Signing auditors’ foreign experience and audit pricing

This study investigates whether signing auditors who have foreign experience affect audit fees. Using a sample of 20,712 firm-year observations from the Chinese stock market during the period of 2007–2017, this paper finds that signing auditors’ foreign education experience is significantly positively associated with audit fees, suggesting that signing auditors with foreign education experience can earn audit fee premiums. Furthermore, audit firm size reinforces the positive relation between signing auditors with foreign education experience and audit fees. In addition, above findings are robust to a variety of sensitivity tests using alternative measures of audit fees and signing auditors with foreign education experience and our conclusions are still stand after using the PSM, Heckman two-step approach, Placebo test and differences-in-differences method to address the potential endogeneity problem.     

连续型抽样方案在企业内部审计中的适用性

随着生产管理方式的不断发展,人们对质量的要求越来越高,审计抽样技术基本停留在标准型抽样阶段,且不能做到实时监控,导致许多企业管理上的漏洞不能及时发现,造成不同程度的损失。将连续型抽样方案的特点和实施的具体要求,与企业内部审计的特征、职能相对比,发现连续型抽样方案在企业内部审计中的应用是具备可行性的。结合审计案例,对其原有内部审计工作进行对比,发现运用连续型抽样,不仅可以对企业的运营实现实时监控,而且在一定程度上降低了企业工作人员犯错的几率。对企业内部审计抽样理论进行了大胆的创新,将连续型抽样引入企业内部审计,对扩大连续型抽样的应用范围,提高企业内部审计人员的工作效率都起到了积极的作用。     

The impact of labour unions on external auditor selection and audit scope: evidence from the Korean market

We examine whether labour unions influence external auditor selection and audit scope. As a major user group of financial information, labour unions likely demand financial information of high quality and thus high-quality audits. As a union’s request for wage increases is likely strong when a firm is performing well, management facing wage negotiations with the labour union has incentives to manipulate earnings downward and may therefore prefer auditors who allow more discretion. Using union data unique to Korea during 2005–2008, we find that firms with a stronger labour union tend to choose higher-quality auditors (i.e. Big N or industry specialist auditors). We also find that unionization is negatively (positively) associated with positive (negative) abnormal audit fees and audit hours, and the effects are more pronounced when the union is stronger and more active. Given that departures from normal audit fees and audit hours in either direction arguably impair audit quality, this finding is consistent with our prediction of unions’ demand for high-quality audits. Overall, our findings suggest that labour unions play an important role in determining audit quality.     

审计判断决策中的框架效应研究

行为审计研究已成为国内外审计判断研究的主流,有两大特点值得关注:第一,采用实验研究的方法;第二,越来越多的引入行为学、心理学理论研究审计判断决策问题。本文引入心理学中的框架效应理论,以库存内部控制体系为实验任务,采用实验研究的方法,对我国注册会计师审计判断决策中的框架效应进行了检验。研究发现,审计人员在进行审计判断决策时会受到框架效应的影响。研究成果丰富了我国审计的研究方法,为审计判断决策中框架效应的检验提供中国环境和审计专业背景下的实验数据。     

Professional scepticism in two economies with cultural differences and the public interest: evidence from China and the United States

Auditors’ professional scepticism is a topical concern for the audit profession and public interest. This study examines professional scepticism among fraud auditors in the forensic accounting profession in China (CN) and the United States (US). Data are collected from 373 and 401 CN and US auditors, respectively, in two economies with cultural differences. The multinomial logistic regression results indicate that both CN and US fraud auditors have higher levels of professional scepticism than general auditors do. There are no significant differences in traits between CN and US fraud auditors. High-ranking fraud auditors have higher levels of professional scepticism than junior-ranking fraud auditors for both CN and US auditors. The results of our sensitivity analysis validate the main results and indicate the findings’ robustness. Results support the normative pillar of the institutional theory (Scott 1995) that asserts actors (fraud auditors) of institutions would share common norms and beliefs in a social system because they are rooted in professional affiliations (accounting bodies) (DiMaggio and Powell 1983). Our findings contribute to the literature in the arena of the interests of the public and the economy.     

基于审计风险的区域化审计定价的研究

审计定价的区域化在我国是以行政手段实施的,这种定价忽略了一个十分重要的因素--审计风险补偿,进而使审计定价的模型存在着技术缺陷.基于审计风险的区域化审计定价,要求在审计定价中考虑地域差异对审计风险的影响以及审计定价中的风险补偿问题.实证研究表明,异地客户并未选择比本地客户更高的审计价格,而是选择了一种"逆理性"的更低的忽略审计风险的竞争价格.这种非常现象应引起政府监管部门与学术界的关注.     

Financial statement comparability and audit efficiency: evidence from South Korea

In this study, we examine the effect of financial statement comparability on audit hours, which we use as a proxy for audit efficiency. We examine the hours worked by auditors in completing 2322 audits in Korea between 2006 and 2010. Audit efficiency can be determined by the total audit effort required to achieve a successful audit. Using a sample consisting of firms maintaining a certain level of audit quality, we investigate whether financial statement comparability reduces audit hours. We find that comparability is negatively associated with audit hours. In addition, we find that the effect of comparability on audit hours is attenuated for firms that are ‘highly followed’ by financial analysts. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a possible way to improve audit efficiency from a unique perspective. While prior studies show that a client’s inherent risk and control risk lower audit efficiency, the results of this study show that comparability between financial statements facilitates audit efficiency. Improvements in audit efficiency reduce the opportunity costs associated with audit effort and thereby enable auditors to spend more time and effort focusing on high-risk engagements. Comparability is one of four qualitative characteristics of accounting information included in accounting conceptual frameworks. Despite the importance of comparability, there is very little research on its benefits. This study makes a unique contribution by measuring audit effort using a large database of audit hours worked by auditors in Korean firms.     

审计重要性水平、事务所规模与审计意见

文章以财务重述公司为样本,探讨了审计重要性水平、事务所规模与审计意见之间的关系.研究发现,重要性水平影响审计意见的类型,超过重要性水平的错误更容易被出具非标意见;不同规模的事务所对重要性水平的执行标准是有差异的,规模大的事务所对超过重要性水平的错误更加敏感,"大所"在执行审计业务时,时超过重要性水平的错误报表更容易出具非标意见.研究结论支持"大所"出具的审计意见更严格、审计服务质量更高这一论断.     

独立审计质量的经济学透视

本文从需求和供给两方面分析了独立审计市场中的审计质量均衡状况及其成因,研究发现:一方面,由我国公司治理不完善而引发的对独立审计的代理需求不足,以及特定融资制度下对低质量审计的融资需求强劲,使得我国独立审计的自愿性需求严重匮乏,从而审计师缺乏提高审计质量的内在经济动机;另一方面,现有法规对审计师的激励不足、约束不够,因此目前审计师提供的审计服务质量难于达到社会公众的期望-《独立审计准则》的要求.最后,笔者针对出现的问题提出相应的政策建议.     

人工智能技术对审计质量的影响——基于会计师事务所视角的实证研究

随着人工智能时代的到来，人工智能技术正在逐步实现对人类活动的高度模仿，且能够比人类更快、更准确的完成重复性的工作，在审计工作中引入人工智能技术，能够将审计工作嵌入到自动化系统中，改变传统审计工作模式，达到提高审计质量的目的。本文以2016-2018年我国A股上市公司的数据为基础构建模型分析和验证人工智能技术对审计质量的影响。得出研究结论：人工智能技术对提升审计质量有促进作用，且对国内本土事务所审计质量提升效果明显高于国际四大事务所。     

会计独董与审计委员会治理的有效性——来自我国资本市场的经验证据

本文利用我国推行审计委员会制度之前的公司样本,从会计独董对不利审计意见规避的角度来验证会计独董是否影响审计委员会的公司治理效率.本文的经验证据显示,上市公司设立审计委员会并配备具有会计专长的独立董事,更趋于积极规避不利审计意见.而且,上市公司的审计委员会所聘会计独董的背景不同,其在规避不利审计意见上存在显著的行为差异,因而总体上我国审计委员会具有治理有效性和治理效率的差异性等特点.     

企业产权、财务重述与审计师变更——来自我国上市公司的经验证据

文章运用我国上市公司的数据,实证检验了上市公司的财务重述行为对审计师变更的影响。研究结果表明,对于国有企业来说,重述公司的审计师发生变更的概率要低于非重述公司,但如果重述公司上期被出具了标准无保留意见,审计师变更的概率会上升;在非国有企业中,未发现重述与审计师变更之间存在显著相关关系。对国有企业来说,财务重述与审计师变更类型之间无显著关系;在非国有企业,有微弱的证据表明,财务重述公司更容易将事务所变更为小所,如果上期被出具了标准无保留意见,这种倾向更明显。研究结果表明,上市公司和审计师之间存在"审计合谋",这一问题在国有企业中更为严重。     

基于法律风险损失的研究：CPA与客户之间的合作博弈

CPA与客户之间的合作关系因法律风险进而影响到审计质量,基于法律风险损失的视角,对CPA与客户之间的合作博弈进行重复博弈分析。结果表明：在法律风险损失足够大的情况下,CPA与客户各自理性的选择应是相互再合作,即CPA履行职责,客户提供真实的信息,从而提高审计质量。因此,规避法律风险损失对提高审计质量有积极作用,对我国相关法律政策也具有一定的借鉴意义。     

独立审计费用影响因素分析——基于消费者效用视角

真实的会计信息披露是证券市场健康发展的必要条件.独立审计费用在一定条件下是保证审计质量的前提.由于"被动消费产品"的存在可能导致上市公司对审计费用的不合理降低并选择效用指数低的审计师,进而造成审计质量的降低并危害到外部相关者的利益.     

制度环境、审计质量与债务融资

本文具体考察了不同制度环境下的审计质量对中国上市公司长期债务融资的影响.研究结果表明,高质量审计有助于上市公司获取更多的长期债务融资;进一步研究发现,在国有上市公司中以及在金融发展水平比较高的地区,高质量审计对上市公司获取长期债务融资的作用有所减弱.这一研究成果不仅拓展了国内外学者对高质量审计作用的相关研究,而且有助于我们更加深入地了解高质量审计在不同制度环境下所具有的作用.     

公司财务管理中的道德审计制度设计

近几年来国内外发生的多起会计审计所引起的企业经营风险事件，引发了人们对公司财务管理中审计信息真实性的思考，以及对道德审计约束会计、审计行为的越轨行为和防范企业经营风险功能的重视。我们应采取措施从诚信教育、职业道德培养、制度构建和环境改善着手，以提升道德审计的职能与效用。     

论审计证据的选择:说服性抑或结论性

本文阐述了说服性审计证据与结论性审计证据的实质,从审计程序的性质、时间和范围入手,分析了说服性审计证据的形成原因。说服性而非结论性的审计证据是注册会计师和财务报表使用者等多方选择的结果,注册会计师只能为财务报表不存在重大错报提供合理保证。充分性和适当性是对审计证据说服性特征的度量。自觉遵守职业道德规范、严格遵循审计准则的规定和切实贯彻质量控制制度是注册会计师获取说服性审计证据的三大措施。     

审计质量、组织学习与创新绩效

高质量的审计信息,有利于研发团队调整创新产品生产计划、市场战略与研发策略,有效激发组织学习意愿并明确学习目标,获取更多异质性知识,进而促进创新绩效提升。首先构建概念模型,研究企业如何通过内外部审计知识积累与传播直接影响创新绩效,以及如何通过加强组织学习间接影响创新绩效;然后,使用非上市高新技术企业数据,采用bootstrap方法与逐步OLS回归方法,验证内外部审计质量对创新绩效的直接与间接正向作用,以及内部审计质量与外部审计质量对提升创新绩效的互补效应,为促进高新技术企业创新发展以及提升内外部审计质量提供了新的依据。     

Professionals inside the board room: accounting expertise of directors and dividend policy

Directors’ personal attributes have significant impacts on governance effectiveness. We study whether directors’ accounting expertise affects corporate financial policy and investigate dividend in specific. We construct a dataset of audit committee directors’ accounting expertise for Standard & Poor 500 firms from 2005 to 2012. We first verify directors’ monitoring roles by showing that firms with accounting expert sitting on their audit committees demonstrate stronger accounting conservatism. In our main tests, we find that these firms maintain lower dividend payment level, which are less sensitive to earnings volatility. This suggests directors’ advisory roles in financial policy. We further show that our accounting expertise cannot be subsumed by management ability. In additional test, we further examine the baseline results conditional on analyst forecast error. Our findings highlight the importance of directors’ professional expertise in fulfilling their governance roles.