FIRM PERFORMANCE AND SECURITY TYPE IN SEASONED OFFERINGS: AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF ALTERNATIVE SIGNALING MODELS

In this paper we examine the long-term performance of publicly traded firms that issue straight debt, convertible debt, or common stock. Declines in firm performance following issuance are consistent with declines in firm value at announcement and issuance, and suggest that convertible debt and common stock are substantially equivalent. This study is consistent with the pecking-order and Miller-Rock models, but inconsistent with the leverage-signaling model. Despite a significant decline following issuance, firms issuing common stock or convertible debt perform better, on average, than the industry before, at, and after issuance. This is consistent with younger, riskier, higher-growth firms being the predominant issuers of common stock and convertible debt.     

AUDIT FEES AND AUDITOR CHANGE; AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PERSISTENCE OF FEE REDUCTION BY TYPE OF CHANGE

Despite concern expressed over 'low-balling' or competitive price reduction in the market for audit services, the only empirical investigation of the relationship between initial audit fees, fee recovery and auditor change which has been carried out is by Simon and Francis (1988) using US cross-sectional data, although Pong and Whittington (1994, forthcoming) examine the impact on first year fees. We investigate the impact of auditor change on cross-sectional UK data for 1991 with the aim of discovering whether there is any evidence of price cutting and subsequent price recovery in a European, rather than a US context. We find that there is evidence of such a phenomenon, and investigate further to see whether this effect is robust with respect to the definition used of 'auditor change', and whether the effect varies according to whether the old auditor was a 'Big Six' or 'non-Big Six' firm. We find that the largest reductions (controlling for auditor size) are experienced by firms changing to 'Big Six' firms. We further show that involuntary changes (by auditor acquisition) are associated with positive (although statistically insignificant) increases in fees, whereasvoluntary changesare associated with negative (andsignificant) feereductions. These effects are shown to be robust with respect to model specification. This suggests that fee reductions cannot be ascribed to economies of scale or scope, but is consistent with a 'low-balling' model of behaviour.     

The Evolution of the Standard Unqualified Auditor's Report in Canada / L'ÉVOLUTION DU RAPPORT TYPE DU VÉRIFICATEUR AU CANADA

This study examines the historical development of the auditor's report in Canada. The auditor's report has been significantly influenced by British and U.S. legislation and practices. The English Joint Stock Companies Act of 1844 required compulsory audits and the British audit report was introduced in North America shortly after the introduction of this Act. The legislature prescribed an audit but it did not determine the form and content of the auditor's report; these were left to the individual practitioner. The British influence was strong in Canada up to the 1930s. However, from this time onward, the U.S. influence began to grow. The impact of the landmark case of Ultramares v. Touche on third‐party liability and consequent change in the auditor's report is analyzed. The paper uses institutional theory to explore reasons for the similarities of the auditor's report under British influence and under American influence. Specifically, the paper examines how the mechanisms of mimetic, coercive, and normative isomorphism led to institutional change in the accounting profession as organizations adapted their auditors' reports to achieve greater legitimacy.