Melbourne Accounting Research Seminar - Professor Katherine Schipper

Melbourne Accounting Research Seminars
Melbourne Accounting Research Seminars

The Spot Building
Deans Boardroom, Level 12
198 Berkeley St, Carlton

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  • Melbourne Accounting Research Seminar

Professor Katherine Schipper from Duke University will present a MARS seminar.

Topic: The Last Chance to Improve Financial Reporting Reliability: Evidence from Recorded and Waived Audit Adjustments

Abstract: We provide evidence on auditors’ proposed audit adjustments and management’s disposition of those adjustments using a large sample of audits of SEC registrants carried out during 2005-2015 by eight large accounting firms and inspected by the PCAOB. We find that proposed audit adjustments are pervasive, 81% of sample audit engagements receive at least one proposed adjustment, and that managers appear to frequently disagree with auditors about the disposition of these adjustment, at least one adjustment is waived in 72% of sample engagements. We find that firms with earnings management incentives and those with poor quality financial reporting systems are more likely to benefit from financial statement audits because these factors are associated with more proposed audit adjustments relative to waived adjustments. Finally, we provide evidence consistent with management’s disposition of audit adjustments having consequences for financial reporting reliability. We find that management’s decision to waive audit adjustments is associated with a higher likelihood that financial statements are subsequently restated.