IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jbfnac/v47y2020i5-6p677-707.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How does the executive pay gap influence audit fees? The roles of R&D investment and institutional ownership

Author

Listed:
  • Wenxia Ge
  • Jeong‐Bon Kim

Abstract

Using a sample of US firms from 2003–2014, this study examines how the executive pay gap affects audit fees for firms with different levels of R&D investment and institutional ownership. Consistent with managerial power theory, we find that the executive pay gap is positively associated with audit fees, and that the positive association is attenuated by intense R&D investment and higher institutional ownership. We also find that the executive pay gap more strongly affects audit fees after the passage of the 2010 Dodd–Frank Act and the PCAOB's 2012 call to identify the audit risk related to executive incentive compensation. Additional analyses show that the moderating effects of R&D investment and institutional ownership on the pay gap–audit fees association are not conditional on auditor tenure, but the moderating effect of institutional ownership is stronger for firms hiring specialist auditors. Collectively, our findings suggest that auditors consider the business context, such as innovation initiative and external monitoring, when assessing audit risk related to the executive pay gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenxia Ge & Jeong‐Bon Kim, 2020. "How does the executive pay gap influence audit fees? The roles of R&D investment and institutional ownership," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(5-6), pages 677-707, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jbfnac:v:47:y:2020:i:5-6:p:677-707
    DOI: 10.1111/jbfa.12426
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jbfa.12426
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jbfa.12426?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bo Becker & Per Strömberg, 2012. "Fiduciary Duties and Equity-debtholder Conflicts," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 25(6), pages 1931-1969.
    2. Timothy B. Bell & Wayne R. Landsman & Douglas A. Shackelford, 2001. "Auditors' Perceived Business Risk and Audit Fees: Analysis and Evidence," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 35-43, June.
    3. David Hay & Robert Knechel & Vivian Li, 2006. "Non‐audit Services and Auditor Independence: New Zealand Evidence," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5‐6), pages 715-734, June.
    4. Bartley R. Danielsen & Robert A. Van Ness & Richard S. Warr, 2007. "Auditor Fees, Market Microstructure, and Firm Transparency," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1‐2), pages 202-221, January.
    5. Thomas R. Kubick & G. Brandon Lockhart, 2017. "Overconfidence, CEO Awards, and Corporate Tax Aggressiveness," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(5-6), pages 728-754, May.
    6. Carola Frydman & Raven E. Saks, 2010. "Executive Compensation: A New View from a Long-Term Perspective, 1936--2005," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(5), pages 2099-2138.
    7. Jong†Hag Choi & Jeong†Bon Kim & Xiaohong Liu & Dan A. Simunic, 2008. "Audit Pricing, Legal Liability Regimes, and Big 4 Premiums: Theory and Cross†country Evidence," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(1), pages 55-99, March.
    8. Simunic, Da, 1980. "The Pricing Of Audit Services - Theory And Evidence," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 161-190.
    9. Bryan, David B. & Mason, Terry W., 2017. "Executive tournament incentives and audit fees," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 30-45.
    10. Haß, Lars Helge & Müller, Maximilian A. & Vergauwe, Skrålan, 2015. "Tournament incentives and corporate fraud," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 251-267.
    11. W. Robert Knechel & Marleen Willekens, 2006. "The Role of Risk Management and Governance in Determining Audit Demand," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(9‐10), pages 1344-1367, November.
    12. 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.
    13. Elyasiani, Elyas & Jia, Jingyi, 2010. "Distribution of institutional ownership and corporate firm performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 606-620, March.
    14. William D. Brink & Jonathan H. Grenier & Jonathan S. Pyzoha & Andrew Reffett, 2019. "The Effects of Clawbacks on Auditors’ Propensity to Propose Restatements and Risk Assessments," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 313-332, August.
    15. Mónica LópezPuertas-Lamy & Kurt Desender & Mircea Epure, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and the assessment by auditors of the risk of material misstatement," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(9-10), pages 1276-1314, October.
    16. Michael Firth, 2002. "Auditor–Provided Consultancy Services and their Associations with Audit Fees and Audit Opinions," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5‐6), pages 661-693.
    17. Eric A. Fong, 2010. "Relative CEO Underpayment and CEO Behaviour Towards R&D Spending," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(6), pages 1095-1122, September.
    18. Vincent L. Barker , III & George C. Mueller, 2002. "CEO Characteristics and Firm R&D Spending," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(6), pages 782-801, June.
    19. Conrads, Julian & Irlenbusch, Bernd & Rilke, Rainer Michael & Schielke, Anne & Walkowitz, Gari, 2014. "Honesty in tournaments," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 123(1), pages 90-93.
    20. Jong†Hag Choi & T. J. Wong, 2007. "Auditors' Governance Functions and Legal Environments: An International Investigation," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(1), pages 13-46, March.
    21. Chen, Zhihong & Huang, Yuan & Wei, K. C. John, 2013. "Executive Pay Disparity and the Cost of Equity Capital," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 48(3), pages 849-885, June.
    22. W. Robert Knechel & Divesh S. Sharma & Vineeta D. Sharma, 2012. "Non-Audit Services and Knowledge Spillovers: Evidence from New Zealand," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1-2), pages 60-81, January.
    23. Correa, Ricardo & Lel, Ugur, 2016. "Say on pay laws, executive compensation, pay slice, and firm valuation around the world," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(3), pages 500-520.
    24. Jere R. Francis & Dechun Wang, 2008. "The Joint Effect of Investor Protection and Big 4 Audits on Earnings Quality around the World," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(1), pages 157-191, March.
    25. Ilias G. Basioudis, 2007. "Auditor's Engagement Risk and Audit Fees: The Role of Audit Firm Alumni," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(9‐10), pages 1393-1422, November.
    26. Gibbons, Robert & Murphy, Kevin J, 1992. "Optimal Incentive Contracts in the Presence of Career Concerns: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(3), pages 468-505, June.
    27. Xuejiao Liu & Xiaohong Liu, 2017. "CEO equity incentives and the remediation of material weaknesses in internal control," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(9-10), pages 1338-1369, October.
    28. Bebchuk, Lucian A. & Cremers, K.J. Martijn & Peyer, Urs C., 2011. "The CEO pay slice," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(1), pages 199-221, October.
    29. Wen-Chi Sun & Hua-Wei Huang & Mai Dao & Chaur-Shiuh Young, 2017. "Auditor selection and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(9-10), pages 1241-1275, October.
    30. Anand M. Goel & Anjan V. Thakor, 2008. "Overconfidence, CEO Selection, and Corporate Governance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(6), pages 2737-2784, December.
    31. Seetharaman, Ananth & Gul, Ferdinand A. & Lynn, Stephen G., 2002. "Litigation risk and audit fees: evidence from UK firms cross-listed on US markets," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 91-115, February.
    32. Lucian Bebchuk, 2005. "The Growth of Executive Pay," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 21(2), pages 283-303, Summer.
    33. Bipin Ajinkya & Sanjeev Bhojraj & Partha Sengupta, 2005. "The Association between Outside Directors, Institutional Investors and the Properties of Management Earnings Forecasts," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(3), pages 343-376, June.
    34. Michael Firth, 2002. "Auditor-Provided Consultancy Services and their Associations with Audit Fees and Audit Opinions," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5&6), pages 661-693.
    35. Denis, Diane K., 2012. "Mandatory clawback provisions, information disclosure, and the regulation of securities markets," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 197-200.
    36. Tsao, Shou-Min & Lin, Che-Hung & Chen, Vincent Y.S., 2015. "Family ownership as a moderator between R&D investments and CEO compensation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 599-606.
    37. Bushee, BJ & Noe, CF, 2000. "Corporate disclosure practices, institutional investors, and stock return volatility," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38, pages 171-202.
    38. Christine Harbring & Bernd Irlenbusch, 2011. "Sabotage in Tournaments: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(4), pages 611-627, April.
    39. Armstrong, Christopher S. & Larcker, David F. & Ormazabal, Gaizka & Taylor, Daniel J., 2013. "The relation between equity incentives and misreporting: The role of risk-taking incentives," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(2), pages 327-350.
    40. Fama, Eugene F & MacBeth, James D, 1973. "Risk, Return, and Equilibrium: Empirical Tests," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 81(3), pages 607-636, May-June.
    41. Aggarwal, Reena & Erel, Isil & Ferreira, Miguel & Matos, Pedro, 2011. "Does governance travel around the world? Evidence from institutional investors," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 154-181, April.
    42. Fama, Eugene F, 1980. "Agency Problems and the Theory of the Firm," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 88(2), pages 288-307, April.
    43. David Aboody & Baruch Lev, 2000. "Information Asymmetry, R&D, and Insider Gains," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(6), pages 2747-2766, December.
    44. Eriksson, Tor, 1999. "Executive Compensation and Tournament Theory: Empirical Tests on Danish Data," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(2), pages 262-280, April.
    45. D. Kip Holderness & Adrienna Huffman & Melissa Lewis‐Western, 2019. "Rank and file equity compensation and earnings management: Evidence from stock options," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(9-10), pages 1201-1236, October.
    46. Jason W. Ridge & Federico Aime & Margaret A. White, 2015. "When much more of a difference makes a difference: Social comparison and tournaments in the CEO's top team," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 618-636, April.
    47. Bebchuk, Lucian A. & Fried, Jesse M., 2003. "Executive Compensation as an Agency Problem," Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics, Working Paper Series qt81q3136r, Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics.
    48. Ramalingegowda, Santhosh & Yu, Yong, 2012. "Institutional ownership and conservatism," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 98-114.
    49. Philip Brown & Wendy Beekes & Peter Verhoeven, 2011. "Corporate governance, accounting and finance: A review," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 51(1), pages 96-172, March.
    50. Lucian Arye Bebchuk & Jesse M. Fried, 2003. "Executive Compensation as an Agency Problem," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 71-92, Summer.
    51. Paul Brockman & Tao Ma & Jianfang Ye, 2015. "CEO Compensation Risk and Timely Loss Recognition," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(1-2), pages 204-236, January.
    52. Augustine Duru & Raghavan J. Iyengar & Alex Thevaranjan, 2002. "The Shielding of CEO Compensation from the Effects of Strategic Expenditures," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(2), pages 175-193, June.
    53. Yongtae Kim & Haidan Li & Siqi Li, 2015. "CEO Equity Incentives and Audit Fees," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(2), pages 608-638, June.
    54. Boone, Audra L. & White, Joshua T., 2015. "The effect of institutional ownership on firm transparency and information production," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(3), pages 508-533.
    55. Mahbub Zaman & Mohammed Hudaib & Roszaini Haniffa, 2011. "Corporate Governance Quality, Audit Fees and Non-Audit Services Fees," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1-2), pages 165-197, January.
    56. Thomas Dalziel & Richard J. Gentry & Michael Bowerman, 2011. "An Integrated Agency–Resource Dependence View of the Influence of Directors' Human and Relational Capital on Firms' R&D Spending," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48, pages 1217-1242, September.
    57. Marek Kacer & David A. Peel & Michael J. Peel & Nicholas Wilson, 2018. "On the persistence and dynamics of Big 4 real audit fees: Evidence from the UK," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(5-6), pages 714-727, May.
    58. W. Robert Knechel & Marleen Willekens, 2006. "The Role of Risk Management and Governance in Determining Audit Demand," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(9-10), pages 1344-1367.
    59. Wei Shi & Brian L. Connelly & Wm. Gerard Sanders, 2016. "Buying bad behavior: Tournament incentives and securities class action lawsuits," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(7), pages 1354-1378, July.
    60. Chune Young Chung & Chang Liu & Kainan Wang & Blerina Bela Zykaj, 2015. "Institutional Monitoring: Evidence from the F-Score," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(7-8), pages 885-914, September.
    61. Kothari, S.P. & Leone, Andrew J. & Wasley, Charles E., 2005. "Performance matched discretionary accrual measures," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 163-197, February.
    62. Ilias G. Basioudis, 2007. "Auditor's Engagement Risk and Audit Fees: The Role of Audit Firm Alumni," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(9-10), pages 1393-1422.
    63. Kini, Omesh & Williams, Ryan, 2012. "Tournament incentives, firm risk, and corporate policies," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(2), pages 350-376.
    64. John Core & Wayne Guay, 2002. "Estimating the Value of Employee Stock Option Portfolios and Their Sensitivities to Price and Volatility," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 613-630, June.
    65. Bartley R. Danielsen & Robert A. Van Ness & Richard S. Warr, 2007. "Auditor Fees, Market Microstructure, and Firm Transparency," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1-2), pages 202-221.
    66. John D. Lyon & Michael W. Maher, 2005. "The Importance of Business Risk in Setting Audit Fees: Evidence from Cases of Client Misconduct," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 133-151, 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. Dingzu Zhang & Lijuan Pan & Luqi Liu & Huixiang Zeng, 2023. "Impact of executive pay gap on environmental, social, and governance disclosure in China: Is there a strategic choice?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2574-2589, September.
    2. Yiqing Tan, 2021. "Industry tournament incentives and audit fees," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3-4), pages 587-612, 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. Sun, Sophia Li & Habib, Ahsan & Huang, Hedy Jiaying, 2019. "Tournament incentives and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 93-117.
    2. Bryan, David B. & Mason, Terry W., 2017. "Executive tournament incentives and audit fees," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 30-45.
    3. Sun, Sophia Li & Habib, Ahsan, 2020. "Determinants and consequences of tournament incentives: A survey of the literature in accounting and finance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    4. Mahmoud Gad & Trang Nguyen & Mariano Scapin, 2023. "The effect of pay disparities within top management on conservative reporting," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(4), pages 478-504, June.
    5. Yiqing Tan, 2021. "Industry tournament incentives and audit fees," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3-4), pages 587-612, March.
    6. Shan, Yuan George & Troshani, Indrit & Tarca, Ann, 2019. "Managerial ownership, audit firm size, and audit fees: Australian evidence," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 18-36.
    7. Gu, Junjian, 2021. "FDI characteristics, industry homogeneity, and audit fees in Japanese multinationals," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    8. Chang, Hsihui & Ho, L.C. Jennifer & Liu, Zenghui & Ouyang, Bo, 2021. "Income smoothing and audit fees," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    9. DeFond, Mark & Zhang, Jieying, 2014. "A review of archival auditing research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 275-326.
    10. Talavera, Oleksandr & Yin, Shuxing & Zhang, Mao, 2021. "Tournament incentives, age diversity and firm performance," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 139-162.
    11. Rahman, Shofiqur & Chowdhury, Hasibul, 2023. "Tournament-based incentives and the lease-versus-buy decision," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    12. Chowdhury, Hasibul & Rahman, Shofiqur, 2023. "Do tournament incentives affect corporate dividend policy?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    13. Cheong, Chee Seng & Yu, Chia-Feng (Jeffrey) & Zurbruegg, Ralf & Brockman, Paul, 2021. "Tournament incentives and institutional ownership," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 418-433.
    14. Kubick, Thomas R. & Lockhart, G. Brandon, 2016. "Do external labor market incentives motivate CEOs to adopt more aggressive corporate tax reporting preferences?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 255-277.
    15. Haß, Lars Helge & Müller, Maximilian A. & Vergauwe, Skrålan, 2015. "Tournament incentives and corporate fraud," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 251-267.
    16. Liu, Xinghe & Xu, Huifeng & Lu, Meiting, 2021. "Do auditors respond to stringent environmental regulation? Evidence from China’s new environmental protection law," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 54-67.
    17. Colak, Gonul & Gounopoulos, Dimitrios & Loukopoulos, Panagiotis & Loukopoulos, Georgios, 2021. "Tournament incentives and IPO failure risk," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    18. Zheng, Jiayi & Chowdhury, Hasibul & Hossain, Md Safayat & Gupta, Kartick, 2023. "Tournament-based incentives and media sentiment," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2).
    19. Jingyu Yang & Hai Wu & Yangxin Yu, 2021. "Distracted institutional investors and audit risk," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(3), pages 3855-3881, September.
    20. Xinming Liu & Gerald J. Lobo & Hung‐Chao Yu, 2021. "Is Audit Committee Equity Compensation Related to Audit Fees?," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 740-769, March.

    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:bla:jbfnac:v:47:y:2020:i:5-6:p:677-707. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0306-686X .

    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.