Cette recherche porte sur le rapport du verificateur a l'echelle internationale. Ses principaux objectifs sont d'etudier le cadre reglementaire de la verification et d'analyser le contenu et la lisibilite du rapport du verificateur. Notre approche consiste en une analyse comparative de ces aspects entre les pays et entre les groupes de pays. En general, nous observons des differences significatives entre les pays a l'etude tant au regard du cadre reglementaire de la verification qu'a celui du contenu et de la lisibilite du rapport du verificateur. De plus, il semble que le niveau de lisibilite du rapport du verificateur ait diminue avec les annees et que le rapport du verificateur soit plus difficile a lire que le rapport annuel, les notes aux etats financiers et le message du president du conseil d'administration et ceci, tant selon la methode "Flesch Reading Ease" que d'apres la methode "Gunning Fog Index". Ces resultats, nous l'esperons, pourront servir de base a des etudes plus specifiques du rapport du verificateur a l'echelon international et permettront de mieux comprendre les problemes auxquels la profession comptable est actuellement confrontee.

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This dissertation investigates the economic determinants of firms' decisions to voluntarily disclose internal control weaknesses, and the economic consequences of such disclosures, in the context of companies' initial public offerings (IPOs) of equity securities. I find that IPO firms with greater potential litigation risk and restated pre-IPO financial statements are more likely to disclose internal control weaknesses over pre-IPO financial reporting. In addition, I find that voluntary disclosure of internal control weaknesses and the related remediation procedures is negatively associated with underpricing, indicating that ex ante uncertainty about the new issues' value is reduced. Further, IPO firms benefit from such voluntary disclosure through increased IPO proceeds. The results also suggest that the new internal control disclosure requirements under SOX sections 302 and 404 have induced IPO firms to voluntarily disclose internal control weaknesses, contributing to lower information asymmetry between IPO firms and uninformed investors. / Business Administration

Classification shifting is an earnings management tool that managers use to misclassify items within the income statement to inflate core earnings (McVay 2006). This study investigates how high-quality auditors (i.e., Big Four auditors, auditors with long tenure, and industry-specialist auditors) respond to managers' usage of classification shifting and also how the existence of internal control deficiencies affect the incidence of classification shifting. I adopt the models of Fan, Barua, Cready and Thomas (2010). My empirical analyses are based on quarterly financial data during the sample period of 1988-2007. I find that before the passage of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), industry specialist auditors are able to curb the incidence of classification shifting. This is consistent with the findings of previous studies that high-quality auditors are capable of preventing managers from manipulating earnings. Furthermore, I document that before the passage of SOX, a high-quality auditor (i.e., a Big Four auditor) at a local audit office is likely to mitigate the classification shifting behavior of an economically important client. However, after the passage of SOX, a high-quality auditor (i.e., a Big Four auditor, an auditor with long tenure, or an industry-specialist auditor) is inclined to allow the classification shifting behavior if the client brings large revenues to the local office. This supports the "substitution effect", which suggests that companies replace the accrual-based management with the usage of other earnings management methods in the post-SOX period. Finally, I find that there is no relationship between the existence of material internal control weakness and the incidence of classification shifting. While there are ample studies about the reaction of high-quality auditors to the usage of accrual-based management and real activities management, my study provides empirical evidence about how high-quality auditors deal with the incidence of classification shifting. My study also provides an understanding about how an internal control system can influence managers' decision of choosing earnings management methods. / Business Administration/Accounting

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