growing public criticism in the 1960s and 1970s the professional accountancy bodies began slowly to introduce auditing standards, ethical codes, disciplinary, licensing and monitoring arrangements. Further, in the aftermath of the demise of many large companies in the 1980s, the government started to implement a new regu

Download or read book Auditor Going Concern Reporting written by Marshall A. Geiger and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-06-09 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Auditor reporting on going-concern-related uncertainties remains one of the most challenging issues faced by external auditors. Business owners, market participants and audit regulators want an early warning of impending business failure. However, companies typically do not welcome audit opinions indicating uncertainty regarding their future viability. Thus, the auditor’s decision to issue a "going concern opinion" (GCO) is a complex and multi-layered one, facing a great deal of tension. Given such a rich context, academic researchers have examined many facets related to an auditor’s decision to issue a GCO. This monograph reviews and synthesizes 182 recent GCO studies that have appeared since the last significant review published in 2013 through the end of 2019. The authors categorize studies into the three broad areas of GCO: (1) determinants, (2) accuracy and (3) consequences. As an integral part of their synthesis, they summarize the details of each study in several user-friendly tables. After discussing and synthesizing the research, they present a discussion of opportunities for future research, including issues created or exacerbated as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This monograph will be of assistance to researchers interested in exploring this area of auditor responsibility. It will also be of interest to auditing firms and individual practitioners wanting to learn what academic research has examined and found regarding this challenging aspect of audit practice. Auditing standard-setters and regulators will find it of interest as the authors review numerous studies examining issues related to audit policy and regulation, and their effects on GCO decisions. The examination of GCO research is extremely timely given the financial and business disruption caused by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented global event has caused companies, auditors and professional bodies to revisit and reassess their approach to going concern, and to think even more deeply about this fundamental business imperative.

Download or read book Auditor Reputation Auditor Independence and the Stock Market Impact of Andersen s Indictment on its Client Firms written by Srinivasan Krishnamurthy and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this paper, we study a broad sample of Andersen clients and investigate whether the decline in Andersen's reputation, due to its criminal indictment on March 14, 2002, adversely impacted the market's perception of its audit quality. Because these reputational concerns are more of an issue if an auditor's independence is impaired, we investigate the relationship between the abnormal market returns for Andersen clients around the indictment announcement and several fee-based measures of auditor independence. Our results suggest that when news about Andersen's indictment was released, the market reacted negatively to Andersen clients. More importantly, the indictment period abnormal return is significantly more negative when the market perceived the auditor's independence to be threatened. We also examine the abnormal returns when firms announce the dismissal of Andersen as an auditor. Consistent with the audit quality explanation, we document that when firms quickly dismissed Andersen, the announcement returns are significantly higher when firms switched to a Big 4 auditor than when they either switch to non-Big 4 auditors or do not announce the identity of the replacement auditor. Our empirical results support the notion that auditor reputation and independence have a material impact on perceived audit quality and the credibility of audited financial statements and that the market prices this.

Download or read book Takeover Premiums and the Perception of Auditor Independence and Reputation written by Martin Bugeja and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study investigates if there is a positive association between takeover premiums and the bidder's perception of target firm auditor reputation and independence. Using auditor size as a proxy for audit reputation, the results indicate that target shareholders receive a higher takeover premium when a Big 4 auditor audits the target firm in the year prior to the takeover announcement. This result is only significant however in the period prior to the highly publicised audit failures. The impact of perceived auditor independence on takeover premiums is studied using the levels and size of non-audit service (NAS) fees provided by the target firm auditor. Using three proxies for auditor independence, the results do not show an association between perceived auditor independence and takeover premiums. This finding is robust to partitioning the sample by auditor size, takeover hostility and splitting the sample into takeovers pre- and post- the increased regulatory focus on the provision of NAS by auditors.

Download or read book Auditor Independence and Audit Quality written by Nopmanee Tepalagul and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This article presents a comprehensive review of academic research pertaining to auditor independence and audit quality. This literature review is conducted based on published articles during the period 1976-2013 in nine leading journals related to auditing. We organize our review around four main threats to auditor independence, namely, (a) client importance, (b) non-audit services, (c) auditor tenure, and (d) client affiliation with audit firms. For each of the threats, we discuss findings related to the incentives, perceptions, and behaviors of the auditor and the client, as well as the effects of each threat on the actual and perceived quality of audits and financial reports. We conclude that the mixed evidence, together with recent regulatory changes, provides opportunities for future research on auditor independence and audit quality.

Download or read book Understanding Auditor client Relationships written by Gary Kleinman and published by Gary Kleinman. This book was released on 2001 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work is intended to assist researchers, regulators, and practitioners who are interested in the topic of auditor independence. It presents a comprehensive model of the individual, work place, organization, inter-organizational, and organizational field level determinants of the topic.

Download or read book The Economics of Audit Quality written by Benito Arrunada and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on market mechanisms which protect quality in the provision of audit services. The role of public regulation is thus situated in the context defmed by the presence of these safeguard mechanisms. The book aims to contribute to a better understanding of these market mechanisms, which helps in defining the con tent of rules and the function of regulatory bodies in facilitating and strengthening the protective operation of the market. An analysis at a more general level is provided in the three chapters making up Part 1. In the four chapters of Part 2, on the other hand, this analysis is applied to a particular problem to determine how those non-audit services often provided by auditors to their audit clients should be regulated. Finally, Chapter 8 contains a summary of the analysis and conclusions of the work. The conclusion with regard to non-audit services is that their provision generates beneficial effects in terms of costs, technical competence, professional judgment and competition and, moreover, need not prejudice auditor independence or the quality of these services. This as sessment leads, in the normative sphere, to recommending a legislative policy aimed at facilitating the development and use of safeguards provided by the free action of market forces. Regulation should thus aim to enable the parties-audit firms, self-regulatory bodies and audit clients-to discover through competitive market interaction both the most efficient mix of services and the corresponding quality safeguards, adjusting for the costs and benefits of each possibility.

Download or read book Auditor Independence written by Ayoib Che Ahmad and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Auditor Reputation Auditor Independence and Local Market Prices written by Rohami Shafie and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Auditor Independence in a Private Firm and Low Litigation Risk Setting written by Ole-Kristian Hope and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We examine the issue of auditor independence in a unique setting. Specifically, we test for auditor independence impairment among (1) private client firms, for which the risk of auditor reputation loss is lower than for publicly traded firms, and (2) in a low litigation environment (i.e., Norway) that further reduces the expected costs to the auditor associated with independence impairment. We have thus chosen a setting that gives independence impairment its best chance of being detected if it exists. Using a large sample of private Norwegian firms, we analyze whether auditors who receive higher fees are less likely to issue modified opinions. Despite the low litigation risk and the reduced reputation risk, our empirical results provide no evidence that auditors compromise their independence through fee dependence. These results are robust to controlling for the expected portion of fees, to different sample specifications, to the use of both levels and changes specifications, and to a number of sensitivity analyses.

Download or read book Government Auditing Standards 2018 Revision written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2019-03-24 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Audits provide essential accountability and transparency over government programs. Given the current challenges facing governments and their programs, the oversight provided through auditing is more critical than ever. Government auditing provides the objective analysis and information needed to make the decisions necessary to help create a better future. The professional standards presented in this 2018 revision of Government Auditing Standards (known as the Yellow Book) provide a framework for performing high-quality audit work with competence, integrity, objectivity, and independence to provide accountability and to help improve government operations and services. These standards, commonly referred to as generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), provide the foundation for government auditors to lead by example in the areas of independence, transparency, accountability, and quality through the audit process. This revision contains major changes from, and supersedes, the 2011 revision.

Download or read book The Effects of Independent Audit Committee Member Characteristics and Auditor Independence on Financial Restatements written by Vineeta Divesh Sharma and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to reform the corporate governance mechanisms in order to improve the quality of financial reporting and thus, enhance the confidence of investors in the stock market and in the accounting profession. Despite the efforts of the SEC, financial reporting scandals continue with record numbers of financial restatements documented by the General Accounting Office. A financial restatement is a correction of a previously misstated financial statement. There is a small volume of literature examining the effects of corporate governance mechanisms on financial restatements. The results of these studies however, are mixed and possibly explained by their narrow focus and omitted variables that could influence the effectiveness of audit committees. Consequently, this study examines the effects of independent audit committee member characteristics and auditor independence on financial restatements. Specifically, this study investigates the relationship between the likelihood of financial restatements and: (1) the expertise of the independent audit committee members, (2) the expertise and diligence of the independent audit committee members, (3) the reputation of the independent audit committee members, (4) the interaction effect of expertise, diligence and reputation, (5) the tenure of the independent audit committee members, and (6) the cash compensation paid to independent audit committee members. Prior studies have not investigated some of these variables or the interaction effects of independent audit committee member characteristics on financial restatements. This study also investigates the association between auditor independence and financial restatements. The SEC alleges that an increasing number of audit failures are due to the lack of auditor independence. One of the major sources of the lack of auditor independence is the auditor's economic dependency on the client. The provision of non-audit services increases the financial reliance of the auditor on the client. As a result, the auditor may become reluctant to raise issues with the preparation of the financial statements at the risk of foregoing the lucrative non-audit services fees. The SEC believes that longer audit firm tenure can also impair auditor independence and Section 203 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act suggests periodic audit firm rotation. Therefore, auditor independence was measured as: (1) fees paid to the auditor, and (2) audit firm tenure. Finally, this study extends the prior literature by studying the interaction effects of independent audit committee member characteristics and auditor independence on financial restatements. This interaction effect is important because the external auditor and the audit committee are regarded vital governance mechanisms that interact and exchange dialogue in the performance of their respective oversight of the financial reporting process. Prior research has not investigated this important interaction effect. The sample of the study comprises 69 U.S. publicly listed companies that announced their restatement from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2002. These companies were matched with 69 non-restatement companies based on industry and size. The data for the study is derived from SEC filings such as Form 10-K and DEF 14A, and Compustat. The univariate results show that compared to restatement firms, non-restatement firms generally have effective audit committee characteristics. The audit committees of non-restatement firms have members who are experts, diligent, reputable and appropriately compensated. They also pay lower non-audit services and total fees, and have audit firms with longer tenure. The multivariate results show that after controlling for other governance structures and firm specific non-governance variables, the likelihood of financial restatements is related to independent audit committee member characteristics and auditor independence. Specifically, the likelihood of financial restatements decreases when independent audit committee members are: (1) experts, (2) experts and diligent, (3) reputable, (4) experts, diligent and reputable, and (5) appropriately compensated. The audit committee member tenure variable is insignificant. In relation to the auditor independence variables, the multivariate results show that the likelihood of financial restatements increases when the non-audit services and total fees generated by the client are higher. On the other hand, the likelihood of financial restatements decreases when audit firm tenure is longer. The empirical results of this study suggest that independent audit committees are more effective overseers of the corporate financial reporting and auditing processes when: they comprise majority experts, they meet regularly, their members are reputable, and audit committee members are appropriately compensated. On the other hand, external auditors are not deemed to be effective overseers of the corporate financial reporting process when the non-audit services and total fees generated by the client are higher but are effective when audit firm tenure is long. The results support the SEC's concerns regarding the provision of non-audit services impairing auditor independence. The results also support the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 which under Section 201 prohibits external auditors from providing certain non-audit services to its audit client. Overall, these results support the regulatory efforts to increase the quality of financial reporting by enhancing the corporate governance process related to audit committees and auditor independence. However, the results do not support calls to limit the tenure of the auditor. The results of the multivariate interaction effects suggest that, after controlling for other governance structures and firm specific non-governance variables, when the non-audit services and total fees generated by the client are higher, the likelihood of financial restatements increases under conditions when the audit committee is not effective (a non expert audit committee, an audit committee that does not meet regularly, an audit committee whose members are not reputable or an audit committee that is not appropriately compensated). The implication of this result is that it provides evidence of conditions under which restatements take place. Knowledge of such conditions could aid regulators further improve the financial reporting process and corporate governance. This knowledge will support regulators in revising policies that ensure audit committee members are not only independent but also comprise other critical qualities. These improvements to the audit committee coupled with the existing regulations on the provision of non-audit services suggest a company's governance will be more effective. Overall, the results extend current knowledge in the sparse but growing literature related to financial restatements and corporate governance, and extend our understanding of the effectiveness and interaction of governance mechanisms in reducing financial restatements.