继任审计师关注前任审计师的声誉吗?——前任会计师事务所的审计质量与可操控性应计利润

Do Auditors Consider Predecessor Auditors' Credit?——Predecessor Auditors' Audit Quality and Discretionary Accrual

本文讨论了前任会计师事务所的审计质量对公司更换审计师以后可操控性应计利润的影响。我们发现,"四大"对国内"非四大"转过来的新客户更加谨慎。这些客户在接受"四大"审计的第一年,可操控性应计利润水平显著低于"四大"所审计的其他公司,包括从其他"四大"转来的公司。这说明,"四大"已经在客观上提高了前"非四大"客户的审计风险。但是对于"非四大"而言,则没有这种差异,无论新客户的前任审计师是"四大"还是"非四大",其所审客户的整体可操控性应计利润水平没有显著差异。本文的研究结果表明在一定程度上国内事务所对前任事务所审计风险的敏感度低于"四大"。

This study analyzes the impact of predecessor auditor＇s quality on discretionary accrual during the first year with the successor. We find that ＂Big Four＂ is more conservative toward new customers whose predecessors are ＂non-Big four＂. During the first year,discretionary accrual for this group of new customers is lower than other firms audited by ＂Big Four＂, and is also lower than firms switching from other ＂Big Four＂. The results suggest that ＂Big Four＂ has realized the risk associated with customers from ＂non-Big Four＂. However, ＂non-Big four＂ place no discrimination toward new customers：discretionary accrual of new customers is not significantly different from that of existing customers, no matter the new customer switches from ＂Big Four＂ or not. To some extent, our results suggest that local auditing firms are less sensitive to auditor risk than their international peers.