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Effects of Earnings Forecasts and Heightened Professional Skepticism on the Outcomes of Client–Auditor Negotiation

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  • Helen Brown-Liburd
  • Jeffrey Cohen
  • Greg Trompeter

Abstract

Ethics has been identified as an important factor that potentially affects auditors’ professional skepticism. For example, prior research finds that auditors who are more concerned with professional ethics exhibit greater professional skepticism. Further, the literature suggests that professional skepticism may lead the auditor to more vigilantly resist the client’s position in financial reporting disputes. These reporting disputes are generally resolved through negotiations between the auditor and client to arrive at the final reported amounts. To date, the role that professional skepticism potentially plays in the negotiation process has been relatively unexplored. The literature prior to the enactment of Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) suggests that auditors are more likely to approve a client position when the matter in dispute is relatively ambiguous and when changing the client’s position will result in the client failing to meet analysts’ expectations. However, changes resulting from SOX have led auditors to be more vigilant and therefore results found in the pre-SOX environment may not hold in the current environment where auditors are held more accountable for their actions. Results from an experiment with experienced audit managers and partners suggest that in the post-SOX climate, auditors’ negotiations do not appear to be substantively influenced by management being able to meet or beat forecasts. Moreover, we find that when auditors exhibit heightened professional skepticism, they are more ethical by being conservative and they stand more resolute than when auditors do not exhibit heightened professional skepticism. Finally, although we do not find a main effect for the influence of earnings forecast, we do find a significant interaction between earnings forecast and heightened professional skepticism. Implications for practice and research are then presented. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Helen Brown-Liburd & Jeffrey Cohen & Greg Trompeter, 2013. "Effects of Earnings Forecasts and Heightened Professional Skepticism on the Outcomes of Client–Auditor Negotiation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 311-325, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:116:y:2013:i:2:p:311-325
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1473-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Saurabh Ahluwalia & O. C. Ferrell & Linda Ferrell & Terri L. Rittenburg, 2018. "Sarbanes–Oxley Section 406 Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers and Firm Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 693-705, September.
    3. Sammy Xiaoyan Ying & Chris Patel & Aeson Luiz Dela Cruz, 2023. "The influence of partners' known preferences on auditors' sceptical judgements: The moderating role of perceived social influence pressure," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(3), pages 3193-3215, September.
    4. Bryan K. Church & Narisa Tianjing Dai & Xi (Jason) Kuang & Xuejiao Liu, 2020. "The Role of Auditor Narcissism in Auditor–Client Negotiations: Evidence from China," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(3), pages 1756-1787, September.
    5. William F., Messier & Robertson, Jesse C. & Simon, Chad A., 2015. "The effects of client management concessions and ingratiation attempts on auditors' trust and proposed adjustments," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 80-90.
    6. Aghazadeh, Sanaz & Joe, Jennifer R., 2022. "Auditors' response to management confidence and misstatement risk," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    7. Papirakis, Rachel, 2022. "Auditors’ self-actualization and ability to resist client pressure: Evidence from Canada," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    8. Jani Saastamoinen & Hanna Savolainen, 2021. "Does a leopard change its spots? Auditors and lawyers as valuation experts for minority shareholders in the judicial appraisal of private firms," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3-4), pages 613-636, March.
    9. Jonathan H. Grenier, 2017. "Encouraging Professional Skepticism in the Industry Specialization Era," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(2), pages 241-256, May.
    10. 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.
    11. Gultom, Juan Barus & Murwaningsari, Etty & Umar, Haryono & Mayangsari, Sekar, 2021. "Reciprocal Use of Artificial Intelligence in Audit Assignments," Journal of Accounting, Business and Finance Research, Scientific Publishing Institute, vol. 11(1), pages 9-20.

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