Given the prevalence in recent years of major accounting frauds such as Enron and World Com as well as significant numbers of earnings restatements (Palmrose and Scholz 2002; Wu 2002), there is a continuing and growing call for improved corporate governance mechanisms (e.g., Sarbanes-Oxley Act, 2002; The Business Roundtable, 2002; The New York Stock Exchange, 2002). Research has documented a significant association between governance factors such as board independence (e.g., "outside" non-executive directors versus "inside" members) and the quality of financial reporting (DeChow et al. 1996; Beasley 1996; Beasley et al. 1999, Beasley et al. 2000). For example, Chtouro and Bedard (2002) report an association between the strength of the corporate governance structure and the magnitude of discretionary accruals and Klein (2002b) found a significant and negative relationship between audit committee independence and abnormal accruals.
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The purpose of the study is to examine how the type (foci) of the board (agency and/or resource dependence) impacts auditors' judgments relating to program planning. It is important to study the impact of the type of board on auditor judgments and decisions for several reasons.
First, at the pinnacle of the governance structure is the board of directors, who are charged directly with representing the shareholders’ interests. Hence, the type of the board is likely to have a significant impact on the quality of financial reporting and the risks of fraudulent financial reporting. Arthur Levitt, former Chair of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), stated (1999, 2): “The link between a company’s directors and its financial reporting system has never been more crucial. ” For instance, if there is a board that places great importance on maintaining a strong monitoring perspective (an “agency” perspective, as will be described more fully in the next section), it is likely that the board will ensure that a sound audit committee is in place. Further, the type of board could also have a significant effect on corporate strategy and eventually the business risks faced by the corporation. The Business Roundtable Principles of Corporate Governance (2002, 4) states while discussing the board’s role in overseeing the firm’s strategic direction that, “Once the board reviews a strategic plan, the board should regularly monitor implementation of the plan to determine whether it is being implemented effectively and whether changes are needed.” Thus, if the board focuses a great deal on ensuring the company has a sound business strategy and maintains a reasonable level of business risks (a “resource dependence” role, as will be discussed), then it is reasonable to expect that corporate failures and significant losses are potentially less likely to occur.
Second, since the strength of a company’s corporate governance structures is expected to affect a client’s financial reporting quality and business risks, it is expected that governance will impact auditors' risk assessments and subsequent program planning decisions (Cohen and Hanno 2000). The relation between an auditee’s business risks and the risk of material misstatement in financial reports is increasingly recognized as a critical aspect in the audit process (Bell and Solomon, 2002, p. 8). Further, auditing standards prescribe that audit efforts are to be tailored to the level of client risks (SAS 47). However, for such factors to affect audit plans, the auditor must first recognize and properly assess the strength of corporate governance and, second, appropriately weight and use this evidence to adapt the nature, extent, timing, and/or staffing of tests. For example, if the overall strength of the corporate governance structure is perceived to be strong, auditors could assess client associated risks as lower. This, in turn, could potentially reduce the planned audit effort. Ultimately, program plans are posited to have a significant impact on the quality of audit decisions, since audit plans affect the evidence obtained.
This is the first study to our knowledge that simultaneously addresses the impact of board type and strength on audit planning judgments. Auditing standards and the accounting literature stress the agency role of the board in providing controls over management, but there has been limited consideration of the significant resource dependence role that the board can also play. As will be discussed, this issue is particularly important as the profession moves to a more holistic, business risk-based approach to auditing.
These issues are examined by an experiment where 68 experienced assurance services partners and managers from one international accounting firm evaluated a realistic audit case where the type of the board was manipulated in a 2 x 2 between-subjects design: agency (strong or weak) and resource dependence (strong or weak). The findings indicate that auditors respond to the type and strength of board in place when making decisions with respect to audit program planning. Auditors not only increased
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نظراً للانتشار في السنوات الأخيرة عمليات الاحتيال المالي الكبرى مثل إنرون وكوم العالمي، فضلا عن إعداد كبيرة من إيرادات إعادة التصريح (بالمروسي وشولز عام 2002؛ وو عام 2002)، وهناك استمرار وتزايد الدعوة إلى آليات تحسين إدارة الشركات (مثلاً "قانون" ساربانيس-أوكسلي، 2002؛ الطاولة المستديرة للأعمال، 2002؛ بورصة نيويورك، 2002). وقد وثق البحث ارتباط كبير بين العوامل الحكم مثل استقلال المجلس (مثلاً، "خارج" المدراء غير التنفيذيين مقابل أعضاء في "داخل") ونوعية الإبلاغ المالي (ديكو et al. 1996؛ Beasley عام 1996؛ Beasley et al. 1999، Beasley et al. 2000). على سبيل المثال، تشتورو بيدارد (2002) تقرير واقتران بين قوة هيكل حوكمة الشركات وحجم الاستحقاق تقديرية وكلاين (2002) وجدت علاقة هامة وسلبية بين استقلال لجنة المراجعة واستحقاقات غير طبيعي. . والغرض من هذه الدراسة دراسة كيفية تأثير النوع (البؤر) للمجلس (الوكالة و/أو الاعتماد على الموارد) الأحكام مراجعي الحسابات المتعلقة بتخطيط البرامج. من المهم دراسة تأثير نوع المجلس على مراجع الأحكام والقرارات لعدة أسباب. First, at the pinnacle of the governance structure is the board of directors, who are charged directly with representing the shareholders’ interests. Hence, the type of the board is likely to have a significant impact on the quality of financial reporting and the risks of fraudulent financial reporting. Arthur Levitt, former Chair of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), stated (1999, 2): “The link between a company’s directors and its financial reporting system has never been more crucial. ” For instance, if there is a board that places great importance on maintaining a strong monitoring perspective (an “agency” perspective, as will be described more fully in the next section), it is likely that the board will ensure that a sound audit committee is in place. Further, the type of board could also have a significant effect on corporate strategy and eventually the business risks faced by the corporation. The Business Roundtable Principles of Corporate Governance (2002, 4) states while discussing the board’s role in overseeing the firm’s strategic direction that, “Once the board reviews a strategic plan, the board should regularly monitor implementation of the plan to determine whether it is being implemented effectively and whether changes are needed.” Thus, if the board focuses a great deal on ensuring the company has a sound business strategy and maintains a reasonable level of business risks (a “resource dependence” role, as will be discussed), then it is reasonable to expect that corporate failures and significant losses are potentially less likely to occur. Second, since the strength of a company’s corporate governance structures is expected to affect a client’s financial reporting quality and business risks, it is expected that governance will impact auditors' risk assessments and subsequent program planning decisions (Cohen and Hanno 2000). The relation between an auditee’s business risks and the risk of material misstatement in financial reports is increasingly recognized as a critical aspect in the audit process (Bell and Solomon, 2002, p. 8). Further, auditing standards prescribe that audit efforts are to be tailored to the level of client risks (SAS 47). However, for such factors to affect audit plans, the auditor must first recognize and properly assess the strength of corporate governance and, second, appropriately weight and use this evidence to adapt the nature, extent, timing, and/or staffing of tests. For example, if the overall strength of the corporate governance structure is perceived to be strong, auditors could assess client associated risks as lower. This, in turn, could potentially reduce the planned audit effort. Ultimately, program plans are posited to have a significant impact on the quality of audit decisions, since audit plans affect the evidence obtained. This is the first study to our knowledge that simultaneously addresses the impact of board type and strength on audit planning judgments. Auditing standards and the accounting literature stress the agency role of the board in providing controls over management, but there has been limited consideration of the significant resource dependence role that the board can also play. As will be discussed, this issue is particularly important as the profession moves to a more holistic, business risk-based approach to auditing. These issues are examined by an experiment where 68 experienced assurance services partners and managers from one international accounting firm evaluated a realistic audit case where the type of the board was manipulated in a 2 x 2 between-subjects design: agency (strong or weak) and resource dependence (strong or weak). The findings indicate that auditors respond to the type and strength of board in place when making decisions with respect to audit program planning. Auditors not only increased
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