As a result of the global financial crisis (GFC), several audit clients were able to negotiate lower audit fees for the years 2008 and 2009. However, the PCAOB has expressed concern that lower audit fees might lead to lower audit effort and lower audit quality and financial reporting quality....

We examine which of two opposing financial reporting incentives that group-affiliated firms experience shapes their accounting transparency evident in auditor choice. In one direction, complex group structure and intra-group transactions enable controlling shareholders to pursue diversionary...

Recent research challenges the notion that the Big 4 auditors provide a higher quality audit relative to non-Big 4 and suggests that the Big N effect could be due to self-selection. We contribute to this debate by controlling for pre-audit earnings quality, an important omitted variable in prior...

In measuring tunneling with inter-corporate loans disclosed by Chinese listed companies, we analyze the underlying channels through which aggressive tax planning facilitates the diversion of corporate resources by firm insiders. Using path analysis, we document that the path from tax...

The primary issue we examine is whether PCAOB identified audit deficiencies are associated with a change in triennially inspected audit firms' going concern (GC) reporting decisions for their financially distressed clients. Our analysis generally indicates that firms with PCAOB deficiencies were...

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently made timely reviews of quarterly financial statements mandatory for all registrants. The objective is to improve corporate quarterly reporting. However, formal review reports are not required to be included in 10-Q filings, and may not even...

This study investigates (a) why some IPO firms proactively disclose internal control weaknesses (ICWs) and remediation progress in their prospectuses before going public, despite being exempt from the requirements of Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act at the time of IPO, and (b) the...