Public Audit: A Clarification of CIPFA's views – A Reply

In this article I reject Martin Evans' accusation that I seriously misrepresented CIPFA when citing CIPFA's submission to the Nolan Committee in my 1996 FAM article. CIPFA's argument regarding auditor independence is presented as a difference between two conceptual models – the private sector and public sector models of audit. I argue that however Evans tries to present CIPFA's position, any concerns relate to differences of practice, not concept. Whilst it is understandable that CIPFA would wish to present these differences as relating to conceptual frameworks, the argument does not stand up to scrutiny.     

The Removal of a Specialist Oversight Body for Local Public Audit: Insights from the Health Service in England

The abolition of the Audit Commission in England and Wales removes the ‘protector of the public purse’. The oversight body and its audit practice are largely replaced by the private sector regime and audit firms. We analyse the audit market for health service foundation trusts, an area of local public audit that operates without oversight from the Commission. We find evidence of premiums paid to some Big4 firms and that the presence of specialist public service auditors results in fee discounts. The firms limit their liability and assurance of audit quality is reduced under new audit regimes and governance structures.     

美国联邦儿童医疗保险制度审计:分析与借鉴

本文介绍了美国审计署(Government Accountability Ofice,GAO)和美国卫生部对联邦儿童医疗保险制度执行效果的审计监督情况。并以此为切入点,分析了美国公共政策审计的三个鲜明特点:以立法模式保障审计程序的规范、定量为主体现审计方法的科学性、以需求为导向引致的审计形式多样化。借鉴美国公共政策审计实践的经验,作者提出了我国开展公共政策审计的一系列建议,包括将公共政策审计纳入国家审计发展规划,推动公共政策审计的制度化;完善法律保障,建立监督架构,加强理论引导,推动公共政策审计的规范化;以风险控制为导向,完善审计方法,把握审计时机,加强政策跟踪,坚持谨慎原则,推动公共政策审计的科学化。     

大型公共工程环境审计研究

伴随着国内一系列大型公共工程项目的积极规划与建设,大型公共工程中的环境审计日益受到重视,然而目前国内对此领域的研究较少,系统地梳理出一个理论体系有着重要意义。为此,本文通过研究国内大型公共工程环境审计的现状与问题,从审计目标、审计内容、实现机制与组织模式四个方面来构建大型公共工程环境审计体系,并就上述几个方面创新性地提出了大型公共工程环境跟踪审计模式和多主体合作审计的组织模式改进建议,以期丰富大型公共工程领域的环境审计理论研究并为相关审计工作的开展提供一点启示。     

非审计业务对审计市场绩效的影响——基于会计师事务所业务结构的角度

以审计质量和审计收费作为审计市场绩效的衡量指标,从会计师事务所业务结构角度来考察我国注册会计师行业拓展非审计业务对审计市场所带来的影响。实证检验发现,相对于其他事务所而言,非审计业务规模越大和当年非审计业务规模较上年扩大的事务所,其审计质量越好,审计收费也越高。这说明在目前审计服务市场容量有限,竞争过于激烈的环境下,拓展非审计业务有利于增强审计独立性和提高审计收费,是改善行业执业环境的一个重要途径。     

跟踪审计的机理与方法研究——基于汶川特大地震灾后恢复重建审计经验

跟踪审计是国家审计发展的新兴方式。通过实施提前介入、全程跟踪、着眼预防、着力防范的跟踪审计模式,有利于及时化解矛盾,促进灾后和谐重建;有利于促进灾后恢复重建政策的落实和完善,促进灾后科学重建;有利于政府合理应对和处置突发性公共事件。为发挥国家审计免疫系统的功能和确保灾后重建审计目标的实现,组织实施跟踪审计应根据灾后恢复重建资金与物资的筹集、分配、管理和使用的各个环节来明确审计的基本内容。重点关注灾后恢复重建资金物资应用的合理性、效率性、经济性。组织实施的思路和方法是:事前调查,着眼预防,促进规范,实现审计的预防功能;全程审计,滚动实施,实现审计的识别揭露功能;适时提出审计建议,督促被审计单位及时整改,实现审计的抵御修补功能。要建立全面的信息沟通和运行约束制度;注重综合分析,服务宏观决策;树立科学理念,明晰思路,创新方法。对审计结果要定期公告,以简驭繁,发挥短、平、快的优势,并关注和防范风险。     

Factors affecting the internal audit effectiveness: A survey of the Saudi public sector

This study assesses factors influencing internal audit effectiveness (IAE) in Saudi Arabia. Data were obtained from 203 managers and 239 internal auditors from 79 Saudi Arabian public sector organizations. Multiple regression analysis examines the association between IAE and five principal factors. Results suggest that management support for IAE drives perceived effectiveness of the internal audit function from both management's and the internal auditors’ perspective. Management support is linked to hiring trained and experienced staff, providing sufficient resources, enhancing the relationship with external auditors, and having an independent internal audit department. Saudi Arabia is representative of many developed and developing environments, and its recent tradition of governance and audit is mirrored in countries worldwide. Moreover, its specific cultural traditions involving clan and tribal allegiances, and pervasive and core religious beliefs, characterize the GCC countries, the Arab World generally, and indeed, many other developing countries, irrespective of wealth. Thus, links between management support and internal audit effectiveness are likely generalizable beyond the Saudi public sector context.     

An Empirical Investigation of Audit Pricing in the Public Sector: The Case of Greek LGOs

This paper investigates the associations between audit pricing and multidimensional characteristics of local governments by using a sample of Greek municipalities. The Greek institutional setting is interesting because it is politically pluralistic. Moreover, independent auditors appointed through a bid process exclusively perform the audits. Our results suggest a considerable variation on audit fees which is mainly driven by politically related factors indicating the importance of relevant theoretical anticipations in audit pricing in the public sector. Agency costs appear strong enough to explain audit pricing. We also confirm prior findings on the significance of audit complexity and size. Results also suggest that audit fees are reduced when an internal team dedicated to accrual accounting is appointed. Therefore, our conclusions offer practical implications for policy setters and regulators in the public sector in relation to audit quality.     

On the Relationship between Audit Tenure and Fees Paid to the Audit Firm and Audit Quality

Abstract

We investigate the impact of audit firm tenure, partner tenure, audit fees, fees for non-audit services and total fees on audit quality, as measured by discretionary accruals. Our sample consists of Spanish non-financial public companies for the years between 2006 and 2013. Results indicate that audit quality increases with audit firm tenure but decreases with partner tenure. Moreover, the level of fees paid to the audit firm seems to have a negative impact on audit quality, which is mainly driven by fees for audit services. In this regard, we do not observe any significant relationship between fees for non-audit services and audit quality. Our results also show that the negative relationship between either long partner tenures or high fees and audit quality does not occur when the tenure with the audit firm is long. Therefore, long audit firm tenures do not only seem to involve higher audit quality ‘per se’, but also moderate the negative effects of partner tenure and audit fees on audit quality. The results of this study, which are robust to several sensitivity checks, may be relevant for the current debate on auditor rotation and the joint provision of audit and non-audit services.     

The audit expectation gap: existence,causes, and the impact of changes

Recent regulatory initiatives targeting the statutory audit regime support the notion that the audit expectation gap is still a driver of change. This study seeks to analyse causes of the gap as well as the impact of proposed changes to the current statutory audit regime using an approach that differs from those used in prior literature. This approach allows us to attribute the audit expectation gap under the current regime to a failure of the public, the standard-setter, or the auditor. Based on a questionnaire survey conducted in 2011 in Germany, we find the public to have exaggerated expectations of auditors' responsibilities under current standards. Other causes of the gap relate to the public's difficulty in assessing the performance of auditors, but also to deficiencies in auditors' performance. In addition, we find that auditors are not fully aware of their responsibilities. Increasing the information content of the audit opinion is expected to narrow the gap. By contrast, recent proposed changes, such as mandatory rotation and a ban on non-audit services, may reduce the gap only to a lesser extent. Overall, it can be shown that the audit expectation gap is by its nature a persistent phenomenon comprising complex social aspects and interactions with changing accounting requirements, such as increased uncertainties in accounting estimates.     

公共品视角下的审计委托模式研究

现行审计委托模式是造成“独立审计不独立”,进而导致审计失败的主要原因。现代企业的“社会企业”特征,使会计报表及其审计信息具有公共品的属性,审计失败很大程度上是会计报表审计信息这一公共品私人供给模式的失败。公共品的非竞争性和非排他性特征决定了其公共供给模式较私人供给模式更有效率;税务机关作为特殊的公共部门,令其作为会计信息审计的委托人在独立性、激励和实践上更具优势。当然,会计报表审计的税务机关委托模式作为一个新的审计委托模式,其制度需不断完善。     

国家审计服务国家治理的理论分析与实现路径探讨——基于受托经济责任观的视角

国家治理是当今世界的重要议题。建立科学合理的治理结构和运用适当的治理机制以保证和促进国家治理目标的实现,已成为公共受托经济责任的重要内容。作为国家治理的重要组成部分,国家审计理应充分发挥审计功能,服务国家治理。本文基于受托经济责任观,在深入分析受托经济责任与国家审计以及受托经济责任与国家治理相互关系的基础上,从构建全新的公共受托经济责任报告体系,创新国家/政府审计对象载体;建立健全绩效管理制度、全面推进政府绩效审计;推进责任政府建立,进一步深化经济责任审计;构建并实施治理导向审计模式以及权力导向审计模式五个方面深入探讨了国家审计服务国家治理的实现路径。     

An Empirical Investigation of Determinants of Audit Reports in the UK

Prior studies of audit reporting in the UK only analyse either very small, private companies, or large listed companies. In addition, these studies focus on narrowly defined types of modified audit reports, respectively the 'small company' audit qualification, and going‐concern related modifications. In contrast, this paper employs a multinomial logit model to analyse the determinants of both going‐concern and non going‐concern related audit modifications, including modifications for disagreements and limitations on scope. Furthermore, this paper analyses reports over a wide range of both private and public (listed and non‐listed) companies. The determinants of audit reports are shown to differ between different types of audit modification. In addition, subsidiary companies hiring large auditors are significantly less likely to receive non going‐concern related modifications, whereas non‐subsidiary companies hiring large auditors are significantly more likely to receive going‐concern related modifications.     

The vanishing searches and audit fees: Evidence from Google's withdrawal from China

I investigate the impact of the disruption of free information access via search engines on audit fees using a quasi-natural experiment provided by Google's withdrawal from China. Employing a difference-in-differences design, I document an increase in audit fees for firms with overseas business relative to firms without overseas business after Google's withdrawal. The results are robust to matched samples, placebo tests, alternative specifications, excluding alternative explanations and different event windows. This trend in audit fees suggests that Google's withdrawal hampers firms' foreign information streams and increases audit risk and audit effort. Consistent with this argument, after Google's withdrawal, firms with overseas business conduct more earnings management, pay more abnormal audit fees and experience longer audit report lags. Furthermore, the increase in audit fees is greater for firms with poor information environments, more retail investors or non-Big 4 auditors. My findings suggest a potential auditing cost of restricting the free flow of public foreign information about firms.     

WGEA的全球性环境审计调查结果:分析与借鉴

随着环境和可持续发展领域大量财政资金的投入,环境审计已纳入各国审计机关的发展规划,并将成为未来审计机关参与国家治理乃至全球治理的重要工具。本文通过分析最高审计机关国际组织下属的环境审计工作组从1993至2009年的六次全球性环境审计问卷调查结果,识别环境审计的国际动态与发展趋势,包括对环境审计的认识与理解,全球环境审计的开展情况、主题事项、审计目标、实施障碍以及国际合作。在此基础上,对比我国环境审计的发展现状,提出加快推进我国环境审计发展的意见和建议。需要重视环境审计在国家治理方面的作用、深化环境审计的理论研究,并且将水环境审计作为推动我国环境审计的突破口,高度关注国际背景下环境审计的合作问题研究等。     

企业集团统一审计能降低审计收费吗

审计收费是审计研究的重要问题。已有审计研究文献通常关注的是对单个公司的审计收费,本文则关注在同一实际控制人控制下的企业集团中,多家上市公司选择同一家会计师事务所审计,即集团统一审计对审计收费的影响。研究发现,集团统一审计不但不能降低审计收费,反而会增加审计收费;选择大所进行统一审计可以降低审计费用,而小所执行统一审计则可能存在牺牲独立性以获得更多审计收费的情形。此外,事务所尤其是小规模事务所,在招揽集团客户时存在激烈的低价竞争。     

The Politics of Accountability: Institutionalising Internal Auditing in Israel

Israel's attempt at strengthening public sector internal audit is found to have limited success, conforming with experiences of other countries. The adopted internal audit policy had little more than symbolic value, being devoid of stipulations to affect significant change. This is confirmed by implementation data that reveal low scores for most organizations across dimensions of structure, process and outcome. Politics of accountability and policy change models help to explain the causes of ineffectual internal audit legislation and of weak implementation. Findings suggest that top–down approaches to strengthening public sector internal audit are misplaced.     

我国国家审计对公共财政的建设性作用

我国财政正面临由建设型财政向公共型财政的转型。国家审计作为国家财政的监督者,要在构建公共财政中发挥建设性作用,必须及时调整审计策略,针对公共财政面临的主要问题,明确审计发挥建设性作用的内容,主动实现审计转型与财政转型和政府转型相互协调、相互促进,达到促进建立和完善我国社会主义公共财政的目的。     

Models of mandate in public audit: An examination of Australian jurisdictions

This paper examines, compares and contrasts three competing models of the performance audit mandate in public audit in Australia, namely the traditional organizational model, the public functions model and the follow the money model. The paper discusses the application of those models in Australian jurisdictions and raises legal issues pertinent to their effectiveness and scope and considers how they enhance accountability for the expenditure of public funds.     

University Audit Departments in the United States

Internal auditors of public and private universities were asked about their selection processes, supervisors, and activities. At public institutions, the governing board selects the internal auditor, the president supervises the work and more audit findings are implemented. Private institutions have more audit committees that are involved with the internal auditors' activities and their auditors perform more program audits. Thus, although public universities are following professional guidelines more closely, suggesting more accountability, private universities have greater access to audit committees and perform more value-added audits.