The Association Between Financial Reporting Risk and Audit Fees Before and After the Historic Events Surrounding SOX

35 Pages Posted: 30 Sep 2008 Last revised: 1 Nov 2009

See all articles by Shannon L. Charles

Shannon L. Charles

Brigham Young University

Steven M. Glover

Brigham Young University

Nathan Y. Sharp

Texas A&M University - Department of Accounting

Date Written: September 1, 2008

Abstract

This study investigates whether the association between financial reporting risk and audit fees changed during 2000-2003: a time period marked by momentous and historic events for auditors. We find a positive statistically and economically significant relationship between financial reporting risk and audit fees paid to Big 4 auditors. More importantly, we predict and find that the relation between financial reporting risk and audit fees strengthened significantly in 2002 and 2003, consistent with a shift in the way auditors priced risk, likely in response to the events surrounding the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Finally, we provide evidence that a commercially developed, comprehensive risk measure effectively proxies for an element of risk beyond what has traditionally been captured by various risk measures in audit fee models: namely, the risk that financial statements have been intentionally misstated. We believe this risk measure will be of interest to future researchers.

Keywords: audit fees, financial reporting risk, audit risk, Sarbanes-Oxley

JEL Classification: M49, M41, M43, G38

Suggested Citation

Charles, Shannon L. and Glover, Steven M. and Sharp, Nathan Y., The Association Between Financial Reporting Risk and Audit Fees Before and After the Historic Events Surrounding SOX (September 1, 2008). Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1275464

Shannon L. Charles

Brigham Young University ( email )

Provo, UT 84602
United States
801-422-1877 (Phone)

Steven M. Glover (Contact Author)

Brigham Young University ( email )

Provo, UT 84602
United States
801-422-6080 (Phone)
801-422-0621 (Fax)

Nathan Y. Sharp

Texas A&M University - Department of Accounting ( email )

4353 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4353
United States
979-845-0338 (Phone)

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