Big Audit Research Articles

Factors influencing environmental and circular economy disclosure of Viet Nam listed companies

This study examines the environmental and circular economy disclosures (ECED) level and factors influencing this level of 32 Vietnamese listed companies from 2018 to 2022. The content and frequency analyses are performed to determine the level of ECED, and regression analysis is to investigate the influencing factors. Drawing on a sample of 160 sustainable development and annual reports following the Global Reporting Initiative frameworks (GRI), the study evidenced that 32 listed companies paid great attention to the GRI 300 category (on environment topics) with the top three GRI standards 302 (energy), 307 (environmental compliance), and 303 (water and effluents), respectively. In addition, the Feasible Generalized Least Square method results showed that the companies with government ownership and Big4 audit services had a higher level of ECED. In comparison, larger companies had a lower disclosure level. Meanwhile, companies in the manufacturing sector with foreign shares and the independence of the Board of Directors did not affect the disclosure information disclosure level in the studied sample.

Choice of financial audit firm and ESG assurance firm: The role of board of director characteristics

Corporations increasingly seek assurance on their published environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reports. Some companies use their audit firm to assure ESG reports, while others seek assurance services from a different firm. This paper investigates the influence of boardroom-based factors – female directors and multiple directorships – on companies' choice of ESG assurance provider. Using a sample of 438 Australian company-year observations from 2010 to 2020 we find that companies with more female directors and busy boards (i.e., boards with directors having at least three concurrent directorships) are more likely to choose a Big-4 audit firm different from their incumbent financial auditor to assure their ESG reports. Based on agency, social capital and resource dependence theories, we explain this ESG assurance procurement strategy as deliberate to address the potential ethical dilemma of engaging the same audit firm for assurance of financial and non-financial information. Our findings suggest that companies with more female directors and busy boards are likelier than their counterparts to apply this ethical stance in choosing their financial auditors and ESG assurers. Implications for policymakers and regulators in designing board diversity guidelines or rules and companies in setting board diversity criteria and policies are discussed.

Impacts of corporate governance attributes on audit quality in emerging economies: The case of India

Purpose The present study examines the impact of corporate governance attributes on audit quality in the context of an emerging market, India. The study is based on data from 100 non-financial firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange randomly selected from the list of BSE 500 firms on 31 March 2021 for 2017–2021. Aim To measure audit quality using two input-based measures – audit fee and audit firm size (Big-4 or non-Big-4). Design/Methodology/Approach This study uses logistic regression and panel data regression models to investigate the impact of corporate governance variables on audit quality after controlling for some firm-specific variables. Furthermore, a generalised estimating equation model is used to check the robustness of the logistic regression model results. Main findings The results indicate that board independence, board gender diversity, multiple directorships, and audit committee independence positively correlate with audit quality. However, the board size, role duality, and promoter shareholding are negatively associated with the audit quality. Further, the quantile regression results indicate heterogeneous impacts of role duality and promoters’ shareholding on audit quality. Practical implications First, firms with the concentration of power in the hands of promoters directly or indirectly may engage Big-4 auditors to enhance AQ. Second, policymakers should take appropriate steps to enhance the gender quota as per international norms to improve the quality of financial reporting. Third, firms' should capitalise on the enhanced advisory capability of the directors having exposure and association with other companies. Novelty/Contribution The study enriches the existing literature by providing empirical evidence from an emerging nation characterised by the dominance of promoters’ shareholding, busy boards, and role duality.

Analysis of Key Audit Matters Disclosures in Financial Reporting: The First Evidence from Indonesia

The aim of this study is to explore the first year of Key Audit Matters (KAMs) disclosure in Indonesia, which has been fully adopted since 2022. The research reports on matters published in 806 statutory audit reports of listed companies in 2022. This study provides the first description of KAMs disclosure by Indonesian public companies. The findings suggest that the most common KAM disclosures are related to "allowance for doubtful debt," "revenue (excluding fraud)," "valuation of inventories," "fixed assets (including depreciation)," and "property valuation." The study found differences between Big-4 auditors and non-Big-4 auditors concerning the average number of KAMs disclosed

기업의 지배구조와 신용등급 간의 비선형성에 대한 연구

This study examined whether there is a nonlinear characteristic between the independence of the audit committee and the credit rating that can function as a monitoring body. In addition, it was examined whether the results of this analysis have significant differences depending on the audit corporation. The analysis results show that, first, the independence of the audit committee showed a significant nonlinear relationship with the credit rating and credit rating of corporate bonds. This indicates that the independence of the audit committee increases to a certain level or higher, so that the more sufficient control and monitoring effects exist, the higher the credit rating can be. Second, the nonlinear relationship between the independence of the audit committee (the ratio of appointments) and the credit rating was significant in Big4 audit firms than in Non-Big4 audit firms.

Audit Market Concentration for Listed Entities in Romania and the Impact Following the Latest EU Audit Reform

Abstract The concentration of the audit market has been of interest for several years as the dominance of a few companies has always been an issue of debate. The need or not to address this situation, the reasons that cause it, any possible risks assessed and solutions to reduce them have been addressed by a wide range of studies. Our research seeks to examine the structure of the Romanian Audit Market for listed entities, both before and following the recently adopted European Union Audit Reform. The main purpose is to understand the market structure, identify some of the main factors that influence auditor choice and if there was any impact following the new directive. The analyses focused on 74 listed companies, for the period from 2013 to 2022, for which we collected the relevant data in order to analyze the audit market structure, its evolution following the new audit directive and, using linear regressions models, test the influence that size, share class category, existence of long-term debt, shareholder type, evidence of shareholder direct involvement and auditor office location has on choosing one of the Big 4 auditors or not. Our analysis showed that Big4 auditors ecreased in market share especially after 2016, the date the new audit reform came into effect, from 49% to 41% and that the number of auditor changes increased significantly after this date. We also found that the number of cases where another Big4 auditor was selected decreased from 64%, in the period from 2013-2016, to only 28%, in the period from 2017-2022. These findings support therefore the assumed existence of an impact in the market following the latest European Union audit directive. The linear regression analysis performed showed no significant influence for the variables analyzed, when it comes to choosing a Big4 Auditor, the highest coming from the share class variable (26%) and size (12%). Even though our paper offers some light regarding the audit market for listed companies in Romania and the evolution following the new directive further research is needed to better understand client behavior and what influences auditor choice.

Rookie directors and dividend payouts: Evidence from China

This study examines the nexus between rookie independent directors and corporate dividend payouts among Chinese A-share firms between 2006 and 2020. The empirical results imply that rookie independent directors lead to enhanced corporate dividend payouts. This positive association is less pronounced in the presence of strong governance factors such as foreign ownership, Big-4 auditors, and higher analyst coverage. We identify that firm operating performance can work as a channel in the nexus mentioned above. Lastly, in light of our findings, we recommend that policymakers and shareholders in China should give adequate attention to rookie independent directors since they guard the interests of shareholders by efficiently and effectively monitoring corporate management.

Is tax avoidance one of the purposes of financial data manipulation? The case of Romania

PurposeCompanies avoid taxes in a variety of ways and use different methods to do that, one of the most common being earnings management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether companies manipulate their financial data in order to reduce taxes paid.Design/methodology/approachWe considered a sample of 63 listed Romanian companies for the period 2016–2021. The Beneish model was used for estimating earnings management, and the effective tax rate was used to measure tax avoidance. The analysis was carried out using regression analysis in Stata13 software.FindingsThe findings of the research indicate a negative and statistically significant association between effective tax rate and earnings management, implying that one of the main reasons why companies manipulate their earnings to reduce tax burden and avoid taxes. Moreover, our results show that return on assets (ROA) has a statistically significant negative influence on the effective tax rate. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that firm size, growth, and Big4 audit have no effect on effective tax rate.Research limitations/implicationsBecause it analyzes concrete cases using financial data and provides some recommendations for addressing the issue of tax avoidance, this work is useful in advancing both quantitative and qualitative research on this topic. This research is relevant for businesses, governments, regulators, audit professionals and investors.Originality/valueThe study, by analyzing concrete cases using reported financial data, contributes in filling the gap within the literature that results from a lack of scientific research on the relationship between tax avoidance and earnings management, and then it clarifies the nature of the causal connection between them. Moreover, it considers a combination of firm related variables including performance, size and also audit quality.

Does audit quality moderate the relationship between financial statements readability and stock price crash risk?

Purpose This study aims to examine the correlation between the readability of financial statements and the likelihood of future stock price crashes in nonfinancial companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange. It further explores the possible moderating effect of audit quality on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach The study uses ordinary least squares regression, generalized least squares estimation and two-stage least squares methodology to examine and validate the research hypotheses. The sample comprises 107 nonfinancial companies registered on the Egyptian Stock Exchange from 2016 to 2019. Findings The results reveal a significant negative association between the readability of financial statements and stock price crash risk. This suggests that companies with more complex financial statements tend to experience higher future crash risks. Additionally, the study identifies audit quality as a significant moderating factor. Higher audit quality, often indicated by engagements with Big-4 audit firms, strengthens the influence of financial statements readability on stock price crash risk. This implies that while high audit quality enhances investor confidence and market stability, it also accentuates the negative consequences of complex financial statements. Practical implications The findings of this paper have significant implications for regulators and standard-setting bodies in Egypt. They should consider refining and revising existing standards to emphasize the importance of enhancing the readability of financial reports. Additionally, auditing firms should actively engage in efforts to ensure clearer and more transparent financial reporting. These actions are vital for boosting investor confidence, strengthening Egypt’s capital market and mitigating potential risks associated with information opacity and complexity. Originality/value This study represents a pioneering endeavor within the Arab and Egyptian financial environments. To the best of the author’s knowledge, it is the first examination of the association between the readability of financial statements and stock price crash risk in these contexts. Furthermore, it explores factors such as audit quality that may influence this connection.

Does Cultural Embeddedness on Cigarette Packages Mitigate Environmental Information Credibility? Evidence from China

ABSTRACT Drawing on the behavioral consistency theory, we examine whether cultural embeddedness on cigarette packages as a sinful behavior window dressing affects environmental information credibility, and further investigate the moderating role of high-quality external audit (Big4 auditors). Using hand-collected data from China, our findings reveal that cultural embeddedness on cigarette packages at the province level is significantly negatively associated with corporate environmental information credibility, suggesting that cultural embeddedness on cigarette packages shapes unethical social atmosphere around firms, triggers managers to cover up environmental misconducts, and eventually mitigates environmental information credibility. Moreover, Big4 auditors weaken the negative relation between cultural embeddedness on cigarette packages and environmental information credibility. Above findings are robust to a variety of sensitivity tests using alternative proxies for cultural embeddedness on cigarette packages and environmental information credibility, and further our conclusions are still valid after using the propensity score matching method, two-stage instrumental variable OLS-TOBIT regression procedures, and Heckman two-stage regression approach to address the endogeneity issues. Furthermore, cultural embeddedness on cigarette packages significantly positively induces greenwashing. Lastly, our main findings are more pronounced for firms without pollution control departments, with lower investment in environmental technologies, with less media coverage and in provinces with lower legal enforcement.

경제 불확실성이 감사보고서의 발행을 지연시키는가?

[Purpose]This study examines the relationship between macro－uncertainty and audit report lag. Also, it analyzes whether this relationship manifests differentially when considering audit hours by rank and auditor characteristics. [Methodology]For analysis, we use a sample of listed firms for the period from 2014 to 2019. Audit report lag was proxied by the number of days from the fiscal year－end to the audit report date. Macro－uncertainty was measured using the volatility index VKOSPI provided by KRX. [Findings]The analysis yields the following results. Firstly, it confirms an increase in audit report lag under high uncertainty. This could be interpreted as auditors increasing audit efforts in response to a rise in audit workload under uncertainty. Secondly, the relation between uncertainty and audit report lag becomes more pronounced in subsamples where audit hours put into by junior and senior staff are high. Thirdly, the relationship between uncertainty and audit report is stronger for Big4 and industry specialist auditors. This could be interpreted as auditors with higher reputation risk or litigation risk allocating relatively more audit effort in response to increased audit risks under uncertainty. [Implications]Despite previous research indicating that uncertainty reduces audit fees and audit hours, this study’s results suggest that reduced audit fees or audit hours does not necessarily imply a decrease in audit effort. Our results provide insight to investors and auditors in providing evidence that increased audit report lag may be due to external environmental factors rather than an increase in firm－specific risk factors.

CGSC, audit quality, and Internet reporting: The mediation and moderation analysis

Research Questions: In what ways does the corporate governance scorecard (CGSC) and internet reporting intersect with audit quality? To what extent do technological advancement and auditor qualifications moderate the association between internet reporting, corporate governance (CGSC), and audit quality? In what capacity does audit quality mediate the association between internet reporting and the corporate governance scorecard (CGSC)? Motivation: The rationale for conducting this study is to fill a known void in the academic literature concerning corporate governance in developing nations, with Egypt serving as an example. Idea: The main idea of our study is to understand the impact of CGSC-measured corporate governance on internet reporting of financial and non-financial information. Our study also seeks to determine whether audit quality acts as a mediator and whether auditor qualifications and technological advancement moderate this relationship. Data: Using a questionnaire, 258 auditors from various auditing firms, including the Big4 and national audit firms with international affiliation, data were collected. Tools: Factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and Structure Equation Modelling. Findings: Corporate governance assessed by CGSC improves the Internet reporting through the mediation of audit quality, with auditor qualifications and technological advancement serving as moderators. Contribution: This study contributes to the scholarly comprehension of the association that exist among CGSC, audit quality, and internet reporting. Implications for utilizing CGSC as a metric for evaluating corporate governance practices and its influence on online reporting are both theoretical and practical in nature. The investigation contributes valuable perspectives that can guide decision-making in practical and theoretical settings, thereby enhancing the academic discourse.

Auditors’ characteristics and timeliness of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria

Research question: What are the effects of auditors’ characteristics on timeliness of financial reporting among listed family-owned firms in Nigeria? Motivation: Timely issuance of audited annual financial report is highly desirable to various stakeholders against top management insider trading on the accounting information of which family-owned listed firms is highly prone to involve. Idea: This study examined the effect of auditor’s characteristics on timeliness of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the extent at which auditor’s type; audit opinion; audit fee; auditor’s tenure; and joint audit affect timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned businesses in Nigeria. Data: The data used and evaluated covered a period from 2012 to 2021, and were drawn from 47 listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. The secondary data were obtained from MachameRatio database. Tools: Both descriptive statistics and partial least square regression analyses were performed. Findings: The robust test performed revealed that Big-4 audit firms, audit opinion and audit tenure have positive effect, while audit fee and joint audit impound negative effect, on timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. However, the result is statistically significant for audit opinion, audit tenure and audit fee. Contribution: The implication of the findings is that audit opinion and audit tenure enhance timely issuance of the financial reports of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. This study’s contributions to the body of knowledge include exploring the position of auditor’s features on timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria which extant studies have scarcely investigated. The study recommended that listed family-owned firms in Nigeria should engage auditors for longer audit tenure among others.

Unraveling the Dynamics of Intellectual Capital, Firm Performance, and the Influential Moderators—BIG4 Auditors and Group Affiliation

The importance of intellectual capital (IC) in past decades unfolds several dimensions of firm performance (FP). Still, the contradictory and inconclusive relationship between IC and FP in the literature motivates the researchers to explore further and understand the empirical connection using both linear and curvilinear approaches. Using the fixed-effect panel regression models on a sample of 795 non-financial firms of India from the financial years 2004–2005 to 2020–2021, this study reveals that, undoubtedly, the IC enhances the FP up to a certain threshold, and with any marginal investment, IC reduces the FP by forming the inverted U-shaped curve. Interestingly, the presence of BIG4 auditors in Indian firms helps to increase the FP with the help of IC, even for the group-affiliated firms. Thus, this study aligns with both value creation and cost concern perspectives and implies that management and regulatory bodies may adopt a balanced approach while enhancing the FP through IC, as the result suggests that investment in IC will not endlessly improve the FP in the Indian context.

The use of big data and analytics in external auditing: Does audit firm size matter? Evidence from a developing country

Purpose: The aims of this research are to investigate the reasons for adopting big data (BD) and big data analytics (BDA), determine their extent of usage, and identify potential obstacles to their adoption in a developing country, Egypt. Motivation: Prior literature criticized the audit profession for the slow adoption of BDA, and little is known about the adoption of BD and BDA in developing countries. The reluctance to incorporate BD and BDA into auditing can be attributed to their potential obstacles. In addition, prior studies focused on the Big-4 audit firms in developed countries with little known about adopting BD and BDA in local audit firms and developing countries. Design/methodology/approach:To achieve the objectives of this study, 16 audit practitioners with various positions, specializations, and experience levels were interviewed. The 16 participants belong to audit firms of different sizes: international audit firms, local audit firms, and a governmental auditing agency. Thematic analysis was employed through using the MAXQDA software package to analyze the data. Main findings: The findings revealed that the reasons for using BD and BDA go beyond improving audit efficiency and effectiveness and satisfying clients. All audit firms collect and analyze large volumes of traditional accounting data. However, the Big-4 firms manage and analyze non-financial data and new data items as complementary audit evidence. Also, it was found that the type of audit firm affects the use of these technologies, with international firms being superior to other firms. The Accountability State Authority lags behind other audit firms in adopting BD and BDA. Furthermore, it was found that some obstacles to adopting BD and BDA arise due to the specific characteristics of the Egyptian context, while others are universal. Practical implications/Managerial impact: Determining the reasons for and obstacles to adopting BD BDA is useful for audit firms and regulators to remove these obstacles and encourage using such new audit technologies. The findings might help developers of BDA software packages to enhance their packages to meet auditor requirements. Moreover, academic scholars can benefit from the findings of this study by gaining an understanding of the main differences between developed and developing countries in relation to adopting BD and BDA. Novelty/Contribution: This study was conducted in Egypt, a developing country with a an underdeveloped audit environment. Therefore, this study enriches the relevant literature by providing information about BD and BDA in an unexplored developing environment. Besides, it delves deeper into the reasons and obstacles to using BD and BDA in external financial auditing in a developing country. Also, it adds to the literature by identifying the most common BDA software packages and techniques that auditors use in a developing country. Moreover, it considers audit practitioners’ viewpoints on audit firms of various sizes.

THE IMPACTS OF BOARD CHARACTERISTICS AND FIRM SIZE ON FIRMS’ PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM VIETNAMESE LISTED FIRMS (HOSE)

This study examines the impacts of board characteristics and firm size on firm performance: evidence from Vietnamese listed firms (HOSE) for the 2016-2020 period. The study controls for endogeneity and simultaneously problems using the dynamic panel technique of Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) with a data set of 344 companies (1,339 observations) in all industries excluding financial institutions. The research results show that board size (BSI), CEO duality (CEO), big 4 audit (B4A) and firm size (FIS) have significant position relationships with firms’ performance while there is a negative correlation between Board gender diversity (BGD) and firms’ performance. The data also reveal that the lagged dependent variable in the estimated model is significant in explaining the connection of board gender diversity, firm size and big 4 audit, indicating that the estimation models in our study are reasonable.

Quality of audit and cost stickiness empirical evidence from emerging markets

This study aims to present further evidence of cost stickiness by employing Selling, General, and Administrative (SG&A) costs. It also provides empirical evidence on the effect of audit committee meetings and audit quality on cost stickiness. The study used data from listed companies on the Saudi Arabian stock exchange during 2015–2019. Based on pooled panel data regression, the study proves that the SG&A costs are sticky. The results show the level of SG&A costs increases more with an increase in sales revenue (activity) while it decreases less with an equivalent reduction in sales revenue (activity). Also, this study finds that the frequency of audit committee meetings decreases the magnitude stickiness of SG&A costs, which supports the view that frequent meetings of AC significantly enhance its overseeing function and effectiveness. The study further reveals that audit quality “by BIG4 audit firms” is not related to reduced cost stickiness. This result implies that there is no difference in CS between companies audited by BIG4 or by non-BIG4. In general, the research highlights the importance of AC diligence (i.e., meetings) in improving its effectiveness and controlling management’s discretions affecting the cost structure in the context of sticky cost behavior.

Corporate Governance Characteristics and Earnings Management of Quoted Non-Financial Firms in Nigeria

This study investigates the relationship between some corporate governance attributes and earnings management of listed firms in Nigeria. This study uses the correlational research design and purposively sampled secondarily sourced data over the period from 2005 to 2020 of 75 non-financial firms listed on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange Group (NXG). The Robust Least Squares Estimators results reveal that board independence (BODI) is positively significant with earnings management; board size (BODS board gender diversity (BGDIV) and audit committee size (ACS) are negatively significant with it while managerial ownership (MOWN); chief executive officer with military experience (CEOME) and number of foreign directors (NFODIR) are insignificant. While foreign income (FINCOME), year fixed effects (YDUM) and industry fixed effects (IDUM) dummies are negatively and statistically significant, the Big4 auditors is positively insignificant. The study concludes with some recommendations that management, among others, should maintain or increase the present level of board size, audit committee size and the number of females in the board since these variables deter management in managing earnings for the period under review.

The role of large shareholders in goodwill impairment decisions – Evidence from China

Our paper examines how large shareholders manage goodwill impairment to inflate earnings as well as the role of audit functions in this setting. The influence of large shareholders on corporate decisions is well documented, however, overlooked in goodwill literature. Using data from China, we find that a higher ownership percentage held by large shareholders associates with a lower likelihood of recording goodwill impairment as well as a reduced impairment amount, suggesting that goodwill impairment is intentionally avoided or decreased by large shareholders. We further find that the presence of big4 auditors mitigates such relationship.

ESG Performance, Auditor Choice, and Audit Opinion: Evidence from an Emerging Market

This study examines the effect of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance on auditor choice and audit opinion for Egyptian-listed firms. We use univariate and multivariate analyses of 612 firm-year observations for a sample of 68 firms listed on EGX100 over 2014–2022 using binary logistic regression models. Consistent with the ethical perspective of corporate social responsibility, we found that firms listed in the ESG index are more likely to assign one of the Big4 auditors, and less likely to receive a qualified opinion. Through an additional analysis, we found that COVID-19 moderates the relationship between ESG performance, auditor choice, and audit opinion. Our results confirm the value of ESG performance for audit practices in emerging economies. This research indicates that ESG performance can enhance financial reporting quality. Further, it ensures that binding guidelines and regulations are crucial to oversee corporate ESG performance, especially during crisis times, and enhance investors’ protection and firms’ sustainability.