The impact of litigation risk on the association between audit quality and auditor size: Evidence from China

We examine whether audit quality varies across different sizes of CPA firms under high or low auditor‐specific litigation risk exposure. We measure audit quality by the issuance of modified audit opinions and the audit fees charged to clients, and we use the organizational form of CPA firms as the proxy for auditors’ litigation risk exposure, where a partnership (limited liability) CPA firm represents a high (low) litigation risk exposure. Built on Choi, Kim, Liu, and Simunic's (2008) theoretical framework, we hypothesize that the litigation risk exposure of CPA firm moderates the association between auditor size and audit quality. Our results show that when the auditor's liability is capped (i.e., registered as a limited liability form of CPA firm), larger size CPA firms are associated with higher audit quality when compared to smaller size CPA firms. However, this positive association between auditor size and audit quality disappears for audit firms that are subject to high litigation risk exposures (i.e., registered as a partnership form of CPA firm). Our research provides new insights on the impact of auditor‐specific litigation risks on the relation between audit quality and auditor size. In particular, we show that only when auditor‐specific litigation risk is limited, do large CPA firms appear to perform higher quality audits than small CPA firms.     

Factors influencing bank risk in Europe: Evidence from the financial crisis

We use a dynamic panel data model to analyze bank-specific and macroeconomic determinants of bank risk for a large sample of commercial banks operating in the euro area. The selected time span, from 2001 to 2012, considers the impact of the on-going financial and economic crisis on the Eurozone banking system. Our results indicate that capitalization, profitability, efficiency and liquidity are inversely and significantly related to bank risk. However, the recourse to wholesale funding by banks seems to increase their risk. We also find that less-concentrated markets, lower interest rates, higher inflation rates and a context of economic crisis (with a falling GDP) increase bank risk.     

审计处理随意性的实证分析——基于审计部门1984年—2006年的经验证据

按照法规公正处理审计中发现的问题是审计的基本要义,但是有实验研究发现,审计人员在处理过程中,存在着审计随意性现象.分析审计部门1984年至2006年审计处理数据后发现,在审计处理中存在着根据上期违纪金额确定本期违纪金额大小的现象;审计机关级别不同,审计处理方式不同;对不同审计对象,处罚力度也存在差异.为此,审计机关应当尽可能使审计执法的标准客观化,以减少人为因素对审计处理的影响.     

担保链中企业审计报告--持续经营审计状况及一种新的审计意见变通行为

一种新的审计意见变通行为虽然不试图改变审计意见的性质，但是却用相对较轻微的事实代替实际已经存在的较为严重的问题作为发表审计意见的依据。这显然会误导投资者。     

审计师性别组成对审计质量、审计费用的影响——来自中国的经验证据

以2001年—2008年中国A股上市公司为研究对象,考察签字审计师性别和性别组成对审计质量和审计费用的影响后发现,女性组审计师可以在5%的显著性统计水平上增加负向的操纵性应计利润,审计师的性别组成与绝对的、正向及负向操纵性应计利润并无显著关系,女性组审计师及混合组审计师的审计费用都要显著高于男性组审计师。研究结论为审计师性别组成对中国审计市场的影响提供了重要的经验证据。     

实际控制人的政治身份与审计师选择——来自我国民营上市公司的经验证据

民营上市公司实际控制人的政治身份对公司的经营活动以及审计师选择决策具有重要的影响。以2006年—2009年在深圳和上海证券交易所上市的民营企业为样本、实证检验了实际控制人的政治身份与审计师选择之间的关系后发现,实际控制人具有政治身份的民营上市公司更倾向于选择十大会计师事务所进行审计,并且实际控制人的政治身份级别越高,越倾向于选择十大会计师事务所。     

市场诱吓、政府引导、自我施压与非审计业务拓展策略——来自本土会计师事务所的证据

基于本土会计师事务所的问卷调查数据,运用结构方程模型,从宏观环境、市场诱吓、政府引导和自我施压四个构面研究非审计业务拓展的驱动机制。研究发现:宏观环境、市场诱吓构面的战略资产导向与防御导向均未对非审计业务拓展策略产生正向影响;市场诱吓构面和政府引导构面因素促使事务所偏好于非审计业务领域及范围的拓展;自我施压构面因素促使事务所偏好于非审计业务收入的提高;所有显著的驱动因素中,按照总效应从大到小排序,依次是市场势力获取、制度设计导向、资源运用、客户导向和政府引导。     

Risk management in life insurance companies: Evidence from Taiwan

The solvency issue of life insurance companies has become more important in recent years as business risks turn increasingly greater. This study examines the relationship among investing risk, underwriting risk, and the capital ratio during the post risk-based capital regulation period of 2004–2009 in Taiwan. In addition to the two-stage least square regression (2SLS), we also adopt the two-stage quantile regression (2SQR) to capture the effects of low capital (or risk) levels and high capital (or risk) levels. 2SLS do not fully explain the capital-risk relation. Contrary to previous evidence reported in the U.S., our findings in 2SQR model indicate that the relationship between capital and underwriting risk is positive, while the relationship between investing risk and capital shows a reverse pattern. Overall, the 2SQR provides stronger evidence than the 2SLS.     

Managing risk in the formative years: Evidence from young enterprises in Europe

This paper empirically investigates aspects of risk management in young small enterprises? effort to survive and grow. We use a new dataset on several thousands small businesses in their “formative age” (2–8 years old) in 10 European countries and 18 sectors. Firms across all types of sectors use internal risk mitigation strategies to manage technology risk and operational risk. Financial risk is managed by tapping formal and informal networks. Market risk appears less amenable to internal management action. Formal network participation (strategic alliances) is a strategy cutting across all kinds of risk with the exception of operational risk. Firms in knowledge-intensive sectors (high-tech manufacturing and KIBS) engage in risk management activities more extensively. Firms led by more educated entrepreneurs and/or operating in demanding volatile markets tend to network more and to use internal risk mitigation strategies more extensively.     

内部审计质量与盈余管理——来自中国A股制造业上市公司的经验证据

通过对中国A股制造业上市公司2007年至2008年数据的分析,检验了高质量的内部审计质量与低水平的盈余管理间的关系。研究结果表明,内部审计质量与盈余管理抑制之间存在明显的相关性,从而为公司治理对财务报告的重要影响提供了新的经验证据。     

Compensation for illiquidity in China: Evidence from an alternative measure

This paper shows that liquidity is an important source of priced risk in China. Using A-share stocks in Shanghai and Shenzhen Exchange over the period 2007–2017, we examine the influence of liquidity on stock returns. A new liquidity measure that captures multiple dimensions of liquidity is proposed. Fama-Macbeth cross-sectional regression shows that the expected return is negatively correlated with liquidity. Based on Fama and French (1993), we propose a five-factor pricing model by incorporating reversal factor and liquidity factor. Time-series regressions show that the liquidity factor makes significantly marginal contributions to explaining excess stock returns. The liquidity factor based on the proposed measure works better than alternative liquidity measures such as turnover, Amihud illiquidity measure and the measure in Liu (2006).     

Influence of acquirer boards on M&A value creation: Evidence from Continental Europe

We examine how the size and the composition of acquirer boards are associated with shareholder abnormal returns for 2,230 M&As made by listed firms in Continental Europe. Although board size proves insignificant, our findings do offer some evidence as to a beneficial effect of board diversity on M&A value creation. Gender diversity appears marginally positively associated with acquirer shareholder abnormal returns. The fraction of foreign directors is in general not significantly positive, unless the rule of law in the acquirer country is weak. Nonetheless, nationality diversity in the board turns out harmful in purely domestic takeovers. The influence of age diversity is marginally positive, yet only in domestic and horizontal takeovers. Next, the fraction of independent directors has a robust positive effect on the acquirer CAR, while directors with multiple board appointments prove valuable especially through preventing firms from pursuing poor takeovers. Finally, CEO duality is detrimental only in industry‐diversifying deals initiated by acquirers that are not controlled by an individual or a family shareholder. Any negative CEO‐duality effect is mitigated when the acquirer‐country rule of law is strong.     

Price Stickiness in the US and Europe Revisited: Evidence from Internet Prices*

This paper compares price stickiness on the Internet and in traditional brick‐and‐mortar stores and examines differences across five countries: France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US. Contrary to conventional retail prices, we find that Internet prices change less often in the US than in EU countries. However, this does not hold for all product categories. Second, prices on the Internet are not necessarily more flexible than prices in brick‐and‐mortar stores. Third, our dataset reveals substantial heterogeneity in the frequency of price changes across Internet shops. Finally, panel logit estimates suggest that the likelihood of observing a price change is a function of both state‐dependent and time‐dependent factors.     

经验、激励因素对审计判断中肯定性倾向的影响——财务报表错报程度判断的一项实验研究

通过实验和统计分析对审计判断中经验、激励因素与肯定性倾向之间的关系进行研究后发现,不同经验层次的审计人员的审计判断倾向程度均有差异,经验水平偏低者和经验水平偏高者都存在明显的肯定性倾向,而经验丰富者则具有明显的否定性倾向;同时,当外界存在不同激励时,审计人员会有不同的反应,即使是同一经验层次的审计人员也有不同的反应,经验水平偏高者尤甚。这不仅可以解释不同学者得出不同结论的原因,而且在一定程度上揭示相关因素对审计师职业判断和审计程序的影响,同时也为审计界提供有益的启示。     

审计意见与债务期限约束——来自中国上市家族企业的经验证据

中国上市家族企业存在债务期限过短的融资约束问题。标准(无保留)审计意见是否对企业债务期限融资约束产生影响呢?以2003年—2008年的上市家族企业为样本,对此问题展开实证研究发现,较之于被出具非标准审计意见的公司,被出具标准审计意见的公司所获得的银行借款期限较长;大型会计师事务所出具的标准审计意见更能缓解家族企业债务期限的约束。研究结论证实了信号传递理论。     

控制风险、风险溢价与审计收费——来自深市上市公司2007年年报的经验证据

理论上,内部控制质量是审计收费的决定因素之一,但是由于内部控制信息难以获得,因而鲜有这方面的经验证据.而2007年证监会要求上市公司提供内部控制自评报告的规定为评价内部控制质量提供了契机.根据审计价值理论,以2007年深市上市公司为研究样本,考察控制风险(内部控制质量)和诉讼风险对审计收费的影响.研究发现控制风险和审计收费之间的确存在正相关关系,且审计收费中包含了一定程度的风险溢价.     

Employee isolation and support for change in the public sector: a study of the internal audit profession

ABSTRACT

We investigate the preferences of public sector internal auditors for changes in their work practices. Informed by the literature, we posit that feelings of trust in the workplace and/or frustrations arising from perceived organizational ‘isolation’—a dimension of work alienation—motivate support and acceptance of change. We also argue that professional bodies directly and indirectly influence these relationships. These conjectures are tested using structural equation modelling and a survey of Canadian public sector internal auditors. The findings provide valuable insights into the process of adaptation and transformation in public sector settings across countries, jurisdictions, and accountability functions.     

The competing risks of acquiring and being acquired: Evidence from Colombia's financial sector

This paper studies the determinants of the probability of participating in a process of merging or acquisition for financial institutions in Colombia. We use survival analysis techniques and competing risks models to estimate the probability of participating in such processes as an acquiring or acquired firm. Using an especially rich database containing financial information of Colombian banks for the period 1990–2007, we find that both macroeconomic and microeconomic variables are important determinants of this probability. However, there are differential effects for the acquiring firm and the acquired firm. Particularly, while firm size and solvency are significant determinants of the probability of being an acquiring firm, efficiency is an important determinant of the probability of being acquired. Also, the concentration index, which plays no role for acquiring firms, plays an important role in the probability of being acquired.     

Environmental Innovations and Strategies for the Development of New Production Technologies: Empirical Evidence from Europe

This study empirically investigates whether firms' improvements in energy and material efficiency are related to the extent to which external partners are involved in the development of process innovations. In particular, we distinguish three different process innovation strategies: firms may follow an ‘in‐house strategy’ and develop their innovations mainly within the firm, they may opt for an ‘external strategy’ and let mainly external partners develop innovations, or they may opt for a ‘cooperation strategy’ and develop innovations jointly with external partners. Using data of manufacturing firms obtained from the fourth Community Innovation Survey covering 14 European countries, we conduct total sample as well as industry‐ and country‐specific regressions. Our results indicate that firms following the ‘external strategy’ tend to have a lower probability of introducing process innovations leading to a marked increase in energy and material efficiency. Moreover, in contrast to extant literature, none of our results suggests that companies following a ‘cooperation strategy’ experience greater environmental innovation performance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

会计师事务所内部治理机制研究——基于立信会计师事务所的治理实践

加强会计师事务所内部治理机制建设是提高会计信息质量和注册会计师审计质量的重要保证,是促进资本市场健康稳定发展、维护社会公众利益的重要举措,是实施会计行业国际化发展战略的重要基础工程。本文全面阐述了立信会计师事务所转制为特殊普通合伙后的内部治理实践,以期为完善我国会计师事务所的内部治理机制提供经验借鉴和政策建议。