Enhancing Public Confidence in Audit Reports of Listed Insurance Companies in Nigeria:Forensic Audit Perspective

The auditor’s report is the end-product of an audit;its importance to the business community cannot be overemphasized.It is the statutory confirmation that the accounts prepared by Management may be relied upon as true and fair.Public confidence in or lack thereof in auditor’s report is very critical to the very relevance of the audit practice.The purpose of this study is to examine how public confidence in auditor’s report may be enhanced with particular reference to audit report of listed insurance companies in Nigeria.Primary source of data was appropriately used.132 questionnaires were administered to Financial Advisers of 21 selected Stock Brokers and Accounting Firms operating at the floor of Nigeria Stock Exchange,Abuja,out of which 124 were filled and returned.Descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages was used to analyse the responses from the respondents,while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test hypotheses one and two while hypothesis three was examined using paired sampled t-test.The result of the study indicates that there is an inverse relationship between statutory audit and public confidence in audit report.It was found that forensic audits practice has a significant relationship with public confidence in audit report of listed insurance firms in Nigeria.The third hypothesis of the study shows that there is a significant difference between statutory audit practice and forensic audit practice in enhancing public confidence in audit report of listed insurance firms in Nigeria.It was concluded that public confidence in statutory audit report is on the decline following sudden collapse of firms that had unqualified audit report.It was recommended among others that the government should enact an act establishing forensic and investigative auditors in Nigeria separate from the existing accounting professional bodies since there is no public confidence on the audit report prepared by the existing accounting professional bodies again.By so doing,the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria will make forensic audit report mandatory for all organisations and in particular for the listed insurance firms in Nigeria,which will in turn restore the public confidence in audit report.

The analysis of determinants of going concern audit report

Going concern is one of essential things for user to make a financial decision. This research aims to explore factors that caused the issuance of going concern audit report by auditor. This research adds two new variables, audit size and audit committee, besides the other factors that cause auditor issue a going concern audit report. This research uses a regression logistic analysis to determine the relationship of each variable （liquidity, solvability, profitability, cash flow, audit firm size and audit committee） to going concern audit report. Different from previous researches, the results of this research show that liquidity, profitability, cash flow, and audit committee are not significant to influence the issuance of audit opinion. Audit size has a more significant relationship to audit opinion, while solvability is the most significant factor.

Do Auditors Postpone Reporting in Response to Insider Trading？ A Korean Perspective

How do auditors react to insider trading in client firms？ This paper examines the effects of insider trading on the audit report date. Insiders tend to urge managers to manage earnings to make more profits through trading their own firm＇s shares. If auditors play an important role in monitoring managers, they may pay more attention to insider trading, which may delay the filing of audit reports. We find that the more the insiders trade their stocks, the longer the audit report lag is. In addition, to address the effectiveness of auditors＇ efforts to prevent managers from earnings management, we test whether an extra effort by auditors can reduce aggressive accounting. We also find that auditors deter aggressive accounting by stretching report lag in response to insider trading, implying that auditors＇ efforts weaken insiders＇ opportunistic behavior. This study contributes to the literature by providing evidence that insider trading is a significant determinant of the audit report lag. We suggest that auditors are interested in insiders＇ activity and it can enhance the quality of accounting information.

Transparency Reports as a Red Flag for Quality Control of Audit Firms The Republic of Macedonia Experiences

A full application of the new auditing law dated 2005 meant, among other things, an obligation for audit firms to present transparency reports. In the period of 2007-2010, audit firms overcame the barrier and started disclosing the data on their operations, being treated as confidential for a long period of time. A continuous period of four years might seem to be a short period to create a big picture of the developments in the audit profession in the Republic of Macedonia. However, the issue of who, how, and for what purposes these data were used remains open. Pursuant to Article 7 of the Statute of the Institute for Certified Auditors of the Republic of Macedonia （ICARM）, the institute is in charge of carrying out quality control. In 2010, ICARM carried out, for the first time, quality control over the operations of audit firms in 2009. Did ICARM use and how much did it use the data from the transparency reports in the process of selecting the entities to be subjected to quality control？ Is it possible to establish relation between transparency in the operations of the audit firms and improvement of quality of services they offer to their clients？ The authors will try to provide the answers to the abovementioned questions in this paper.

A Study on the Reconstruction of Audit Reporting Model of Risk-Oriented Auditing During Post-Financial Crisis Era

The audit profession field is the dominant force to push forward every revision of audit reporting model during many significant revisions before the beginning of the 21 st century, and they have a prominent tendency to protect auditing industry instead of a response to the users＇ information demand for investment decision. Traditional audit reporting model cannot satisfy the need of modem auditing, and it is essential to reconstruct current audit reporting model of modem risk-oriented auditing （MRA） during the post-financial crisis era, because it lacks communication value, valuable information, and effective alert information. The study provides the main contents about the reconstruction plan of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board （PCAOB）： auditor＇s discussion and analysis （AD＆A）, required and expanded use of emphasis paragraphs in the auditor＇s report, auditor assurance on other information outside the financial statements, and clarification of language in the standard auditor＇s report. Then, the study discusses the effects of the reconstruction of audit reporting model on different stakeholders of audit including the auditors, the investors, the regulators, and the researchers.

The Effects of Audit Committee Attributes on Fraudulent Financial Reporting

This study aims to examine the relationship between audit committee attributes （audit committee independence, financial expertise, meeting frequency, gender diversity, and ethnic composition） and the propensity for fraudulent financial reporting. The sample includes 116 fraudulent and non-frandulent firms listed on Bursa Malaysia from 2005 to 2010. The finding of this study indicates that audit committee independence is positively associated with fraudulent financial reporting. The higher the proportion of independent or outside directors on the committee, the higher the possibility of financial fraud, and vice versa. The results also show that the expertise of members of the audit committee is negatively associated with corporate fraud. This suggests that when audit committee members are financially literate, they are more competent to curb fraudulent financial reporting. However, the findings for frequency of audit committee meetings, gender, and ethnicity show that there is no relationship between these variables and corporate fraud. The result of this study is robust after controlling for other firm-specific effects.

Audit Committees： How They Affect Financial Reporting in Nigerian Companies

This study examines whether audit committees are associated with improved financial reporting quality for a sample of Nigerian listed companies prior to and after a corporate governance code mandated new regulations for audit committees in 2003. Using a sample of 70 companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, this study uses archival data in the form of companies＇ annual reports to measure the association between audit committees and improved financial reporting quality. Dechew and Dichev （2002）＇s model was used to measure earnings as a proxy for financial reporting quality. The results indicate that formation of audit committees was positively associated with improved financial reporting quality. It was also found that audit committees having an independent chair and audit committee expertise were positively associated with financial reporting quality. Other audit committee characteristics examined were found to be insignificantly related to financial reporting quality.

The Relationship Between Financial Reporting Standards （FRS） 139 and Audit Pricing： The Case of Malaysia

This study provides some insights for auditors to gauge the complexity of the financial statements verification process to comply with the ambiguous standard, namely, Financial Reporting Standards （FRS） 139 in Malaysia. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the adoption of FRS 139 and the audit fees charged to clients. The final sample consists of 1,050 finn-year observations covering the period from 2006 to 2008 from the non-financial companies listed on the Bursa Malaysia. In this study, the static panel data analysis is used to provide richer interpretation and a powerful understanding of the effect of standard adoption on audit pricing. The regression results from the random effects Generalized Least Squares （GLS） suggest that FRS 139 adoption has not significantly increased audit fees. The small number of observations for FRS 139 voluntary adoption is suspected to be the main limitation factor contributing to the insignificant result of the hypothesis. It is suggested that the limitation of small observations of FRS 139 voluntary adopters might be encountered during the period of mandatory adoption. Therefore, future research might investigate the impact of mandatory FRS 139 adoption.

Independent Auditors Report： Australian Trends From 1996 to 2010

Audit report is the primary means of communication for auditors. To reduce the phenomenon of agency conflict, auditors work as agents for shareholders and report to them after reviewing the financial statements. In last 15 years, Australia has witnessed some major changes in Australian economy which have affected Australian business and its auditors＇ opinions. This paper examines the trend of audit opinions issued to Australian listed companies during this period. In total, 20,473 audit opinions were sited over the 15-year period, i.e., from 1996 to 2010. This research found that over the period, unqualified report was the most common type of audit reports issued in Australia with an average of 96.4%. The average rate at which the Big 4 audit firms issue unqualified reports is 88% compared with 76% issued by the non-Big 4 firms. It is also evidenced that the rate at which modified reports were issued during and after global financial crisis （GFC） （2007-2009） has increased across all industries, while the most noticeable increase occurred in the financial services, materials, and industrial sectors.

Audit Reports of Financially Distressed Companies： Emphasis of Matter （EOM） Versus Disclaimers

This paper examines audit reports issued to 39 Malaysian listed companies in financial distress categorized as Practice Note 17 （PNI7） companies by Bursa Malaysia. The study finds that for companies which experienced financial distress, the audit reports are not similar, despite all companies are similarly troubled financially. Companies receive either a disclaimer or an emphasis of matter （EOM） report. The study finds that which of the two reports is given is associated with three variables： current-year operating loss, shareholders＇ deficit, and default status, implying that audit reports do convey information that financial distress is not of the same level and severity among PN 17 companies.

The Effect of Social Responsibility Report Audit on the Quality of CSR Information Disclosure --Empirical Data from Chinese Listed Companies

As an important corporate govemance mechanism, external audit helps to improve corporate economic performance. Social responsibility report audit can supervise and constrain the disclosure of corporate social responsibility information, risk assessment and consulting planning, and improve the quality of information disclosure. Taking 2010-2013 listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen as samples for empirical test, we found that social responsibility report audit significantly improved the quality of corporate social responsibility information disclosure. Further study found that the greater the intensity of corporate shareholder oversight, social responsibility report audit on the quality of social responsibility to promote the quality of information disclosure more obvious. In addition, compared with the state-owned enterprises, the supervision of the major shareholders in the private enterprises to a greater extent enhanced the quality of social responsibility information disclosure.

Quality of Accounting Information and Internal Audit Characteristics in Nigeria

The basic goal of accounting is to provide quality accounting information that will aid reliable decision-making. The quality level of this accounting information comes from the company＇s governance practices, thereby emphasizing the importance of corporate governance in companies. Recently, following the financial crises resulting in accounting scandals, attention has been moving towards internal audit function as an important factor in the structure of corporate governance. This paper therefore examined the extent of the relationship between internal audit function and the quality of accounting information of companies. The study adopted the survey research design. The research instrument employed was questionnaire which was administered to internal auditors of the ＂Big Four＂. Linear regression analysis was employed in the analysis of the data collected with the use of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences （SPSS）. The results revealed that there is a significant relationship between the internal audit characteristics and the quality of accounting information. It was recommended that in order to provide credibility to the financial statement, there should be a law in place mandating attachment of internal auditors report to the financial statement.

The Factors Affecting Financial Reporting Reliability： An Empirical Research of Public Listed Companies in Thailand

The objective of this research is to examine the antecedents of financial reporting reliability of Thai-listed companies. Accountant professional ethics, accounting information system （AIS） quality, audit committee effectiveness, and audit firm quality are assumed to be the antecedents of financial reporting reliability. The listed companies in the Stock Exchange of Thailand （SET） are samples of the research. A mail survey procedure via the questionnaire was used for data collection from chief accountant officer. The overall results indicate that accountant professional ethics, AIS quality, audit committee effectiveness, and audit firm quality have a positive significant effect on financial reporting reliability. The results reveal that firms should develop accountant professional ethics, AIS quality, audit committee effectiveness, and audit firm quality in order to build reliable financial reporting. Overall, the results of this research contribute to chief accounting officers, accounting practitioners, and firms to emphasize development and support the generation of financial reporting reliability for financial reporting users.

Effect of Corporate Governance Compositions on Financial Reporting Timeliness in Nigerian Deposit Money Banks

This study ascertained the effect of corporate governance compositions on timeliness of financial reporting in deposit money banks in Nigeria.Ex Post Facto research design was employed for this study.Purposive sampling was used to select eight(8)deposit money banks in Nigeria with international authorization.Data were extracted from annual reports and accounts of the sampled banks and analyzed with regression analysis.The results show that board size has a positive and significant effect on financial reporting timeliness deposit money banks in Nigeria,while audit committee independence has a positive but insignificant effect on financial reporting timeliness of deposit money banks in Nigeria.Therefore,on the basis of the findings and conclusions of the study,the study recommends among other things that the number of banks board of directors should play a vital role in how well it can oversee daily operations of the institution and monitor management.

CFO变更与企业财务报告质量

在现代风险导向审计模式下,审计师会关注CFO变更这一信号以识别和评估财务报表重大错报风险,但鲜有文献探究财务报告质量是否因此而下降。以2010—2020年沪深两市A股上市公司为对象,研究CFO变更对企业财务报告质量的影响。研究表明,CFO变更提高了企业应计盈余管理的程度,增加了企业报告小额盈余、进行财务重述以及被出具非标审计意见的可能性,进而导致财务报告质量显著下降;当CFO未兼任内部董事、发生外部继任或非正常变更、任职于非央企时,上述负向作用更加明显。进一步研究表明,CFO变更通过提高企业的代理成本与信息不对称程度从而降低财务报告质量,并最终使企业面临更大的融资约束。

审计意见质量与关键审计事项报告积极性

KAM作为审计报告新增要素,其报告内容与方式必须服从、服务于审计报告核心要素——审计意见的质量保证要求。选取2016年A+H股和2017—2021年沪深A股上市公司作为样本,研究审计意见质量保证要求对KAM报告的影响,发现审计意见质量低时,KAM披露的数量越多、篇幅越大、可读性越强、语调越消极,差异度越大,KAM报告积极性越高。事务所规模越大、客户风险越低,上述关系越显著。通过一系列稳健性检验,结论依然成立。进一步研究发现:审计意见质量对KAM报告积极性的影响,不仅有利于提高审计报告沟通价值,而且有利于降低被审计报表的财务重述,控制审计失败。研究结论对审计师有效编制、监管部门适当监管、投资者正确理解新审计报告,充分发挥其功能作用,具有重要的启示意义。

党委审计委员会成立运行与预算执行偏离研究

2018年中央和地方党委审计委员会陆续成立和运行,旨在更好发挥审计在党和国家监督体系中的重要作用。从预算执行监督角度出发,考察省级党委审计委员会成立运行前后省级预算执行结果的变化。以支出预算偏离作为预算执行结果的代理变量进行检验发现,党委审计委员会成立运行后,省级支出预算偏离显著减少;所在省份财政透明度越高,省级支出预算偏离在党委审计委员会成立运行后减少得越多。作用机制检验发现,党委审计委员会的成立运行通过强化地方政府领导对经济监督的参与程度以及提高地方审计的权威性和独立性实现了支出预算管理效率的提升,从而减少了支出预算偏离。利用各省预算执行审计报告进一步研究发现,党委审计委员会成立运行后,支出偏离越多的省份,越容易被审计出更多问题。研究结论为党委审计委员会在预算管理中的治理作用提供了经验证据,有助于深化对审计管理体制改革的理解,对审计助推国家治理现代化有一定启示作用。

关键审计事项信息披露与债务融资成本——基于风险词频的分析

新审计报告改革要求在关键审计事项中披露风险信息,该信息的外部感知是一种风险吸收还是风险溢出,是一个亟待检验的理论命题。为此,以2017—2021年A股上市公司为研究样本,通过统计关键审计事项段文本的风险词频考察风险信息披露对债务融资成本的影响。结果表明,关键审计事项风险信息的披露显著降低了债务融资成本,符合信息观的预期。进一步研究发现:关键审计事项的风险披露主要是通过缓解信息不对称和降低债务违约风险影响债务融资成本;在企业代理成本较高、银行业竞争度较低的子样本中,关键审计事项风险信息披露对债务融资成本的降低作用更为明显。这不仅为新审计报告改革的效果提供了增量的经验证据,而且对于推进准则贯彻实施、完善资本市场监管规则体系也有一定的借鉴参考价值。

外部环境不确定性对企业持续经营审计风险的影响研究

目前,外部环境不确定性增多,有些企业面临利润下滑、成本费用上升、资金链压力陡增等经营风险。由于企业持续经营能力的职业判断标准差异、治理层与管理层的舞弊行为及凌驾于内部控制之上、审计范围受限的原因,注册会计师对企业年报审计中的持续经营风险相应增加。会计师事务所与审计人员应充分认清其风险的危害性,拓宽审计方法与思路创新、持续经营指标的评判,关注年报的持续经营披露与期后事项,严格遵守职业道德规范与质量控制程序,将审计风险降至最低。

上市公司审计委员会与年报风险信息披露--基于管理层信息操纵视角

上市公司年报风险信息是了解公司经营现状与预测未来发展的重要信息来源,它具有信息增量价值,但容易受到管理层信息操纵的影响。审计委员会作为公司治理的独立机制,对管理层具有内部监督作用。基于此,利用2010—2021年上市公司风险信息披露数据,实证检验了审计委员会对管理层信息操纵的治理作用。研究发现,审计委员会独立性、勤勉性和专业性越强,年报风险信息披露水平越高,且在不同性质市场环境中审计委员会的治理作用存在差异。机制检验结果表明,内部控制发挥了部分中介作用;此外,在内部治理环境较弱与外部监督压力较大时,审计委员会的治理作用更加显著。结论拓展了年报风险信息披露的影响因素研究,并通过构建不同维度的风险信息指标来综合衡量披露水平,证实了审计委员会对管理层信息操纵的治理效应,为审计委员会更好发挥监督效果以及监管部门进一步完善上市公司风险信息披露制度提供了重要支撑。