How Issue Size, Risk, and Complexity are Influencing External Financing Costs: German IPOs Analyzed from an Economies of Scale Perspective

This paper is focused on the cost of raising capital in Germany. A cross-sectional analysis of flotation cost data for 117 IPOs over the years 1993–1998 is presented. We find average flotation costs to be 7.77 percent of gross proceeds, while underwriting fees average 5.01 percent. Our results extend the literature in two important directions. First, contrary to the conventional economies of scale view we find marginal spreads to be rather constant in gross proceeds and to be higher for more risky and more complex offerings. Fixed costs amount to 5 to 9 percent of underwriting fees. Second, by applying a principal component analysis we find issue size, an issuer risk factor, and an offering method complexity factor to have an economicaly meaningful impact on underwriting fees.     

我国公共部门效益审计研究

本文回顾国外绩效审计的相关理论和经验,总结西方绩效审计和新公共管理之间以追求"经济性、效率性、效果性"为目标的共同价值取向;探讨在我国开展效益审计的迫切性和必要性,主要表现在加强对权力的制约和监督、体现制度反腐败的要求和提高政府管理绩效水平三个方面;分析和研究了我国公共部门效益审计的发展趋势和存在的显著弊病,并针对我国效益审计现状提出了一定的政策建议和改进措施.     

内部审计面临的新问题及出路

当前，我国建立社会主义市场经济体制，实行现代企业制度。在这种条件下，怎样摆正内部审计的位置和充分发挥内部审计的作用，则是需要解决的一个理论问题和实践问题。本文就目前我国内部审计的现状及完善措施提出一些看法。     

Auditing Quality of Research in Social Sciences

A growing body of studies involves complex research processes facing many interpretations and iterations during the analyses. Complex research generally has an explorative in-depth qualitative nature. Because these studies rely less on standardized procedures of data gathering and analysis, it is often not clear how quality was insured or assured. However, one can not easily find techniques that are suitable for such complex research processes to assess the quality of the study. In this paper, we discuss and present a suitable validation procedure. We first discuss how ‘diagnosing’ quality involves three generic criteria. Next, we present findings of previous research in possible procedures to assure the quality of research in social sciences. We introduce the audit procedure designed by Halpern [(1983) Auditing Naturalistic Inquiries: The Development and Application of a Model. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Indiana University] we found an appropriate starting point for a suitable procedure for quality judgment. Subsequently, we will present a redesign of the original procedure, with according guidelines for the researcher (the auditee) and for the evaluator of the quality of the study (the auditor). With that design, we aim to enable researchers to bring forward their explorative qualitative studies as stronger and more equally valuable to studies that can rely on standardized procedures.     

盈余管理、关联交易与审计师特征

上市公司利用关联交易进行盈余管理必须得到会计师事务所的\"配合\"才有可能顺利实施,而与之\"配合\"的审计师因承担更高的审计风险,必以收取更高的审计费用作为补偿.实证研究表明,关联交易是上市公司盈余管理的重要手段,上市公司关联交易量越大,会计师事务所的品牌、规模越有利于抑制公司盈余管理行为,审计任期过长不利于抑制公司盈余管理行为.上市公司关联交易量越大,就越倾向于选择非国际\"四大\"和国内非\"十大\"会计师事务所,即小规模会计师事务所是上市公司的选择目标,因盈余管理进行关联交易的上市公司支付了更高水平的审计费用.     

独立审计、公司外部治理与真实经营业绩——来自中国上市公司的经验证据

独立审计是公司治理的重要外部机制,但考察独立审计治理功能影响公司真实经营业绩的文献还较少。从减少信息不对称、提升治理效率与决策能力角度,提出了一个独立审计的公司外部治理功能影响公司真实经营业绩的理论框架。选取事务所规模、审计收费和审计意见作为审计质量的替代变量,以我国2007年-2009年上市公司为样本,实证研究发现事务所规模及审计收费均与公司真实经营业绩正相关;审计意见对公司滞后一年的真实经营业绩没有影响,这可能与我国监管及诉讼制度不完善导致＂非标＂意见未给公司及其内部人带来显著成本有关。     

企业金融化、内部控制与审计质量

企业金融化在资本市场与金融市场领域的研究比较深入,但学者对企业金融化在审计领域的研究关注较少。以2010—2018年我国A股上市公司为研究样本,实证检验企业金融化对审计质量的影响以及内部控制对两者关系的调节作用。研究发现,企业金融化与审计质量显著负相关,内部控制能显著抑制企业金融化对审计质量的负向影响。进一步研究发现:审计业务复杂程度和审计风险在企业金融化对审计质量的影响中发挥显著的中介效应,即企业金融化通过增加业务复杂程度和审计风险,从而降低审计质量;来自四大的审计师具有更强的专业胜任能力和独立性,且连续审计中,其能更好地利用内部控制以应对企业金融化带来的风险;内部控制五要素中内部监督能显著抑制企业金融化对审计质量的负向影响,而内部环境、风险评价、信息沟通、控制活动均未能显著抑制企业金融化对审计质量的负向影响。研究结论丰富了企业金融化与审计质量领域的相关文献,拓展了企业金融化经济后果的理论边界,同时也为推行建立健全良好的内部控制制度提供了经验证据。     

独董与其他高管的公司治理作用有差异吗？——基于政治关联与审计契约视角的检验

以2007—2011年A股非金融保险业上市公司为样本,从政治关联与审计契约角度揭示独立董事与其他高管在公司治理中的差异。研究发现:在审计师选择方面,独立董事存在政治关联的企业倾向于选择高质量的审计服务,其他高管存在政治关联的企业倾向于选择低质量的审计服务。结合对审计费用考察发现,其他高管存在政治关联的企业选择较低质量审计服务的同时却支付相对较高的审计费用,但又并没有支付显著高于独立董事存在政治关联的企业选择高质量审计服务时支付的审计费用。     

Fees for Reefs: Economic Instruments to Protect Mexico’s Marine Natural Areas

Stated preference methods can be used to estimate the demand function where no price variation has been observed before. This is the situation of the Mexican coral reef natural protected areas, where after the 2002 approval of a $20 pesos fee (US$1.80) the Ministry of the Environment is now considering increasing the amount of the fee, not only to raise more revenue for the park, but also to curb the number of visitors in the cases where there is excess demand. There are concerns that the very success of the reefs is bringing associated environmental damage that threatens its sustainable use. To estimate the reaction of visitors to different fee levels, we carried out a contingent valuation survey, and constructed with its results an aggregate demand for each park. This demand was then divided by seasons and nationalities, to explore the benefits and costs of differentiating fees, looking at both the revenue maximising and the welfare maximising fees. Finally we discuss how these fees would change when environmental damage functions are taken into account. The recommendation is that increasing fees up to the point where they cover both private and environmental costs would bring the highest amount of economic benefit compatible with the sustainable use of these complex and wondrous marine ecosystems.