Audit Firm Attributes and Auditor Litigation Risk

This study examines the association between auditors' litigation risk and audit firm attributes. Using professional liability insurance premiums as a proxy for auditors' litigation risk, we present evidence that the risk is lower in audit firms having: (1) separate non-audit and audit divisions; (2) a higher proportion of partners; and (3) a higher annual growth in number of CPAs employed. Additionally, we find that the risk is higher in audit firms having: (1) operating losses; and (2) high revenue growth. Our results are consistent with the idea that audit firms' financial condition and organizational structure affect their independence/ expertise, and, in turn, their litigation risk. Our results are broadly supportive of the PCAOB's (2015) and US Department of Treasury's (2008) views that investors, audit committees, management, and other regulators could benefit from having access to financial and organizational information about audit firms.     

城市规模、空间距离与城市经济吸引区——一个简单的经济地理模型

本文从经济运行的微观基础出发，构建了一个简单的经济地理模型，并以此为基础对城市经济吸引区的相关问题进行了初步的探讨，解释了由“引力法则”和断裂点理论推导出的两个经验性推论：一是两个相邻且规模相等的城市其经济吸引区分界线为二者连线的中垂线；二是对于两个相邻但规模不相等的城市，则小城市的经济吸引区可能处于大城市吸引区的包围（或部分包围）之中。     

我国城市规模分布Pareto指数测算及影响因素分析

本文用OLS方法测算我国各省、三大区域以及全国的城市人口规模分布和经济规模分布Pareto指数(1997年、2000年和2003年),对Pareto指数进行跨区域和跨时间的对比分析,并实证分析我国城市规模分布的影响因素。分析表明,我国的城市规模分布显著地服从Pareto分布,并具有明显的结构性特征。工业化、产业结构以及运输能力对城市人口规模分布具有显著影响,而工业化和运输能力则是影响城市经济规模分布的重要因素。     

Assessment and selection of management consultants: A comparative cognitive study between small- and large-scale companies

This paper explores alternative ways of evaluating and ultimately hiring a generalist consultancy for short- and medium-term projects, and how this is shaped by the size of the clients’ company. What buying factors do managers of small and large firms have in mind when hiring consultants for their projects?Instead of employing surveys incorporating predefined buying factors based on what the researchers think would be important, a cognitive mapping methodology - the repertory grid technique - is applied to investigate the underlying phenomena. Using the repertory grid technique to draw mental models is a novel research technique within the supply management field. Recent behavioral supply chain management research found the behavior of managers to be critically influenced by mental models: the lenses through which managers perceive, simplify and interpret the world.Results show differences between the buying factors used in small- and large-scale companies: managers of large companies are more ‘reputation and outcome-oriented’ and managers of small businesses are more concerned with ‘how the services are rendered’. However, both constituents stressed the importance of expertise, quality and the relationship between the client and the management consultancy, although the character of such a relationship differed between small- and large-scale firms. Results also point out criteria that managers of small and large companies employ to discriminate between good and poor performing consultancies and to judge service delivery. The practical implications for both companies hiring consultancies and the consultancy companies are discussed. For consultancies, our findings can help tailoring their efforts to a differing clientele when marketing and selling their services. For companies hiring consultancies, fixating too much on particular buying factors may lead to biased decisions.     

中国A股市场规模溢价与价值溢价成因研究

金融理论界对规模溢价与价值溢价现象的困惑与争论由来已久，对上述现象的理论解释可以归纳为传统范式与行为范式。前者认为，溢价是对高风险的补偿，后者则认为，溢价源是对过度反应的纠正。为了弄清溢价形成的真正原因，本文对1993——2003年中国深沪A股进行了实证分析，研究发现：中国A股市场存在规模与价值溢价现象，但上述两种范式的解释均存在一定的局限性。本文借鉴展望理论的参照依赖原理，提出相对盈利的概念，并对溢价现象予以新的解释。     

The Effects of Auditor Social and Human Capital on Auditor Compensation: Evidence from the Italian Small Audit Firm Market

Abstract

This study examines whether social and human capital influence the compensation of individual auditors in the small audit firm market. We employ a sample of Italian auditors and use measures from the network and auditing literatures to capture their professional connections, representing social capital, and their industry expertise, representing human capital. Our findings show a positive and economically meaningful association between these individual attributes and auditor compensation. We run several tests to address potential endogeneity issues in our research design. Our results suggest that, in the small audit market, clients perceive as valuable those auditors with higher social and human capital, and as a result, are willing to pay a premium for these specific auditor attributes.     

从人口规模看我国的就业问题

我国是世界上人口最多的国家,也是世界上劳动力资源最丰富的发展中国家,其就业压力也最大。近年来,失业问题已经引起了我国各级政府和社会各界的广泛关注。从人口规模角度探讨我国的就业问题,分析人口规模对就业的影响,这对实现我国经济发展战略,实现人口与经济、社会的协调发展都具有重要意义。     

试论审计独立性概念框架的构建

由于独立性关系到审计质量,关系到资本市场的效率,关系到注册会计师行业的生存。注册会计师的独立性问题是一直受到广泛关注的问题。各国及有关的国际组织都试图对独立性问题做出明确的规定。其中美国ISB及IFAC分别构建了独立性概念(原则)框架,对独立性问题作了较全面的规定。而我国对独立性问题的相关规定还很不系统,本文借鉴ISB及IFAC的相关规定阐述了独立性概念框架的主要内容,以期能够提供参考。     

The effect of management incentives and cross-listing status on the accounting treatment of R&D spending

This paper investigates the effect of management incentives and cross-listing status on the accounting treatment of research and development (R&D) spending for a sample of Canadian hi-tech and biopharmaceutical firms. U.S. GAAP adopts an immediate expensing rule for all R&D spending except for software development costs for which technological feasibility has been established. Contrary to the U.S., Canadian and international standard setters recommend capitalization if development costs meet certain criteria. Because those criteria are largely based on management judgment, capitalization of R&D spending is an accounting choice that can be used for income manipulation or signaling.Using a logit model, we examine how the decision to capitalize R&D spending is influenced by the cross-listing status and several other key firm characteristics that are well documented in the accounting literature. We find that the probability of capitalizing R&D spending increases for cross-listed and non-cross-listed firms in the software industry. The probability of capitalizing R&D spending also increases for firms that are more leveraged, more mature, and have higher level of cash flows from operations. However, the probability of capitalizing R&D spending decreases for larger corporations, firms with more concentrated ownership and highly profitable firms. Overall our results indicate a preference for Canadian firms in the software industry to emulate U.S. accounting practices for R&D spending. They also suggest that firms use the decision to capitalize or expense R&D spending as an earning management tool to either meet debt covenants or to smooth income.     

大股东资金占用与审计师的监督

本文研究审计师对大股东占用上市公司资金行为的监督作用。通过对1997年到2002年间的上市公司进行分析,我们发现随着大股东资金占用程度的加大,审计师更加倾向于出示非标准意见。在大股东占用资金最多的10%的公司年度中,审计师出示非标准意见的概率高达近50%。在控制了其他影响审计师意见的变量以后,大股东资金占用程度仍然是决定审计意见的一个非常显著的因素。这说明我国的审计师对中国资本市场出现的大股东资金占用问题有一定的认识,并且将其反映到审计师意见中去。我们进一步的分析发现: (1)被审计师出具了非标准意见的公司,其大股东占用资金反而更加持续。这说明审计师意见对公司的监督意义不大,公司并没有因为审计师的意见而减轻占用程度。(2)被审计师出具了非标准意见的公司,其大股东占用对未来的股票收益的负影响与其他公司并没有区别。这说明投资者对审计师的意见并没有给予足够的重视。本文的研究结果说明,审计师对大股东盘剥中小股东的现象进行了监督、对大股东资金占用严重的公司出示了更多的非标准意见,然而这些非标准意见并没有引起各方面的重视,一方面公司的治理并没有改善,另一方面投资者也没有因审计师的意见而避免更多的损失。