Auditing the Auditors: Evidence on the PCAOB's Inspections of Audit Firms
50 Pages Posted: 16 Oct 2007 Last revised: 30 Sep 2008
Date Written: October 1, 2008
Abstract
This paper analyzes audit firm supervision since the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) began conducting inspections. First, we find that audit clients do not perceive that the PCAOB's inspection reports are valuable for signaling audit quality. Second, we document that the information content of peer review reports fell after they became narrower in scope with the initiation of PCAOB inspections. Third, we isolate that the signaling role of peer review reports mainly stems from information that PCAOB inspectors do not publicly disclose. Collectively, our evidence implies that less is known about audit firm quality under the new regulatory regime.
Keywords: Regulation, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, PCAOB
JEL Classification: G18, L51, M49
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Who Cares About Auditor Reputation?
By Jan Barton
-
Market and Political/Regulatory Perspectives on the Recent Accounting Scandals
By Ray Ball
-
Market and Political/Regulatory Perspectives on the Recent Accounting Scandals
By Ray Ball
-
The Credibility of Self-Regulation: Evidence from the Accounting Profession's Peer Review Program
By Clive S. Lennox and Gilles Hilary
-
Competition for Andersen's Clients
By Mark J. Kohlbeck, Brian W. Mayhew, ...
-
By Karen K. Nelson, Richard A. Price, ...