Does Investment-Related Pressure Lead to Misreporting? An Analysis of Reporting Following M&A Transactions

2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 839-865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Bens ◽  
Theodore H. Goodman ◽  
Monica Neamtiu
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Probability Of Detection ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
The Public ◽  
Announcement Returns ◽  
Reporting Decisions ◽  
The Face ◽  
Near Term

ABSTRACT This study examines whether managers alter their financial reporting decisions in the face of investment-related pressure. We define investment-related pressure as the increased pressure managers feel to retain their job following an M&A poorly received by the market. We hypothesize that managers attempt to assuage pressure by delivering strong performance post-merger, creating incentives for misreporting. Our findings indicate that acquirers with more negative M&A announcement returns are more likely to misstate financial statements in the post-investment period and the issuance of misstated financials mitigates this pressure, at least in the near term. Our study contributes to the literature on the relation between corporate investing and financial reporting by showing how investment-related pressure leads to misreporting, even in a setting where the costs (e.g., greater probability of detection) are high. Our study also has implications for the large body of research that evaluates various consequences of M&As using post-merger performance. Specifically, researchers should be careful to distinguish real from misstated financial performance in the post-investment period. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources indicated in the text.

Particularities of the independent auditor's report on reliability of accounting (financial) statements for 2019: COVID-19 as qualitatively essential information (Part 2)

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 777-799
Author(s):  
O.I. Shvyreva ◽  
Z.I. Kruglyak ◽  
A.V. Petukh
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Economic Situation ◽  
Risk Disclosure ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Logical Method ◽  
Annual Reporting ◽  
The Face ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
The Impact

Subject. This article discusses the issues related to the practice of financial reporting in the face of uncertainties caused by the coronavirus contagion, as well as the specifics of the audit strategy and formation of an audit opinion on this reporting. Objectives. The article aims to identify the quality characteristics of financial reporting prepared in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and justify the key aspects of assurance engagement completion in an extremely uncertain epidemiological and economic situation. Methods. For the study, we used an abstract-logical method, content analysis techniques, systematization, and classification. Results. Analyzing the impact of the extremely uncertain epidemiological and economic situation on financial statements, the article clarifies aspects of disclosure of events after the reporting date and threats to business continuity in the annual reporting of economic entities. The article identifies possible alternative procedures and algorithms to obtain proper evidence when it is insufficient in the face of the inability to meet certain audit standards requirements in a remote audit environment. The article defines the impact of COVID-19 risk disclosure on the structure of the audit report and opinion. Relevance. The results of the study can be used in the practical activities of economic entities that prepare financial statements in the face of significant uncertainty, as well as auditors and audit organizations.

Does Recent Academic Research Support Changes to Audit Reporting Standards?

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Bédard ◽  
Paul Coram ◽  
Reza Espahbodi ◽  
Theodore J. Mock
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Support ◽  
The Public ◽  
Market Participants ◽  
Information Gap ◽  
Public Company ◽  
Reporting Process

SYNOPSIS The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), and the U.K. Financial Reporting Council (FRC) have proposed or approved standards that significantly change the independent auditor's report. These initiatives require the auditor to make additional disclosures intended to close the information gap; that is, the gap between the information users desire and the information available through the audited financial statements, other corporate disclosures, and the auditor's report. They are also intended to improve the relevancy of the auditor's report. We augment prior academic research by providing standard setters with an updated synthesis of relevant research. More importantly, we provide an assessment of whether the changes are likely to close the information gap, which is important to financial market participants and other stakeholders in the audit reporting process. Also, we identify areas where there seems to be a lack of sufficient research. These results are of interest to all stakeholders in the audit reporting process, as the changes to the auditor's report are fundamental. Additionally, our summaries of research on the auditor's report highlight where there is limited research or inconsistent results, which will help academics identify important opportunities for future research.

scholarly journals The Determinants of Audit Expectation Gap: An Empirical Study from Kingdom of Bahrain

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayed Ali Ahmed Alawi ◽  
Rami Mohammad Abu Wadi ◽  
Gagan Kukreja
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
The Public ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Expectation Gap ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
National Bank

The research aims at identifying the determinants of audit expectation gap between the auditors and the users of financial statements in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This issue is noticed in many frauds or errors or illegal matters by the general public after every scam whether Enron and WorldCom from United States or Satyam and Punjab National Bank from India or Tesco and BHS from United Kingdom or Mobily from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As per International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), auditors are not responsible to detect each and every fraud or error or illegal act as it is the responsibility of management. However, auditors are expected to assess the possibility of an error or fraud to occur and assess risks of material misstatement due to error or fraud and they are supposed to express their independent and objective opinion on financial statements whether financial statements are prepared in accordance to suitable criteria (International Financial Reporting Standards in the case of Bahrain).This quantitative research and its descriptive design aims empirically to analyze determinants that may impact the audit expectation gap in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The study used a detailed questionnaire as a measuring instrument across the sample group to measure 4 determinants that are expected to have a significant impact on the level of the audit expectation gap. Those determinants are the efforts of auditors, the skills of auditors, the knowledge of the public about the audit profession and the users’ needs from auditors. The research inferred that identified factors found to have a significant impact on the level of audit expectation gap. It is recommended that audit firms should provide training to the audit staff that how to utilize the required efforts in conducting an audit engagement and go extra miles to fill the gap. Furthermore, the auditors should keep themselves updated about the latest frauds and the best audit practices. 

Why do Restatements Decrease in a Clawback Environment? An Investigation into Financial Reporting Executives' Decision-Making during the Restatement Process

2015 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 2515-2536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan S. Pyzoha
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Archival Studies ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Auditor Quality

ABSTRACT Prior archival studies find that firms that voluntarily adopted clawback policies have experienced a reduction in restatements. I experimentally examine this outcome by investigating the influence of two key factors (i.e., executive compensation structure and auditor quality) on financial reporting executives' (hereafter, “executives”) decision-making regarding a proposed restatement that will lead to a clawback of their incentives. I find that executives (i.e., CFOs, controllers, and treasurers) facing a lower quality auditor are less likely to agree with amending prior financial statements when a higher proportion of their pay is incentive-based. However, this tendency is reduced when executives face a higher quality auditor, indicating that higher quality auditors can act as effective monitors. My results identify an ex post unintended consequence of clawback regulation that could at least partially offset the benefits of the ex ante deterrent effects of clawbacks, and that could contribute to findings of less frequent restatements when clawback policies are in place. I discuss potential implications regarding the role of executives during restatement decisions and auditors' risk assessments in a clawback environment. Data Availability: Data are available from the author upon request.

scholarly journals Audit Delay Analysis to Support the Effectiveness of Company’s Financial Reporting on Manufacturing Companies Listed On The Indonesia Stock Exchange

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
Tjahjani Murdijaningsih ◽  
Siti Muntahanah
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Public Accounting ◽  
Accounting Firm ◽  
The Public ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Right ◽  
Audit Reports

Every company listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange is required to submit financial reports periodically. The financial statements shall be submitted no later than the end of the third month from the end date of the financial year. In reality, not all companies submit the right reports on time because of the audit reports, so that the company's financial reporting is not effective. Delays in financial reporting are closely related to audit delays. This study aims to analyze the factors that affect the time spent in auditing financial statements. The sample in this study were 15 real estate and property industrial companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2013-2017. Determination of the sample in this study using the purposive sapling method. The analysis used is multiple regression analysis. The results showed that company size had no significant effect on audit delay. Meanwhile, profitability has a negative effect and the size of the public accounting firm has a significant positive effect on audit delay. The size of the company cannot determine the audit of the financial statements to improve the accuracy of the submission of financial statements. What must be paid more attention is the level of profitability and the public accounting firm that will be used.

scholarly journals The impact of latest changes in Financial Reporting on Stakeholders’ Confidence and Satisfaction.

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (07) ◽  
pp. 930-949
Author(s):  
Dr. Dolly Roy Choudhary ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Corporate Disclosure ◽  
The Public ◽  
Common Information ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Important Input ◽  
The Impact

This paper focuses on how the latest changes in corporate financial reporting have an impact on the stakeholders i.e. the shareholders, employees, management, creditors, auditors, suppliers, and the public in general. Financial information serves as an important input and guides for informed decision-making in an economic environment. The financial statements are one of the most important bases on which the internal and external stakeholders reach effective decisions. The idea of “General Purpose Financial Reporting” is directed to the common information needs of users and stakeholders. This study attempts to assess whether the stakeholder’s confidence and satisfaction are enhanced by the nature and extent of information that is made available to the stakeholders and the practices of corporate disclosure in annual accounts.

Do Auditors Recognize the Potential Dark Side of Executives' Accounting Competence?

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Albrecht ◽  
Elaine G. Mauldin ◽  
Nathan J. Newton
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Audit Fee ◽  
Aggressive Attitude ◽  
Jel Classifications

ABSTRACT Practice and research recognize the importance of extensive knowledge of accounting and financial reporting experience for generating reliable financial statements. However, we consider the possibility that such knowledge and experience increase the likelihood of material misstatement when executives have incentives to misreport. We use executives' prior experience as an audit manager or partner as a measure of extensive accounting and financial reporting competence. We find that the interaction of this measure and compensation-based incentives increases the likelihood of misstatements. Further, auditors discount the audit fee premium associated with compensation-based incentives when executives have accounting competence. Together, our results suggest that a dark side of accounting competence emerges in the presence of certain incentives, but auditors view accounting competence favorably despite the heightened risk. In further analyses, we demonstrate that executives' aggressive attitude toward reporting exacerbates the effect of accounting competence and compensation-based incentives on misstatements, but not on audit fees. JEL Classifications: M41; M42. Data Availability: Data are available from public sources identified in the text.

Particularities of the independent auditor's report on reliability of accounting (financial) statements for 2019: COVID-19 as qualitatively essential information (Part 1)

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 701-722
Author(s):  
O.I. Shvyreva ◽  
Z.I. Kruglyak ◽  
A.V. Petukh
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Economic Situation ◽  
Risk Disclosure ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Logical Method ◽  
Annual Reporting ◽  
The Face ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
The Impact

Subject. This article discusses the issues related to the practice of financial reporting in the face of uncertainties caused by the coronavirus contagion, as well as the specifics of the audit strategy and formation of an audit opinion on this reporting. Objectives. The article aims to identify the quality characteristics of financial reporting prepared in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and justify the key aspects of assurance engagement completion in an extremely uncertain epidemiological and economic situation. Methods. For the study, we used an abstract-logical method, content analysis techniques, systematization, and classification. Results. Analyzing the impact of the extremely uncertain epidemiological and economic situation on financial statements, the article clarifies aspects of disclosure of events after the reporting date and threats to business continuity in the annual reporting of economic entities. The article identifies possible alternative procedures and algorithms to obtain proper evidence when it is insufficient in the face of the inability to meet certain audit standards requirements in a remote audit environment. The article defines the impact of COVID-19 risk disclosure on the structure of the audit report and opinion. Relevance. The results of the study can be used in the practical activities of economic entities that prepare financial statements in the face of significant uncertainty, as well as auditors and audit organizations.

Organized Labor and Audit Fees

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 93-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Cheng ◽  
Santanu Mitra ◽  
Hakjoon Song
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Empirical Relationship ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Organized Labor ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Unionization Rate ◽  
Reporting Decisions ◽  
The Impact

SYNOPSIS This study investigates the empirical relationship between organized labor and audit fees. We find that audit fees are negatively related to the firm-level unionization rate—the higher the unionization rate, the lower the audit fees. We further observe that the unionized firms are less likely to hire Big 4 or industry-specialist auditors. Additional analyses show that the negative relationship between the firm-level unionization rate and audit fees is significantly attenuated for unionized firms with poor financial performance. Our results are consistent with unionized firms preferring less audit scrutiny, which helps them maintain information asymmetry with the labor unions. The study facilitates our understanding of firms' demand for audit services and the consequential effect on audit fees when faced with strong organized labor, and adds to the extant literature investigating the impact of organized labor on various aspects of firms' financial reporting decisions. JEL Classifications: M41; M42. Data Availability: Data used in the analyses are obtained from public sources described in the text.

scholarly journals Comments by the Auditing Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association on PCAOB Release No. 2016-003, Proposed Auditing Standard—The Auditor's Report on an Audit of Financial Statements when the Auditor Expresses an Unqualified Opinion and Related Amendments to PCAOB Standards

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. C26-C40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus M. Doxey ◽  
Stephen H. Fuller ◽  
Marshall A. Geiger ◽  
Willie E. Gist ◽  
Karl E. Hackenbrack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Statements ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Reporting Standard ◽  
The Public ◽  
Auditor Tenure ◽  
Public Company ◽  
Auditor Reporting

SUMMARY On May 11, 2016 the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) issued a request for comment on Proposed Auditing Standard—The Auditor's Report on an Audit of Financial Statements when the Auditor Expresses an Unqualified Opinion and Related Amendments to PCAOB Standards, a reproposal of its August 2013 proposed auditor reporting standard. The reproposal retains the pass/fail model of the existing auditor's report while seeking to enhance the form and content of the report. The reproposal solicited public comment on the following significant changes to the existing auditor's report: (1) add a description of “critical audit matters” that provides audit-specific information about especially challenging, subjective, or complex aspects of the audit as they relate to the relevant financial statement accounts and disclosures, (2) add a statement about auditor independence and the phrase “whether due to error or fraud” when describing the auditor's responsibilities to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatements, (3) add a statement related to auditor tenure, and (4) standardize the form of the auditor's report, requiring the opinion be the first section of the auditor's report and requiring section titles to guide the reader. The comment period ended on August 15, 2016. This commentary summarizes the participating committee members' views on the alternatives presented in the request for comment. Data Availability: The concept release, proposed and reproposed rules, and supplemental information are available at: http://pcaobus.org/Rules/Rulemaking/Pages/Docket034.aspx

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