Auditor Involvement Research Articles

Private Equity Fund Reporting Quality, External Monitors, and Third-Party Service Providers

ABSTRACT We describe variation in the reporting quality (i.e., accuracy and bias of reported net asset values (NAVs)) of private equity (PE) funds across types of external monitors (investors and auditors) and third-party service providers (valuation specialists, marketers, and administrators). In contrast to public markets, we find only limited evidence that reporting quality varies with the composition and types of investors in PE funds. We observe, however, that reporting quality varies with auditor involvement and the use of third-party service providers; these associations often differ across buyout (BO) and venture capital (VC) funds and from those observed in public markets. Our evidence is important to investors and regulators, especially now that PE supersedes public markets as the main vehicle to raise capital and as regulators increase their focus on private markets. Data Availability: Data used in this study are available from public sources listed in the paper. JEL Classifications: G1; G14; G30; M4; M41.

Intelligent manufacturing, auditor selection and audit quality

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of intelligent manufacturing on audit quality and its underlying mechanism as well as the variation in this influence across different types of organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis research utilizes a difference-in-differences (DID) method to examine how enterprises that apply intelligent manufacturing choose auditors and impact their audit work. The study is based on 15,228 observations of Chinese-listed A-shares from 2011 to 2020.Findings(1) There is a strong correlation between intelligent manufacturing and audit quality. (2) This positive correlation is statistically significant only in state-owned enterprises (SOEs), those that have steady institutional investors and where the roles of the CEO and chairman are distinct. (3) Enterprises that have implemented intelligent manufacturing are more inclined to employ auditors who possess extensive industry expertise. The auditor's industry expertise plays a crucial role in ensuring audit quality. (4) The adoption of intelligent manufacturing also leads to higher audit fees and longer audit delay periods.Practical implicationsThis paper validates the beneficial impact of intelligent manufacturing on improving corporate governance. In addition, it is recommended that managers prioritize the involvement of skilled auditors with specialized knowledge in the industry to ensure the high audit quality and the transparency of information in intelligent manufacturing enterprises.Originality/valueThis study builds upon previous research that has shown the importance of artificial intelligence in enhancing audit procedures. It contributes to the existing body of knowledge by examining how enterprise intelligent manufacturing systems (IMS) enhance audit quality. Additionally, this study provides valuable information on how to improve audit quality in the field of intelligent manufacturing by strategically selecting auditors based on resource dependency theory.

The Role of Accounting and Audit in Sustainable Development

Abstract The involvement of accountants and auditors in sustainable development has become more and more present in the literature specialised forums. Sustainability accounting works in the same direction with corporate practices and the evolution of best practices for financial standards. Accountants and auditors contribute to the standardization of uniform procedures for all the nations. Our study will present the responsibilities and work area of accountants and auditors in the economic sector for sustainability. The traditional role of accountants and auditors is evolving towards a more comprehensive spectrum that also includes a sustainability role. We considered the analysis of specialized literature to identify the involvement of sustainability in different fields, sustainability being a subject of interdisciplinary interest.. The current role of accountants and auditors in promoting sustainable development by examining actions set by accounting regulatory authorities and representatives of the accounting profession through a qualitative analysis. Our research aims to enrich the specialized literature in academic financial research. The actual case study will present the involvement of accountants and auditors in the area of sustainable development that desire to achieve the standards proposed by the UN. The importance of work performed by accountants and auditors for international businesses for sustainable development will be also presented. Although it is really important to keep in mind that the actual paper has boundaries that could provide new interesting opportunities for research areas.

Does auditor style influence non‐GAAP earnings disclosure?

AbstractRegulators and practitioners have concerns that the lack of standardization in non‐GAAP disclosure can make it challenging for users to process non‐GAAP earnings and use it in decision‐making. We examine whether auditor style extends beyond mandatory disclosures to induce similarity in non‐GAAP earnings disclosures. Specifically, we find that clients audited by the same auditor are more likely to disclose non‐GAAP earnings in a similar manner. We assess disclosure similarity using (1) the decision to disclose non‐GAAP earnings, (2) the disclosure prominence of non‐GAAP earnings in the earnings press release, (3) the discussion of non‐GAAP earnings in the management discussion and analysis of the annual report, (4) the choice to exclude recurring items, and (5) the receipt of SEC comment letters related to non‐GAAP earnings. We find that the association between auditor style and non‐GAAP disclosure is determined by Big 4 accounting firms and clients audited by the same audit office. The results are stronger for larger audit offices and smaller clients. We provide evidence that auditors facilitate non‐GAAP disclosure, which can improve compliance with SEC requirements and increase the standardization of non‐GAAP earnings disclosures. Our results are relevant to current policy discussions regarding auditor involvement in unaudited non‐GAAP earnings reporting.

The Impact of SEC Comment Letters on Auditor Retention

SYNOPSIS Prior literature shows that the receipt of an SEC comment letter strains the auditor-client relationship by increasing the likelihood of a change in auditor. This paper examines this result by investigating whether an auditor’s involvement in responding to comment letters mitigates this effect. Although comment letters are frequently associated with financial reporting issues, clients and auditors may perceive the issues and blame for issues differently, thereby creating friction in the auditor-client relationship. By involving auditors in responding to comment letters, clients demonstrate a better working relationship with their auditor, which may lead to auditor continuance. This study indicates that although auditor switching increases after receipt of an accounting-related comment letter, auditor involvement in responding to the SEC reduces the likelihood of an auditor change in the following period. This suggests that auditor involvement in comment letter responses strengthens the auditor-client relationship.

Compliance with the Requirements of the Greek Legislation for Reporting on ESG Issues: The Case of the Paper Processing Sector

We examined the extent to which companies in the paper processing sector, operating in printing, packaging, labeling, and paper bagging, comply with the requirements of Greek legislation for reporting information on ESG issues. The overall average compliance rating of the sector, which is 45.86% for the year 2021 and 46.20% for the year 2020, is below 50% (baseline), which means that the sector should improve in reporting on ESG issues. It should also be noted that there has been a deterioration in the average compliance rating between the two years. There is a very high statistically significant correlation between the compliance rating average and the average total assets (r2 = 0.897) and the average number of employees (r2 = 0.922), a high correlation, though not statistically significant, between the compliance rating average and the average results (r2 = 0.648), and a moderate statistically significant correlation between the compliance rating average and the average revenues (r2 = 0.570). There is an obvious positive relationship between holding ISO certificates and external auditor involvement and the average compliance rating of companies; these are both qualitative features favorable to effective governance. The companies that are active in paper bagging and cardboard box (food packaging) usage have also developed a greater environmentally friendly culture, which results in a higher average compliance rating in comparison with the other two activities of the sector. The companies in the region of Attica have a higher compliance rating than the companies in other regions because they operate in an environment that is much more polluted than the rest of Greece, due to its high concentration of people and companies; thus, they have become more sensitive to ESG issues. The companies that have been operating longer have also achieved a higher average compliance rating because younger companies are trying to gain market share and are not devoting their time and resources to ESG issues.

An examination of comment letters on suggested Part 10: audits of groups' financial statements in the proposed ISA for less complex entities

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the comment letters (CLs) in the standard-setting process of audits of less complex entities (LCEs). The objective is to gain insight into the overall picture of the CLs and to report on areas where comment providers agree or disagree with IAASB's Part 10.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis of 60 comment letter (CLs) was conducted to investigate the suggested additional Part 10 on audits of groups' financial statements in the proposed ISA for LCEs. Hence, this study examines three specific topics: (1) the views related to the use of the International Standard on Auditing (ISA) for LCEs for group audits in which component auditors are involved, (2) the proposed group-specific qualitative characteristics to describe the scope of group audits and, finally, (3) insights into the content of the proposed Part 10 and related conforming amendments. The Gioia method is used to provide a holistic approach to concept development of the arguments about the new Part 10.FindingsThe CLs stated that, while the proposed Part 10 has some weak points, it still provides a solid and practical structure within which to undertake an LCE group audit and a promising basis for further development. For instance, when discussing the improvements, the CLs stated that Part 10 should allow for more auditor judgment when determining when the involvement of component auditors renders a group audit complex. In addition, the CLs asserted that professional judgment should be engaged when considering the qualitative characteristics and the complexity of the group.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the very scarce research about the ISA for LCEs and the role of lobbying in shaping the audit standard-setting process.

Auditor sustainability focus and client sustainability reporting

We examine the relationship between auditors' sustainability focus and their clients' sustainability reporting. Sustainability reporting is of increasing social and regulatory interest following SEC guidance on the provision of sustainability disclosures. Auditors can bridge the gap between a myriad of technical guidance and their clients. Positive assortative matching could occur between clients who plan to increase their sustainability reporting and auditors who have a greater sustainability focus, with sustainability alignment comprising part of client strategy for credibly reporting sustainability information. Specifically, we examine auditor-client sustainability alignment through the association between relative auditor sustainability focus and their clients' sustainability disclosures and activities. We measure auditors' sustainability focus by examining the sustainability focus in auditors’ tweets. We find that auditor sustainability focus is positively associated with client sustainability reporting, through both sustainability disclosures and social and governance sustainability activities. Our study provides a greater understanding of auditor involvement in sustainability reporting.

Internal audit involvement in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM): The case of Zimbabwean public universities

Several business failures culminated in the necessity to improve overall risk management for different corporates. Educational organisations also began to realise the exigency for efficient risk management in the sector and embarked on tracking Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) related advances in the corporate world and seeking ways to apply these for higher education. This study sought to assess the involvement of internal auditors in ERM in Zimbabwean public universities. This study is quantitative and employed a survey to collect data from heads of internal audit sections in public universities. The main findings of the study indicated that 64.78 percent of the internal auditors were performing their core and permissible roles as promulgated by the Institute of Internal Audit in risk management while 35.22 percent were performing some prohibited roles. The study recommends engaging qualified internal auditors who are aware of their specific roles in risk management or providing some training for the officers in the internal audit sections. The study further recommends that these universities should institute risk management sections headed by qualified Chief Risk officers to complement internal auditors’ efforts and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of ERM in Zimbabwean public universities. Chief Risk officers should become champions of risk management in these institutions to avoid tempering the internal auditors’ objectivity.

Malaysian Internal Auditor’s Risk Judgment Performance: Examining the Impact of ISA 610 “Using the Work of the Internal Auditor”

Effective from December 2016, the Malaysian external auditor is required under the revision of the International Standard on Auditing (ISA) to give comments on Key Audit Matters (KAM) in the audit client’s financial statement which indirectly increases the relevancy of ISA 610 “Using the Work of Internal Auditor”. This study aimed to explore the impact of two main aspects under ISA 610 namely “external auditor engagement quality (EX_QUAL)” and “external auditor reliance (EX_RELY)” on internal auditor’s risk judgment performance. The survey of 274 internal auditors in the Malaysian public and private sector found that internal auditors who experienced high EX_QUAL outperform risk judgment as a result of awareness that the judgment made must be reflective of their own competency, independence, work performance and due care. Unfortunately, internal auditors who experienced high EX_RELY did not perform as expected since internal auditor’s anxieties on the bad consequences of full disclosure risk faced by the company. EX_QUAL could be one of monitoring mechanism to improve internal audit’s risk judgment. Furthermore, mitigating action, such as external auditor involvement in internal audit annual risk assessment plan could deter internal auditor bias and increase objectivity, and thus induce a positive impact of EX_RELY on internal auditor’s risk judgment performance. Keywords: risk judgment, performance, reliance, internal auditor, external auditor

The role of internal auditor's in the development of an internal Control system: An applied study at Al-Nahrain University

Internal audit is one of the essential responsibilities in the economic unit on which senior management and various departments and individuals rely as a source of high-quality data and information. As one of the parties responsible for internal control, the research aims to determine the importance of the internal auditor's involvement in establishing the internal control system through its supervisory and monitoring responsibilities. Also, developing more methods to reduce the risks and issues associated with the internal control system's failure. This study aims to demonstrate the role of internal audit in developing the internal control system in the economic unit by clarifying the relationship between internal audit and the internal control system, highlighting how internal audit can activate the internal control system and what the internal auditor's responsibilities are, and working on the periodic evaluation of the internal control system.

Auditor Involvement in Systems Development Phases

Auditor Involvement in Systems Development Phases

Involvement of Component Auditors in Multinational Group Audits: Determinants, Audit Quality, and Audit Fees

ABSTRACTWe study what determines the involvement of component auditors in multinational enterprise (MNE) group audits and the association with audit quality and audit fees. Using unique Australian disclosures of group audit fees paid to the principal and component auditors, we first document that MNE complexity, MNE internationalization, and auditor characteristics are associated with component auditor involvement, and extent and type of component auditor involvement. Next, we find that involvement of component auditors benefits audit quality as long as the principal auditor conducts a substantial amount of work. Once the involvement of component auditors exceeds a certain level, audit quality decreases. We also document that audit fees are higher in the presence of a component auditor and increase with the extent of involvement, irrespective of component auditor type. Our results contribute to the emerging literature on group audits and provide empirical evidence on regulatory concerns about group audit quality.

Auditor ethics: do experience and gender influence auditors’ moral awareness?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how experience and gender relate to the auditors’ moral awareness.Design/methodology/approachHypotheses are informed by a neurocognitive approach to ethical decision-making and tested using survey data from 191 auditors of a Big Four audit firm in The Netherlands.FindingsThe main findings indicate that more experienced auditors (i.e. those with more years of work experience, a higher rank and a higher age) show higher levels of moral awareness. This positive relationship is stronger for morally questionable situations related to accounting and auditing, compared to general business moral dilemmas. In addition, the results support the expectation that on average, female auditors have higher moral awareness than their male counterparts.Originality/valueTo the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study that considers a neurocognitive approach to inform hypotheses about the antecedents of auditors’ moral awareness. The findings suggest that the involvement of experienced auditors in ethical decision-making processes may be beneficial given their enhanced ability to identify ethically disputable situations as such. Furthermore, increasing the number of women in senior positions may positively affect ethical decision-making in audit firms. Finally, this paper presents directions for future research.

Auditors, Underwriters, and Firm Owners’ Interaction in an IPO Environment: The Case of OECD Nations

This study explores the effects of interactions among key stakeholders, i.e., auditors, underwriters, and firm owners on IPOs’ first-day returns in selected OECD nations. It also examines the alteration effects of legal origin (Common law and Civil law) on the relationship between the interacted key stakeholders and IPOs’ first-day returns. A total of four thousand one hundred and sixty-four IPOs from twenty-eight OECD nations are included in this study. Since it is cross-sectional data, a two-stage least square regression is applied. The empirical outcomes indicate that, in general, the interacted reputable underwriters and auditors have a positive impact on IPOs’ first-day return. The relationship is modified between common law and civil law nations, whereby in civil law nations, no significance is demonstrated except for the interaction between the reputable auditors and underwriters. In the common law nation, interactions between reputable auditors and ownership retention have an impact on IPOs’ first-day return. The research findings provide outlooks into an IPO framework for issuers, investors, and regulators. Issuers may want to weigh carefully the costs and benefits of hiring credible auditors and underwriters when going public as they act as signaling agents. As for the investors, they should take into consideration the involvement of reputable underwriters and auditors and the degree to which the IPO firms retain ownership, as the interactive effects give clear signals on firm valuation and IPOs’ first-day returns. Regulators may find the findings informative concerning the creation of a more organized regulatory and financial system that could lead to a deeper and more open financial market.

Reaksi Pasar atas Publikasi Laporan Keuangan Interim Diaudit Studi Empiris pada Perusahaan-Perusahaan yang Mempublik di Bursa Efek Indonesia

This study was conducted on interim financial statements of companies included in the calculation of the KOMPAS 100 index on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) with the consideration that the companies' shares included in the KOMPAS 100 index on average per year control more than 75% in volume trade and market capitalization on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) so that it is considered the most widely traded stock. Hence, it is expected that many interested parties (especially active investors) of the interim financial report and use accounting information from the company in its investment decisions. The study was conducted on quarterly financial statements, mid-year financial reports and quarterly financial statements.The results of this study indicate that the market responds widely to the announcement of the Interim Financial Report I and Interim Financial Report II published by the issuer. On the other hand the market does not respond broadly to the announcement of the Interim Financial Report III published by the issuer.The involvement of auditors in interim financial reports in the form of reviews and complete audits does not have an impact on improving the quality of information on interim financial statements received by investors. This is demonstrated by the absence of differences in market reactions to the publication of interim financial statements.Keywords: Interim Financial Reports, Market Reactions

Auditors' Responses to Workload Imbalance and the Impact on Audit Quality*

ABSTRACTUsing detailed data for fieldwork hours and audit hours by rank from audit engagements in Korea, we examine whether audits conducted under workload imbalance, proxied by busy‐season audits, impair audit quality, and how auditors adjust staff assignments for busy‐season audits. We generally find that busy‐season audits are associated with lower audit quality, and that audit firms reduce the involvement of senior auditors during busy‐season audits. In addition, the greater the involvement of senior auditors and junior auditors, the lesser the deterioration in audit quality. Finally, although there is no increase in interim audits in response to workload imbalance during busy seasons, increasing interim audits can mitigate the negative impact of busy‐season audits on audit quality. Our results are relevant to auditors and regulators, who have expressed concerns about the adverse effects of workload imbalance on audit quality.

Peran Internal Audit dalam Implementasi Enterprise Risk Management berupa Pelaporan Kerusakan Prosedur Risiko.

Implementation of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) by Internal Audit in an orga-nization or company becomes important because Internal Audit is expected to help the organization achieve its objectives by approaching systematic and discipline to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance process. As for which affects it is the involvement of internal auditors, the relation-ship of the audit committee with the internal auditor, and ERM.This study aims to analyze the involvement of Internal Audit in Enterprise Risk mana-gement implementation. Internal auditors should assist both management and audit committees in risk management responsibilities and supervisory roles by examining, evaluating, reporting and recommending improvements to the adequacy and effec-tiveness of risk management processes. An interesting issue is whether internal auditors involved in corporate risk management have a link to the willingness of internal auditors to report to the audit committee.The population in this study are the internal auditors and audit committees who working in companies manufacturing and financial services. The reason for determining the company is because the researcher wants to know how internal audit is involved in ERM implementation on that entity. The sample used in this research is internal auditor at private company and at Banking in this case internal auditor at local bank.The analytical method used is multiple regression analysis with SPSS version 23 pro-gram. The analysis technique used in this research is descriptive statistical analysis, classical assumption test, F-statistic hypothesis test to test influence together with 5% confidence level and use t-statistics to test partial regression coefficients. This re-search was conducted to analyze how much influence the role of Internal Audit in applying Enterprise Risk Management in the implementation of Audit.The result of this research is that the high level of internal auditor involvement in Enterprise Risk management implementation has no significant and significant im-pact on reporting of damage to risk management procedures. This indicates that the role of internal auditors in corporate risk management does not affect the reporting of damage to corporate risk management procedures. While the characteristics of strong relationships between internal auditors and audit committees positively and significantly influence the reporting of risk procedures, this indicates that internal audits that have strong internal audit-audit committee relationships strongly support internal auditors who have high involvement to report damage Greater risk procedures.

The Wealth Defence Industry: A Large-scale Study on Accountancy Firms as Profit Shifting Facilitators

ABSTRACT Corporations increasingly engage in innovative ‘tax planning strategies’ by shifting profits between jurisdictions. In response, states try to curtail such profit shifting activities while at the same time attempting to retain and attract multinational corporations. We aim to open up this dichotomy between states and corporations and argue that a wealth defence industry of professional service firms plays a crucial role as facilitators. We investigate the subsidiary structure of 27,000 MNCs and show that clients of the Big Four accountancy firms show systematically higher levels of aggressive tax planning strategies than clients of smaller accountancy firms. We specify this effect for three distinct strategies and also uncover marked differences across countries. As such we provide empirical evidence for the systematic involvement of auditors as facilitators in corporate wealth defence.

Organizational Commitments in Financial Service Audit With Antecedents of Organizational Justice and Job Satisfaction

Public trust in a profession is determined by the reliability, accuracy, timeliness, and quality of services or services that can be provided by the auditor profession. Although the auditor's work and performance procedures have tended to be supervised and determined strictly and formally by external institutions, studies have shown that the context of the internal environment has an effect on improving auditor performance. This study seeks to analyze the effect of organizational justice and job satisfaction in the auditor's environment on organizational commitment. It focuses more on behavioral accounting, specifically relating to the auditor's work environment, by taking the object of the treatment's influence in the organization's internal participation and involvement of auditors that is reflected by organizational commitment. By using the Structural Equation Model (SEM), the findings show that procedural justice and interactional justice are empirically proven to influence organizational commitment. On the other hand, distributive justice has no effect on organizational commitment, and job satisfaction has also been proven empirically to have no effect on organizational commitment. These results provide input for public accounting firms so as not to overlook the fairness factor in providing rewards to auditors. In the case of fairness the awarding of rewards / awards to the auditor is not only limited to the amount of reward, but also the process for determining the amount of the reward.