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This paper aims to examine the impact of corporate sustainable management (CSM) on earnings management (EM) activities using annual data from 2018 to 2022 for 37 non-financial Saudi indexed firms. A multi-measure approach was utilized to proxy for EM (AEM and REM) and CSM (CSR sustainability reporting, CSR sustainability committee, CSR sustainability external audit, GRI report guidelines, ESG performance index). The empirical analysis employed pooled ordinary least squares (POLS) regression. The results suggest that CSM plays a significant role in reducing both AEM and REM practices, indicating that sustainability-oriented organizations mitigate EM activities. Furthermore, the study reveals a negative correlation between CSM and sales manipulation, overproduction, and cutting discretionary expenditures. This research supports the notion that companies prioritize sustainable management due to a focus on long-term strategies and transparency. This is the first work in the Middle East and Arab region, particularly in Saudi Arabia, investigating this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the effect of audit tenure, audit rotation, and the size of Public Accounting Firms (KAP) on audit quality, by considering audit fees as moderation variables. This research was conducted using data from companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The analysis method used is multiple linear regression with a hierarchical model approach. The results of the analysis show that audit tenure has a significant influence on audit quality, with indications that the longer the audit period, the less audit quality is carried out. In addition, audit rotation has also proven to have a significant effect on audit quality, showing that auditor turnover can improve audit quality by bringing fresh ideas and new points of view. However, the size of the Public Accounting Firm (KAP) does not have a significant influence on audit quality. The moderation variable, audit fee, was found to significantly moderate the relationship between audit tenure and audit quality. This shows that the level of audit fees can affect the extent to which audit tenure affects audit quality. These results provide further understanding of the factors affecting audit quality and their implications in audit practice and related regulations. This research makes an important contribution for audit practitioners, regulators, and researchers in understanding the dynamics between variables that affect audit quality, so that it can help in improving audit effectiveness and efficiency in the future. In addition, the findings also provide insight to the parties involved in decision-making related to auditor selection and audit rotation policies. By knowing that audit tenure and audit rotation affect audit quality, companies can consider appropriate strategies to ensure that their audits are conducted with an optimal level of quality. The practical implication of the study is that companies must carefully weigh the benefits and risks of too long an audit period, as well as the decision to rotate auditors. Meanwhile, Public Accounting Firms (KAP) can consider efforts to improve the quality of their audits through human resource development and improvement of audit practices. Methodologically, this study offers a holistic approach in considering the factors that affect audit quality, as well as introducing moderation variables that have not been explored much before in this context. Therefore, this research can be the foundation for more in-depth follow-up research on the factors that affect audit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of audit regulation has seen an accelerating dynamic in recent years, with the issue of auditor independence increasingly highlighted in the regulations. In Romania, at the level of public institutions, there are, according to the latest reports, vulnerabilities in terms of transparency and the level of cooperation with auditors, manifested by the issuance of qualified audit reports on the basis of events such as the lack of inventory or transparency in the provision of information for audit (failure to issue the audit report). In this context, we proposed to carry out an impact study on the behavior of the statutory auditor in the context of specific regulations and to develop an auditor independence model. The used methods used consist of literature review, econometric modelling and critical impact analysis. The results of the study will highlight the vulnerabilities induced by the level of auditor turnover on the economic performance of public institutions and are useful to decision makers in order to optimize audit practices.

AbstractFollowing the lead of recent literature showing the vital role played by institutional directors in influencing organizational outcomes, this study contributes to the body of research on auditing delays by examining the question of if and to what extent institutional directors have any connection to the on-time completion of audit reports. The study also looks into how having directors who have been approved by the central bank can speed up audit reporting. In addition, the research article goes on to explore concerns regarding the potential negative effects that changing partners could have on auditing results due to the impairment of client-specific knowledge. Our study provides pioneering empirical evidence supporting the idea that institutional directors and financial institution directors significantly improve audit timeliness in emerging audit economies. Furthermore, this study finds little evidence to support the contention that a long-tenured audit partner improves financial reporting timeliness. Therefore, being scared of mandatory partner rotation leads to an impairment of knowledge and understanding specific to customers, and the postponement of declarations of audited financial results is unwarranted and unnecessary.

Research background: Audits are intended to ensure the reliability of financial statements, as this is fundamental for different stakeholders. However, both auditor tenure and audit fees could affect the earnings management of companies. In 2014, the European Union established a mandatory audit firm rotation policy. In the United States, although there is still no mandatory regulation in this regard, there has been a large public debate over the advisability of this policy. Another unresolved controversy is whether audit fees determine audit quality. Purpose of the article: The aim of this research is to study the effect of auditor tenure and audit fees on earnings management, i.e., to determine whether a longer-term relationship between the auditor and the audited company, as well as higher audit fees, reduce the audited company's earnings management, thereby making the financial statements more reliable for stakeholders and increasing the quality of the audit report. In addition, the Big Four auditing companies in the United States were analyzed in order to determine the influence of corporate culture. Methods: A sample of companies listed in the S&P 500 stock market index was employed for the analysis, covering the years 2012 to 2021, resulting in a dataset comprising 3,010 observations. To examine the research hypotheses while mitigating the potential bias from omitted variables, a linear regression analysis was conducted using panel data with fixed effects regression. To enhance the robustness of the results, winsorized variables were also employed. Findings & value added: Overall, the results confirm that the quality of financial statements improves as auditor tenure increases, and so implementing a mandatory auditor rotation may not be in a company's best interests. The results also support the market segmentation theory, as higher audit fees are aligned with higher quality financial reporting. Furthermore, by analyzing the Big Four audit companies in the US, it is shown that the influence of audit fees and auditor tenure on earnings management also depends on the internal aspects of the particular audit firm, especially its ethical culture. In sum, US policymakers should neither set limits on audit fees nor enforce a mandatory audit firm rotation similar to that of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the lead of recent literature showing the vital role played by institutional directors in influencing organizational outcomes, this study contributes to the body of research on auditing delays by examining the question of if and to what extent institutional directors have any connection to the on-time completion of audit reports. The study also looks into how having directors who have been approved by the central bank can speed up audit reporting. In addition, the research article goes on to explore concerns regarding the potential negative effects that changing partners could have on auditing results due to the impairment of client-specific knowledge. Our study provides pioneering empirical evidence supporting the idea that institutional directors and financial institution directors significantly improve audit timeliness in emerging audit economies. Furthermore, this study finds little evidence to support the contention that a long-tenured audit partner improves financial reporting timeliness. Therefore, being scared of mandatory partner rotation leads to an impairment of knowledge and understanding specific to customers, and the postponement of declarations of audited financial results is unwarranted and unnecessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to create a bibliometric analysis of studies published in the Web of Science database on audit rotation (AR). In order to capture the effects of the EU audit reform on this topic, the period analysed has been divided in two intervals, 2007 – 2013 and 2014 – 2020. It has been determined that academic research on AR has increased significantly after the adoption of the EU reform. Improving audit quality is a common purpose of all parties in the corporate reporting ecosystem. However, there is no unanimously accepted opinion if the auditor rotation improves the audit quality or not.

Copyright of Cuadernos de Contabilidad is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The level of audit regulation has seen an accelerating dynamic in recent years, with the issue of auditor independence increasingly highlighted in the regulations. In Romania, at the level of public institutions, there are, according to the latest reports, vulnerabilities in terms of transparency and the level of cooperation with auditors, manifested by the issuance of qualified audit reports on the basis of events such as the lack of inventory or transparency in the provision of information for audit (failure to issue the audit report). In this context, we proposed to carry out an impact study on the behavior of the statutory auditor in the context of specific regulations and to develop an auditor independence model. The used methods used consist of literature review, econometric modelling and critical impact analysis. The results of the study will highlight the vulnerabilities induced by the level of auditor turnover on the economic performance of public institutions and are useful to decision makers in order to optimize audit practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the association between audit fees and attributes of internal audit (IA), audit committee (AC), as measured by independence and financial expertise, as well as characteristics of the firm. The determinants of audit fees have been extensively investigated in the prior literature, but the results are conflicting. We develop a comprehensive model from a multi-country and multi-industry perspective. A total of 3,136 companies covering a period of 10 years (2011-2020) with 15,247 observations from 55 countries were included in this study. We found that the most critical variables that have a significant positive effect on the audit fees are client size, leverage (risk), profitability, complexity, losses, AC independence, AC expertise and auditor size. The study also shows that audit pricing is significantly negatively related to foreign operations, auditor tenure, and internal audit independence. The results highlight variables that affect audit fees across a range of countries/industries.

This study aimed to analyze the effect of auditor rotation, audit fees, audit tenure, and professional skepticism on audit quality. The data collection method was carried out on 370 auditors who worked at the big 10 public accounting firms (KAP). The research data was in the form of a Likert scale questionnaire which was collected and analyzed using SPSS for windows ver. 22. The results of this study indicated that each independent variable had a simultaneous effect on audit quality. The auditor rotation variable significantly affected audit quality with an antagonistic relationship direction, so the first hypothesis was accepted. The audit fee variable had no significant effect on audit quality. The audit tenure variable had no significant effect on audit quality. The professional skepticism variable had a significant effect on audit quality. The professional skepticism variable had the highest beta coefficient among other variables, so the professional skepticism variable had the strongest and simultaneous effect on audit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: This paper examines the association between the length of the cooling-off period and audit quality: (1) when partners rotate back and (2) during the cooling-off period, ahead of an extension to the minimum cooling-off period requirement in Australia. Using multiple measures of audit quality, we find some evidence of a positive association between the cooling-off period length and audit quality when partners rotate back, yet evidence of a negative association between the two, during the cooling-off period. We also find that auditor and client characteristics—such as partner busyness, client knowledge, geographic proximity, and client importance—play important roles in determining the cooling-off period length and whether a partner rotates back onto a client. Overall, we provide timely evidence that extending the cooling-off period only marginally enhances audit quality when a partner rotates back onto a client, and evidence of an unintended consequence of this policy during the cooling-off period. Data Availability: Data are publicly available. JEL Classifications: M42. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to comparatively investigate the content analysis of the audit reports of the Turkish BIST 100 index and the EURONEXT 100 companies, one of the European stock indexes. In this context, the independent audit reports of the companies included in the EURONEXT 100 and BIST 100 indexes between 2016-2019 were analyzed by content analysis method in terms of selected variables. The increase in audit report pages with the effect of new regulations; Shorter report LAG time in BIST 100; shortening of LAG times over time in both indices; the existence of a large audit firm preference; insufficient representation of female supervisors in both indices; while audit firm rotation is more common in BIST, auditor change is more preferred in EURONEXT, and finally, the similarity in the reported number of KAMs and their subjects can be counted among the research results. In this context, according to the results of the research; first of all, it showed that the audit reports largely comply with the new regulations and that efforts to create a common language for auditing standards are underway. It has been observed that the audit reports compared under six headings show a great deal of similarity, but there are some differences due to legal reasons such as the validity dates of the standards in countries. And, it is hoped that the study will contribute to our national literature within the scope of comparative samples and to draw attention to BIST in the international literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study aims to assess the effect of the rotation and tenure of audit firm and audit partner on the comparability and consistency of financial reports. Several studies have addressed the effect of auditor rotation on the quality of financial reports, but none of them focused specifically on the impact on the comparability and consistency of financial reports. Around the world, the impact of mandatory rotation of audit partner and audit firm is being discussed in academia and regulatory bodies. The peculiarity of the Brazilian regulatory environment allows us to contribute to the discussions on the effects of implementing mandatory auditor rotation. Our sample included 50 companies for which we analyzed data from 2012 to 2018. To measure comparability, we used the similarity of the accounting function model by DeFranco, Kothari and Verdi (2011), and to measure consistency we used the adaptations to this model proposed by Ribeiro (2014). For data analysis, we used descriptive statistics and multivariate panel analysis. Our results suggest that the rotation (mandatory and voluntary) of audit firm and audit partner does not affect the comparability and consistency of financial reports. Results also suggest that auditor-client relationships of up to three years contribute to a significant increase in comparability and consistency, indicating that mandatory rotation does not impair investors’ ability to compare the information concerning their investments. In addition, regulators are shown that a possible reduction in the mandatory rotation term (from five to three years, as in Italy) would be in line with market practices and would imply an increase in the comparability and consistency of financial information.

Background: Since external auditors possess the expertise necessary for detecting manipulations in financial statements, they should also take into account earnings management that could lead to it. In that context, auditor’s independence, which can be affected by auditor’s rotation, is of utmost importance.

This study addresses the international debate over whether the rotation of audit firms should be mandatory. Mandatory rotation rules have been adopted by the European Union, but these rules have not been established in the United States. Proponents of the policy believe that a long-tenure auditor-client relationship leads to the auditor building an excessive economic bond with the client, which may then erode auditor independence. Motivated by this claim, I build a theoretical model that compares auditor incentives to issue independent reports under regimes with and without mandatory rotation. The model demonstrates conditions under which mandatory rotation could actually impair auditor independence, contrary to the popular view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of increased audit market competition on audit quality and auditor choice. I develop a model comprising two auditors who compete for a new client by choosing the audit quality for their respective existing clients and using the audited report as a signal. I identify factors that influence auditor quality decisions, as well as the behavior of clients, who potentially misstate their reports. Auditors are tempted to alter audit quality because they are eager to appear desirable from a new client's perspective. Interestingly, while recipients of the audited report adjust their conjectures about audit quality, there are conditions under which auditors lower their audit quality to increase the likelihood of being hired. The analysis extends the existing literature by describing a new approach to modeling the auditors' motivation to signal reputation for certain behavior. JEL Classifications: M40; M42; C72. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the association between audit fees and attributes of internal audit (IA), audit committee (AC), as measured by independence and financial expertise, as well as characteristics of the firm. The determinants of audit fees have been extensively investigated in the prior literature, but the results are conflicting. We develop a comprehensive model from a multi-country and multi-industry perspective. A total of 3,136 companies covering a period of 10 years (2011-2020) with 15,247 observations from 55 countries were included in this study. We found that the most critical variables that have a significant positive effect on the audit fees are client size, leverage (risk), profitability, complexity, losses, AC independence, AC expertise and auditor size. The study also shows that audit pricing is significantly negatively related to foreign operations, auditor tenure, and internal audit independence. The results highlight variables that affect audit fees across a range of countries/industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manuscript type: Research paper. Research aims: This study focuses on the effects of audit partner rotation on audit quality (AQ) in China. In particular, we examine the effects of review auditors (RAs) and engagement auditors (EAs) on AQ when they voluntarily and mandatorily rotate. Design/Methodology/Approach: The data in this study are retrieved from the Chinese Stock Market and Accounting Research (CSMAR) database. We develop an OLS regression model and logit model respectively to test the hypotheses developed. Finally, we have 13,856 firm-year observations collected for the first regression model, and 16,893 firm-year observations gathered for the second logit model from 2003 to 2015. Research findings: Findings show that RAs are more likely to behave opportunistically to retain clients by weighing up the benefits and costs of compromising audit quality in the first year after a rotation. The results imply that RAs may have an incentive to acquiesce the clients' accounting irregularities in their first year of audit engagement when they are mandatorily rotated. However, we do not find this trend in terms of EAs' rotation, suggesting that EAs are less affected by the auditor-client relationship compared to RAs. In addition, we find that RAs are less likely to issue modified audit opinions (MOPI) as the magnitude of negative discretionary accruals (DA) increases when they are voluntarily rotated. Theoretical contribution/Originality: Previous studies have investigated the relationship between mandatory audit partner rotation and audit quality. The results are mixed and inconclusive. Our study contributes to the extant literature by considering RAs' opportunistic behaviour after mandatory rotation, which has not been explored in previous studies. In China, only a few studies have examined the relationship between mandatory audit partner rotation and audit quality. Our study is one of the first study focusing on the RA's influence on AQ. Practitioner/Policy implication: The findings of our study can help Chinese authorities, listed firms and academics gain more understanding on whether mandatory audit partner rotation improves audit quality in practice. Since RAs have greater incentive to retain the existing client, we propose that RAs should bear more responsibility for the audit work, instead of the equally shared responsibility with EAs. Research limitation/Implications: Our study is subject to some limitations. First, our study adopts the performance-adjusted discretionary accruals as a proxy for audit quality. However, there can be a measurement error in estimating discretionary accruals. Second, we focus on the auditor rotation and exclude the case of audit firm rotation. Since the AQ can be affected by various factors, audit firm rotation can also affect AQ. Third, although we test the relative effects of RAs and EAs in audit work, we do not examine the effect of RAs' characteristics such as their professional experience, educational background, and years of service. AQ can be affected by RAs' characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted based on issues related to the decline in public trust in the ability of auditors to produce quality audits. This study aims to provide empirical evidence about audit quality that is influenced by auditor rotation. This research aims at providing an empirical evidence of the influence of auditor rotation on audit quality. This is an explanatory study using 90 auditors in Indonesia as its sample. The sample is taken using random sampling and the data are collected using questionnaire and interview with several auditors. The research results indicate that auditor rotation is not found to have direct influence on audit quality. The research also fails to provide empirical evidences of the role of auditor’s independence auditor as an intervening variable. Nevertheless, the research does proves that auditor’s independence has positive influence on audit quality.

The recent cases of bank failures witnessed in Nigeria despite unqualified audit reports have raised questions about banks auditor’s independence. Given the significance of auditor’s independence in enhancing corporate financial reporting quality, this paper examined the determinants of auditor’s independence of 13 listed deposit money banks in Nigeria from 2006 to 2018. The paper specifically determined the combined influence of audit firm size, auditor’s rotation and non-audit services on auditor’s independence. The study data were generated from the annual accounts and reports of the 13 sampled banks and audit firms during the period. The paper utilized descriptive statistics and ordinary least square regression analysis to analyse the data and test the hypotheses after diagnostic tests were conducted. The results revealed that audit firm size and auditor rotation are determinants of auditor’s independence while non-audit services do not. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that professional accountancy bodies should strengthen legislation through the imposition of stricter penalties and monitoring to ensure that auditors maintain independence while performing the statutory audit function.

Copyright of Acta Sting is the property of Akademie STING, o.p.s. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We analyze the effects of partner tenure and mandatory rotation on audit quality, pricing, and production for a large cross-section of U.S. public firms during 2008–2014. On average, we find no evidence that audit quality declines over the tenure cycle and little support for "fresh-look" benefits provided by the new audit partner. Audit fees decline and audit hours increase after mandatory rotation, but then reverse over the tenure cycle. We also find evidence that audit firms use "shadowing" in preparation for a lead partner turnover. These effects differ by competitiveness of the local audit market, client size, and partner experience. When multiple members of the audit team commence work at a new client, the transition appears to be more disruptive and more likely to exhibit audit quality effects. Our findings point to costly efforts by the audit firms to minimize disruptions and audit failures around mandatory rotations. JEL Classifications: J01; J44; L84; M21; M42. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the perceptions of key audit industry stakeholders concerning the direct and indirect financial effects of the implementation of mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) in South Africa. Globally, concerns over audit quality, in response to corporate failures, have resulted in renewed debate over MAFR as a solution. The European Union and South Africa have recently ruled in its favor, while other countries have rejected it on grounds that the benefits do not exceed the costs. Using structured surveys, the informed perspectives of experienced auditors, chief financial officers, audit committee chairs, and equity fund managers are explored and contrasted. We find that considerable costs will be imposed on audit firms in the form of "setup and transition costs," as well as costs incurred to submit and present competitive tenders to secure appointment. Although auditors will try to recoup these costs with fee increases, this will likely not be allowed by the clients, resulting in a squeeze of audit firm profits. The Big 4 firm fee premium, relative to non‐Big 4 firms, will decrease due to increased competition. From the clients' perspective, the costs will be in the form of audit inefficiency translating into staff time and disruption, caused by the incoming auditors being less familiar with the complexities of the business. We contribute to the literature detailed descriptions and estimations of the nature and extent of potential cost implications, as expressed by experienced practitioners. The findings inform audit industry regulators, standard‐setters, and practitioners to more effectively mitigate potential unintended consequences of the regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Audit quality in South Africa is perceived by the audit regulator to be deteriorating, with the primary cause being a compromise of auditor independence, mostly as a result of excessively long audit firm tenures. The regulator has responded with mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR). The purpose of this research is to employ field surveys to collect the views of experienced audit committee (AC) chairs, chief financial officers (CFOs) and auditors of JSE-listed companies on the necessity for, and potential efficacy of, this regulation. An additional focus of the paper is to explore potential unintended outcomes, as well as identify preferred alternatives and provide recommendations and practical solutions to negative effects. Findings show that auditors, CFOs and AC chairs are strongly opposed to MAFR in South Africa on a cost-benefit analysis. Respondents do not believe that audit quality and independence has deteriorated and feel that existing measures to safeguard auditor independence are sufficient. In addition, the loss of knowledge and experience of the clients that will result from firm rotation, together with other unintended consequences such as unmanageable cost increases, provide further reasons not to implement MAFR. Findings also indicate that MAFR will not contribute towards decreasing the dominance of the market by the 'Big 4' firms. Practical recommendations are suggested based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quality financial reporting, which requires high quality auditing outcomes, aids the smooth functioning of capital markets. Setting: The South African audit regulator argues that the key auditor attributes of independence and scepticism are dangerously compromised in South Africa, resulting in impaired audit quality. The regulator responded in June 2017 with the issuance of mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) regulations, effective April 2023. This ruling has caused considerable debate and opposing views in the audit industry. Aim: This study explores the state of auditor independence and the degree to which professional scepticism is being exercised by South African auditors of exchange-listed companies through an analysis of the perceptions of experienced key stakeholders. The findings contribute to the rationale behind the regulator's argument for the necessity and efficacy of MAFR. Method: The study uses a survey methodology across four key stakeholder groups experienced in matters concerning the audit process, auditor appointment and reliance on the audit outcome on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Results: Respondents do not believe that auditor independence and professional scepticism are impaired, nor that existing regulations and codes of practice need amendment. In addition, audit failures and corporate financial scandals are not believed to be a result of compromised auditor independence and professional scepticism, nor do longer audit firm tenures impair independence and professional scepticism. Conclusion: These perceptions provide evidence against the rationale for MAFR adoption and indicate that it may not be necessary or effective. The study contributes to the South African audit profession in its objective to maintain audit quality. As such, it is relevant to regulators, standard-setters and stakeholders in South African capital markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses two key features of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which was enacted in 2002 to restore integrity and public confidence to the financial markets. The law was passed in response to the horrendous corporate disasters that had occurred, including Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia, and Tyco. The implementation of effective business ethics became essential and the new law required the publication of corporate codes of ethics. It did not mandate their content. This paper suggests specific sections for inclusion in the general guidelines to encompass the ethical dimensions of the Act. It analyzes the compliance by the corporations in their public filings since Sarbanes-Oxley became law. The revelation of the size of the audit and accounting fees paid to Arthur Andersen by Enron and similar fees paid in other current financial debacles lead to another key requirement of Sarbanes-Oxley: mandatory auditor rotation. Here, however, Sarbanes-Oxley did not go far enough. The law required rotation only of the lead auditor within a firm. This paper submits that it should have required rotation of audit firms instead. The positions of the public companies, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Government Accountability Office, and accounting journals are explored as to the rotation of auditor firms regarding audit-partner rotation within a firm. The paper concludes that Sarbanes-Oxley should be expanded to require audit-firm rotation. This expansion is necessary to reinforce the independence of the public accountant, both in fact and appearance, and to restore competition within the accounting profession, which will benefit the investing public. It is up to the Security and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, ultimately, Congress to make this expansion a reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulators and practitioners argue the relative merits of firm and partner rotation, while researchers report mixed results on the consequences of rotation. This study uses an experiment to examine the effect of an upcoming rotation on perceptions of auditor competence and independence and finds that participants appear to be indifferent to whether rotation is at the firm or partner level; they only react to concurrent changes in audit fees and the industry specialization status of the new auditor. Specifically, participants assess auditor competence and independence (specifically attention to detail, effort, and skeptical attitude) to be higher when fees increase rather than decrease significantly at the time of a rotation, and they assess auditor competence to be higher when rotation is to an industry specialist rather than a nonindustry specialist. These findings hold regardless of whether rotation is at the firm or partner level. JEL Classifications: M42. Data Availability: Data and the tasks used in this study are available on request. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its necessity of analytical thinking and knowledge of business sciences, the accounting profession definitely requires a powerful brain. Also, the variety of clients create an industry and firmspecific specific expertise. The auditor can't operate as a sole entity and requires a league of staff to execute the profession. On the other hand, the client may prefer not to work with the auditor and rotate the engagement auditor or the audit firm. This research was designed as a tool to present a detail about Turkish listed companies' independent audit. Using a sample of 1,668 firm*year observations between 2005 and 2015, this research serves an insight to the audit characteristics of manufacturing companies listed on Borsa İstanbul. Descriptive statistics are presented as the opinion, audit firm type, engagement auditor gender, audit firm and engagement auditor rotations and using cross-variable analyses between "audit opinion and audit firm", "audit firm and auditor gender" and "auditor gender and audit opinion". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to utilise field surveys to comprehend South African academics perception of mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) as ruled by the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors in June 2017, including the nature of any possible direct or indirect consequences thereof. The findings reveal that auditing academics perceive the current implemented regulations, practices and standards as adequate to regulate auditor independence. Furthermore, they do not believe that MAFR will improve independence but likely the perception thereof in the minds of the investing public. Academics believe that MAFR will result in a loss of client- and industry-specific knowledge with the outgoing auditor and the new incumbent would experience a steep learning curve in the first year, which presents a significant risk to audit quality. Moreover, there is a perception that MAFR will not lower market concentration. However, uncertainty was expressed regarding its ability to improve transformation in the profession. The study contributes to the ongoing debate whether the efficacy of the various objectives of the regulator with regard to MAFR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores empirically several inferences regarding audit quality as follows: auditor competence and independence, auditor rotation, regulatory regimes, audit failures, firm characteristics, audit and non-audit fees, earnings management. Using as a research instrument the questionnaire, several Romanian auditors were surveyed. The results documented were twofold. First, among the factors assessed four were documented as having the potential to impact audit quality (i.e. audit and non-audit fees, competence and independence of auditors, auditor rotation). Second, several factors were enumerated as having the potential to enhance the audit quality in the view of Romanian auditors, as follows: senior professionals and executive involvement, stricter regulatory regimes, industry and firm expertise, auditor skeptical attitude. The size of the sample used is considered to be an important limitation. Further potential research is also approached.

The voters in Roslyn, New York inadvertently funded a multi-year embezzlement of $11 million of school district tax funds. Disguised by exceptional school rankings, and supported through a strong tax base, it was the largest embezzlement of school district funds to occur in the United States. Perpetrated by a school superintendent and his conspirators, initial evidence of the cash fraud was discovered two years prior to a formal investigation; however, a series of cover-ups by board of education members along with substandard audit work allowed the embezzlement to continue. State regulators responded to the crisis with the passage of a series of fiscal reform legislation aimed at improving school district internal control through changes in school district governance, the procurement of independent auditing, and state agency oversight. The case explores the incentives, rationalization, and opportunities for the perpetration and concealment of the Roslyn fraud as well as the overall impact of the state's fiscal reform legislation on New York's independent audit markets and reporting quality. This case is suitable for use in both auditing and governmental and not-for-profit courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to study the effects of auditor’s characteristics that consist ofAuditor size, auditor rotation and the type of auditor’s report upon the financial restatementin Tehran stock exchange. Hence, 130 companies are selected and research hypotheses are examined by least square regression. The findings show that there are significant negative relationship between the mean of restated amounts in financial statement with the auditor size and rotation. Therefore, changing of auditor firm and increasing the employee of auditor firms reduce the restated amounts in financial statement. However, the relationship between type of auditor’s report and restated amounts in financial statement is insignificant.

This paper examines the relationship between the length of auditor tenure and the extent of corporate earnings management. In particular, we test the relationship between the length of auditor tenure and the magnitude of absolute discretionary accruals, using a sample of 133 firms over the period 1379 to 1385. We find a positive relationship between the tenure and absolute discretionary accruals. These findings show that as auditor tenure increases, the reporting flexibility in management using discretionary accruals rises. We also examine the relationship between auditor tenure and signed discretionary accruals. We find a significant negative relationship that is consistent with the view that management uses reporting flexibility to reduce reported earnings.