Auditor industry specialization and audit fees surrounding Section 404 implementation

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-370
Author(s):  
Damon Fleming ◽  
Kevin Hee ◽  
Robin N. Romanus
Keyword(s):  
Cost Savings ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Section 404 ◽  
Industry Specialization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current Accounting ◽  
Auditor Industry Specialization ◽  
Auditor Specialization

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between auditor industry specialization and audit fees surrounding Section 404 implementation. Design/methodology/approach – With a sample of 1,006 industrial firms over the 2003-2005 reporting periods, an ordinary least square regression model was used to regress change in audit fees on auditor specialization measure and other control variables. Findings – It was found that auditor industry specialization is negatively related to the change in audit fees during the first year of Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) compliance (2003-2004). It was also found that there were no significant cost savings associated with auditor industry specialization in the second year of SOX compliance (2004-2005). Practical implications – These results suggest that industry-specific expertise may enable auditors to adapt more efficiently to new significant audit standards and regulations, but that such efficiencies are likely to be most pronounced during the initial implementation year. Originality/value – Auditor competition and auditor specialization are at the forefront of today’s ever-changing accounting industry. Analysis of a contemporary auditing issue (auditor specialization) in the context of major legislation (SOX) provides a research setting that gives both academics and practitioners valuable insight toward how future legislation can impact current accounting industry issues such as the increasing need to have more expertise.

scholarly journals The effect of auditor characteristics on tax avoidance of Iranian companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Hossein Tarighi ◽  
Tahereh Alidoust Shahri
Keyword(s):  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Industry Specialization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Auditor Industry Specialization ◽  
Auditor Tenure ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Auditor Characteristics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between auditor characteristics and the level of tax avoidance in an emerging market. Design/methodology/approach In this regard, the effect of various factors such as auditor tenure, auditor industry specialization, audit reports and audit fees on tax avoidance was examined. The study sample includes listed companies in the Tehran Stock Exchange. The time period of study is six years from 2011 to 2016. Also in this study, firm size, leverage, firm age and auditor size were controlled. Findings The results of this research were determined in four hypotheses. First and second hypotheses that explore the relationship between auditor tenure and auditor industry specialization with tax avoidance were not confirmed. But the results showed a significant relationship between the type of audit opinions and audit fees with tax avoidance. Originality/value The current study investigates the auditor characteristics on tax avoidance in a developing nation of Iran and the results may helpful the developing countries.

Industry specialization and audit fees: a meta-analytic approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina de Fuentes ◽  
Eva Sierra
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Industry Specialization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
Audit Market ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Auditor Specialization

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature that links auditor’s industry specialization (AIS) and audit fees (AFs) in order to clarify the puzzle of published results and provide overall conclusions that would help in future research. Design/methodology/approach To achieve this goal, the authors applied meta-analysis techniques in order to summarize, quantify and evaluate the published data related to the association between AIS and AF. Findings The meta-results are more robust when the proxy for AIS is the audit firm’s market share above 20 percent or the audit firm is jointly the national and city leader. For US-based studies, results are homogeneous in the post-SOX period. This is likely due to the higher demand for specialized auditors. The authors found positive and homogeneous results in the upper and lower market segment, which led to the conclusion that the bargaining power of the big auditees does not fully counteract the higher auditor specialization costs. Although the authors identified a publication selection bias, a specialization coefficient of around 2.0 percent was estimated. Originality/value The conclusions are relevant for those researchers that would benefit from a structured and systematic review of the published results. The outcomes help to understand the somehow contradictory empirical evidence and to provide solid foundations for future hypothesis developments. This contribution is also relevant for the regulatory bodies, always watchful of audit market behavior and the evolution of audit prices.

The effect of audit fees, audit quality and board ownership on tax aggressiveness: evidence from Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marziana Madah Marzuki ◽  
Muhammad Syukur Muhammad Al-Amin
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tax Aggressiveness ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
Board Ownership

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of audit fees, auditors' quality and board ownership on tax aggressiveness in Thailand.Design/methodology/approachThe sample of this study is based on 215 firm-year observations of SET-100 listed companies in Thailand during the 2010–2018 periods. This study employs a panel least square regression with period fixed effects. The study retrieved the corporate governance variables from the downloaded annual reports, whilst the remaining data were collected from the EMIS database.FindingsThis study provides evidence that audit fees reduce tax aggressiveness and board ownership enhance tax aggressiveness among the firms. Nonaudit services provided by auditors impair auditors' independence and lead to higher tax aggressiveness. The result supports the agency theory, which explains that managers and blockholders may enjoy private benefits of control at the expense of other shareholders in the absence of market control. Thus, firms need good governance practices such as incentives paid for the effort of auditors and nonaudit services monitoring to curb such exploitation.Research limitations/implicationsThe results provide implications to the firms and regulators that incentives to the monitoring parties such as auditors can reduce tax aggressiveness among the firms. Nevertheless, higher ownership given to boards as incentives may lead to concentrated ownership and thus lead to the type 2 agency problem, which is between majority and minority shareholders. The result also provides caution to the regulators to monitor the nonaudit services provided by the auditors as it might impair their independence and compromise the tax paid to IRB.Originality/valueThis study is pioneer research discussing tax avoidance in Thailand. The Thai Government has been noticing that tax avoidance is being performed in the country, but academic discussion on this topic had never been elaborated.

The effect of auditor industry specialization and board independence on the cash flow reporting classification choices under IFRS: evidence from Taiwan

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuling Chiang ◽  
Gary Kleinman ◽  
Picheng Lee
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Industry Specialization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Auditor Industry Specialization ◽  
Board Of Director

Purpose This study aims to explore the relationship between audit partner and firm industry specialization and board of director independence on the decision by Taiwanese firms to use International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) flexibility concerning reporting interest income and expense and dividends received in different sections of the statement of cash flows. This flexibility existed in Taiwan for the first time in 2013, the year that Taiwan switched from its own generally accepted accounting principle to IFRS. Design/methodology/approach Using 2013 data for a sample of 1,227 firms, 354 of whom changed their reporting classification, this study examined the interaction effect of board independence and partner-level and firm-level auditor industry specialization on the cash flow reporting decision using logistic regression. Findings The results show there is a substitute relationship between board independence and partner-level industry specialization on the change in cash flow reporting classification, but a complementary relationship between board independence and firm-level auditor specialization. Further, both partner-level and firm-level auditor industry specializations have a complementary (but negative) relationship with board independence as to whether the firm is likely to report interest expense paid in the operating or financing activities sections. Practical implications An important implication is that knowing the levels of audit firm and partner specialization and how independent the board is, is useful for researchers and regulators in investigating auditor-client relationships and understanding the influences of variables investigated here on the outcome(s) of accounting policy and regulatory changes. Originality/value This study improved the field’s understanding of the impacts of audit partner and firm specialization, board independence and relevant interactions on cash flow reporting choices.

Board of directors’ effectiveness and monitoring costs

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 477-497
Author(s):  
Waddah Kamal Hassan Omer ◽  
Adel Ali Al-Qadasi
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Executive Remuneration ◽  
Sensitivity Tests ◽  
Monitoring Costs ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Responding to the call for research into the behavior of family companies to provide better understanding of corporate governance, this paper aims to examine the impact of boards’ effectiveness on the investment in monitoring costs (i.e. audit fees, internal audit function budget and executive remuneration) and how this relationship is moderated by family control. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 2,176 firm-year observations of Malaysian listed companies is used. The ordinary least square regression is used to examine the associations. Additional sensitivity tests are performed. Findings The study finds that there is no relationship between boards’ effectiveness and the demand for monitoring costs for the full sample. However, the findings of sub-samples (family and non-family companies) indicate that a family company with an effective board is less likely to invest more in monitoring, suggesting that the complementary association between the board’s effectiveness and investment in monitoring is a more dominant relationship than the substitution relationship in non-family companies. These findings show that the boards of directors of Malaysian family companies perform a deficient monitoring role, where the presence of family controlling shareholders in management may reduce their independence and efficiency in performing their monitoring role. The findings remain robust after performing additional sensitivity tests. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on corporate governance in a unique setting (family companies), where conflict of interest is created between controlling insiders and minority shareholders (Type II agency problem). It provides insight for Malaysian policymakers in assessing the issue of expropriation in family companies and enhancing the policy related to its boards.

How do audit fees change? Effects of firm size and section 404(b) compliance

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-437
Author(s):  
Alexey Lyubimov
Keyword(s):  
Audit Fees ◽  
Section 404 ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Control Effectiveness ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Audit Fee ◽  
Second Tier ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of the size of the audit firm and compliance with Section 404(b) on how audit fees change over time. Design/methodology/approach This study uses panel data and an OLS regression to examine the relationship between audit fee changes, firms’ size and Section 404(b) compliance. Findings Section 404(b)-compliant companies experience a larger change in audit fees if they are audited by Big 4 firms than second-tier firms. Second-tier audit firms increase the fees primarily for the companies which do not comply with Section 404(b). Practical implications Regulators have been concerned with the Big 4 fee premium for four decades. This study informs regulators that the Big 4 continue increasing their fees at a higher rate than second-tier firms for their Section 404(b)-compliant clients (even though recent research shows that second-tier firms have increased quality to match the Big 4). This suggests that the Big 4 fee premium increases for this subset of clients, adding to the regulatory concerns. Originality/value While prior research has established the existence of the Big 4 fee premium, little is known about how this premium changes over time. Prior research shows that audit fees increase when internal controls are weak; however, little is known about how Section 404(b) compliance (once control effectiveness is controlled) affects fee changes. This paper addresses these voids in research.

Audit tenure, auditor specialization and audit report lag

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 490-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Dao ◽  
Trung Pham
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Audit Report ◽  
Industry Specialization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Audit Firm ◽  
Differentiation Strategy ◽  
Auditor Industry Specialization ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the association between audit firm tenure and audit report lag (ARL) and the impact of auditor industry specialization on the association between audit firm tenure and ARL. Design/Methodology/Approach – Using Habib and Bhuiyan’s (2011) method of measuring auditor industry specialization, the authors examine the sample of 7,291 firm-year observations from 2008 to 2010. Findings – The authors find that auditor industry specialization (regardless of city-level, national-level and joint city- and national-level industry specialization) weakens the positive association between ARL and short audit firm tenure, suggesting that auditor industry specialization complements the negative effect of short audit firm tenure on ARL. Originality/value – First, the authors add to the literature by answering the question of whether hiring industry auditor specialists is an effective way to shorten ARL created by short audit tenure. The authors provide some evidence that the concern of short audit tenure leading to longer ARL is reduced by hiring an industry-specialized auditor. Prior research mainly focuses on identifying the determinants of ARL without going further to find out which are the effective ways to reduce the audit delay. Second, their findings can somehow resolve the debate on whether audit firm rotation should be mandatory. A new auditor’s lack of knowledge of clients’ business operations during the early years of audit engagements results in longer ARL, which eventually influences the clients’ financial performance. The authors' result suggests the firms can reduce this adverse consequence by hiring an industry-specialized auditor. Finally, their findings may provide helpful information to firms in selecting external auditors, public accounting firms in selecting a differentiation strategy and regulators in mandating audit firm rotation.

City-Level Auditor Industry Specialization, Economies of Scale, and Audit Pricing

2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 1281-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Yu Kit Fung ◽  
Ferdinand A. Gul ◽  
Jagan Krishnan
Keyword(s):  
Bargaining Power ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Scale Economies ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Audit Pricing ◽  
Industry Specialization ◽  
Auditor Industry Specialization ◽  
Negative Effect

ABSTRACT We examine the effects of city-level auditor industry specialization and scale economies on audit pricing in the United States. Using a sample of Big N clients for the 2000–2007 period, and a scale measure based on percentile rankings of the number of audit clients at the city-industry level, we document significant specialization premiums and scale discounts in both the pre- and post-Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) periods. However, the effects of industry specialization and scale economies on audit pricing are highly interactive. The negative effect of city-industry scale on audit fees obtains only for clients of specialist auditors. By contrast, clients of non-specialist auditors obtain scale discounts only when they enjoy strong bargaining power, suggesting that auditors are “forced” to pass on scale economies to clients with greater bargaining power. Data Availability: Data are available from sources identified in the article.

Moderating effect of investor demand: privatized IPOs and flipping activity in the Pakistan IPO market

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayesha Anwar ◽  
Rasidah Mohd-Rashid
Keyword(s):  
Initial Public Offerings ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Trading Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Offerings ◽  
Price Performance ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of privatized initial public offerings (IPOs) on flipping activity in the Pakistan IPO market. Design/methodology/approach This study sampled 95 IPOs listed on the Pakistan stock exchange over the period of 2000 to 2019. The ordinary least square technique and quantile regression were used to examine the impact of privatized IPO on flipping activity. Findings The present study finds that privatization affects flipping activity and creates a quality signal in Pakistan’s IPO market. The findings of this study also show that privatized IPOs were subjected to high levels of flipping activity compared to non-privatized IPOs. Additionally, investors’ demand has been found to moderate the relationship between privatized IPOs and flipping activity in Pakistan’s IPO market. Research limitations/implications Based on the fact that the sample consists of a combination of privatized and non-privatized IPOs, the results provide valuable insight into factors that may lead to unusual trading behavior/flipping during the first day of listing. Originality/value Despite several studies on events (e.g. short- and long-term price performance) around IPO, there is little evidence on how privatized IPOs affect flipping activity, which is a high volume of trading immediately after listing.

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