This paper investigates whether there are differences in cosmetic earnings management between firms audited by male vs. female auditors. A number of previous studies have documented that listed firms around the world engage in cosmetic earnings management. This paper is the first one to document...

Utilizing the Finnish setting, this paper examines the association between industry specialization of an individual audit partner and the quality of earnings reported for privately-held companies. Rules in Finland require that the name(s) of the audit engagement partner(s) appear in audit...

This study investigates the role that board structure has on the demand for audit quality in connection with family ownership in a sample of private firms. In addition to this, we also shed light on whether ownership structure and board structure are substitute mechanisms in resolving agency...

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether auditor gender has an impact on the magnitude of corporate earnings management in small and medium-sized private Finnish firms. Our results concerning gender differences in audit practices are twofold. First, when we regress the absolute...

Trait self-control – the ability to regulate behavior, thoughts, and emotions, especially in pursuit of goals – is important in achieving success in a variety of situations. However, little is known about whether or how individual audit partners' traits and characteristics can influence...

This study investigates the interaction between audit quality and agency costs, when managerial ownership is used as a proxy for agency costs. The literature on audit quality suggests that firms with high agency costs are more likely to demand audit quality. Our database enables us to compare...