This dissertation investigates how economically-comparable peer firms can be used to obtain inferences about a company’s accounting quality in two different research settings. The first Chapter examines whether auditor industry specialization, measured using auditor market share by industry, improves audit quality. After matching clients of specialist and non-specialist auditors according to industry, size and performance, there are no significant differences in audit quality between these two groups of auditors. In addition, this Chapter uses two analyses that do not rely primarily on matched samples. First, examining a sample of Arthur Andersen clients that switched auditors in 2002, there is no evidence of industry-specialization effects following the auditor change. Second, using a simulation approach, this study shows that client characteristics, and particularly client size, influence the observed association between auditor industry specialization and audit quality. Overall, these findings do not imply that industry knowledge is not important for auditors, but that the methodology used in extant studies examining this issue may not fully parse out the effects of auditor industry expertise from client characteristics. The second Chapter examines whether account-level expectation models for analytical audit procedures can be enhanced by using information from economically-comparable peer firms. This Chapter assesses the effectiveness of three main types of expectation models, with and without including information from peer firms: heuristic, time-series, and industry cross-sectional models. Information from peer firms improves the accuracy of all models and improves the detection power of time-series and industry cross-sectional models. Comparing between models, one-period heuristic models are generally unreliable, and industry cross-sectional models can be more effective than time-series models. These findings may help auditors of public companies and financial analysts in selecting expectation models and finding peer firms to assess the reasonability of a company’s financial information at the account-level.

The topic of the effects of audit quality as a consequence of audit firm rotation has been debated for decades in business science. It has also been discussed in the political arena. In April 2013 the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Union voted for a draft law requiring mandatory audit firm rotation for periods of 14 years. Countries such as Sweden might face the possible changes in audit quality that the mandatory audit firm rotation entails. In the light of these events, we studied how the audit quality changes when audit firms rotate. Because we used the Jones Model and the Modified Jones Model, discretionary accruals were our proxy for audit quality. The initial sample consisted of all publicly listed companies which rotated audit firms from 2008 to 2012 in Sweden. We found that there was a statistically significant change in audit quality, in the form of higher discretionary accruals following the rotation. Based on earlier research claiming that higher discretionary accruals signifies lower audit quality, our results suggest that audit firm rotation in Sweden leads to a diminished audit quality. This might be due to the loss of firm-specific knowledge. Our results also indicate that the new auditing firms are more conservative than the auditor firm prior to the rotation, which might be explained by the increased audit risk that is related to the audit of the first-year client.

China and its economic development is today something that affects us all in one way or another. Through economic expansion Chinese companies starts to be an important player on the global scene. They are getting an international competitor, co-operating with foreign companies and it has the latest year been heavily invested in by foreign financiers. Conversely, according to recent research a vast majority of the experts claims that the Chinese companies’ financial reporting disclosure holds a low quality. That these financial reports include plentiful falsified information is disturbing the market and prevents shareholders a fair and free view of the companies, it also reduces the control possibilities. Voices have been raised demanding changes to ensure a higher FRQ in the future. But to find the right actions and point out needed changes, the first requirement is finding the roots behind the presumed low FRQ. Experts’ point at different directions, comprising of nine main underlying reasons that are primarily considered affecting the FRQ in negative matters. These nine explanations will be evaluated against each other in this thesis to find out where the main focus needs to be to prevent future falsified financial statements. The nine reasons where it is claimed that China are lacking are: - Legal system -Education -Pressure -Political impact -Ownership structure -Auditing -Low Business ethics -Tax avoidance -Cost reduction This thesis finds that the main underlying reasons behind Chinese firms’ falsified financial stamen are: (1) Pressure – that influences managers and is a great incentive for earnings management. (2) Political impact – the political impact seem to have a substantial negative influence on companies FRQ. (3) Ownership structure – low transparency and hierarchal business structures appears to be biggest problems within the corporate governance. (4) Low business ethics – a too corrupt and non-moral business structure threatens the integrity of the financial reports. (5) Tax avoidance – the unwillingness to pay taxes makes many companies reduce earnings or hide sales to avoid value added tax (VAT). (6) Cost reduction – The high endeavor to keep costs down might in many cases also bring effects on the quality of disclosed material.

De senaste åren har vikten av en trovärdig finansiell rapportering av hög revisionskvalité lyfts fram. En högre kvalité säkerställs genom att besluta om gemensamma regler och principer för revisionsbyråer. Intresset av revisionen är olika och således finns olika syn på syftet med revisionen och vad den bör innehålla. Tolkningsskillnaderna gör att hög revisionskvalité upplevs olika.   Syftet med vår undersökning är att förklara ”hög” revisionskvalité utifrån revisorers och revisionens olika intressenters perspektiv samt att identifiera eventuella skillnader mellan revisorernas och dessa intressenters syn.   En kvantitativ ansats har använts och utifrån teorin har sex hypoteser skapats. Hypoteserna undersöker om det finns skillnader mellan revisorer och revisionens intressenter om vad hög revisionskvalité är. Genom en webbenkät fick respondenterna bedöma i vilken utsträckning 28 variabler leder till högre revisionskvalité.    Med undersökningen har vi funnit bevis för att det finns skillnader i uppfattningen om hur hög revisionskvalité uppnås mellan revisorer och intressenterna. Skillnader uppmättes för följande kategorier; revisorns oberoende, revisorns egenskaper, en god kommunikation och extern kontroll. Vi har också kunnat urskilja enskilt viktiga kvalitetsvariabler.   Eftersom författarna av denna uppsats inte har funnit någon tidigare studie som tittat på skillnader mellan revisorerna och studiens tre utvalda intressentgrupper i vad som leder till hög revisionskvalité, kan resultatet hjälpa till att sprida ljus över detta område. Resultatet kan också vara användbart för att se hur revisorerna och intressenterna ska närma sig varandra för att uppnå en trovärdigare revision. / In recent years, the importance of a credible financial report of high quality, have been highlighted. A high audit quality is ensured by the adoption of common rules and principles for accounting firms. The interest of the audit is different and therefore are there different views on the purpose and what the audit should contain. Interpreting differences allows high quality to be perceived different.   The aim of our study is to explain the “high” audit quality by auditors and audit stakeholders’ perspectives and to identify any differences between the auditors and those stakeholders’ views.   A quantitative approach has been used and based on the theory has six hypotheses been created. The hypotheses investigate whether there are differences between auditors and audit stakeholders on what the high level of audit quality is. Through a web survey, respondents were assessing the extent to which 28 variables leads to higher audit quality.   In our study we found evidence that there are differences in perceptions of the high level of audit quality is achieved between the auditors and stakeholders. Differences were measured for the following categories: auditor independence, auditor characteristics, good communication and external control. We have also been able to distinguish individual key quality variables.   Since the authors of this paper haven’t found any previous study that looked at the differences between the auditors and this study’s three selected stakeholder groups in what leads to high audit quality, the result may help to give light on this area. The results can also be useful to see how auditors and stakeholders should approach each over to achieve a credible audit.

I examine the association between earnings quality and audit firm type using a three-tiered audit firm classification scheme which allows for an explicit examination of the quality of Second-Tier audited earnings. My tests are motivated by the lack of competition in the market for audit services, theoretical arguments which suggest a positive association between audit firm size and audit quality, evidence pointing to the rapid post-Andersen growth in Second-Tier audit practices, and the lack of empirical research that fully differentiates audit firm type. My results indicate that the post-Andersen growth of Second-Tier audit firms coincides with improved Second-Tier audit quality, relative to the other audit firm types (Big N and other non-Big N). Specifically, the results indicate that Second-Tier client earnings quality was not distinct from that of other non-Big N clients in the pre-Andersen period. However, in the post-Andersen period, the results indicate that Second-Tier client earnings quality was higher than that of other non-Big N clients. Moreover, the post-Andersen results provide partial evidence suggesting that there is no difference in Second-Tier and Big N client earnings quality and, thus, lend some credence to the notion of a new era for the Big 8. These results convey important information to market participants (e.g., investors, underwriters, analysts, etc.) who wish to assess the extent to which financial statements are likely to be free from opportunistic managerial manipulation, to clients that are contemplating switching to a Second-Tier audit firm, to government agencies who have expressed concern over the state of competition in the market for audit services, and to those who have promoted the use of Second-Tier audit firms in the wake of SOX-related resource constraints.

Bakgrund och problem: Revisorer har blivit beroende av experter i sitt arbete på grund av den komplexitet som har uppstått kring både redovisningen och revisionen. Det är revisorn som bestämmer när en expert ska involveras och hur stor påverkan expertens arbete får på revisionen. Samtidigt är revisorns uppgift att leverera kvalitetssäker information till intressenter och det är revisorn som avgör när tillräcklig revisionskvalitet har uppnåtts. Frågan är då hur revisorn upplever att revisionskvaliteten påverkas när experter används. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att förklara hur revisorer upplever att revisionskvaliteten påverkas när experter används. Metod: Studien har i huvudsak en kvantitativ metod där enkäter har skickats ut till revisorer för att få svar på studiens syfte. För att få en djupare förståelse för experternas arbete har en kvalitativ förstudie med intervjuer genomförts. Slutsats: Vårt resultat indikerar på att revisorer upplever att revisionskvaliteten blir högre när experter används i revisionen. Resultatet från vår första regressionsmodell tyder på att när experter får mer handlingsutrymme/inflytande upplever revisorer att revisionskvaliteten blir högre. Revisionskvaliteten påverkas också svagt av i vilken omfattning revisorer tar hjälp av experter. Revisorer som tar hjälp av experter i större omfattning upplever att revisionskvaliteten blir högre. Resultatet från vår andra regressionsmodell tyder på att det enbart är expertens inflytande som leder till högre revisionskvalitet. Vårt resultat indikerar på att det enligt revisorer är värt att lägga tid och resurser på experter då de bidrar till högre revisionskvalitet. / Background and Problem: Accountants have become dependent with using experts in theirwork because of the complexity that has occurred around both accountingand auditing. It is the auditor that decides when an expertshould be included and how great of impact the experts work willhave on the audit. Meanwhile the auditor’s duty is to deliver qualityassured information to stakeholders and it is the auditor that willdecide when adequate audit quality is achieved. The question ishow the auditor experiences the influence on audit quality whenthey include experts in their work? Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explain how the auditors experiencethe influence on audit quality when they include experts in theirwork. Method: This study has mainly a quantitative method where surveys havebeen sent to auditors to obtain answers to the study’s purpose. Toget a deeper understanding of the experts work has a qualitativefeasibility study with interviews been conducted. Conclusion: Our results indicate that auditors feel that audit quality will behigher when the experts are used in the audit. The results from ourfirst regression model suggests that when the experts get moreleeway/influence auditors experience that audit the quality will behigher. Audit quality is also affected slightly by the extent towhich auditors are taking the help of experts. Accountants whotake the help of experts to a greater extent perceive that auditquality will be higher. The result from our second regression modelindicates that it’s only the expert's influence that leads to higheraudit quality. Our results indicate that, according to auditors isworth spending time and resources on experts when they contributeto higher quality audits.

Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att utreda om revisionskunder upplever att revisionen skapar ett värde och vad som utgör detta eventuella värde. Vi vill också utreda om det finns skillnader mellan ett företags upplevda värde beroende på ägarförhållanden, revisionsbolag och kontakt med revisorn. Metod: Vi har gjort en kvantitativ undersökning genom att skicka ut en webbenkät till 540 aktiebolag. Den kvantitativa undersökningen kompletterades med semistrukturerade intervjuer med ekonomichefen på två företag i Kristianstad för att få djupare förståelse för aktiebolagens uppfattning av revision som värdeskapande. Empiri: Webbenkäten besvarades av 139 företag. Flertalet av respondenterna anser att revisionen ger ett ekonomiskt värde, många har uppgett att de anser att revisionen fungerar som en kvalitetsstämpel och att reviderad finansiell information är mer kvalitativ än ej reviderad finansiell information. Resultaten pekar även på att relationen med revisorn är betydande för företagens uppfattning om revisionens värde. Vidare påverkas upplevt värde av valet av revisionsbolag samt om företagen anser att de anlitat det bästa revisionsbolaget. Slutsatser: Vi har funnit att revisionen har ett värde för merparten av aktiebolagen då de anser att fördelen med revisionen överstiger kostnaden.  Revisionens värde består av kvalitetssäkrad information, företagen är nöjda med det revisionsbolag som anlitats samt har en god relation till revisorn. Företagen upplever högre värde om de anlitar en big 4 samt om de är nöjda med sin revisor och sitt revisionsbolag. / Purpose: The purpose with this thesis is to study if audit customers perceive value adding and what they believe is causing audit value. We also investigate if there are any differences in perceived audit value depending on owner-structure, audit firm and contact with the auditor.  Methodology: We preformed a quantitative research by sending a web survey to 540 limited and public companies. Furthermore we did a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews with the financial managers of two companies in Kristianstad.    Empirical foundations:    The web survey was answered by 139 companies. Most respondents reckon audit gives an economical value, many indicate the audit to be a quality assurance and that audited financial information have higher quality than not audited information. The results indicate that the relation with the auditor is important for the companies’ opinion about audit value. Further, their view on whether they have the best audit firm or not are depending for how they perceive audit value, so does the choice of audit firm. Conclusions: Our findings shows that the audit is valuable for most companies, this because the benefits from the audit exceeds the costs. The value consists from quality secured information, satisfaction with the audit company and the good relation with the auditor. The companies experience higher audit value if they have a big 4 and if they are satisfied with their auditor and audit firm. / VG

That an auditor brings good quality to the work he is performing is of great importance, not only for the company in question but also for its stakeholders. The information that the company disclose gets more credibility because of the auditor quality assurance. That the auditor tenure would affect the quality has been researched with different results, dependent on the legislation in the current country or region. In this paper we study how audit quality is affected of the audit tenure in Sweden. Based on research made in Belgium we have formulated hypothesis with factors that can affect the audit quality. Variables have been developed to measure the factor audit quality using GCW (going concern warning), audit fees, Big 4, the sale in the company and audit tenure. The focus in our paper is, weather the company has gotten a GCW or not, to see the relationship between audit tenure and auditor quality. We have investigated this by studying 19 506 bankrupted companies and 1 117 financially distressed companies. Our study has only been provided by primary data. Through analyses a relationship has been no defined between the tenure and the quality, with a number of explanatory variables. Our study explains that the auditor tenure in bankrupt companies, which tells us that there is no correlation between auditor tenure and audit quality. For the financially distressed companies there is no support for a result. / Att en revisor bringar god kvalitet till arbetet denne utför har en stor betydelse, inte bara för företaget i fråga utan även för dess intressenter. Informationen som företaget lämnar ut får på så vis större trovärdighet tack vare revisorns kvalitetssäkring. Att längden på revisionsuppdraget skulle påverka kvaliteten har det forskats om med olika resultat, utifrån vilket land den utförts i och vilken lagstadgande som råder i respektive land eller region. Vi har i uppsatsen valt att studera hur revisionskvaliteten påverkas av längden på revisonsuppdraget i Sverige. Utifrån forskning som utförts i Belgien har hypoteser utformats med faktorer som kan påverka revisonskvaliteten. Variabler har sedan tagits fram för att mäta faktorn kvaliteten på revisionen med hjälp av GCV, arvode, Big 4, omsättningen i företaget, antal anställda samt revisionsuppdragets längd. Vårt fokus i arbetet är att, utifrån om företagen fått en GCV eller inte, se sambandet mellan revisionskvaliteten och längden på revisionsuppdraget. Detta har vi undersökt genom att studera 19 506 konkursdrabbade företag och 1 117 finansiellt nödställda företag. Undersökningen har endast bestått av insamling av primärdata. Genom analysering har inget samband kunnat fastställas mellan längden på revisonsuppdraget och revisionskvaliteten med ett antal förklarande variabler. Undersökningen visar att längden på revisionsuppdraget i konkursdrabbade bolag inte har något samband med revisionskvaliteten. För de finansiellt nödställda företagen saknas stöd för resultatet.

With the wave of crises in the early 2000 notably Enron, auditor independence was put in the spotlight which has continually threatened the integrity of the entire auditing profession. Connected to these accounting scandals, it could be realized that most of the auditors involved in the audits of these corporations had long standing relationship with these clients. In other words, the auditors had extended audit tenures. This puts the issue of audit tenure into the open that is as to how long should auditors serve a client? The general purpose of this study is to examine whether extended audit tenures can lead to the emergence of threats to auditor independence which may impair the auditor independence. Our study is quantitative, using a self-administered web-survey to collect our data. The study provides results from a cross sectional design to examine the impact of extended audit tenures on auditor independence. This impact is compared across short and extended (long) tenures on the basis of the threats to auditor independence. Using paired samples t-test in SPSS for our sample of authorized or approved Swedish auditors; we find that extended audit tenures impact self-interest, self-review and intimidation threats that affects auditor independence. Our findings did not reveal any relationship between the advocacy and familiarity threats and the impact extended audit tenures have on them, hence we rejected the hypotheses relating to these threats. However, though the relationship was still not strong, the results for self-interest, self-review and intimidation threats proved significant and this prompted us to accept the respective hypotheses. In conclusion, our results show that there is an association of auditor independence to extended audit tenures.

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