Several regulatory actions and professional standard setting changes occurring since the turn of the century have resulted in a fundamental change to the information captured by the audit report date. Whereas the audit report date previously captured substantial completion of audit fieldwork,...

We examine the engagements of audit partners in leadership roles to determine how their direct audit work reveals “tone at the top.” Although leadership partners are likely strong performers who have proven to be capable auditors, the administrative tasks associated with these roles could...

We examine whether firms with managers that have prior internal audit experience are less likely to manage earnings. We find that firms with managers that have internal audit experience are associated with less overall earnings management, driven by lower real earnings management. Importantly,...

Auditing standards prescribe a risk-based approach where auditors assess the risk of material misstatement and then design and perform audit procedures to reduce audit risk to an appropriately low level. Prior research suggests that auditors are responsive to high control risk assessments (CRA)...

The correction and disclosure prominence of misstatements identified in previously audited financial statements depends largely on preparers' and auditors' materiality judgments. Despite being tasked with independent attestation, we posit that auditors' incentives to avoid reputational and legal...

We examine whether managers appear to aggregate bias in multiple subjective accrual estimates to meet or just beat analyst expectations. We also consider whether the updated language in recent PCAOB auditing standards, focusing auditors on the potential for bias across multiple estimates,...

In this study, we investigate the financial reporting behavior of chief financial officers (CFOs) with prior audit experience. Our tests indicate that, on average, CFOs who were former auditors report less aggressively than CFOs without prior audit experience. Thus, the mindset that auditors...

We examine whether delays in the expected release of annual earnings have implications for the future auditor-client relationship. Managers have strong incentives to release earnings on schedule and auditors play an important role in helping their clients avoid costly earnings announcement...