超额商誉是否引起审计关注? ——基于关键审计事项披露的研究视角

近年来,超额商誉对公司价值及经营业绩的负面影响引起各界广泛关注,其中不乏学者对超额商誉的潜在风险进行研究,但是基于新审计准则视角的研究较少.对此,本文以2017—2019年沪深A股上市公司为研究样本,实证检验了超额商誉对关键审计事项披露的影响.研究发现:超额商誉会提高审计师对关键审计事项的披露数量和应对质量;经营风险和审计风险是超额商誉影响关键审计事项披露的重要渠道.进一步研究发现,关键审计事项的披露程度对公司管理层的盈余操纵具有一定的抑制作用.     

高管审计背景、盈余管理与异常审计收费

利用2004~2012年中国A股上市公司财务数据,考察高管审计背景对公司盈余管理行为和审计定价决策的影响。研究中,将高管审计背景分为高管审计经历与事务所关联两个维度。研究发现,高管具有审计背景的公司为了实现较低风险水平下的私有收益最大化,有从应计盈余管理转向实施真实盈余管理的倾向,事务所可能采取的策略是增加额外的审计收费以弥补过高的审计风险,而"校友效应"却使事务所显著减少该类公司的审计收费。研究表明,高管审计背景可能会导致公司财务报告信息质量下降、审计风险上升,证实了其对公司财务报告信息质量及事务所审计质量的不利影响。本研究为加强对高管审计背景公司的监管及完善审计师跳槽的"冷却期"政策提供经验证据。     

高管晋升激励、审计定价与审计延迟

职位晋升带来的利益差距在激励高管努力工作的同时,也可能诱发高管自利性动机,带来激励负效应。基于此,本文利用2010—2019年中国非金融类A股上市公司的数据,实证检验高管晋升激励对审计定价及审计延迟的影响。研究发现,高管晋升激励与审计定价、审计延迟均呈显著正相关关系,审计定价的提高源于审计投入的增加和风险溢价的收取。进一步研究发现,高管晋升激励与审计费用的相关性在CEO变更频繁时更为明显,此时审计师会进一步收取风险溢价以增加审计费用;产权细分为中央企业和地方国有企业时,高管薪酬激励与审计定价、审计延迟之间的关系差异显著;代理成本在高管晋升激励与审计定价之间发挥部分中介作用。上述结论不仅丰富了高管晋升激励与审计师定价行为的文献研究,而且有助于进一步了解高管晋升激励对审计定价的影响机理。     

并购商誉会影响企业资产误定价吗?

本文利用2007—2018年我国A股非金融上市公司数据,实证检验了并购商誉对企业资产误定价的影响.检验结果表明,并购商誉与资产误定价显著正相关,相比并购商誉中的合理商誉部分,超额商誉与资产误定价正相关关系更为显著;进一步分析显示,后期商誉减值会以加剧股价低估的形式推动资产误定价;机制检验表明,信息不对称和投资者情绪是并购商誉影响资产误定价的中介机制;调节效应表明,并购商誉与资产误定价正相关关系在非"四大"、分析师关注低和机构投资者持股比例低的分组中更加显著,进而论证了外部审计、分析师关注和机构投资者持股具有积极的治理效应.本文在丰富并购商誉相关研究的同时,也对降低资产误定价进而提高资本市场资源配置效率具有一定的理论和现实意义.     

客户声誉与审计收费北大核心

本文运用企业集团内有成员公司违规而造成客户声誉受损的外在冲击,研究了客户声誉对审计收费的影响。研究发现,客户声誉受损后审计收费上升。进一步研究表明,“十大”会计师事务所、负面传闻以及客户处于高社会信任水平的地区均提高了客户声誉受损的审计收费上升效应,而国有股权、分析师跟踪以及机构投资者持股等,都能够抑制客户声誉受损的审计收费上升效应。同时,我们并没有发现客户声誉受损对审计投入、审计质量和关键审计事项具有显著影响的证据,也没有发现声誉受损公司的基本面与财务报告质量发生明显变化的证据。     

上市公司共同富裕水平与审计收费

本文基于我国上市公司共同富裕水平数据,实证检验了其对审计收费的影响,结果发现：上市公司共同富裕水平与审计收费显著负相关,上市公司共同富裕水平（cpr和cprc）每提高1个标准差,审计收费会减少2.097和1.515个标准差,约等于审计费用均值的7.72%和5.58%。影响机制的结果表明：上市公司共同富裕水平提高了内部控制质量和信息透明度,进而降低了审计收费。调节效应的结果显示：机构投资者持股比例削弱了上市公司共同富裕水平对审计收费的负向影响,即存在替代效应;当公司为国有企业时,共同富裕水平对审计收费的负向影响不明显。     

外部审计对非审计类信息披露的正向溢出效应——基于年报审计质量与商誉减值预告的视角

本文以中国证监会《会计监管风险提示第8号——商誉减值》为背景，研究了该文发布后年报审计质量对商誉减值预告的影响及原因。研究发现，高质量审计能有效促使公司在应当预告商誉减值时进行预告。审计质量影响商誉减值预告的原因在于年报审计的溢出效应，具体通过两条影响路径实现：一是高质量审计能够提高预告信息的可得性，体现在当商誉所涉及的子公司数较多或非疫情突发期间时，高质量审计对商誉减值预告的积极影响更大；二是高质量审计具有督促作用，能够降低公司不预告的动机，表现为当公司内部控制较差或分析师跟踪人数较少时，高质量审计对商誉减值预告的积极影响更大。本文结论丰富了审计溢出效应和商誉信息披露方面的研究，对监管部门精准监管和投资者决策具有重要参考价值。     

审计收费、审计师变更与意见购买

实证研究表明,虽然变更审计师增加了上市公司年报被出具非标准审计意见和审计意见恶化的可能性,但是审计师变更更为显著地提高了审计意见改善的可能性;审计收费异常增加与被出具非标准审计意见和审计意见恶化的可能性负相关.公司管理层在一定程度上可以成功实现审计意见购买的动机.此外,异常审计收费、审计收费异常增加和异常降低与审计师变更之间不存在显著的交互效应.     

我国上市公司独立审计意见的预测价值分析

选取沪、深两市2000～2002年样本的综合数据和各年度子样本数据,运用超额收益和Logistic回归分析方法,同时考虑公司规模和样本所属板块的影响,对各解释变量与累计超额收益率的价值相关性及审计意见类型对股价超额收益的增量解释能力进行了研究.单变量检验结果表明,净资产收益率与股价超额收益具有显著的正价值相关性,审计意见类型则弱之;联合价值检验显示,审计意见类型和其他相关因素的联动作用与审计意见类型单独作用相比,对样本累计超额收益的影响具有显著差异;Logistic回归分析得出,审计意见类型具有预测价值.     

标的企业业绩承诺与并购方商誉减值——盈余管理和审计质量的调节作用

以2011-2020年A股上市公司中签订业绩承诺协议的定向增发并购重组事件为样本，研究标的企业业绩承诺对并购方商誉减值的影响，考察盈余管理及审计质量对二者关系的调节作用。结果显示：（1）标的企业业绩承诺激进程度与并购方商誉减值正相关，业绩承诺实现程度与商誉减值负相关，即目标方业绩承诺设置越激进、完成情况越差，并购方商誉减值规模越大。（2）商誉减值存在着并购双方盈余管理的机会主义行为，其中标的企业的盈余管理行为会强化业绩承诺激进程度与商誉减值的正向关系，而并购方的盈余管理行为会抑制业绩承诺实现程度与商誉减值规模的负相关关系。（3）审计质量会弱化业绩承诺激进程度与商誉减值的正向关系以及业绩承诺实现程度与商誉减值规模的负向关系，即提高审计质量能够抑制标的企业的业绩承诺激进行为和并购方利用商誉减值“洗大澡”的行为，降低并购方的商誉减值风险。（4）进一步研究发现，目标方参与公司治理具有两面性，即目标方股东担任收购方的董事、监事或高管，一方面会推高标的企业的业绩承诺水平，另一方面会激励标的企业努力完成承诺业绩，对收购方的商誉减值风险产生正反两种影响。     

Disclosure of fair value measurement in goodwill impairment test and audit fees

Recent increases in the occurrence and magnitude of goodwill impairment charges highlight the increasing importance of the role of the auditor in goodwill accounting. This study examines the association between disclosures about the fair value measurement of goodwill and audit fees. We find that goodwill-related disclosures are positively related to audit fees, consistent with the idea that auditors increase their audit efforts to mitigate potential reputational and litigation losses (“audit risk effect”). Additionally, our results indicate that the information asymmetry and investor scrutiny moderate the association between goodwill-related disclosures and audit fees. One possible explanation is that auditors take goodwill-related disclosures as a signal of truthful goodwill accounting and this “signaling effect” partially offsets the “audit risk effect” of goodwill-related disclosures when information asymmetry or investor scrutiny is perceived as high.     

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.     

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 Role of Risk Management and Governance in Determining Audit Demand

Abstract:  Most prior research into audit fees has been based on a theoretical model which treats audit fees as the by-product of a production function ignoring potential demand forces that may drive the level of the audit fee. Inspired by prior 'anomalous' results, we take a different perspective by focusing on demand factors that may affect the level of the audit fee. Using data collected from a sample of listed companies in Belgium, we consider both disclosures about risk and risk management and actual decisions about corporate governance to examine whether audit fees are higher when these demand forces exist. In general, we expect that external auditing will increase in situations where there are multiple stakeholders with individual risk profiles who can shift some of the cost of monitoring to other stakeholders. Consistent with our theory and expectations, our results indicate that audit fees are higher when a company has an audit committee, discloses a relatively high level of financial risk management, and has a larger proportion of independent Board Members. Audit fees are lower when a company discloses a relatively high level of compliance risk management. The latter result indicates that controls are only complementary as long as they are voluntary, as mandated controls act as substitutes for non-mandated controls.     

How does the executive pay gap influence audit fees? The roles of R&D investment and institutional ownership

Using a sample of US firms from 2003–2014, this study examines how the executive pay gap affects audit fees for firms with different levels of R&D investment and institutional ownership. Consistent with managerial power theory, we find that the executive pay gap is positively associated with audit fees, and that the positive association is attenuated by intense R&D investment and higher institutional ownership. We also find that the executive pay gap more strongly affects audit fees after the passage of the 2010 Dodd–Frank Act and the PCAOB's 2012 call to identify the audit risk related to executive incentive compensation. Additional analyses show that the moderating effects of R&D investment and institutional ownership on the pay gap–audit fees association are not conditional on auditor tenure, but the moderating effect of institutional ownership is stronger for firms hiring specialist auditors. Collectively, our findings suggest that auditors consider the business context, such as innovation initiative and external monitoring, when assessing audit risk related to the executive pay gap.     

融资约束、审计费用与现金持有价值

审计费用和现金持有价值是公司财务审计研究领域的两个重要话题。审计费用高低所隐含的公司风险程度影响着投资者对公司增加现金持有量将产生积极还是消极效应的判断,会导致公司股票超额回报率的变化,进而也可能影响其现金持有价值,目前尚无相关的研究。本文以现金持有的边际价值模型为基础,引入审计费用和融资约束变量,对融资约束条件下审计费用与公司现金持有价值的关系进行研究后发现,过高的审计费用会降低公司的现金持有价值,审计费用增加得越多,公司的现金持有价值越低。进一步的分析发现,相对于其面临较高程度的融资约束时,公司面临较低程度的融资约束时审计费用对其现金持有价值的负向影响更为显著。     

数字化转型对审计费用的影响研究——基于企业商誉的中介效应

依据2010—2022年中国A股创业板上市公司数据,运用多元线性回归模型探究数字化转型对审计费用的影响。结果显示,企业数字化转型进程与审计费用的增加呈正相关关系,这一关系在重污染行业尤为显著。进一步分析表明,商誉在企业数字化转型对审计费用的提升过程中具有中介效应。鉴于此,企业应加强精细化审计成本预见性与规划性,全面考虑数字化投资与审计成本之间的平衡,适时调整审计策略与资源配置,监管层需适时调整审计行业规则应对数字化转型。     

国际金融危机、审计费用溢价与审计质量

以2003-2017年我国A股上市公司为样本,考量当企业受到金融危机冲击时,审计费用与审计质量之间关系的变化。研究结果表明,金融危机期间存在审计费用溢价现象,然而更多的收费却伴随着审计质量的下降。研究结论对于在市场危机环境下进行审计风险管控和审计市场的规范具有一定的借鉴意义。     

Auditor–Provided Consultancy Services and their Associations with Audit Fees and Audit Opinions

This study examines the relationships between non–audit services fees (consultancy fees) paid to auditors and (1) audit fees, and (2) the occurrence of qualified audit opinions. The positive association between consultancy fees and audit fees is shown to be due to certain company specific events that generate a demand for consultancy services as well as requiring additional audit effort. Identified company specific events are mergers and acquisitions, new share issues, new accounting and information systems, new CEOs, and corporate restructurings. When these events are absent, there is no statistically significant relationship between audit fees and consultancy fees after controlling for company size. Companies that have relatively high consultancy fees are more likely to receive a clean audit opinion. This may be due to the non–audit work clearing up problem areas at the client company or it may be due to high consultancy fees impairing auditor independence. With the available data it is not possible to distinguish between these two reasons.     

审计费用的事前确定、异常审计费用与审计质量

实务中,我国部分上市公司年报审计费用采取事前确定方式,也就是在审计工作开展之前的董事会上确定。事前确定审计费用的动机何在,会产生什么样的审计后果?已有国内外文献尚缺乏这方面的研究。本文以2008~2017年全部A股上市公司为样本,通过实证考察审计费用事前确定方式对异常审计费用以及审计质量的影响发现:基于低价揽客或折价维持客户的经济动因,事前确定的审计费用显著偏低。进一步研究表明,在事前确定审计费用方式下,客户的审计质量更低。本文研究丰富和拓展了审计费用及审计质量决定因素的相关文献,同时也为监管机构规范审计费用确定方式提供了经验证据。