Auditor Size Research Articles

Key Audit Matters Between Auditors and Auditees in Middle East and North Africa

This study investigates the impact of auditor- and auditee-specific features on key audit matter disclosures in auditors’ reports. It focuses on client factors, including debt, profitability, financial distress, and audit factors, including auditor size, rotation, and opinion. A direct extraction of audit reports from different markets in Middle East and North Africa covering three years from 2020 to 2022 was carried out. A content analysis of the annual reports regarding key audit matters, client-specific characteristics, and auditor characteristics was performed in this research. The results of this study show that key audit matters are not correlated to profitability and financial distress, while the debt ratio is significantly related to the number of key audit matters. The results also indicate that audit rotation and opinion have a significant explanatory effect on key audit matters as the coefficients of both independent variables are positive and statistically significant while the size of the audit firm is not related to the number of key audit matters.

Determinants Impacting Audit Delays: The Case of Saudi Listed Firms

Objectives: We examined the determinants that influence the timeliness of audit reports. Methods: We used 532 observations that were collected over four years (2019 - 2022) from 133 Saudi listed firms, which were analysed using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and relevant statistical tests (e.g. multicollinearity, autocorrelations, R-squared, adjusted R-squared, and F-value tests). Agency theory was used as a theoretical framework to gain insights about the results. Results: Audit firm size and auditee size were significant attributes that affected the timeliness of audit report lag (ARL) among financial and non-financial Saudi listed firms. Conclusion: This study provides useful insights into the determinants of ARL, as well as timely empirical evidence that complements existing literature in terms of relationships between an audit firm’s attributes and the timeliness of financial reporting.

Military connections, corporate governance and corporate tax avoidance

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the relationship between military connections and tax avoidance in Indonesia. Further, the paper examines whether the relationship between military connections and tax avoidance is impacted by three corporate governance variables: auditor size or Big 4, board size and audit committee independence. Indonesia's settings allow for a unique investigation, as military involvement has been documented.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses Indonesia as the research setting because its military forces have a long history of business involvement. The sample includes 1,986 firm-year observations on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2018. The period signifies the time of significant change post-Suharto to illustrate changes in military reform.FindingsMilitary-connected firms recorded a negative relationship with effective tax rates, indicating higher tax avoidance. The authors extend this test by considering three corporate governance variables: Big 4, board size and audit committee independence. They find the corporate governance variables are ineffective in mitigating the positive impact of military-connected firms and corporate tax avoidance. The results remain consistent when performing endogeneity tests.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the extant literature by examining the impact of military connections on tax avoidance. The findings reflect Indonesia's institutional settings depicting military and political connections.

Market Concentration and Firm Value

In this study, we examined the relationship between market concentration using the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and firm values among listed companies in both the markets for the period 2011–2020. We found a negative association between market concentration and firm value. This relationship was mitigated by such factors as dividend payments, auditor size, and financial reporting opacity. This study contributes to the existing literature by corroborating the influences on firm value and addressing the prevailing research paradigm suggesting that market competition is a mechanism for overseeing managerial behavior (i.e., an external corporate governance structure).

Turbulent Periods, Earnings Management and the Role of Auditors

The present study attempts to test the impact of audit, non-­audit fees, auditor tenure, auditor size, and financial distress on earnings management during turbulent periods for the five largest Eurozone countries. The motivation of the current study is to provide fresh evidence on these relationships during global financial crisis and sovereign debt crisis. We use the generalized methods of moments and ordinary least squares method for a sample of listed firms across the five largest Eurozone countries. We found that auditor tenure and auditor size carry no significant effect on earnings management during the financial crisis and sovereign debt crisis period as compared to the pre-crisis period for both cases. However, audit, non-audit fees and financial distress affect earnings management during the Eurozone crises periods. The results imply that stricter accounting regulation is needed during turbulent periods and investors should be careful with their investments.

Effect of industry-specialist auditors, auditor's tenure, and auditor's size on the quality of disclosure in the UAE Stock Exchange

Having access to real-world information and accurate data is a key factor in improving auditor performance, which in turn impacts business performance and decision-making. Consequently, this research aims to determine how financial institutions' levels of experience impact the accuracy of the information they disclose. The present statistical population consists of all 127 businesses listed on the United Arab Emirates Stock Exchange. This type of research is categorized as applied studies in relation to the research methods used in the UAE stock market. Using a systematic deletion procedure, 46 companies were chosen based on the study's inclusion criteria. The findings revealed that in the UAE, the quality of financial information disclosure for companies listed on the UAE stock exchange is significantly affected by the auditor's decision-making experience, the duration of their job, and the size of the auditor.

Small firm auditing using the analytical procedures (APs) in a politically challenging context

PurposeThis study aims to explore the use, effectiveness, motives and obstacles of analytical procedures (APs) used by auditors in Palestine, a context characterised by a pool of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a limited skill set, poor quality of data, political uncertainty and a community-based business culture.Design/methodology/approachThe study considers the audit market in Palestine using a sequential mixed-methods approach combining a questionnaire survey and a series of in-depth interviews. A total of 129 Big-4 and non-Big-4 auditors were surveyed.FindingsThe use of APs is driven by the auditor size (Big-4 vs non-Big-4) and the client size (large vs SMEs). Even though the use of APs has increased over the past decade, audit objectives, know-how, and personal, family and social connections among auditors and clients influence the quality of the audit process.Practical implicationsSmall firms take advantage of the lack of audit governance in Palestine. Our findings suggest that the regulators should help bridge the knowledge-sharing programmes between the small and large audit firms to help improve audit quality.Originality/valueStudies on audit quality, particularly using APs, in the context of politically unstable cases such as Palestine are limited. The study has implications for the use of APs in the case of SMEs to prepare for the technological revolution that will modernise audit procedures and quality soon.

Organizational resilience of audit firms – evidence from the outbreak of the COVID-19

PurposeThis paper examines the organizational resilience of audit firms during the early stages of COVID-19. The unexpected restrictions placed on travel and on-site working created unanticipated barriers for auditors in Hong Kong. The authors expect that auditors with greater organizational resilience can respond to unexpected situations and restore expected performance levels relatively quickly.Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilize a sample of 1,008 companies listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) with a financial year-end of December 31. The authors identify five proxies contributing to organizational resilience: auditor size, industry specialization, diversity, geographic proximity to the client and auditing a new client. The authors use audit report timeliness as this study's main dependent variable.FindingsThis study's full-sample results suggest that larger auditors, industry specialists and auditors with closer relationships to clients issued more timely audit reports during the pandemic. The analysis of a subsample of companies that initially published unaudited financial statements reveals that industry expertise and longer auditor-client relationships significantly reduced the need for year-end audit adjustments. Finally, the authors find that larger auditors were more likely to offload clients, whereas industry specialists were more likely to retain clients.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the paper suggests that audit firm characteristics associated cognitive abilities, behavioral characteristics and contextual conditions are associated with audit firm organizational resilience and, consequently, helps auditors respond unexpected changes in the audit environment.Practical implicationsThe findings of the paper are informative for those involved in audit firm management or auditor hiring and retention decisions.Originality/valueThis study is the first to link organizational resilience to the performance of audit firms in a time of unexpected events. The authors connect three auditor and two auditor-client dimensions to the organizational resilience of the audit firms.

The effects of municipal ownership on auditor size and auditor-client distance

The effects of municipal ownership on auditor size and auditor-client distance

Audit Quality dan Value Relevance of Accounting Information

Users of financial reports need relevant information as a basis for making decisions. The existence of an auditor helps investors in assessing the quality of accounting information. The research aims to examine the quality of audit reports as proxied by the size of the public accounting firm and audit opinions on the value relevance of accounting information. The research population is all sectors of business entities registered on the IDX in the 2018-2021 period. A total of 1,480 observations were used as samples in the research. Researchers use a fixed effect model in a panel data structure to test hypotheses. The research results show that auditor size increases the relevance of earnings value, but reduces the relevance of book value. Meanwhile, the audit opinion was found not to affect the relevance of accounting information. The research findings are interesting because audit opinions provided by Big 4 auditors increase the relevance of book value. This research is expected to help investors consider audit quality as an integral part of fundamental analysis, as well as contribute to the development of the topic of value relevance of accounting information and audit quality.
 Keywords: Audit, Financial Statement, Value Relevance

Sustainability reporting and audit committee attributes: Evidence from banks in Indonesia

This paper examined the effects of audit committee attributes on the sustainability reporting (SR) of commercial banks in Indonesia. This study conducted a cross-sectional and time-series analysis using a sample of 74 commercial banks from 2015 to 2019. This study investigated the audit committee attributes, including financial expertise, size, independence, and meeting frequency. The model under study was underpinned by the theory of legitimacy, stakeholders, and agency. The results showed that the financial expertise of audit committee had an inverse relationship with SR disclosure. Meanwhile, there was a positive relationship between committee independence, bank size, bank age, and type of auditor with SR disclosure. These findings imply that the banks should further focus on the audit committee’s attributes as an effective measure to produce quality SR disclosure. In addition, non-financial expertise, especially in the field of sustainability, is a skill that the audit committee needs to have.

Audit quality and debt restructuring: evidence from Italy

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the link between audit quality and in-court debt restructuring. The aim is to understand whether the confirmation of debt restructuring plans is affected by audit quality, which, in the light of agency theory, reduces information asymmetries between outsiders (creditors and the court) and insiders (shareholders and managers) of the debtor company.Design/methodology/approachA logistic regression is performed to test whether higher audit quality is associated with an increased probability of successfully completing a debt restructuring proceeding (RP). Consistent with the literature, audit quality is assessed ex ante based on auditor size, which is used as a proxy for independence. The analysis considers private Italian companies.FindingsAudit quality positively affects debt restructuring. Among financially distressed companies, those audited by an audit company are more likely to succeed in RPs than those audited by a single practitioner. There is no evidence of a Big N effect.Originality/valueThis study fills a gap in literature as, in contrast to other financial and governance characteristics, audit quality has never been studied before as a determinant of efficient restructuring. It contributes to the literature on auditing and governance by highlighting the importance of audit quality in complex situations such as RPs, and it expands on debt restructuring literature by considering the importance of the information exchanged during RPs.

Do audit attributes impact earnings quality? Evidence from India

PurposeThe present study's goal is to analyze the impact of audit quality (AQ) on earnings quality (EQ) using different audit attributes. The study shows empirical evidence from India, considered an emerging market.Design/methodology/approachThe sample selected represents the 376 non-financial firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). With a 20-year time frame, the authors used the absolute value of discretionary accruals (McNichols, 2002) (DA) as a proxy for EM, which is inversely related to EQ. The authors analyzed data using OLS, fixed effect (FE), 2SLS and Panel-IV estimators.FindingsThe authors found that most audit attributes positively affect EQ. In the Indian context, joint auditor (JA), auditor size (A_SIZE), auditor fee (A_FEE) and auditor tenure (A_TENURE) have a negative association with EM indicating high EQ. In contrast, auditor rotation (A_ROTATON) positively affects EM confirming low EQ.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study uses Big-4 and its member firms as a proxy of auditor size (A_SIZE); instead, other bases may be taken for it, like the dominant audit firms in a particular industry in sample data, etc. The authors have started audit tenure from the base year, i.e. 2001, which may ignore the association of auditor and auditee just before 2001.Practical implicationsThe study findings would enhance policymakers' willingness to prepare appropriate regulations regarding JAs and auditor rotation, which might improve financial market efficiency and reduce financial fraud among Indian corporates.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to incorporate “Joint Auditor” (JA) as a proxy for audit quality in the Indian context, which might significantly contribute to the literature.

Auditors’ response to earnings management after split-share structure reform in China

PurposeThis study aims to investigate whether and how auditors responded to the documented increases in earnings management after split-share structure reform (SSSR) in China, as manifested in auditors’ propensity to issue modified audit opinions (MAOs) after the SSSR. This study further investigates how client importance and auditor size influence auditors’ response to earnings management after the SSSR.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts logit regression models to investigate auditors’ propensity to issue MAOs to their clients that appear to manage earnings after the SSSR. Initially, including all Chinese publicly listed firms from the CSMAR database, the sample for final analyses consists of 21,904 firm-year observations for 1,290 unique listed firms during the period 2001–2020. The sample period surrounds the implementation of the SSSR, which started in 2005, allowing the examination of auditors’ propensity to issue MAOs after vis-à-vis before the SSSR.FindingsThe authors find that non-Big10 auditors in China were less likely to issue MAOs to their economically important clients who appear to manage earnings after SSSR. However, in the years of non-tradeable shares being released to the markets, both Big10 and non-Big10 auditors were less likely to issue MAOs to their economically important clients who appear to manage earnings. The findings suggest that auditors may have compromised auditor independence in response to earnings management after the SSSR, likely due to the pressure from their economically important clients.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature, specifically the practice and theory in auditing, by shedding light on ever-changing auditors’ reporting behaviour, especially with regard to auditor independence. It also adds to the growing body of literature on the impact of institutional changes on auditing practices worldwide. The findings of this study further suggest that the recently documented declining demand for high-quality audits after the SSSR may be motivated by the clients’ intention to manage earnings after the SSSR.

Pengaruh Firm Size, Subsidiaries, Auditor Size, Loyalitas, dan External Audit Report Lag terhadap Audit Fee: Studi Empiris pada Perusahaan Manufaktur yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia Periode 2018-2020

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the effect of firm size, subsidiaries, auditor size, loyalty, and external audit report lag on audit fees in manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). Methodology/approach: The population of this study are manufacturing companies listed on the IDX with an observation period of 2018-2020. The research sample consisted of 30 companies from 56 saturated samples determined by purposive sampling technique. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression with the help of the SPSS program. Results/findings: The results of the study concluded that partially firm size, auditor size, and loyalty variables affect the audit fee. Meanwhile, the variables of subsidiaries and external audit report lag have no effect on audit fees for manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Limitation: in manufacturing companies in the consumer goods industry sector only. The limitation of this research is that the research object is not extensive, only exists, so a small sample is obtained. Contribution: This research is useful as information material and for regulators' considerations to provide clearer regulations and explanations related to the determination of audit fees, so that the information obtained is transparent so that it makes it easier for investors to make decisions. It is hoped that with regulations and supervision regarding the amount of the audit fee, relevant information can be obtained.

Adoption and content of key audit matters and stock price crash risk

We examine whether the mandate for auditors to report key audit matters (KAMs) affects firm-specific stock price crash risk in China. Auditors in China are required to issue an expanded audit report that contains KAMs for AH-share firms, effective on January 1, 2017 (applicable to the financial year 2016), and for A-share firms, effective on January 1, 2018 (applicable to the financial year 2017). Applying a staggered difference-in-differences (D-i-D) design on a sample of 18,751 observations for financial years 2012–2019, we find that auditor reporting of KAMs is not significantly associated with stock price crash risk. The mechanism tests show that the disclosure of KAMs does not reduce information opaqueness and managerial opportunistic behaviors. Furthermore, our findings are not sensitive, but are robust to firms' corporate governance, product market competition, ownership structure, and auditor size. Overall, our study informs regulators, investors, auditors, and other stakeholders interested in the economic consequences of mandating KAM disclosures.

The Effect Local Ownership, Audit Quality, Audit Committee, And Financial Performance on Company Value

Corporate value is used by management in running the business to maximize shareholder wealth. Local ownership, audit quality, audit committee, and financial performance have prospects in the future so that investors will be interested in investing. This population is in manufacturing companies that pay dividends during the period 2016 to 2021 which are listed on IDX so the sample used is 222 companies. The method used is panel data regression. Findings of local ownership, size audit, audit tenure, audit committee, total asset turnover, and return on assets have a significance on company value, on the contrary debt to assets has no significance on company value. It is suggested that companies can improve local ownership and audit quality in making corporate strategy decisions to increase company value, in addition to financial performance to maximize profits that reflect the company internally

Does Quality of Audit Committee Enhance Audit Quality?

Purpose: This study investigates whether quality of audit committee affects audit quality of Korean listed firms using panel data during the period 2008 to 2018.
 
 Theoretical framework: Recent studies show that characteristics of audit committees such as size, activity, and expertise have a significant impact on the monitoring of the financial reporting process (He and Yang, 2014; Asiriuwa et al. 2018). Therefore, it is necessary to carry out systematic empirical studies to understand the effectiveness of the audit committee from various perspectives.
 
 Design/methodology/approach: The quality of audit committee is classified into four categories: 1) activity, 2) independence, 3) expertise, and 4) the presence of female audit committee member. Audit quality is measured by auditor size and accruals quality.
 
 Findings: This study finds that activity and expertise of audit committee enhance audit quality whereas independence of audit committee does not affect audit quality. The female audit committee member partially enhances audit quality.
 
 Research, Practical & Social implications: This study suggests that the high quality of the audit committee enhances the audit quality and increases the accounting transparency of the firm.
 
 Originality/value: The empirical results of this study suggest that firm should concentrate the optimal composition of the audit committee, not simply the establishment of the audit committee.

The determinants of audit fees in the alternative investment market (Aim) in the UK: Evidence on the impact of risk, corporate governance and auditor size

This study examines the determinants of audit fees for companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in the United Kingdom (UK), which is the secondary market of the London Stock Exchange for small and medium sized companies. AIM companies are expected to present different audit pricing challenges compared to fully listed firms. From an audit demand perspective, AIM companies exhibit different risk and governance characteristics while, from a supply perspective, the AIM is characterized by greater auditor choice than typically found in main markets. We find that audit fees in the AIM are negatively influenced by client liquidity and the length of listing. We also find that higher levels of audit committee disclosures are associated with higher fees, although there is no evidence that individual audit committee characteristics influence audit fees. After controlling for self-selection bias, we find that Big 4 auditors charge higher fees and this premium is especially pronounced for smaller firms. Our findings contribute to the audit pricing literature by illustrating that the determinants of audit fees depends on the institutional setting in which companies operate as well as highlighting the importance of specific risk measures and auditor size in the determination of audit fees for AIM companies.

PENGARUH GCG, FIRM SIZE, DAN LEVERAGE TERHADAP MANAJEMEN LABA PADA PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR

This study aims to examine the effect of good corporate governance, firm size, and leverage on earning management in manufacture companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in 2017-2019. The sample processed using multiple linier regression model in this study amounted to 217 samples. The data in this research were processed using E-views 11.0. The result of this study indicates that board size, firm size, leverage, and institutional ownership have no significant effect on earning management, however auditor size have a negative and significant effect on earning management. The implication of this study is the bigger auditor size, the smaller the probabilitu of earnings management, while board size, firm size, leverage, and institutional ownership does not have a significant effect on earnings management.