Measuring Audit Firms＇ Intellectual Capital as a Determinant of Audit Quality： A Suggested Model

The intellectual capital is a main source of competing advantage. Many studies developed measure（s） of intellectual capital of industrial and service firms. Few studies have tried to develop a reliable measure of intellectual capital in audit firms. This study extends the current models to provide more insight into the role of intellectual capital in audit firms. The aim of this study is to develop a quantitative model to measure audit firms＇ intellectual capital. The suggested model can be used to explore the relationship between the intellectual capital in audit firms and audit quality. The model combines the main components of intellectual capital （human capital, structural capital, and relational capital）. The suggested model provides a tool that may help to better manage the intellectual capital in audit firms. As this is a theoretical study, a number of hypotheses are presented for testing in the future.

Study on the Relationship Between the Audit Committee of Ipo Firms and the First-Day Stock Earnings

This paper mainly discusses the relationship between the audit committee of IPO firms and the stock returns on the first day of trading on the stock exchange.Using the sample of 21 firms that made an initial public offering in ASX between 2008 and 2010,Regression analysis was used to conclude that the existence of the audit committee of IPO firms and listed on the first day of the stock returns have no significant direct relationships.The result shows that the audit committee has no effect on the earnings of the first day of listing,and the establishment of the audit committee may not be considered before listing.

Research on Firm Size, Firm Performance and Internal Auditing Modes——Based on Listed Manufacturing Companies of China

This paper is based on the samples of listed manufacturing companies of China, taking the financial performance as criterion, and then does research on the firm performance with different internal auditing modes, using Cross-sectional data to analyze the distribution of internal auditing modes and the characteristics of the firm performance. The conclusion is that setting up internal auditing is good for the development of companies, but the function of internal auditing has not been widelv fulfilled.

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.

The discussion on audit risk and prevention of accounting firm

This paper analyses audit quality control, brain gain, time pressure of CPA, follow-up education of auditors by firms. The reasons of audit risk rising of CPA are discussed. Based on the foregoing analysis, the author puts forward some measures about self-construction, processes and others of firms and CPA to reduce audit risk of CPA.

A Comparative Analysis of the Effect Factors of Audit Pricing in a Share ＂Three Boards＂ Market

China＇s share market can be classified into main board, small-and medium-sized board, and growth enterprise market （GEM） board market. This paper, based on the effect factors of audit pricing, empirically analyzes the audit pricings of 2009＇s annual report of listed companies in ＂Three Boards＂ market with the result that the audit pricing of companies in main board market is significantly affected by size of the auditee, corporate governance, operating risk, and features of auditor etc.. The same result is showed among the companies in the small-and medium-sized board market which is exclusive of operating risk factor, while in GEM board market, the audit pricing is only affected by numbers of auditees＇ subsidiaries and ratio of independent directors etc..

The Impact of Auditor Quality on Audit Quality--Evidence from China Based on Data from 2014-2016

This paper studies the impact of auditors'own quality on audit quality.Through the test of relevant models,it is necessary to find out whether the conclusions of predecessors have practical significance in improving the quality of auditing as time goes by and other relevant influencing factors of the market.The paper collects relevant data from multiple dimensions such as the age level of the auditors,the accumulation of audit experience,and the level of education by collecting the relevant data of the 2016 A-share listed companies and the top 100 CPA firms in 2014-2016.An empirical test was conducted.According to the results of the empirical test,the discussion and research will be carried out,and further opinions and suggestions on how to improve the quality of the auditor should be put forward.The innovation of the research is that the level of earnings management is used as a measure of audit quality,and non-recurring gains and losses are used as explanatory variables.On the basis of previous studies,time and environmental institutional variables were further introduced for further verification.

Environmental Accounting Audit Decision and Firm Performance： An Empirical Investigation

The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between environmental accounting audit decision and firm＇s profitability in Nigeria. Specifically, the authors hypothesize that profitability is a determinant of company＇s decision to disclose quantitative environmental information for external audits. The population of this research is made up of both quoted and non-quoted companies. The sample size for this study was selected using the simple random sampling technique. The selected companies included companies from the following sectors： agriculture, automobile and tyre, breweries, building materials, chemical and paints, conglomerates companies, food/beverages and tobacco, construction, healthcare, industrial/domestic products, packaging, printing and publishing, textiles, petroleum marketing companies, banking, insurance, and others. A sample of 160 companies with audited final accounts for 2009 financial year was eventually selected. The binary logit regression technique was utilized as the data analysis method. The finding reveals that profitability is a positive and significant determinant in evaluating the probability that a firm includes environmental information for external audits. The study concludes that finn-specific factors may provide incentives for corporate environmentalism in Nigeria.

Regional Variation in the SME-Audit Firm Relationship

The purpose of the paper is to examine how the relationship between small and medium sized enterprises （SMEs） and their auditor varies between regions. Auditing literature, regional, and network studies are used to set up hypotheses on differences between rural regions and the metropolitan urban region. Survey data from 421 SMEs are analyzed and findings support that in rural regions, especially those with a strong entrepreneurial culture and tight inter-organizational links, the SME-auditor relationship is to a larger extent trust-based compared to the urban region. In the rural region, the auditor assumes the role as a business support agent providing valuable strategic advice. The SME-auditor relationship is weakest in the urban region where the auditor＇s role is limited.

The Effect of Audit Objectives on Audit Quality Why is There Little Disclosure of Significant Deficiencies in Japanese Internal Control Audits？

Many prior research findings indicate that audit quality differs between the Big 4 and non-Big 4 audit firms using an indicator variable. However, most previous research focuses on only outcome measures, such as audit fees, going concern reports, and non-audit services. This study investigates audit quality differentiation between the Big 4 and non-Big 4 audit firms hypothesis from an audit objective point of view. One of the material objectives of Japanese internal control audit institutions is to facilitate assessment and improvement of internal controls by corporations themselves. The findings of this study indicate that the Big 4 audit firms accomplish this objective better than non-Big 4 audit firms. Consequently, most Big 4 clients do not disclose significant deficiencies （SDs）, implying that they improve the quality of internal controls through internal controls auditing. This paper concludes that Big 4 firms produce a higher audit quality level than non-Big 4 firms, and this quality difference iS related to how an audit objective is interpreted and implemented.

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.

资本市场国际融合与公司审计收费——来自A股纳入MSCI指数的经验证据

近年来,我国资本市场的市场化进程逐步加快,与国际资本市场的融合是其中关键一环。基于A股纳入MSCI指数的外生事件,我们检验了资本市场国际融合对公司审计收费的影响。本文利用2014-2020年我国A股上市公司数据,通过构建动态双重差分模型,研究发现,A股标的公司被纳入MSCI指数后,会计师事务所的审计收费显著下降。进一步分析显示,资本市场国际融合对审计收费的影响在非交叉上市公司、非国有企业和融资融券标的公司中更显著。基于作用机制的分析表明,纳入MSCI指数的A股标的公司,其跟踪的证券分析师增加,机构投资者调研增多,外资持股比例上升,并且内部控制质量提高。研究的结论有助于认识我国资本市场国际融合的经济后果,也为了解公司审计收费的影响因素提供了经验证据。

An Investigation into the Reorganization of the Big Four and the Consolidation of the Accounting Industry

The Big Four is the name given to the top four professional consultancy firms of the world namely Pw C(Price Waterhouse Coopers), KPMG, Ernst and Young and Deloitte. These firms provide audit, accounting, taxation, financial and other professional consultancy to the clients(being businesses and companies). The paper discusses the reasons for the formation of the Big Four and the future aspects of the big four. It was found that the current market structure and the existing status of the Big Four will not change in the near future and there is near to impossible chances of new entrants in the auditing and accounting markets because of barriers to entry established by the Big Four in the existing market.

Audit Quality in Kazakhstan： Does Big 4 Provide High-Quality Audits？

This paper provides empirical evidence on audit quality in Kazakhstan as measured by audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. In addition, an overview of audit institutions of Kazakhstan and an analysis of the current audit market for public companies are offered. This paper also sheds light upon the potential independence problems resulting in low audit quality and current barriers to audit researches in Kazakhstan. Consistent with the findings of extant researches on audit quality and the general perceptions of investors, two hypotheses were developed, i.e., the audits performed by Big 4 audit firms in Kazakhstan also have higher quality than non-Big 4 audit firms in terms of audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result confirms the hypothesis that Big 4 audit firms provide higher audit quality than smaller local firms in association with audit tenure instead of in relation to the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result indicates that Big 4 audit firms may not be as independent as they will be in a highly litigious market. Therefore, an independent inspection should be regularly implemented according to the audit law, and the inspection report should be publicized by Chamber of Auditors （COA）1. If this is not practical due to the lack of qualified inspectors, a peer review may be an altemative to implement the quality control policy immediately. To the author＇s best knowledge, this is the first audit quality research in countries of the Commonwealth of Independence States （CIS）.

UTR-CTOE： A New Paradigm Explaining CAATs Adoption

Computer assisted audit techniques （CAATs） are audit technologies that allow auditors to perform their audit work efficiently and effectively. However, little is known about CAATs adoption process by audit firms. Therefore, this paper adapts the technology readiness theory （TRI）, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology （UTAUT） and the technology-organization environment （TOE） framework and Denison organizational culture theory, and presents a new theory of unified technology readiness and cultural-technological-organizational-environmental model （UTR-CTOE）, to explain CAATs adoption at both individual level and firm level. The methodology used in the study consists of a random sampling among the auditors through the administration of questionnaire. A total of 581 auditors registered with Mauritius Institute of Professional Accountants （MIPA） respond to the survey. Our main findings of this paper confirm that the relation between beliefs, such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, facilitating condition and social influence, and motivation is positively correlated, while beliefs have a negative correlation with inhibition towards CAATs adoption. Results also indicate that firm＇s decision for CAATs adoption is positively influenced by cultural, technological, organizational, and environmental factors. Furthermore, there is an indirect impact of firm＇s internal and external influences on auditors＇ adoption of CAATs.

An Empirical Study on CEO’s Academic Experience and Financing Constraints-Taking Shanghai and Shenzhen A-Share Listed Companies as Samples

Taking A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2007 to 2018 as samples,this paper analyzes the influence of CEO’s academic experience on corporate financing constraints.The empirical results show that there is a negative correlation between CEO’s academic experience and enterprise financing constraint level.Compared with state-owned enterprises,the academic experience of CEO in private enterprises is significantly negatively correlated with the level of corporate financing constraints.It also suggests that CEO’s academic experience can significantly reduce the level of financing constraints in the company samples audited by accounting firms(not Big 4).The conclusion of this paper is helpful to enrich the research of manager characteristics and corporate governance.At the same time,the research in this paper has reference significance for enterprises to ease the level of financing constraints.

国有企业政治关联、政府审计质量和企业绩效——基于我国A股市场的实证研究

在我国,国有上市公司既拥有股权政治关联又拥有高管政治关联。相对于樊纲指数,更为微观的政府审计质量是影响政治关联对国有企业绩效作用发挥的重要因素。在不考虑政府审计质量的情况下,国有股权政治关联会降低企业的绩效,而高管政治关联会提升企业绩效;在考虑政府审计质量的情况下,政府审计质量越高,高管政治关联提升作用越不明显,也越会降低股权政治关联对企业绩效的损害作用。因此,提高政府审计质量可以改善国有企业的生存环境,优化资源的配置,促进企业的健康发展。

注册会计师忙碌会影响审计意见吗?--来自A股上市公司签字注册会计师有限注意力的证据

以2013—2015年A股上市公司为研究对象,探究注册会计师忙碌程度对其审计判断的影响,实证研究结果表明,签字注册会计师越忙碌,越有可能出具标准审计意见。进一步考虑签字注册会计师个人特征的研究表明,性别和年龄特征会显著影响注意力分散效应。研究结论有助于转制后会计师事务所建立健全内部组织结构,对于政府相关职能部门规范注册会计师的审计行为亦有着一定的政策启示意义。

我国A股审计市场集中度的静态与动态分析

本文从静态结构变化和动态换位两个角度对2003-2005年我国A股审计市场集中度及其变化进行了研究。结果发现:(1)我国近几年来审计市场集中度的提高是由外资所的增大引起的,并非国内所合并的结果;(2)事务所换位频繁,表明的是审计市场竞争激烈,国内大型事务所的竞争优势不太明显。因此,要保证我国独立审计的质量和效率,A股审计市场结构还有待进一步的优化。

高管审计师背景、会计信息质量与审计收费——基于A股制造业公司的经验数据

以2011—2013年A股制造业公司为样本研究高管的审计师背景对公司的会计信息质量和审计收费的影响,在研究审计收费时按照工作内容和职责两个维度将高管进一步细分,分析不同类型的高管事务所关联与审计收费的关系,结果显示:具有审计师背景的高管的所在公司为了实现自身利益最大化会进行盈余管理,导致会计信息质量降低。事务所为了弥补较高的审计风险会增加审计收费,但是有事务所关联的财务岗位高管凭借人际关系和"校友效应"能够降低审计收费,非财务岗位高管由于职责和利益所限不能降低审计收费。