Mandatory Audit Research Articles

Aspects Regarding the Structure of the Financial Audit Market in the European Union from Fees Perspective

The audit market, developed out of the need to strengthen the credibility and the quality of financial reporting, has led since the 1980s to a concentration around large audit firms, the dominance effect being marked on the one hand by the auditor’s increasing reputation and notoriety, and on the other hand by the client’s association with a reputed auditor, which contributes to improving the company’s image on the market. In this context, a major issue is represented by the level of the fees charged, as they represent key elements that may affect the auditor’s independence. Moreover, a sensitive aspect is the relationship between the fee charged for financial audit services and the one for non-audit services and the compensation practices between them. The European Commission wants to facilitate competition in an overly concentrated market and also provide the opportunity for small and medium-sized audit firms to become active players in the large corporate audit market through joint audit, in which at least one of the audit firms is not part of the Big4 group. The mandatory audit firm rotation and the limitation on the non-audit services provided are the main aspects of the recent audit reform that directly influences the fee level. The main purpose of this study is to analyse whether there is a pattern of audit costs at the community level. In this context, this paper aims to assess the uniformity of audit costs, namely to determine the structure of the audit market in the European Union. The research involves data set comparison methods, by analysing a sample of 2,896 firms listed on the stock exchange in 35 different states over the period 2013-2021.

MANDATORY JOINT AUDIT AND AUDIT QUALITY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EUROPEAN BLUE CHIPS

This study investigates audit quality under joint and single audit regimes with a sample of large European firms. Both, the economic relevance of these companies, and the fact that the impact of joint audit on audit quality should be stronger when the audited company is a blue-chip firm motivate the study. If mandatory joint audit were positively associated with audit quality, French firms, under mandatory joint audit since 1966, should present higher audit quality compared to their European peers. The results do not indicate this to be the case. Specifically, similar levels of discretionary accruals are observed for French and other European firms. Furthermore, for the first time in the literature, evidence is reported indicating that French firms may even present lower audit quality than their European peers, when audit quality is measured by the likelihood of just beating earnings benchmarks. These results are expected to inform the ongoing debate in several countries about joint audits.

The Impact of Mandatory Auditor Tenure Disclosures on Ratification Voting, Auditor Dismissal, and Audit Pricing*

ABSTRACTRecent amendments to Auditing Standard (AS) 3101 require disclosure of the initial year of the auditor‐client relationship in the audit report. As the standard was being discussed, auditors, clients, and some PCAOB members expressed reservations about the necessity of tenure disclosures and were particularly concerned about disclosing tenure in the audit report. Our purpose is to investigate whether the tenure disclosures mandated by AS 3101 are associated with changes in stakeholder behavior. We predict and find that after the implementation date, ratification votes against the auditor and the probability of subsequent auditor dismissal increase for long‐tenured versus short‐tenured auditors. Results from a path analysis further suggest that the relative increase in dismissal for long‐tenured auditors appears to be influenced directly through tenure disclosures and indirectly through ratification voting. We also predict and find that negotiating power decreases for long‐tenured auditors as evidenced by lower audit fees. Our results are comparable for companies that voluntarily disclosed and companies that did not disclose auditor tenure in their proxy statements prior to the AS 3101 amendment. Overall, our study suggests that mandatory disclosure of auditor tenure in the audit report significantly affects stakeholder behavior. The PCAOB should consider our findings carefully as they evaluate whether AS 3101 is achieving its intended purpose.

EFFICACY OF AUDIT FEE ON AUDIT QAULITY OF SELECTED PHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS IN NIGERIA

The problem of poor accuracy and credibility in some audited financial statement has being a major form of information asymmetry which had led some shareholders and prospective investors to make wrong Judgment about the financial position of some organization due to poor audit quality. Thus, Specifically this study empirically examine how audit fee, audit report lag as well as mandatory auditor rotation affect the audit quality of the sample listed pharmaceutical firms on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A GLS estimation method was employed to clearly establish the nature relationship that exists between the dependent variable and the adopted surrogates for the independent variables. A Secondary data was extracted from the annual audited reports from the ten selected pharmaceutical firms that serve as the fair representation for the population under study for a period of ten years 2009-2019. The result from the finding shows that all the adopted surrogates for the independent variable were jointly significant in explaining about 72% variation in audit quality given credence to the coefficient of (R2) which stood @ 0.72 as well as the combined p-value of 0.000. This implies that the predictive power of the surrogates of the independent variables can explain about 72% changes in audit quality of the population under study. In specific terms; Audit fee have a significant positive impact on audit quality of the selected pharmaceutical firms while audit report lag and mandatory auditor rotation have significant negative impact the audit quality of the selected pharmaceutical firms respectively. The study therefore recommends among many others that policy makers and regulators should put in place a framework that will ensure the payment of optimal compensation to audit firm as audit fee as this will no doubt go a long way in improving the audit quality of the firms under study.

Changes in the Concentration of the Audit Services Market in the Context of Mandatory Auditor Rotation in Poland and the United Kingdom

Changes in the Concentration of the Audit Services Market in the Context of Mandatory Auditor Rotation in Poland and the United Kingdom

Auditor reporting to bank regulators: Effective regulation or regulatory overreach?

We discuss “Economic Consequences of Mandatory Auditor Reporting to Bank Regulators” by Balakrishnan, De George, Ertan, and Scobie (BDES, in this issue). BDES concludes that a key benefit of mandatory auditor reporting to bank regulators is reduced bank risk, and its costs include reduced profitability from less overall and less risky lending, and higher audit costs. BDES also provides evidence on the channels through which mandatory auditor reporting links to reduced bank risk. We scrutinize BDES's analyses and inferences and suggest additional analyses to improve and deepen them. Most notably, we caution that effective bank regulation entails reducing risk for riskier banks; risk reduction for safer banks suggests regulatory overreach. Our evidence is more indicative of regulatory overreach. Thus, although BDES is an important step forward in understanding the role auditors can and do play in improving information available to key decision-makers other than through auditor reports on financial statements and internal controls, a comprehensive assessment of whether the benefits of mandatory auditor reporting to bank regulators exceed its costs is left for future research. Such an assessment is necessary before concluding whether mandatory auditor reporting leads to more effective bank regulation or regulatory overreach.

Close auditor-client relationships: adverse effects and the potential mitigating role of partner rotation

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate whether close auditor-client relationships affect audit quality over the tenure of the audit partner and the potential role of partner rotation in mitigating this effect.Design/methodology/approachUsing the Chinese mandatory audit partner rotation setting, the authors identify the existence of a close auditor-client relationship if the audit partner tenure with a client is larger than the audit firm tenure with that client. The sample period (1998–2009) is divided into voluntary and mandatory rotation periods when examining the effects of audit partner tenure on audit quality for the normal and close auditor-client relationship subsamples, respectively. The authors also conduct a propensity score matching analysis to address a selection issue.FindingsThe paper finds that under the voluntary partner rotation regime, audit quality decreases with audit partner tenure for the subsample with close auditor-client relationships, whereas this effect is not shown in the normal relationship subsample. However, audit quality no longer declines with audit partner tenure under the mandatory partner rotation regime.Originality/valueThis is the first study that directly examines the effect of audit partner tenure on audit quality associated with close auditor-client relationships under the voluntary and mandatory partner rotation regimes.

Auditor tenure, investor protection and accounting quality: international evidence

PurposeThis study aims to investigate whether auditor tenure has a significant influence on accounting quality and whether investor protection moderates the effect of auditor tenure on accounting quality.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses weighted least squares regression on a sample of 77,855 firm-year observations from 36 countries during the period 2010–2016. This study uses the absolute value of performance-matched discretionary accruals to measure financial reporting quality.FindingsThis study finds that a longer auditor tenure is associated with higher accounting quality, thus supporting the knowledge effect arguments. The results on the joint effect of investor protection and auditor tenure show evidence of the substitutive effect of investor protection, where the positive impact of auditor tenure on accounting quality is weaker in a high investor-protection environment.Practical implicationsThese findings provide input for policy implications involving the auditing profession. Regulators may need to weigh the costs and benefits of mandatory audit rotation because country-level institutional factors influence auditing regulations and practices, as well as the auditors’ behaviors.Originality/valueThis study adds to the limited, albeit important, evidence on the joint effect of auditor tenure and country-level governance on accounting quality. The authors respond to the call by Brooks et al. (2017) for more evidence on the role of audits on financial reporting outcomes across various legal institutions for creating effective policies.

Учет основных средств и капитальных вложений как ключевой вопрос аудита отчетности

The article is devoted to the issues of accounting of fixed assets in organizations, whose securities are circulated by the organizers of trade on the securities market. These organizations include public joint stock companies, which are subject to mandatory audit. In the auditor's reports issued to such organizations, in accordance with the requirements of ISA 701 "Key Audit Matters", key audit matters should be disclosed. Very often, auditors choose such key issues as "fixed assets" and "capital investments", especially on the eve of the entry into force from January 1, 2022 of the new accounting standards - FSBU 6/2020 "Fixed assets" and FSBU 26 / 2020 "Capital investments". The article discusses the features of accounting for fixed assets and capital investments, due to which auditors assess the risk of misstatement of accounting (financial) statements as increasing and conduct audit procedures to identify such prerequisites for the formation of statements as the valuation of fixed assets and rights to them belonging to the reporting organization.

Economic consequences of mandatory auditor reporting to bank regulators

We study the economic consequences of mandates that require bank auditors to report to bank regulators. Based on survey responses from the European Central Bank, all 28 national bank regulators within the European Union, and a review of national banking regulations, we create a novel dataset on these mandates. Exploiting the cross-sectional and time-series variation in these mandates, we find evidence that auditor reporting to bank regulators reduces bank riskiness, as measured by counterparty risk and credit spreads. We also observe a decline in problem loans and risk-weighted assets, as well as improvements in timeliness of loan loss provisions. Additional analyses suggest that mandated auditor reporting increases the effectiveness of supervisory and monitoring efforts and improves market discipline of banks. However, mandated auditor reporting comes with costs: it reduces future lending growth, risky lending, and profitability, and increases audit fees paid by shareholders.

Will mandatory audit firm rotation reduce audit market concentration in South Africa?

Purpose: Deconcentrating the audit market was one of the stated objectives of the proposed mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) ruling in South Africa. With MAFR being a contentious topic, this study aimed to explore the possible effect of MAFR on audit market concentration in South Africa in anticipation of the implementation thereof in 2023.Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 415 South African listed companies was studied for the period 2010–2018. Data were mainly captured from annual reports. Descriptive statistics and significance testing were performed on calculated concentration ratios and identified audit firm rotations.Findings/results: South African audit market concentration mirrored empirical evidence from most developed countries – with Big 4 audit firms dominating the audit market, whilst a monopoly within the Big 4 audit firm grouping was also evident. Based on observed audit firm concentration and audit firm rotation behaviour, it was anticipated that MAFR might further increase audit market concentration. A concerning result was the sheer scale of audit firm rotations to be carried out in anticipation of MAFR in 2023.Practical implications: This study identified the impairment of audit quality and increased costs as possible unintended consequences of MAFR in South Africa.Originality/value: This study contributed to the limited body of knowledge on the possible effect of MAFR in South Africa. This study proposed alternatives to MAFR and recommended areas for future research to support evidence-based decisions on remedies to address audit quality and audit market concentration in South Africa.

Audit Expectation GAP in The Public Sector of The Gambia

In the private sector, the audit expectations deficit is a big concern. The audit expectations divide, on the other hand, is a new problem in the public sector that has received little attention from researchers. Just a few studies on the audit expectations deficit in the public sector have been conducted so far in the sense of financial audit. In the background of the above, this study centered on the audit expectations difference. The study was motivated by the importance of the financial audit feature in the Gambian public sector, as well as recent developments related to this type of audit in the country (such as rising expectations among users and associated problems in practice). As a result, the study aims to assess whether or not there is a difference in audit expectations in the Gambian public sector. According to the results of this report, there is an audit expectations deficit in the Gambian public sector when it comes to performance auditing. Interviews indicate that there is a broad gap in audit standards on several auditing topics. These include fraud detection exercises, management, executive and other parties' impact on auditors, audit report format, and widening the audit mandate to include policy merits.

International non-financial reporting systems from the perspective of establishing the sustainable development concept

Under modern conditions of the growing trend of sustainable development the issue of disclosing relevant, high-quality and user-friendly reports of non-financial information about the economic, environmental and social aspects of business entities’ activities is of particular importance. The purpose of the article was to study international non-financial reporting systems from the perspective of establishing the sustainable development concept to substantiate the directions for improving the process of information disclosure about sustainable development by business entities. The comparative analysis, abstract-logical generalization, historical and chronological methods have been applied. The evolution of the sustainable development concept has been studied and the key characteristics of the stages of its formation at all levels of the management hierarchy have been identified. The peculiarities and areas of application of the most widespread modern international non-financial reporting systems among economic entities have been studied and their general characteristics and shortcomings have been summarized. The ways of improving the process of such information disclosure in accordance to the set requirements have been suggested in the following areas: the development of the state non-financial reporting standard on sustainable development, which is based on the concept of the triple bottom line and contains provisions for drawing up a report that must be standardised according to the Sustainable Development Goals; the introduction of a mandatory audit of such reporting and the business entity responsibility for its non-submission; the creation of conditions for the training of persons responsible for drawing up non-financial reporting on sustainable development and those performing its audit; the provision of development and free software distribution for compiling and submitting such reports. The practical significance of the obtained results is stipulated by the creation of prerequisites for increasing the awareness of business entities regarding activities in the direction of sustainable development and increasing the effectiveness of the state policy of sustainable development

Relative Influences of Review and Engagement Auditor Rotation on Audit Quality: Evidence from China

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: This study focuses on the effects of audit partner rotation on audit quality (AQ) in China. In particular, we examine the effects of review auditors (RAs) and engagement auditors (EAs) on AQ when they voluntarily and mandatorily rotate. Design/Methodology/Approach: The data in this study are retrieved from the Chinese Stock Market and Accounting Research (CSMAR) database. We develop an OLS regression model and logit model respectively to test the hypotheses developed. Finally, we have 13,856 firm-year observations collected for the first regression model, and 16,893 firm-year observations gathered for the second logit model from 2003 to 2015. Research findings: Findings show that RAs are more likely to behave opportunistically to retain clients by weighing up the benefits and costs of compromising audit quality in the first year after a rotation. The results imply that RAs may have an incentive to acquiesce the clients’ accounting irregularities in their first year of audit engagement when they are mandatorily rotated. However, we do not find this trend in terms of EAs’ rotation, suggesting that EAs are less affected by the auditor-client relationship compared to RAs. In addition, we find that RAs are less likely to issue modified audit opinions (MOPI) as the magnitude of negative discretionary accruals (DA) increases when they are voluntarily rotated. Theoretical contribution/Originality: Previous studies have investigated the relationship between mandatory audit partner rotation and audit quality. The results are mixed and inconclusive. Our study contributes to the extant literature by considering RAs’ opportunistic behaviour after mandatory rotation, which has not been explored in previous studies. In China, only a few studies have examined the relationship between mandatory audit partner rotation and audit quality. Our study is one of the first study focusing on the RA’s influence on AQ. Practitioner/Policy implication: The findings of our study can help Chinese authorities, listed firms and academics gain more understanding on whether mandatory audit partner rotation improves audit quality in practice. Since RAs have greater incentive to retain the existing client, we propose that RAs should bear more responsibility for the audit work, instead of the equally shared responsibility with EAs. Research limitation/Implications: Our study is subject to some limitations. First, our study adopts the performance-adjusted discretionary accruals as a proxy for audit quality. However, there can be a measurement error in estimating discretionary accruals. Second, we focus on the auditor rotation and exclude the case of audit firm rotation. Since the AQ can be affected by various factors, audit firm rotation can also affect AQ. Third, although we test the relative effects of RAs and EAs in audit work, we do not examine the effect of RAs’ characteristics such as their professional experience, educational background, and years of service. AQ can be affected by RAs’ characteristics.

Специфічні особливості проведення аудиту малих підприємств в умовах поширення пандемії COVID-19

Introduction. A special place in the modern economy of Ukraine belongs to small business, which contributes to the gradual creation of a significant layer of smallholders, which should guarantee political stability and ensure democratic reforms in quarantine. Active development small business sector creates new requirements for accounting information of small enterprises, so the issues of organization accounting and auditing of their financial statements become even more relevant. There is a need to develop theoretical and organizational and methodological provisions on the organization of accounting and auditing small businesses, aimed at improving the efficiency of their activities.. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to analyze the audit of small businesses and find out in the process of auditing the spread of coronavirus infection. Results. Currently, there is a lot of discussion about the need to conduct an audit of small businesses, as small companies are not subject to statutory audit. The article considers the process of auditing small businesses in the conditions of spreading the COVID-19 pandemic.. The number of violations in the work of small enterprises has been determined. A number of features and possible errors during the inspection have been analyzed and investigated. Ways to solve the problem, the method of introducing mandatory audit by auditors and the application of liability for inaccurate information have been proposed. Conclusions. The study of audits of small enterprises in quarantine makes it possible to conclude that a typical feature of small business in Ukraine is the shaky and unreliable work. Therefore, to overcome the above problems, it is necessary to create an effective mechanism to support its actors at both state and regional levels, namely: measures to strengthen accountability for the quality of audit services, including the issuance of knowingly false audit opinions and evasion of state control, will in the long run increase the motivation to carry out business activities in this professional field in accordance with the requirements established by the legislation of Ukraine. Small enterprises of Ukraine need to be audited in case of publication of financial statements (publications in periodicals or distribution in the form of separate printed publications), lending to small enterprises, their liquidation. In modern conditions, small business is the only sector of the country's economy, the number of enterprises that is growing steadily every year, but in quarantine, there is a good chance to see a tendency to reduce their number.

An investigation of the credibility of and confidence in audit value: evidence from a developing country

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the factors that enhance the credibility of and confidence in audit value.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 254 institutional investors through a questionnaire survey and were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe findings reveal that the two influential predictors of enhanced credibility and confidence are perceived auditor independence and improved auditor communication. Factors related to auditor–client affiliation, such as restrictions on providing non-audit services, mandatory auditor rotation and the presence of effective audit committees, are identified as creating the perceived independence. Improved auditor communication is linked with improving the audit report and ensuring audit education, thus creating more sophisticated users who better understand the scope and purpose of an audit. Furthermore, independent audit oversight acts as a moderator in the relationship between perceived auditor independence, improved auditor communication and enhanced credibility. Enhanced credibility can lead to greater confidence in audit value.Originality/valueIn the wake of the global financial crisis and loss of confidence in the role of auditors, this study investigates the factors that can enhance the credibility of and confidence in audit value, especially in a non-Anglo-American setting. This study is unique in terms of methodological development, as it uses a higher-order Type II reflective–formative model using PLS-SEM.

On the Political Decision of Audit Market Regulation: Empirical Evidence of Audit Firm Tenure and Maximum Durations within the European Union

After almost every economic crisis and corporate scandal, political actors announce the need for stricter regulatory measures for financial markets and companies, in an attempt to appease their voters and defend their political agenda. Regarding the latest international financial crisis, the EU responded, among other things, with comprehensive regulation of the European audit market. In the context of auditor rotation, after 17 June 2016, the duration of audit engagements should not exceed a maximum of 10 years. In this paper, we therefore investigate whether there is empirical evidence behind the 10-year threshold—or is it simply arbitrary? Our aim is to evaluate the audit market reform by the European Union (EU) (Regulation (EU) No 537/2014 and Directive, 2014/56/EU) related to the objective of improving the quality of audits. Therefore, our article addresses the most crucial element of this reform, the implementation of a mandatory audit firm rotation for public interest entities (Regulation (EU) No 537/2014, Article 17). Based on a unique dataset of 11,834 firm observations from all listed companies within the EU between 2008 and 2017, we provide for the first time a discussion basis for the assessment of audit market interventions by the EU. Hence, we compare the new maximum durations with average audit tenure in the particular member states. Even where we present only descriptive results, our results at least indicate that the “magic number” 10 (years) could be more the result of a political process—i.e., a consent between the European institutions—rather than evidence based. Therefore, our findings shall serve as a first starting point in the discussion of a vast and interdisciplinary research field.

Board characteristics, auditing characteristics and audit report lag in African Central Banks

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of audit report lag in Sub-Saharan African Central Banks. In this case, the determinants were divided into two categories: independent variables and mediating variables. The independent variables, which were generated from board characteristics, included board size, board gender diversity, governor duality, audit committee size and audit committee meetings. The mediating variables were auditing characteristics and they comprised audit mandate, audit approach and audit quality.Design/methodology/approachThe study used data from 192 observations from African Central Banks' financial reports for the period 2000–2016. The data collected were analyzed using path analysis, whereby four regression models were run and tested simultaneously. From the analysis, the study determined total effects and then decomposed the total effects into direct and indirect effects.FindingsThe study results indicate that in the case of board characteristics, governor duality and audit committee size were found to have a positive influence on audit report lag. In the case of audit quality, only audit mandate was found to have a negative influence on audit quality in the Central Banks. However, the introduction of mediating variables increased the positive effect of governor duality and audit committee size, while also making board size and board gender diversity have a significant negative effect on audit report lag.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper have implications for the practice and policy of the auditing and governance of Central Banks, which includes designing appropriate governance structures as well as proper auditing strategies.Originality/valueThis is the first study which has examined factors influencing audit report lag in Central Banks. Previous studies on Central Banks' governance have examined the independence and autonomy of the Central Banks, as well as their accounting. This paper extends prior studies by examining the effects of those factors. Another contribution is the study's application of auditing characteristics as mediating variables.

Can mandatory dual audit reduce the cost of equity? Evidence from China

In China, a mandatory dual audit system for domestic A-share firms cross-listed on the Hong Kong stock market (i.e. AH companies) was abolished in 2010. Since then, AH companies have been allowed to choose to have a dual audit or a single audit. We find that the mandatory dual audit regime before the deregulation is associated with a lower cost of equity than voluntary dual audit after the deregulation. Furthermore, the lower cost of equity under the mandatory dual audit regime is greater in companies exposed to stronger financial constraints and with higher agency costs, and is not attenuated by alternative voluntary audits. Our results are not affected by accounting standards convergence and audit quality, and are robust to various model specifications. Our results suggest that the role of mandatory dual audit in mitigating agency costs and information asymmetry is not replaceable by voluntary dual audit.

Выручка от продаж как ключевой вопрос аудита в России (часть 2)

Organizations whose securities are traded with the organizers of trading in the securities market, which include public joint stock companies, are subject to mandatory audit. Th e auditor’s reports, in accordance with the requirements of International Standard on Auditing 701, issued to such organizations, must disclose key audit matters. Very oft en, auditors opt for such a key issue as “revenue recognition”. Th e article discusses situations when the choice of the topic of the key question on revenue seems insuffi ciently justifi ed, and the wording of the key questions is as identical as if their text was standardized, while the adoption of standard 701 had the opposite goal — information transparency, specifi city and reflection of the characteristics of the activities of each audited entity.