Till följd av det senaste decenniets företagsskandaler och kriser har diskussionen kring revisorns oberoende eskalerat. I och med finanskrisen 2008/09 har det påvisats att ett antal bolag ej erhållit oberoende granskning varför revisorns agerande har ifrågasatts. Eftersom det är av stor vikt att revisorn agerar objektivt och självständigt med avseende på tillförlitligheten till reviderad information diskuteras obligatorisk byrårotation som ett verktyg för att säkerställa revisorns oberoende. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur obligatorisk byrårotation påverkar revisorns oberoende och vilka konsekvenser ett eventuellt införande av en dylik regel skulle innebära. Vidare behandlas byrårotations inverkan på den finansiella stabiliteten. Studien baseras på kvalitativ metod för att möjliggöra en djupgående förståelse för utvalda parters åsikter och synpunkter på en eventuell lagförändring. Intervjuer har genomförts med personer med stor inblick i revisionsbranschen. Studien visar att obligatorisk byrårotation skulle ha positiv inverkan på revisorns oberoende. Det följer av att byrårotation tros förhindra revisionsteamet att bli alltför bekant med revisionsklienten samt att revisorn anses mer oberoende då möjligheten till långvariga byråuppdrag är begränsad. Ett införande av byrårotation skulle medföra förbättrad revisionskvalitet trots påvisad kvalitetsnedgång i början på varje nytt revisionsuppdrag samt ökad revisionskostnad. Revisorns oberoende har betydelse för den finansiella stabiliteten men obligatorisk byrårotation skulle endast marginellt mildra eventuella framtida finansiella kriser.

O propósito central deste estudo é investigar se existe um prazo \"ótimo\" para o rodízio mandatório de firmas de auditoria no Brasil. Primeiramente, buscou-se evidências através da percepção de agentes do mercado para fundamentar o desenvolvimento de um modelo de estudo da qualidade de auditoria em função do tempo de relacionamento auditor-auditado tenure, considerando de forma isolada o efeito da tenure nas vertentes da qualidade, competência e independência, de acordo com o conceito de DeAngelo (1981b). Com base em um modelo quadrático, que consiste em uma simplificação do modelo originalmente proposto, foi realizada uma aplicação empírica com dados de companhias abertas brasileiras, listadas na Bovespa, referente ao período de 1998 a 2016. Os resultados sugerem ser possível estimar o prazo \"ótimo\" para o rodízio mandatório de firmas de auditoria em aproximadamente 5,7 anos. Testes adicionais foram realizados para conferir robustez a este resultado, indicando que o prazo \"ótimo\" seria em torno de 6 e 8,8 anos. Esses resultados indicam, portanto, que o prazo atualmente utilizado pela CVM (5 anos para empresas que não têm comitê de auditoria estatutário e 10 anos para as que têm) é compatível com os prazos estimados para se estabelecer o maior nível de qualidade média de auditoria possível. Tendo em vista que os prazos estimados são superiores a 5 anos, talvez não haja prejuízos, no que se refere à maximização da qualidade média da auditoria, se o prazo atualmente adotado for ligeiramente estendido. / The aim of this work is to investigate whether there is an \"optimal\" period for the mandatory audit firm rotation in Brazil. Firstly, evidence was sought through the perception of market agents to support the development of a model of audit quality as a function of the audit tenure, considering separately the effects of audit tenure on the audit quality components, competence and independence, according to DeAngelo\'s (1981b) concept. Based on a quadratic model, which consists of a simplification of the model originally proposed, an empirical application was made with data from Brazilian companies, listed on Bovespa, for the period from 1998 to 2016. The results suggest that it is possible to estimate an \"optimal\" audit tenure period for the mandatory audit firm rotation in Brazil around 5.7 years. Additional tests were performed to give robustness to the results, indicating that the \"optimal\" period would be around 6 and 8.8 years. These results indicate, therefore, that the term currently used by the CVM (5 years for companies that do not have statutory audit committee and 10 years for those that have) is compatible with the estimated terms to establish the highest possible level of the average audit quality. Given that the estimated timeframe is greater than 5 years, there may be no impairment in maximizing the average audit quality if the current rotation period is slightly extended.

La qualité de la certification des comptes rendue par les cabinets d’audit légal est un élément important à la transparence des activités économiques. Plusieurs acteurs contribuent à cette qualité : les auditeurs en tant que personnes physiques, les cabinets d’audit en tant que personnes morales et les organismes professionnels qui élaborent les normes professionnelles et contrôlent les procédures d’audit. Le cabinet d’audit se doit de concilier ses objectifs d’entreprise lucrative (commerciale) et les desiderata des différentes parties prenantes. Le cabinet doit donc être performant à plusieurs niveaux. La présente thèse étudie les dimensions de performance des cabinets d’audit dans leur mission d’audit légal des comptes. Les approches utilisées pour mesurer la performance sont : la théorie des stakeholders, les tableaux de bord stratégiques en versions anglo-saxonne (Kaplan and Norton, 1992, 1998, 2000) et scandinave (Edvinsson and Malone, 1997), l’approche par le capital immatériel (Roos et al., 1997, Johnson, 1999). De plus, la construction de l’échelle de mesure suit la démarche préconisée par Churchill (1979). Combinant une phase qualitative (un stage d’observation-participante, 10 entretiens ouverts et 20 entretiens semi-directifs) et une phase quantitative basée sur un questionnaire de recherche (114 réponses), la thèse met en évidence certaines dimensions de performance des cabinets d’audit selon la perception des auditeurs français, à travers les Analyses en Composantes Principales (ACP) et les Analyses Factorielles Confirmatoires (AFC). L’analyse typologique permet de classifier les cabinets en groupes selon leurs dimensions de performance. / The quality of certification of accounts rendered by the legal audit firms is an important element in the transparency of economic activities. Many actors contribute to the quality: auditors as individuals, audit firms as legal persons and professional organizations that develop professional standards and control audit procedures. The audit firm must reconcile its lucrative aim and the demands of different stakeholders. The firm must therefore be performing at several levels. This research studies the performance dimensions of the audit firms in their legal mission in France. To construct a measure of the dimensions of performance, we adopted the approach of Churchill (1979). The proposed tool to measure performance is in the form of a strategic scorecard, which is a combination of the Balanced Scorecard (Kaplan and Norton, 1992, 1998, 2000), the Skandia's Navigator (Edvinsson and Malone, 1997), as well as of the approach by immaterial capital (Roos et al., 1997, Johnson, 1999). Based on the data collected from qualitative and quantitative surveys, the principal component analysis (PCA) on each of the performance dimensions emerges axes among the performance items revealed by French auditors. After that, a confirmatory analysis (CFA) must help us to validate the proposed model, and a typology analysis will be realized in order to identify the strategic scoreboard corresponding to each type of firm.

Background: Diversified companies, for example audit firms, sometimes offer different kinds of products and services. Different key success factors can in the same company thereby evolve. Goal congruence has to be achieved in the business divisions as well as in the company as a whole even though each business segment might have to focus on different factors. Purpose: The purpose is to analyze if differences in technology and culture between the business divisions in diversified companies motivate a differentiated reward system. Method: The study has a case study approach. The data has been collected through 18 interviews carried out at one of "the big four" audit firms with personnel holding different positions in terms of experience and management levels. The reason for choosing an audit firm is based on the fact that it is a distinct diversified company which utilizes reward systems. Result: If differences in culture and technology within a firm are considerable the company tend to exhibit heterogeneous key success factors which implies that different kinds of achievements needs to be rewarded in order to create an effective control system. The study shows that a differentiated reward system is preferable if this is the case.

<p>Background: Diversified companies, for example audit firms, sometimes offer different kinds of products and services. Different key success factors can in the same company thereby evolve. Goal congruence has to be achieved in the business divisions as well as in the company as a whole even though each business segment might have to focus on different factors. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose is to analyze if differences in technology and culture between the business divisions in diversified companies motivate a differentiated reward system. Method: The study has a case study approach. The data has been collected through 18 interviews carried out at one of "the big four" audit firms with personnel holding different positions in terms of experience and management levels. The reason for choosing an audit firm is based on the fact that it is a distinct diversified company which utilizes reward systems. </p><p>Result: If differences in culture and technology within a firm are considerable the company tend to exhibit heterogeneous key success factors which implies that different kinds of achievements needs to be rewarded in order to create an effective control system. The study shows that a differentiated reward system is preferable if this is the case.</p>

Studien motiveras av införandet av obligatorisk byrårotation i Sverige genom EU:s revisionspaket. Studien undersöker sambandet mellan audit-firm tenure (längden på en revisionsbyrås uppdrag hos ett företag) och revisionskvalitet. Som proxy för revisionskvalitet används mått på absoluta diskreta periodiseringar. För att genomföra studien görs en regressionsanalys och ett korrelationstest. Urvalet baseras på svenska företag noterade på Nasdaq Stockholm Large- och Mid Cap och det slutliga antalet företagsår som studeras är 383 stycken. I kontrast till stor del av tidigare studier finner denna studie att revisionskvaliteten är högre vid kort audit-firm tenure, tre år eller kortare, jämfört med lång audit-firm tenure, fyra år eller längre. Resultatet kan säkerställas på en signifikansnivå på 10 %. Studien bidrar med underlag till debatten om obligatorisk byrårotation.

Ce travail propose de s’intéresser au système « up or out » des cabinets d'audit Big Four à partir de données qualitatives (interviews et observations participantes in situ). La question de recherche initiale consiste à interroger les logiques de l’engagement des auditeurs dans un cabinet d’audit Big Four. Nous montrons d’abord que les carrières dans les cabinets Big Four sont contraignantes et incertaines car l’auditeur doit agir comme un entrepreneur de sa réputation subissant des logiques sociales incontrôlables (dynamique de la disproportion, des cercles vertueux et vicieux, des homologies d'appariement). Nous montrons dans un deuxième temps que derrière une rhétorique individualiste (la rémunération, la carrière), l'expérience du cabinet a une fonction de distinction et d’auto-affirmation qui donne aux individus le sentiment d’appartenir à une élite sélective. Le système « up or out » est présenté comme un argument scénique permettant de distribuer des prestiges différenciés. Enfin nous analysons les effets du système « up or out » sur les carrières morales des individus. Nous montrons comment le rapport au travail se reconfigure au fur et à mesure de la confirmation ou non de la promesse de carrière et nous distinguons trois figures de cette reconversion : l’intégré-distancié, le forfait et le jobard. / This work proposes to focus on the "up or out" system in the 'Big Four' audit firms through qualitative data, interviews and on site participant observation. The initial research question is to understand the logic of auditors’ involvement in a Big Four audit firm. We first show that careers in the Big Four firms are demanding and uncertain since each auditor must act as an entrepreneur of his reputation undergoing uncontrollable social logics (disproportion dynamic, virtuous and vicious cycles, homologies of pairing). We then show that behind an individualistic rhetoric (career advancement, salary) practicing in such a firm has a function of distinction and self-affirmation, which gives individuals the sense that they belong to a selective elite. The "up or out" system is presented as a theatrical argument for attributing differentiated prestige. Finally, we analyze the effects of the "up or out" system on individuals’ moral careers. We show how the relationship to work is reconfigured depending on whether the promised career is confirmed or not and we distinguish three figures in this conversion: the integrated-detached, the looser and the withdrawing.

The thesis is focused on the problematic of reviewing the territorial self-governing unit in the Czech Republic. The goal is to compare the approach of the audit firm and approach of a regional office to perform the examination of the TSU. The first chapter defines the general characteristics of the public sector. The second focuses on a specific area of public administration, which represents local government. The third chapter describes the rules and obligations that are related to the budget management of TSU. The fifth chapter, which summarizes the specifics of the accounting and reporting of selected entities. Chapter five is still theoretical definition of audit in the public administration and distinguishes notions of audit and economic review of the TSU. The last part practically compares the prerequisites required for the implementation of the performance review, individual activities conducted under review, the result of these activities, which is the so-called report on the outcome of the examination of the TSU and summarizes the differences. Conclusion of the work shows that it is not important who provides an economic review, but how and especially in what quality is the review carried out.

Senast den 17 juni 2016 ska Sverige ha implementerat regleringar kring obliga- torisk byrårotation i nationell rätt vilket då kommer kräva att noterade bolag och finansiella företag roterar revisionsbyrå i huvudregel var 10:e år. Målet från EU:s sida med att införa obligatorisk byrårotation i dess medlemsländer är att regleringen ska ha positiva effekter på revisorns oberoende, revisionskvali- teten och konkurrenssituationen på revisionsmarknaden. Syftet med vår studie är att ge ökad förståelse om hur revisionskvaliteten och revisorns oberoende påverkas av ett införande av obligatorisk byrårotation utifrån den forskning som finns internationellt. Eftersom studier kring obliga- torisk byrårotation ännu har kunnat genomföras i Sverige vill vi också bidra med kunskap om hur väl dessa internationella studier kan appliceras i ett svenskt sammanhang. Studien är baserad på inhämtning av sekundärdata där vi utgått från existe- rande forskning kring obligatorisk byrårotation. Val av vårt tillvägagångssätt kan motiveras med att en stor mängd forskning redan existerar och vi har velat samla in data som är så neutral som möjligt. Vår studie visar att resultaten från internationellt genomförda studier tyder på att revisionskvaliteten sjunker vid ett införande av obligatorisk byrårotation. Forskningen visar även att regleringen kan få en motsatt effekt på marknads- dynamiken än vad som önskas. Majoriteten av forskningen visar också att revi- sorns oberoende inte påverkas vid ett införande av obligatorisk byrårotation. I den del av vår studie som behandlade hur väl internationell forskning skulle kunna tillämpas i Sverige fann vi inga belägg på att skillnaderna mellan de un- dersökta länderna och Sverige skulle vara tillräckligt stora för att kunna ifråga- sätta dess applicerbarhet i ett svenskt sammanhang. / June 17, 2016, is the final date for Sweden to implement the new rules regard- ing mandatory audit firm rotation which will require listed and financial com- panies to change their current audit firm every 10 years. The aim of the intro- duction of mandatory audit firm rotation is that the regulation should have positive effects on the independence of auditors, audit quality and the compet- itive situation within the audit market. The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of how auditor in- dependence and audit quality is affected by the introduction of the regulation on the basis of the available international research. Since there isn’t any Swe- dish research on the subject, we want to contribute knowledge about how well these international studies can be applied in a Swedish context. The study is based on secondary data which is collected from already existing research on mandatory audit firm rotation. The choice of approach in the study can be justified by the fact that much research already exists on the sub- ject and we wanted the data to be as neutral as possible. Our study shows that the results from international research suggest that audit quality will decrease with the introduction of such regulation and that the regu- lation may have an adverse effect on the dynamic of the audit market. A ma- jority of the research suggests that auditor independence is not affected by the introduction of mandatory audit firm rotation. In the part of our study, which dealt with how well international research is applicable in Sweden, we found no evidence that the difference between the examined countries and Sweden would be large enough to allow us to question the research applicability in a Swedish context.

Pricing of audit fees is based on several factors that are assignable both to the professional pricing and the strategic pricing. There are few studies that have observed whether gender can affect the audit fee and the differences in characteristics identified in previous studies underlie gender impact. The purpose of the study is to explain whether any correlation between gender and audit fees exists and the study is based on the gender of the signatory auditor, the gender composition of the board of the audit firm and the CEO of the audit firm. The theories that promote the study are: agency theory, socialization theory regarding gender role and social role theory and they are relevant because the agency theory can be connected to the audit fee while the other two can be linked to differences in characteristics between men and women. A survey of all Swedish companies listed on the Nasdaq Nordic lists for small, medium and large companies has been executed. The method used for collecting data is document study, where the annual reports of the companies have been used. The conclusion of the study is that the gender of the signatory auditor, the proportion of women in the audit firm's board and the gender of the CEO's are unlikely to affect the audit fee. A contribution to future research is to study the audit team and the auditor responsible, who in practice is more involved in the auditing. / Prissättning av revisionsarvode bestäms utifrån en rad faktorer som är hänförliga både till den professionella prissättningen och den strategiska prissättningen. Få studier har tidigare studerat om kön kan vara ytterligare en faktor som inverkar på revisionsarvodet och de skillnader i karaktärsdrag som identifierats i tidigare studier ligger till grund för könets påverkan. Syftet med studien är att förklara om det föreligger något samband mellan kön och revisionsarvodet, där studien utförs utifrån den påskrivande revisorns kön, könssammansättningen i revisionsbyråns styrelse samt revisionsbyråns VD. De teorier som ligger till stöd för studien är: agentteori, socialisationsteori avseende genderroll samt social rollteori som är relevanta eftersom agentteorin kan kopplas till revisionsarvodet medan de andra två kan kopplas till skillnader i karaktärsdrag mellan kvinnor och män. En totalundersökning av svenska bolag noterade på Nasdaq:s nordiska listor för små, medelstora och stora bolag har genomförts. Metoden som använts för att samla in data är dokumentstudier där bolagens årsredovisningar legat som utgångspunkt.  Slutsatsen som kan dras av studien är att den påskrivande revisorns kön, andel kvinnor i revisionsbyråns styrelse samt könet på revisionsbyråns VD sannolikt inte har en inverkan på revisionsarvodet. Ett bidrag till framtida forskning är att studera revisionsteamet och den ansvarige revisorn som i praktiken är mer involverad i utförandet av revisioner.