IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jiaata/v51y2023ics1061951823000216.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

International culture and audit deficiencies: Evidence from inspection reports of non-US companies listed in the US

Author

Listed:
  • Knowles, Robin L
  • Pacheco Paredes, Angel Arturo

Abstract

We investigate an important corporate governance mechanism that provides a monitoring function to facilitate the growth and development of international capital markets. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between Hofstede’s cultural values and the audit deficiencies of non-US companies listed on US equity markets, as measured by the number of audit deficiencies found by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) from 2005 to 2017. We find evidence supporting a conclusion that audit deficiencies are lower in countries with lower Uncertainty Avoidance scores, higher Individualism scores, and lower Power Distance scores. We conclude that countries with cultures more accepting of ambiguity and uncertainty, having more flexible business practices, and being more tolerant of individual contributions are associated with higher quality audits, as measured by fewer audit deficiencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Knowles, Robin L & Pacheco Paredes, Angel Arturo, 2023. "International culture and audit deficiencies: Evidence from inspection reports of non-US companies listed in the US," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jiaata:v:51:y:2023:i:c:s1061951823000216
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2023.100542
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1061951823000216
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2023.100542?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. Michael Graff, 2008. "Law and Finance: Common Law and Civil Law Countries Compared—An Empirical Critique," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 75(297), pages 60-83, February.
    2. Hichem Khlif, 2016. "Hofstede’s cultural dimensions in accounting research: a review," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(4), pages 545-573, October.
    3. Bok Baik & Jun-Koo Kang & Jin-Mo Kim & Joonho Lee, 2013. "The liability of foreignness in international equity investments: Evidence from the US stock market," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(4), pages 391-411, May.
    4. Flasher, Renee & Schenck, Kristy, 2019. "Exploring PCAOB inspection results for audit firms headquartered outside of the US," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    5. Schultz, Jj & Johnson, Da & Morris, D & Dyrnes, S, 1993. "An Investigation Of The Reporting Of Questionable Acts In An International Setting," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31, pages 75-103.
    6. La Porta, Rafael & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1997. "Legal Determinants of External Finance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(3), pages 1131-1150, July.
    7. Cieslewicz, Joshua K., 2014. "Relationships between national economic culture, institutions, and accounting: Implications for IFRS," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 511-528.
    8. Stulz, Rene M. & Williamson, Rohan, 2003. "Culture, openness, and finance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 313-349, December.
    9. Aggarwal, Raj & Goodell, John W., 2014. "National cultural dimensions in finance and accounting scholarship: An important gap in the literatures?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 1(C), pages 1-12.
    10. Jackson, Howell E. & Roe, Mark J., 2009. "Public and private enforcement of securities laws: Resource-based evidence," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(2), pages 207-238, August.
    11. Kaufmann, Daniel & Kraay, Aart & Mastruzzi, Massimo, 2007. "Governance Matters VI: Aggregate and Individual Governance Indicators, 1996-2006," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4280, The World Bank.
    12. repec:eme:maj000:maj-12-2013-0975 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Gary Kleinman & Betsy Beixin Lin & Rebecca Bloch, 2019. "Accounting enforcement in a national context: an international study," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 16(1), pages 47-67, March.
    14. Johnson, Elizabeth & Reichelt, Kenneth J. & Soileau, Jared S., 2018. "No news is bad news: Do PCAOB part II reports have an effect on annually inspected firms’ audit fees and audit quality?," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 106-126.
    15. Licht, Amir N. & Goldschmidt, Chanan & Schwartz, Shalom H., 2007. "Culture rules: The foundations of the rule of law and other norms of governance," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 659-688, December.
    16. Chuck C Y Kwok & Solomon Tadesse, 2006. "National culture and financial systems," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(2), pages 227-247, March.
    17. Hope, Ole-Kristian & Kang, Tony & Thomas, Wayne & Yoo, Yong Keun, 2008. "Culture and auditor choice: A test of the secrecy hypothesis," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 357-373.
    18. Lamoreaux, Phillip T., 2016. "Does PCAOB inspection access improve audit quality? An examination of foreign firms listed in the United States," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 313-337.
    19. Brock, David M., 2005. "Multinational acquisition integration: the role of national culture in creating synergies," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 269-288, June.
    20. Angel Arturo Pacheco Paredes & Clark Wheatley, 2019. "The effect of changing fiscal year-ends on audit fees and audit quality," Journal of Financial Economic Policy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(3), pages 365-382, November.
    21. Orhan Akisik & Ray Pfeiffer, 2009. "Globalization, US foreign investments and accounting standards," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(1), pages 5-37, February.
    22. Fung, Simon Yu Kit & Raman, K.K. & Zhu, Xindong (Kevin), 2017. "Does the PCAOB international inspection program improve audit quality for non-US-listed foreign clients?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 15-36.
    23. Matoussi, Hamadi & Jardak, Maha Khemakhem, 2012. "International Corporate Governance and Finance: Legal, Cultural and Political Explanations," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 1-43.
    24. Elizabeth Johnson & Kenneth J. Reichelt & Jared S. Soileau, 2018. "No news is bad news: Do PCAOB part II reports have an effect on annually inspected firms’ audit fees and audit quality?," Journal of Accounting Literature, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 41(1), pages 106-126, January.
    25. Hofstede, Geert, 1994. "The business of international business is culture," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 1-14, March.
    26. Lin Ge & Stuart Thomas, 2008. "A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Deliberative Reasoning of Canadian and Chinese Accounting Students," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 82(1), pages 189-211, September.
    27. William Buslepp & R. Jared DeLisle & Lisa Victoravich, 2018. "Does Part II of the PCAOB inspection report provide new information to the market?," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 33(8/9), pages 715-735, October.
    28. Hughes, Susan B. & Sander, James F. & Higgs, Scott D. & Cullinan, Charles P., 2009. "The impact of cultural environment on entry-level auditors’ abilities to perform analytical procedures," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 29-43.
    29. Deborah Drummond Smith & Kimberly C. Gleason & Joan Wiggenhorn & Yezen H. Kannan, 2018. "Auditors’ assessment of the capital market liability of foreignness," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 17(1), pages 109-129, February.
    30. Damon Fleming & Chee Chow & Wenbing Su, 2010. "An Exploratory Study of Chinese Accounting Students’ and Auditors’ Audit-specific Ethical Reasoning," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(3), pages 353-369, July.
    31. Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Tatiana Kostova & Kendall Roth, 2017. "An overview of Hofstede-inspired country-level culture research in international business since 2006," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(1), pages 30-47, January.
    32. 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.
    33. DeFond, Mark L. & Lennox, Clive S., 2011. "The effect of SOX on small auditor exits and audit quality," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 21-40, June.
    34. 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.
    35. Deborah Drummond Smith & Kimberly C. Gleason & Joan Wiggenhorn & Yezen H. Kannan, 2018. "Auditors’ assessment of the capital market liability of foreignness," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 17(1), pages 109-129, February.
    36. Brock, David M. & Barry, David & Thomas, David C., 2000. ""Your forward is our reverse, your right, our wrong": rethinking multinational planning processes in light of national culture," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 9(6), pages 687-701, December.
    37. Nes, Erik B. & Solberg, Carl Arthur & Silkoset, Ragnhild, 2007. "The impact of national culture and communication on exporter-distributor relations and on export performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 405-424, August.
    38. Pacheco-Paredes, Angel Arturo & Wheatley, Clark M., 2021. "Do auditors react to real earnings management?," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    39. Tomasz Iwanow & Colin Kirkpatrick, 2007. "Trade facilitation, regulatory quality and export performance," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(6), pages 735-753.
    40. Angel Arturo Pacheco Paredes & Clark Wheatley, 2017. "The influence of culture on real earnings management," International Journal of Emerging Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(1), pages 38-57, January.
    41. repec:eme:maj000:maj-10-2017-1666 is not listed on IDEAS
    42. Jenni Kallunki & Juha‐Pekka Kallunki & Lasse Niemi & Henrik Nilsson & Daniel Aobdia, 2019. "IQ and Audit Quality: Do Smarter Auditors Deliver Better Audits?†," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(3), pages 1373-1416, September.
    43. Fei Kang & Magdy Farag & Robert Hurt & Cheryl Wyrick, 2014. "The association between PCAOB-identified audit deficiencies and small audit firms’ characteristics," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 29(8), pages 717-735, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Lewellyn, Krista B. & Bao, Shuji ‘Rosey’, 2014. "A cross-national investigation of IPO activity: The role of formal institutions and national culture," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 1167-1178.
    2. Kim, Yongtae & (Nancy) Su, Lixin & (Stephen) Zhou, Gaoguang & (Kevin) Zhu, Xindong, 2020. "PCAOB international inspections and Merger and Acquisition outcomes," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1).
    3. Cieslewicz, Joshua K., 2014. "Relationships between national economic culture, institutions, and accounting: Implications for IFRS," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 511-528.
    4. Almaskati, Nawaf & Bird, Ron & Lu, Yue, 2020. "Corporate governance, institutions, markets, and social factors," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    5. Jeong-Bon Kim & Mikhail Pevzner & Xiangang Xin, 2019. "Foreign institutional ownership and auditor choice: Evidence from worldwide institutional ownership," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(1), pages 83-110, February.
    6. Matoussi, Hamadi & Jardak, Maha Khemakhem, 2012. "International Corporate Governance and Finance: Legal, Cultural and Political Explanations," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 1-43.
    7. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem & Zheng, Changjun & Arshad, Sidra, 2016. "Effects of national culture on bank risk-taking behavior," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 309-326.
    8. Lavezzolo, Sebastián & Rodríguez-Lluesma, Carlos & Elvira, Marta M., 2018. "National culture and financial systems: The conditioning role of political context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 60-72.
    9. Hanlon, Michelle & Shroff, Nemit, 2022. "Insights into auditor public oversight boards: Whether, how, and why they “work”," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1).
    10. Aobdia, Daniel & Shroff, Nemit, 2017. "Regulatory oversight and auditor market share," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 262-287.
    11. Houqe, Muhammad Nurul & van Zijl, Tony & Dunstan, Keitha & Karim, A.K.M. Waresul, 2012. "The Effect of IFRS Adoption and Investor Protection on Earnings Quality Around the World," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 333-355.
    12. Pascal Gantenbein & Axel Kind & Christophe Volonté, 2019. "Individualism and Venture Capital: A Cross-Country Study," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(5), pages 741-777, October.
    13. Dowling, Michael & Vanwalleghem, Dieter, 2018. "Gulf Cooperation Council cross-border M&A: Institutional determinants of target nation selection," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 471-489.
    14. Aggarwal, Raj & Goodell, John W., 2018. "Sovereign wealth fund governance and national culture," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 78-92.
    15. Charles J. Reuter, 2011. "A survey of culture and finance," Post-Print hal-03016357, HAL.
    16. Reiner Quick & Niklas Schenk & Florian Schmidt & Thilo Towara, 2018. "The impact of corporate governance on auditor choice: evidence from Germany," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(2), pages 251-283, June.
    17. Cline, Brandon N. & Williamson, Claudia R., 2016. "Trust and the regulation of corporate self-dealing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 572-590.
    18. Stephen B. Salter & Tony Kang & Giorgio Gotti & Timothy S. Doupnik, 2013. "The Role of Social Values, Accounting Values and Institutions in Determining Accounting Conservatism," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 53(4), pages 607-632, August.
    19. Smith, Deborah Drummond & Gleason, Kimberly C. & Kannan, Yezen H., 2021. "Auditor liability and excess cash holdings: Evidence from audit fees of foreign incorporated firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    20. Dowling, Michael & O’Gorman, Colm & Puncheva, Petya & Vanwalleghem, Dieter, 2019. "Trust and SME attitudes towards equity financing across Europe," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(6), pages 1-1.

    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:eee:jiaata:v:51:y:2023:i:c:s1061951823000216. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-international-accounting-auditing-and-taxation .

    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.