This paper examines the relation between audit fees and accruals from a balance sheet auditing perspective. We argue that the underlying economic characteristics of various transactions, as reflected in the articulation-based accruals in Casey et al. (2017), are predictably associated with audit...

This paper models the demand by auditors for bright-line financial reporting standards, and compares auditors' preferences for bright-line standards with managers' and regulators' preferences. Bright-line standards are unambiguous, requiring no judgment in their application. Standards that are...

Some companies now outsource their internal audit function to public accountants. Internal auditors and accounting firms disagree about the merits of outsourcing. Each type of auditor claims to provide more cost-effective services and appears to claim superior expertise. This paper uses agency...

An important aim of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was to reduce cost of capital by enhancing auditor independence. However, prior literature has argued that SOX has been ineffective in meeting this objective. We contribute to this debate by first providing evidence suggesting that auditor...

We examine differences in audit scope between family and non-family firms in Israel, using a unique database that includes both external and internal audit fees, hours, and billing rates. Consistent with prior literature, we argue that the number of audit hours reflects an auditor’s effort,...