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What matters in audit pricing: industry specialization or overall market leadership?

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  • Andrew C. Ferguson
  • Jere R. Francis
  • Donald J. Stokes

Abstract

Ferguson et al. (2003) report that audit industry fee premia primarily reside with joint national and city‐specific industry leadership as opposed to merely firm‐wide (national) industry expertise, suggesting auditor choice among the Big 5 is best conceptualized on joint industry specialization in city‐specific markets and nationally. The present study examines whether the prior results could be confounded by the presence of city‐specific overall market leadership effects. Our findings reaffirm that joint local and national auditor industry expertise is valued by audit clients. Furthermore, overall city‐specific leadership, by itself, also matters in fee determination and results in higher fees, although at a slightly weaker level of statistical significance.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew C. Ferguson & Jere R. Francis & Donald J. Stokes, 2006. "What matters in audit pricing: industry specialization or overall market leadership?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 46(1), pages 97-106, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:46:y:2006:i:1:p:97-106
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-629X.2005.00152.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Craswell, Allen T. & Francis, Jere R. & Taylor, Stephen L., 1995. "Auditor brand name reputations and industry specializations," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 297-322, December.
    2. Nelson, Phillip, 1970. "Information and Consumer Behavior," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(2), pages 311-329, March-Apr.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fleischer, Rouven & Goettsche, Max & Schauer, Maximilian, 2017. "The Big 4 premium: Does it survive an auditor change? Evidence from Europe," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 103-117.
    2. Cheng Y Lai & Yang Li & Yaowen Shan & Stephen Taylor, 2013. "Costs of mandatory international financial reporting standards: Evidence of reduced accrual reliability," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 38(3), pages 491-521, December.
    3. Abidin, Shamharir & Beattie, Vivien & Goodacre, Alan, 2010. "Audit market structure, fees and choice in a period of structural change: Evidence from the UK – 1998–2003," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 187-206.
    4. Johl, Shireenjit & Subramaniam, Nava & Mat Zain, Mazlina, 2012. "Audit Committee and CEO Ethnicity and Audit fees: Some Malaysian evidence," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 302-332.
    5. Fleischer, Rouven & Goettsche, Max, 2012. "Size effects and audit pricing: Evidence from Germany," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 156-168.
    6. Michael E. Bradbury & Gary Monroe, 2017. "Large audit firm premium and audit specialisation in the public sector," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57(3), pages 657-679, September.
    7. Muhammad Shahin Miah & Haiyan Jiang & Asheq Rahman & Warwick Stent, 2023. "The impact of IFRS complexity on analyst forecast properties: The moderating role of high quality audit," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 902-928, January.
    8. Srinidhi, Bin & Lim, Chee Yeow & Hossain, Mahmud, 2009. "Effects of country-level legal, extra-legal and political institutions on auditing: A cross-country analysis of the auditor specialization premium," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 34-46.
    9. Like Jiang & Anne Jeny-Cazavan & Sophie Audousset, 2013. "A Re-Examination Of The Industry Specialist Audit Fee Premium," Post-Print hal-00993041, HAL.
    10. Elizabeth Carson & Neil Fargher, 2007. "Note on audit fee premiums to client size and industry specialization," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 47(3), pages 423-446, September.
    11. Neal Arthur & Medhat Endrawes & Shawn Ho, 2017. "Impact of Partner Change on Audit Quality: An Analysis of Partner and Firm Specialisation Effects," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 27(4), pages 368-381, December.
    12. Mohd Kharuddin, Khairul Ayuni & Basioudis, Ilias G. & Hay, David, 2019. "Partner industry specialization and audit pricing in the United Kingdom," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 57-70.
    13. Wouter Dutillieux & Donald Stokes & Marleen Willekens & Gary Monroe, 2013. "Strategic pricing by Big 4 audit firms in private client segments," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 53(4), pages 961-994, December.
    14. de Fuentes, Cristina & García Benau, María Antonia & Pucheta Martínez, María Consuelo & Ruiz Barbadillo, Emiliano, 2015. "El éxito de los procesos de fusión en el mercado de auditoría: el caso de PriceWaterhouseCoopers," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 55-67.
    15. Habib, Ahsan, 2011. "Audit firm industry specialization and audit outcomes: Insights from academic literature," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 114-129.
    16. Marcel Haak & Michelle Muraz & Roland Zieseniß, 2018. "Joint Audits: Does the Allocation of Audit Work Affect Audit Quality and Audit Fees?," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 55-80, January.

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