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The demand for the audit in small companies in the UK

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  • Jill Collis
  • Robin Jarvis
  • Len Skerratt

Abstract

A recent development of the big GAAP/little GAAP debate in the UK was the proposal to raise the audit exemption thresholds for small companies to EC levels. This paper is based on a survey of the directors of 385 companies conforming to the EC definition of ‘small’. The study investigates whether the three size criteria in company legislation (turnover, balance sheet total and number of employees) are appropriate and sufficient proxies for the demand for the audit by developing and testing a number of theoretical models. The results found that 63% of companies would choose to have their accounts audited if they were exempt, which suggests that the majority of those affected by the proposed increase consider the benefits outweigh the costs. It was found that turnover alone could represent size, but that size was less important than the directors' perceptions of the value of the audit in terms of improving the quality of information and providing a check on internal records. Agency relationships with owners and lenders were also found to be significant influences on the demand for the audit in companies of the size studied.

Suggested Citation

  • Jill Collis & Robin Jarvis & Len Skerratt, 2004. "The demand for the audit in small companies in the UK," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 87-100.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acctbr:v:34:y:2004:i:2:p:87-100
    DOI: 10.1080/00014788.2004.9729955
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    Cited by:

    1. Estefanía Palazuelos & Ángel Herrero Crespo & Javier Montoya del Corte, 2018. "Effect of perceived default risk and accounting information quality on the decision to grant credit to SMEs," Risk Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(2), pages 121-141, May.
    2. Pascal Dumontier & Sonda Chtourou & Soumaya Ayedi, 2006. "La qualité de l'audit externe et les mécanismes de gouvernance des entreprises : Une étude empirique menée dans le contexte tunisien," Post-Print halshs-00548115, HAL.
    3. Elisabeth Dedman & Asad Kausar, 2012. "The impact of voluntary audit on credit ratings: evidence from UK private firms," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(4), pages 397-418, September.
    4. Rohana OTHMAN & Zubaidah ZAINAL ABIDIN & Nagathretnam THIRUMANICKAM, 2013. "Directors? View on Exemption from Statutory Audit," Asian Journal of Empirical Research, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 3(10), pages 1277-1290, October.
    5. Briozzo, Anahi & Albanese, Diana, 2020. "Voluntary audit, investment, and financing decisions in Latin American small and medium enterprises," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    6. Michael Minnis & Nemit Shroff, 2017. "Why regulate private firm disclosure and auditing?," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(5), pages 473-502, July.
    7. Stefanie Ceustermans & Diane Breesch & Joël Branson, 2017. "Voluntary Disclosure of Sales and the Extent of Trade Credit in Small Private Companies," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 388-406, September.
    8. Jiří Strouhal & Marie Paseková & Libuše Müllerová, 2011. "Comparative Analysis of Czech Accounting with International Regulation from SMEs Perspective," European Financial and Accounting Journal, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2011(1), pages 39-59.
    9. Soumaya Ayedi & Azhaar Lajmi & Emna Boumediene, 2019. "The effects of agency conflicts on audit quality demand: Evidence from Tunisia," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(3), pages 2175-2183.
    10. Elina Haapamäki, 2018. "Voluntary Auditing: A Synthesis of the Literature," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 81-104, January.
    11. Clatworthy, Mark A. & Peel, Michael J., 2016. "The timeliness of UK private company financial reporting: Regulatory and economic influences," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 297-315.
    12. Maarten Corten & Tensie Steijvers & Nadine Lybaert & Céline Coeckelbergs, 2021. "The Influence of the CEO on Auditor Choice in Private Firms: An Interplay of Willingness and Ability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-19, June.
    13. Lin, Hsiao-Lun & Yen, Ai-Ru, 2017. "Determinants and market valuation of the decision to audit or review: Evidence from Taiwan," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 209-224.
    14. Tobias Svanstr�m, 2013. "Non-audit Services and Audit Quality: Evidence from Private Firms," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(2), pages 337-366, June.
    15. Hakim Lyngstad{aa}s & Johannes Mauritzen, 2023. "Adults in the room? The auditor and dividends in small firms: Evidence from a natural experiment," Papers 2301.11079, arXiv.org.
    16. Maarten Corten & Tensie Steijvers & Nadine Lybaert, 2015. "The demand for auditor services in wholly family-owned private firms: the moderating role of generation," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(1), pages 1-26, January.
    17. Elisabeth Dedman & Asad Kausar & Clive Lennox, 2014. "The Demand for Audit in Private Firms: Recent Large-Sample Evidence from the UK," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 1-23, May.
    18. Ezzeddine Abaoub & Soumaya Ayedi Chabchoub, 2008. "La demande de la qualité de l'audit externe : Quel apport de la théorie d'agence dans le contexte tunisien ?," Post-Print halshs-00522064, HAL.
    19. Liu, Chengyun & Su, Kun & Zhang, Miaomiao, 2021. "Water disclosure and financial reporting quality for social changes: Empirical evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    20. Paul J. Coram & Yi (Dale) Fu & Mukush Garg & Noel Harding & David C. Hay & Mohammad Jahanzeb Khan & Nora Muñoz‐Izquierdo & Ashna Prasad & Nigar Sultana & Jamie Tong, 2022. "Comments of the AFAANZ auditing and assurance standards committee on proposed international standard on auditing ISA for LCE," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(3), pages 4219-4244, September.
    21. Ann Vanstraelen & Caren Schelleman, 2017. "Auditing private companies: what do we know?," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(5), pages 565-584, July.
    22. Michael J. Peel, 2014. "Addressing unobserved endogeneity bias in accounting studies: control and sensitivity methods by variable type," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(5), pages 545-571, October.
    23. Palazuelos Cobo, Estefanía & Montoya del Corte, Javier & Herrero Crespo, Ángel, 2017. "Determinantes de la continuidad en la contratación de la auditoría de forma voluntaria: evidencia para el caso de España," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 63-72.

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