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Audit office size, audit quality and audit pricing: evidence from small- and medium-sized enterprises

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  • Stefan Sundgren
  • Tobias Svanström

Abstract

Using Swedish data, we investigate how audit quality and audit pricing vary with audit firm and office size. In contrast to prior studies, we use disciplinary sanctions issued against auditors not meeting the quality requirement as the measure of audit quality. We find no significant differences in the likelihood of sanctions between Big 4 audit firms and the fifth and sixth largest audit firms in Sweden (Grant Thornton and BDO). We refer to these collectively as ‘Top 6’. However, we find that the probabilities of warnings or exclusions from the profession are much higher for non-Top 6 auditors in Sweden than for Top 6 auditors. Furthermore, we find a strong negative association between the likelihood of sanctions and audit office size for non-Top 6 auditors. This association is insignificant for Top 6 audit firms. Audit fees follow a similar pattern and indicate that larger audit firms and offices put in more effort or have greater expertise. These results suggest that audit quality is differentiated in the private segment market. However, contrary to prior studies, our results suggest that the important dimensions are Top 6 versus non-Top 6 and the office size of non-Top 6 audit firms.

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  • Stefan Sundgren & Tobias Svanström, 2013. "Audit office size, audit quality and audit pricing: evidence from small- and medium-sized enterprises," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 31-55, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acctbr:v:43:y:2013:i:1:p:31-55
    DOI: 10.1080/00014788.2012.691710
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    2. Juan L. Gandía & David Huguet, 2021. "Combined Effects of Auditing and Discretionary Accruals on the Cost of Debt: Evidence From Spanish SMEs," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    3. Alhassan Musah, 2017. "Determinants of Audit fees in a Developing Economy: Evidence from Ghana," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 7(11), pages 716-730, November.
    4. Linus Axén & Torbjörn Tagesson & Denis Shcherbinin & Azra Custovic & Anna Ojdanic, 2019. "Does municipal ownership affect audit fees?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 23(3), pages 693-713, September.
    5. Breuer, Matthias & Le, Anthony & Vetter, Felix, 2023. "Audit mandates, audit firms, and auditors," Working Papers 333, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    6. Limei Che & Ole-Kristian Hope & John Christian Langli, 2020. "How Big-4 Firms Improve Audit Quality," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(10), pages 4552-4572, October.
    7. Stefan Sundgren & Tobias Svanström, 2017. "Is the Public Oversight of Auditors Effective? The Impact of Sanctions on Loss of Clients, Salary and Audit Reporting," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4), pages 787-818, October.
    8. Sundgren, Stefan & Alexeyeva, Irina, 2022. "Entrepreneurs’ legal infractions and hidden information: Evidence from small business bankruptcies," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    9. 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.
    10. Jerry Sun & Steven F. Cahan & Jing Xu, 2016. "Individual Auditor Conservatism After CSRC Sanctions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(1), pages 133-146, June.
    11. AYOUB, Maysam, 2023. "Audit firms’ network structure and audit quality," Working Papers 2023008, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    12. 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.
    13. Pedro Ortin Ángel & Ana Millan Tapia & Stefan Sundgren, 2016. "Are the Most Capable Auditors in the Big 4 Firms? Model," Working Papers 1601, Departament Empresa, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, revised Jan 2016.

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