Audit Fees Research Articles

Sentiment-devoid lexicons: A novel method for domain-specific textual analysis in business and governance documents

Our study proposes and tests a method for developing domain-specific dictionaries tailored for textual analysis in information systems research. Traditionally, dictionaries have been widely used for content classification according to sentiment; however, we introduce an alternative approach focused on creating dictionaries from sentiment-devoid documents. We demonstrate this method by developing a dictionary specific to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations. Analyzing 150,432 publicly available SEC documents, we gained insights into the semantics of communications between the SEC and firms. To evaluate the dictionary, we analyzed SEC comment letters to predict the likelihood of firms reporting information technology control weaknesses (ITCWs), information technology audit fees, and cyber risks. Our dictionary outperformed five benchmarking dictionaries, explaining a higher proportion of variance in ITCW likelihood, information technology audit fees, and cyber risks. This study enhances the effectiveness of dictionaries in analyzing sentiment-devoid business and governance documents and results in a specialized dictionary for SEC communications.

The Impact of Enterprise Digital Transformation on Audit Fees—An Intermediary Role Based on Information Asymmetry

This study investigates the impact of enterprise digital transformation through information and communication technology (ICT) on auditing fees. Based on data from publicly listed companies in China and employing information asymmetry theory, the research finds that the adoption of three factors associated with digital transformation—artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing (CC), and big data technologies (BD)—exhibits a significant inverted U-shaped effect on auditing fees. Further analysis reveals that this effect is moderated by the quality of internal controls, the level of corporate governance, and discretionary accruals. These findings underscore the necessity for a nuanced understanding of the relationship between technology and auditing, as well as the importance for audit organizations to integrate new technologies into their practices to effectively respond to the rapid adoption of digital technologies by enterprises.

Factors Influencing Key Audit Matter Reporting in the Stock Exchange of Thailand: Empirical Evidence from 2016–2020 Data

This study aims to respond to the new auditing standard on the information reporting of Key Audit Matters (KAMs) as a separate section in the auditor’s report, which will increase the transparency and quality of the report. It not only explores the current practice of KAM reporting among Thai listed companies but also seeks factors that influence KAM reporting in Thailand. This study explores the quantitative methodology through secondary data collected from the Thai Stock Exchange. This archival research explores 343 listed companies in the Thai Stock Exchange from 2016 to 2020. Descriptive statistics, a correlation matrix, and regression analysis are employed. The results suggest that the type of auditor (Big 4 or non-Big-4 audit firms), audit fee, audit independence, and industry have a direct positive impact on Key Audit Matter reporting at a 0.05 significance level. However, the evidence also suggests that the presence of females on the board, year, ROA (return on asset), risk, and size were not validated factors that have direct positive impacts on Key Audit Matter reporting at a 0.05 significance level.

Are family firms less audit-risky? Analysing audit fees, hours and rates

We examine differences in audit scope between publicly-listed family and non-family firms in Israel, using a unique dataset that includes external and internal audit hours, audit fees and billing rates. We find that external auditors charge lower average hourly rates for family firms than for non-family firms. However, audit effort, measured as the number of audit hours, is lower in family firms than in non-family firms, but the difference is not statistically significant. Moreover, the number of internal audit hours is smaller, on average, in family firms than in non-family firms. Our findings suggest family ownership affects audit mainly when the family is actively involved in the firm's management. We also examine a subsample of eponymous family firms and obtain similar results. Analysis of a sub-sample of firms that switched from family to non-family status or vice-versa shows that audit fees and hourly rates decrease (increase) when a firm changes its status from non-family (family) to family (non-family) status. Lastly, we find that the reporting quality of family firms is higher than that of non-family firms. Overall, our results suggest that auditors perceive family firms to be less audit-risky.

Mandatory Disclosure of Negative Events and Auditor Behavior: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Using the staggered adoption of data breach disclosure (DBD) laws, this paper studies the impact of mandatory disclosure of adverse corporate events on audit fees. DBD laws increase the frequency of disclosed cyber incidents, which adversely impacts firms’ financial condition and operations; this could result in a higher risk of misstatement and reputation loss for auditors. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that auditors charge higher fees after the adoption of DBD laws. We also find that the increase in audit fees is more pronounced in firms with higher cyber risk and greater auditor reputational concerns. Furthermore, governance mechanisms and resources that are available to auditors can mitigate the rise in audit fees. Robustness tests suggest that the effect is not driven by realized cyber incidents and other contemporaneous events. Overall, our study provides evidence that the mandated disclosure regulation significantly affects audit pricing.

What Does the Auditor Say? Auditors’ Disclosures of Critical Audit Matters and Audit Fees

SYNOPSIS We examine whether critical audit matter (CAM) disclosures contain information about material misstatement risks that is priced in audit fees. We find that textual features of auditors’ risk descriptions and the types of risks identified capture fee-relevant information. Further, the results are incremental to other determinants of audit fees considered in prior research and to managements’ disclosures in the related notes to the financial statements. Overall, we provide evidence that auditors’ perceptions of audit risks revealed in the newly expanded audit opinion capture information relevant for understanding audit pricing decisions. Data Availability: All data are publicly available from the sources identified in the paper. JEL Classifications: M41; M42; M48.

Pengaruh Karakteristik Perusahaan Terhadap Audit Delay

The impact of firm attributes including size, subsidiaries, audit firm size, leverage, profitability, and audit fees on audit delay is investigated in this study. The financial accounts of the company must be submitted on schedule, but in 2022, a number of corporations have not submitted their reports on time despite having been granted a grace period. This is the focus of the study so it needs to be studied further. Panel regression is used in this study to test the hypothesis using 1,180 sample data from three sectors of companies listed between 2018 and 2022 on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The analysis's findings indicate that while firm size, subsidiaries, leverage, and audit fees have no effect on audit time, audit firm size and profitability do. This study contributes to academic research on company characteristics for reporting financial statements on time, especially in Indonesia. The results of this research can be used by users of financial reports in reviewing the effectiveness of company operations for continued investment and also useful for companies so that companies can be open about information and the accuracy of submitting financial reports. The new thing in this study is the use of samples of three company sectors that have the highest number of audit delay companies as the main focus of investors to invest their funds in these companies, so this study reflects the need for timeliness of financial reporting, especially for BEI listed companies.

Consequences of a Two-Tiered Regulatory Model: Evidence from Audit Fees and Changes in Foreign Private Issuer Status

SUMMARY The U.S. SEC permits exemptions from U.S. domestic securities regulation for foreign-domiciled firms that qualify as foreign private issuers (FPIs). We study the impact on audit fees when foreign-domiciled firms lose or gain FPI status for a plausibly exogenous reason while maintaining their cross-listing status. After losing FPI status, foreign firms must comply with corporate governance, financial statement reporting, and insider trading disclosure requirements of U.S. domestic issuers. We find that FPI status is associated with lower cross-listing costs, as evidenced by significant audit fee increases when firms lose FPI status. Notably, we find that the benefit of FPI status is more pronounced among firms from countries with robust governance standards. Conversely, for firms from countries with weaker governance standards, compliance with U.S. corporate governance requirements correlates with reduced audit fees, offsetting increased audit fees arising from compliance with financial statement requirements and insider information disclosure. JEL Classifications: M41; M42; M48.

Can Catering to Local Area Needs Through CSR Reduce Firm Risk?

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending to cater to the local area's needs (the area of business operations) in reducing the firm's risk in the mandatory CSR setting. Using a sample of 1677 Indian firms spanning the financial year 2009–2022, we present several interesting results. First, we demonstrate that the risk of the firms eligible under mandatory CSR law is higher than those not qualifying. Second, we find that the risk of firms that focus their CSR on the local area's needs is lower. In an additional analysis, we demonstrate that firms with higher spending on the local area experience lower contingent liability, legal expenses, and audit fees. We illustrate that focusing on the local area's needs in CSR efforts retains signaling value under a mandatory CSR regime.

The effect of big data-driven tax enforcement on audit pricing: Evidence from China

Over the past few decades, the Chinese government has implemented a series of tax system reforms, namely, the Golden Tax Project (GTP), to use information technology to enhance tax administration. Taking advantage of the staggered implementation of phase III of the GTP from 2013 to 2016, we use a difference-in-differences design to examine whether strengthened tax enforcement impacts audit pricing. Using a sample of 2751 companies listed on Chinese stock exchanges from 2007 to 2016, we test and find support for our hypothesis that the implementation of GTP III leads to a reduction in audit fees. We predict that GTP III decreases audit risks by improving corporate tax compliance and information transparency, which in turn reduces audit fees. Consistent with our prediction, the results show that the implementation of GTP III is associated with improved tax compliance (proxied by reduced tax avoidance and negative tax-related media coverage) and with improved information transparency (measured by reduced earnings management and analyst forecast errors). Our further analyses show that the effect of GTP III on audit pricing is more pronounced for companies in regions with higher fiscal pressure, worse tax compliance environment, and more severe corruption. Furthermore, the effect is strengthened when auditors are from a Big 4 firm, have more experience, and have experience in the high-tech industries. Moreover, business complexity, industry competition, and business uncertainty attenuate the effect of GTP III on audit pricing. Overall, this study suggests that tax enforcement has an important impact on auditor behavior, with benefits extending beyond enhanced tax compliance.

Unveiling dynamics: Financial performance determinants in the Ghanaian insurance industry

This pioneering study unravels the financial performance dynamics of Ghanaian insurance firms, leveraging proprietary data from the National Insurance Company (NIC), Ghana. Utilizing a system GMM technique on a comprehensive panel dataset of 40 firms from 2012 to 2017, it uncovers cost efficiency, claims ratio, retention ratio, audit fees, firm age and size, and board composition as crucial performance drivers. In what concerns the implications for the emerging economies, we show that the inclusion of the variable “risk retention and claims” helps insurance companies to better ascertain the right level of risks associated with the businesses they underwrite, so that the claims ratio will be minimized, and the appropriate premium ensured. Moreover, for the insurance sector in the frontier markets, with characteristics like Ghana´s economy, the study advocates for strategic cost control measures and emphasizes the need for proactive regulatory approaches aiming to enhance policy actions and to provide supplementary funds for firms demonstrating growth potential. These empirical evidence-based insights help design a roadmap for developing the insurance sector in the economies belonging to frontier and emerging markets.

The Effect of Financial Distress, Audit Opinion and Audit Fee on Auditor Switching (Empirical Study on Mining Companies Listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange)

This study aims to analyze the effect of financial distress, audit opinion, and audit fee on auditor switching in mining companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). This study uses a quantitative research method. The sampling technique in this study uses a purposive sampling technique. The population is all mining sector companies listed on the IDX in 2022-2023, totaling 85 companies and the research sample is 46 companies. Using logistic regression analysis with SPSS 25.0 software in analyzing data in the preparation of this study. The results of this study are that financial distress and audit opinion do not have a significant effect on the company's decision to conduct auditor switching. Meanwhile, audit fees have a significant effect on the company's decision to conduct auditor switching.

The Impact Of Audit Fee, Size Of Public Accounting Firm, Company Size, And Leverage On The Communication Of Key Audit Matters (Implementation Of The First Year Of KAMs Adoption In Independent Auditors' Reports In Indonesia)

Auditing standard 701 "Communicating Key Audit Matters (KAMs) in the Independent Auditor's Report" will be implemented in Indonesia in 2022. The communication of KAMs aims to increase the transparency of financial statements for users. This study examines the effect of audit fees, Size of public accounting firm, company size and leverage on the communication of Key Audit Matters (KAMs). The research population is companies that are listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange and report audited financial statements for the fiscal year 2022. The sample was selected using purposive sampling method. The research data was processed using the Multiple Linear Regression method using IBM SPSS Statistics software ver. 25. This study proves that audit fees (sig 0.000 < 0.05) and Size of public accounting firm (sig 0.000 < 0.05) have a positive and significant effect on communicating KAMs. While company size (0.188 > 0.05) leverage (0.378 > 0.05) has no significant effect on communicating KAMs. Based on the results of the study, it is hoped that companies can consider an adequate audit fee budget and choose a Public accounting firm whose competence is in accordance with the conditions of the company to be able to increase the communication of KAMs. Thus, companies can increase investor and other stakeholder confidence through the communication of KAMs as an effort to demonstrate commitment to transparency and good corporate governanc

Media coverage as a moderator in the nexus between audit quality and ESG performance: Evidence from China.

In response to growing pressure on companies to manage and improve their reputation regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, the audit is regarded as a vital resource for ensuring ESG risk management, improving transparency, mitigating opportunistic constraints, and guaranteeing accurate reporting. The objective of this paper was to investigate the role of audit quality in improving ESG performance, as well as to examine the role of media coverage represented by ESG controversy score in moderating these relationships. We analyzed 303 Chinese companies with 2,121 observations covering the period from 2017 to 2023. The results suggest that the effects of audit quality as measured by the Big 4 and audit fee on improving ESG performance are positive but not significant. On the other hand, the results reveal that media coverage serves as a positive, albeit non-significant, moderating variable between audit quality measured by the Big 4 and ESG performance, while it has a significant negative effect when audit quality is evaluated based on audit fees. The results indicate that improving ESG performance is significantly linked to auditors intensifying their practices and implementing their work more stringently. More importantly, media coverage is an important additional driver and economic incentive that encourages companies to steer clear of poor ESG-related practices.

Study On the Factors Affecting the Audit Fees of Small and Medium Enterprises in Vietnam

The competitive pressure within the group of domestic audit firms is becoming increasingly intense, and pricing is considered one of the most effective competitive tools. This also stems from the fact that many small businesses tend to prioritize low costs when selecting an audit firm. Through a survey conducted on 70 companies, the author utilized SPSS 26 software to analyze the data and identified five factors. The results from the correlation test between two variables and the multivariate linear regression model both indicated that for small and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam, two factors significantly impact the audit fees for client companies: the size of the audited company and the reputation of the auditing firm.

Pricing Efficiency of Audit Fees Given Audit Risk: Comparison between Pre- and Post-New ISA Periods in the Korean Audit Market*

Pricing Efficiency of Audit Fees Given Audit Risk: Comparison between Pre- and Post-New ISA Periods in the Korean Audit Market*

The Influence of External Audit Quality on Discretionary Accruals and Real Earnings Management Practices: An Analysis of Malaysian Firms

This paper aims to analyse the mitigating effects of external audit quality (EAQ) factors on earnings management (EM) practices. Data were collected from firms listed on Bursa Malaysia’s main market, covering the years 2011 through 2022. Panel regression was employed to analyse the data. The findings of this study confirmed a significant negative association between audit reputation, audit quality, audit opinions, and EM of listed firms in Malaysia. Audit fees and audit tenure were found to be not significant in relation to EM. The study included five control variables in the analysis, and only economic value added (EVA) was found to be significant. The findings suggest that a number of audit quality factors are indicative of EM among listed firms. The authors extend, as well as contribute to, the growing literature on the EAQ, and therefore, wider corporate governance literature. Thus, it provides originality by presenting empirical evidence and outcomes to fully understand how discretionary accrual and real EM affect EAQ in the Malaysian context. Therefore, stakeholders should place higher concern on the selection of an external auditor, and investors should take into account the external audit factors when making investment decisions. Measuring the effectiveness of EAQ allows decision-makers to evaluate how effective employed governance measures are in improving shareholders’ perceptions of financial information quality and mitigating EM practices.

The Role of Internal Control on Financial Fraud: Evidence of Pre-Fraud and Post-Punishment from Chinese Firms

ABSTRACT Our study is the first to provide systematic evidence of the internal control (IC) prevention and punishment effect on financial fraud (FF). We examine the pre-fraud and post-punishment IC of Chinese firms. Results show that the lower the firm’s IC, the greater the possibility of FF. We find that IC five elements have different prevention effects. Information and communication cannot prevent FF, while the other four can. Executive compensation, audit fees and earnings management can weaken the negative correlation between IC and FF, while independent director attendance can strengthen the negative correlation between them. In addition, the IC of fraudulent firms has been improved after punishment. This article extends the role of IC and its five elements in FF and the response of IC to punishment, providing country-specific evidence for other emerging market research about IC prevent FF.

Legal Liability, Institutional Environment and Audit Pricing: Insights from China’s Securities Law Revision

This study investigates the impact of China's revised Securities Law (2019) on the audit pricing strategies of A-share listed companies. Using a Difference-in-Differences (DID) approach and a sample of 26,057 firm-year observations from 2016 to 2022, we find that the new law led to a significant increase in audit fees, especially for non-state-owned enterprises and firms in regions with stronger legal institutions. We attribute these effects to the heightened legal liability and regulatory scrutiny faced by auditors under the new regime, which incentivizes them to enhance audit quality and charge higher risk premiums. Our results are robust to a series of sensitivity tests and alternative specifications. We conclude that the revised Securities Law has achieved its intended objectives of improving market transparency and investor protection but at the cost of higher compliance burdens for listed companies. Our findings have important implications for policymakers, regulators, and market participants in China and other emerging economies undergoing similar legal and institutional reforms.

Pengaruh Firm Size, Audit Fee, Audit Tenure, Kompetensi dan Independensi Auditor Terhadap Kualitas Audit pada Perusahaan Perbankan yang Terdaftar di Bursa Pengaruh Indonesia 2018-2022

This research aims to determine the influence of firm size, audit fees, audit tenure, auditor competency and independence on audit quality in banking companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2018-2022 period. This research population used a purposive sampling technique to obtain a sample of 150 data from 30 companies, but data transformation and outliers were applied so that the sample size became 120 data. The data analysis applied in this research is classical assumption testing, multiple linear regression analysis, and hypothesis testing. The research results show that simultaneously there is an influence of the variables firm size, audit fee, audit tenure, competence and independence of the auditor on audit quality, but partially the variables of competence and independence of the auditor do not have a significant effect on the quality of audits in banking companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2018-2022.