Non-audit service fees and financial reporting quality: a meta-analysis

Date
2012
Authors
Habib, A
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Abstract

Auditing as a corporate governance mechanism has attracted considerable research attention. Because of the information asymmetry between corporate managers and outside shareholders, auditors are hired to provide independent assurance that financial statements are prepared following generally accepted accounting principles. The credibility of such assurance depends on the independence, both in fact and in appearance, of the auditor. Over the years, however, the independence of auditors has come under increased scrutiny because of their joint provision of both audit and non-audit services. A sizable literature on the impact of non-audit fees on financial reporting quality has developed. The evidence from this literature, however, remains inconclusive. This paper provides a meta-analysis of the available literature by assessing (a) the net effect of non-audit fees on financial reporting quality, and (b) whether there is homogeneity in the financial reporting quality proxies used in the extant literature. Findings suggest that the level of client-specific non-audit fees is associated with reduced financial reporting quality. However, the underlying studies used to conduct this meta-analysis are not homogenous.

Description
Keywords
Auditing , Auditor independence , Financial reporting quality , Meta-analysis , Non-audit fees
Source
Abacus: a Journal of Accounting and Business Studies, vol.48(2), pp.214 - 248 (35)
Publisher's version
Rights statement
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved. Authors retain the right to place his/her pre-publication version of the work on a personal website or institutional repository. This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in (please see citation) as it is not a copy of this record. An electronic version of this article can be found online at: (Please see Publisher’s Version).