We examine the issue of auditor independence in a unique setting. Specifically, we test for auditor independence impairment among (1) private client firms, for which the risk of auditor reputation loss is lower than for publicly traded firms, and (2) in a low litigation environment (i.e.,...

Studies mainly in the United States and United Kingdom have documented that foreign controlled corporations (FCCs) report significantly lower taxable income compared to domestic controlled corporations (DCCs). This taxable income differential has been partly attributed to income shifting by...

We are interested in understanding how agency conflicts in private firms arise through ownership structures and family relationships. Specifically, we analyze auditors’ increase of effort and firms’ choice of auditors in situations with higher level of agency conflicts. For a large sample of...