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Scale and scope economies in Korean accounting firms around Sarbanes-Oxley regulations

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  • Ryu, Sang-Lyul
  • Won, Jayoun

Abstract

This paper examines how scale and scope economies in accounting firms changed after Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) regulations. Korea enacted SOX-type legislation to improve financial reporting quality in 2005. Our sample comprises 301 firm-year observations from 2002 to 2008. The sample period is divided into the pre-SOX (2002–2004) and post-SOX (2006–2008) periods. We estimate a multi-product translog cost function to determine whether significant changes occur in scale and scope economies during the pre- and post-SOX periods. Empirical results suggest that overall and product-specific economies of scale prevailed in accounting firms during the full sample, pre- and post-SOX periods. Accounting firms were less able to exploit scale economies in the post-SOX period. The marginal costs of producing Audit and Accounting (A&A) increased, whereas those producing Tax Services (TAX) declined. Cost complementarities existed only in jointly providing TAX and Business Advisory Services (BAS) during the pre-SOX years. In contrast, scope economies occurred in the joint production of A&A and TAX or TAX and BAS during the post-SOX period. Our analysis can be applied to the accounting industry in other countries that have adopted SOX-type regulations.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryu, Sang-Lyul & Won, Jayoun, 2022. "Scale and scope economies in Korean accounting firms around Sarbanes-Oxley regulations," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:asieco:v:78:y:2022:i:c:s104900782100155x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.asieco.2021.101427
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Accounting firms; Economies of scale; Economies of scope; Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX); Translog cost function;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • L84 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Personal, Professional, and Business Services
    • M42 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Auditing
    • M48 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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