IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/euract/v13y2004i4p597-620.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Audit quality and the going-concern decision-making process: Spanish evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Emiliano Ruiz-Barbadillo
  • Nieves Gomez-Aguilar
  • Cristina De Fuentes-Barbera
  • Maria Antonia Garcia-Benau

Abstract

In this study, we attempt empirically to investigate the relationship between audit quality and the probability that a financially distressed company would receive a going-concern opinion. Auditor decision-making in the presence of going-concern uncertainties may be characterized as a two-stage process. The first stage is the identification of a potential going-concern problem and the second stage is to determine whether the particular company should receive a qualified going-concern opinion. A sample of 1,199 non-financial Spanish company-years has been obtained from the database issued by the Stock Exchange National Commission for the fiscal years ending between December 1991 and December 2000. The results indicate that audit quality (measured by the auditor's level of independence and knowledge) affects the probability that a financially distressed company would receive a going-concern opinion. This probability is influenced not only by the auditor's ability to detect financial uncertainties, but also by the auditor's decision-making as to what type of opinion should be finally issued.

Suggested Citation

  • Emiliano Ruiz-Barbadillo & Nieves Gomez-Aguilar & Cristina De Fuentes-Barbera & Maria Antonia Garcia-Benau, 2004. "Audit quality and the going-concern decision-making process: Spanish evidence," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(4), pages 597-620.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:euract:v:13:y:2004:i:4:p:597-620
    DOI: 10.1080/0963818042000216820
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0963818042000216820
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/0963818042000216820?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Teija Laitinen & Maria Kankaanpaa, 1999. "Comparative analysis of failure prediction methods: the Finnish case," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 67-92.
    2. Jere R. Francis & Jagan Krishnan, 1999. "Accounting Accruals and Auditor Reporting Conservatism," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(1), pages 135-165, March.
    3. Okeefe, Tb & Simunic, Da & Stein, Mt, 1994. "The Production Of Audit Services - Evidence From A Major Public Accounting Firm," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 241-261.
    4. Johnson, W. Bruce & Lys, Thomas, 1990. "The market for audit services : Evidence from voluntary auditor changes," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1-3), pages 281-308, January.
    5. Carcello, Jv & Palmrose, Zv, 1994. "Auditor Litigation And Modified Reporting On Bankrupt Clients," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32, pages 1-30.
    6. Danos, P & Eichenseher, Jw, 1982. "Audit Industry Dynamics - Factors Affecting Changes In Client-Industry Market Shares," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 604-616.
    7. Krishnagopal Menon & Kenneth B. Schwartz, 1987. "An empirical investigation of audit qualification decisions in the presence of going concern uncertainties," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 3(2), pages 302-315, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Garcia-Blandon, Josep & Argiles-Bosch, Josep Maria & Castillo-Merino, David & Martinez-Blasco, Monica, 2017. "An Assessment of the Provisions of Regulation (EU) No 537/2014 on Non-audit Services and Audit Firm Tenure: Evidence from Spain," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 251-261.
    2. Nora Muñoz-Izquierdo & María-del-Mar Camacho-Miñano & María-Jesús Segovia-Vargas & David Pascual-Ezama, 2019. "Is the External Audit Report Useful for Bankruptcy Prediction? Evidence Using Artificial Intelligence," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-23, April.
    3. Wu, Chloe Yu-Hsuan & Hsu, Hwa-Hsien & Haslam, Jim, 2016. "Audit committees, non-audit services, and auditor reporting decisions prior to failure," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 240-256.
    4. Muñoz-Izquierdo, Nora & Segovia-Vargas, María Jesús & Camacho-Miñano, María-del-Mar & Pascual-Ezama, David, 2019. "Explaining the causes of business failure using audit report disclosures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 403-414.
    5. Waymond Rodgers & Andrés Guiral & José Gonzalo, 2009. "Different Pathways that Suggest Whether Auditors’ Going Concern Opinions are Ethically Based," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(3), pages 347-361, May.
    6. Pasiouras, Fotios & Gaganis, Chrysovalantis & Zopounidis, Constantin, 2007. "Multicriteria decision support methodologies for auditing decisions: The case of qualified audit reports in the UK," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 180(3), pages 1317-1330, August.
    7. Waymond Rodgers & Hiu Choy & Andrés Guiral, 2013. "Do Investors Value a Firm’s Commitment to Social Activities?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(4), pages 607-623, June.
    8. Andrés Guiral & Waymond Rodgers & Emiliano Ruiz & José Gonzalo, 2010. "Ethical Dilemmas in Auditing: Dishonesty or Unintentional Bias?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(1), pages 151-166, February.
    9. Ahmed A. Diab & Samir I. Abdelazim & Aref M. Eissa & Eid Mahmoud Abozaid & Mona Mohamed Elshaabany, 2021. "The Impact of Client Size and Financial Performance on Audit Opinion: Evidence from a Developing Market," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 10, January.
    10. García Blandón, Josep & Argilés Bosch, Josep Maria, 2013. "Audit firm tenure and qualified opinions: New evidence from Spain," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 118-125.
    11. Gultom, Juan Barus & Murwaningsari, Etty & Umar, Haryono & Mayangsari, Sekar, 2021. "Reciprocal Use of Artificial Intelligence in Audit Assignments," Journal of Accounting, Business and Finance Research, Scientific Publishing Institute, vol. 11(1), pages 9-20.
    12. Peter Öhman & Einar Häckner & Dag Sörbom, 2012. "Client satisfaction and usefulness to external stakeholders from an audit client perspective," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 27(5), pages 477-499, May.
    13. Garcia-Blandon, Josep & Argiles, Josep Ma, 2015. "Audit firm tenure and independence: A comprehensive investigation of audit qualifications in Spain," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 82-93.
    14. Carlo Regoliosi & Alessandro d’Eri, 2014. "“Good” corporate governance and the quality of internal auditing departments in Italian listed firms. An exploratory investigation in Italian listed firms," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 18(3), pages 891-920, August.
    15. Waymond Rodgers & Andrés Guiral & José A. Gonzalo, 2019. "Trusting/Distrusting Auditors’ Opinions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-16, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. DeFond, Mark & Zhang, Jieying, 2014. "A review of archival auditing research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 275-326.
    2. Karl E. Hackenbrack & Chris E. Hogan, 2002. "Market Response to Earnings Surprises Conditional on Reasons for an Auditor Change," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(2), pages 195-223, June.
    3. Xiaolu Xu & Leo L. Yang & Joseph H. Zhang, 2022. "How do auditors respond to client firms’ technological peer pressure? Evidence from going‐concern opinions," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(9-10), pages 1553-1580, October.
    4. 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.
    5. Arrunada, Benito & Paz-Ares, Candido, 1997. "Mandatory rotation of company auditors: A critical examination," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 31-61, March.
    6. Ghosh, Aloke(Al) & Tang, Charles Y., 2015. "Assessing financial reporting quality of family firms: The auditors׳ perspective," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 95-116.
    7. Sattar A. Mansi & William F. Maxwell & Darius P. Miller, 2004. "Does Auditor Quality and Tenure Matter to Investors? Evidence from the Bond Market," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(4), pages 755-793, September.
    8. Chrysovalantis Gaganis & Fotios Pasiouras & Charalambos Spathis & Constantin Zopounidis, 2007. "A comparison of nearest neighbours, discriminant and logit models for auditing decisions," Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(1‐2), pages 23-40, January.
    9. Richard Chung & Michael Firth & Jeong-Bon Kim, 2003. "Auditor conservatism and reported earnings," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 19-32.
    10. Blankley, Alan I. & Hong, Keejae P. & Kerr, David & Wiggins, Casper E., 2014. "A note on the effect of PCAOB inspections on the audit quality of triennial CPA firms," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 212-216.
    11. Daniel Aobdia & Luminita Enache & Anup Srivastava, 2021. "Changes in Big N auditors’ client selection and retention strategies over time," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 715-754, February.
    12. Lin, Z. Jun & Liu, Ming, 2009. "The impact of corporate governance on auditor choice: Evidence from China," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 44-59.
    13. Wu, Bin & Wu, Yaqian & Zhang, Min & Li, Jiyuan, 2024. "Opening the black box of human resource allocations in audit firms: The assignment of audit partners to audit engagements," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(2).
    14. Silvia Ferramosca & Giulio Greco & Marco Allegrini, 2017. "External audit and goodwill write-off," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 21(4), pages 907-934, December.
    15. Yan Luo & Steven E. Salterio, 2021. "Toward an Archival Measure of the Likelihood of Auditor‐Client Management Negotiation: An Exploration of the Audit Lag Measures Conjecture†," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 109-143, March.
    16. Lai, Kam-Wah, 2013. "Audit Reporting of Big 4 Versus Non-Big 4 Auditors: The Case of Ex-Andersen Clients," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 495-524.
    17. Linda Myers & Jaime Schmidt & Michael Wilkins, 2014. "An investigation of recent changes in going concern reporting decisions among Big N and non-Big N auditors," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 155-172, July.
    18. Jiang, Wei & Rupley, Kathleen Hertz & Wu, Jia, 2010. "Internal control deficiencies and the issuance of going concern opinions," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 40-46.
    19. Heliodoro, Paula Alexandra & Carreira, Francisco Alegria & Lopes, Manuel Mouta, 2016. "The change of auditor: The Portuguese case," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 181-186.
    20. Francis, Jere R., 2004. "What do we know about audit quality?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 345-368.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:euract:v:13:y:2004:i:4:p:597-620. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/REAR20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.