The Impact of Auditor Qualifications on Earnings Management of Companies Listed on the Borsa Istanbul Industrial Index

Abstract

This research aims to reveal whether independent auditor’s (as the real person and the legal entity) qualifications (audit firm size, audit opinion, audit gender, audit firm specialization, audit firm rotation, geographical difference) have any effect on earnings management via discretionary accruals and real activities manipulations by using a panel data regression analyses of 162 units over 5 years (2011-2015). According to the results, independent auditor qualifications (audit firm and engagement partner) has no impact on the real activities manipulation. The results show that an independent audit by Big-4 firms has a decreasing effect on discretionary accruals. Earnings management via discretionary accruals increases when the local audit firms conduct the audit. The audit firms with diversified expertise decrease the earnings management via accruals. The results also confirm that disclaimer of opinion signals an increase in the discretionary accruals in Borsa Istanbul.