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The present study aims to assess the impact of narcissism, self-confidence and auditor's characteristics on audit report readability for companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange.

The study’s statistical population comprises firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. The present research used a systematic elimination method, and 1,162 firm-year observations were obtained for seven years from 2012 to 2018. Three variables including auditor tenure, audit fee and audit specialization are used for measuring auditing features. The Fog index is used as a proxy for measuring audit report readability. In addition, in this paper, four regressions, including fixed effects, random effects, pooled and T+1, are used to estimate reliable coefficients.

The findings show a negative and significant relationship between auditor’s characteristics (tenure, fee and specialization) and audit report readability. Moreover, the variables of the auditor’s narcissism, self-confidence and mandatory auditor change have a positive and significant association with audit report readability. This study lends support to the theories of personality disorder and behavioral decision.

Since narcissism and self-confidence are two characteristics that shape an individual’s character and personality, some involved behavioral factors in auditors’ characteristics contribute to their decisions. The effects of these should be detected to enhance the decision-making process. The said factors significantly impact audit report readability. Hence, this paper attempts to assess the effect of the said factors on audit report readability.

This study aims to assess the relationship between internal control weakness and different types of auditor opinions in fraudulent and non-fraudulent firms. The study's main objective is to investigate fraud in business firms and analyze internal controls and types of proposed opinions by the auditor about his desired firm. The outbreak of fraud in firms is of utmost importance to a broad spectrum of society. Internal controls and the auditor's role in preventing and detecting frauds should not be taken for granted.

The present study's statistical population includes 179 listed firms on the Stock Exchange selected as the study sample using the systematic elimination method during 2012–2019. As the study's dependent variable (the type of auditor’s opinion), research hypotheses were analyzed using the Logit regression model.

The results show that the relationship between internal control weakness and opinion type is significantly different in fraudulent and non-fraudulent firms. Moreover, the relationship between internal control weakness and type of auditor opinion in fraudulent firms and the relationship between internal control weakness and type of auditor opinion in non-fraudulent firms are significant.

By assessing the related literature, the authors have found no study to directly assess the comparative relationship between internal control weakness and the type of auditor opinion, which can be named as the main objective of the study.

For more than 25 years auditing research has examined whether knowledge spillovers or synergies exist from the joint provision of audit and non‐audit services as well as whether the audit client benefits from knowledge spillovers. However, empirical evidence on knowledge spillover remains mixed and elusive. This article seeks to contribute to this debate, using a large sample covering both the pre‐ and the post‐Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (SOX) era. A post‐SOX focus can be potentially informative because SOX has fundamentally changed the mix of audit and non‐audit services that can be offered to audit clients.

A two‐stage least squares regression model is used to control for simultaneous bias due to the joint determination of audit and non‐audit fees. A panel dataset is also used.

A strong and significant negative relationship is found between audit fees and non‐audit fees. The results suggest that knowledge spillover flows from non‐audit to the audit side, as well as from the audit side to the non‐audit side. For the overall sample, a 1 percent increase in non‐audit fees is associated with a 0.59 percent decrease in audit fees. Similarly, a 1 percent increase in audit fees is associated with a 0.49 percent decrease in non‐audit fees.

Though a comprehensive set of determinants of audit and non‐audit fees is used, it is possible that the model may not include some other unknown determinants of fees paid to auditors.

The study contributes to the debate on whether regulators should ban all non‐audit services. It is found that when the same audit firm performs both audit and non‐audit services, there are synergies, i.e. insight learned from performing one function helps the other.

At the economy level, the findings suggest that cost savings, due to knowledge spillover, are partly passed on to the clients, particularly by Big 4 auditors.

The findings on the existence of knowledge spillover in the post‐SOX era are potentially informative to regulators, auditors, audit clients, and audit committee members.

The purpose of this paper is to examine modelling issues in the research of the relationship between audit and non‐audit fees by comparing the outcome of a single‐equation model of fees to the results of simultaneous equation model (SEM) of these interactions for a sample of UK listed companies and also by exploring the benefits of using a panel data approach.

The paper is an empirical analysis of audit and non‐audit fees for a sample of 2,072 UK companies. Three types of models, single linear equation, SEM and panel data, are compared and the strengths and weaknesses of each discussed.

The results indicate possible mis‐specification in the single linear equation model and the potential for simultaneous equation basis in the SEM. The panel data analysis confirms the findings of prior literature that there is a relationship between audit and non‐audit fees but statistically insignificant.

The implication of these findings is that previously published findings on audit fees, which used single equation, may have overstated the case for a relationship between audit and non‐audit fees due to problems in the econometric models.

The issues addressed in this paper are very pertinent to a better understanding of the role of the auditor in the corporate environment. In particular, the findings are relevant to the debate on auditor independence and corporate governance.

The study contributes to knowledge of the behaviour of audit fees and non‐audit fees, cross‐sectionally and through time and the most appropriate models for describing that behaviour.

The objective of the study is to provide empirical evidence of the impact of non‐audit services (NAS) as well as other auditor characteristics on auditor independence by testing the relationship of NAS fees to the occurrence of financial statement restatements.

The authors tested whether firms that restate their financial statements have higher levels of total service fees or higher levels of NAS fees than non‐restatement firms. The testing also includes an examination of the relationship between the audit firm size and the audit firm industry specialization to financial statement restatements.

The study found only limited evidence to support the concept that firms with higher NAS fees are more likely to restate earnings, thereby casting doubt on the public perception that NAS impairs auditor independence and the legislative approval of Section 201 of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act prohibiting external auditors from providing certain NAS to audit clients as necessary to preserve auditor independence. The study did find stronger evidence that the level of total fees paid to the audit firm is significant in the predictability of a restatement. In addition, the study also found stronger and more conclusive evidence of a negative association to audit firm industry specialization and a strong positive association to Big 5 audit firms.

Results demonstrate the necessity of regulations concerning NAS and conflict of interest.

This paper is an original contribution that demonstrates the importance of auditor characteristics over audit fees in predicting earnings management.

This paper examines the effect that the introduction of the FRS 9, the general disclosure standard in New Zealand, has on the level of disclosure of certain unspecified operating expenses. Generally, a low level of operating expense disclosure was found with no overall improvement recorded after the introduction of FRS 9. In many cases, companies did not disclose any unspecified operating expenses. Firm size and overseas listing/ownership appeared to be positively associated with the disclosure of unspecified operating expenses. Most companies did disclose the mandatory expenses monitored (depreciation, audit and directors' fees). Commentary is provided on the inadequacy of the discretionary aspects of accounting standards such as FRS 9, and the inadequacy of regulatory enforcement. Given the move to international harmonisation, and the level of disclosure seemingly at odds with international practice, the adoption and enforcement of International Accounting Standard 1 (IAS 1) would provide a simple solution.

In response to the users of financial statements’ need for better communication value from audit reports, auditors are required to expand the format and content of their reports. This paper aims to investigate the heterogeneity of key audit matters (KAM) for big4 audit firms.

Using a pool of 273 year-observations from the Omani capital market for the period 2016–2019, a quantile regression approach is adopted to achieve this purpose because it can provide a broader picture of this heterogeneity.

The results indicate that all types of big4 audit firms are associated with lower numbers of KAM. However, each big4 audit firm reports these KAM differently. Also, the results indicate heterogeneity in the number of KAM among the partners of each firm. Specifically, partners in some big4 audit firms show a significant association with fewer KAM while others are insignificant. Some partners of Ernst and Young show a positive association with a higher number of KAM. Overall, the results confirm the heterogeneity among auditors in styling their KAM disclosure.

There are crucial implications for various policymakers. This paper is the first to analyse KAM aspects at the partner level and use quantile regression to detect the effect of audit firms on KAM.

From 2006 onwards very large Belgian nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are legally required to appoint an external auditor. In this context we investigate whether auditor choice in favor of a sector expert, being a higher quality auditor, is associated with NPOs’ expectations regarding several auditor attributes. We find that NPOs are more likely to choose a sector expert if they attach higher importance to an auditor’s client focus and relationship with management. NPOs are less likely to choose a sector expert if they care more about the practical execution of the audit. We provide recommendations for increasing the appeal of sector expertise as valuable auditor attribute. The resulting quality increase of NPOs’ financial statements and audit reports could benefit various stakeholders.

This study aims to investigate the impact of risk-taking and auditor characteristics on value creation in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. In addition, it investigates the moderator role of auditor characteristics in the impact of risk-taking on value creation, especially in pre-Covid 19 and post-Covid 19 pandemic.

The information about 199 company in 2014–2021 was examined. In the present study, in accordance with the related theoretical literature and the importance of auditor specialization, auditor tenure and auditor reputation, these factors were considered as the auditor characteristics.

The present findings based on the generalized least squares (GLS) method showed that risk-taking positively affects the value creation. The auditor characteristics (auditor specialization, auditor tenure and auditor reputation) have a significant positive effect on the value creation. Furthermore, the auditor characteristics enhance the impact of risk-taking on value creation. The results of generalized method of moments method and robust regression analysis are consistent with the GLS results. To take into account the Covid-19 conditions, the data were divided into pre-Covid-19 and post-Covid-19 years. The results showed that auditor characteristics moderate the impact of risk-taking on value creation in pre-Covid 19 and post-Covid 19.

The study highlights the role of auditor characteristics in the value creation, especially in the emerging market. Given that Covid-19 has seriously damaged global economic well-being and has put companies at a double risk, the present findings can be useful for managers, investors and the international community, and help company managers make risk-taking policies and select auditors with appropriate characteristics.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between pervasiveness, severity, and remediation of internal control material weakness (ICMW) reported by the SEC registrants pursuant to SOX Section 404 and audit fees.

The paper employs multivariate regression models for a sample of 854 firms that disclosed ICMW for the first time in 2004, 2005, or 2006, to investigate the empirical relationship of pervasiveness and severity of ICMW and its subsequent remediation with audit fees.

The analyses demonstrate that audit fees are significantly positively related to the severity (and pervasiveness) of ICMW in the years of ICMW disclosures and are significantly negatively related to the remediation of internal control weaknesses in the years when ICMW remediation took place. The test results further demonstrate that the remediation of systematic control weaknesses has a greater effect on reduction of audit fees compared to the remediation of nonsystematic (transaction/account related) control weaknesses, though the remediation of both systematic and nonsystematic control weaknesses is accompanied by audit fee declines.

The study produces evidence on pricing audit services by incumbent auditors in response to the severity of internal material control weaknesses and their remediation in subsequent fiscal periods. Its results shed light on certain new aspects of audit fee determinants in the post‐SOX period by virtue of their implications that the pervasiveness and severity of internal control problems induce auditors to make an upward fee adjustment while their remediation has a moderating effect on pricing audit services.

The study's finding is a useful addition to the existing fee literature and is relevant for the post‐SOX world which experienced a structural change in financial accounting and auditing environment.