We experimentally examine whether audit seniors' use of simple cognitive processes for a complex task is affected by the strength of habits to use these processes that they developed as staff auditors. A habit is a mental association between a behavior and a specific context. We propose that,...

Auditors must recognize problematic patterns among the assumptions underlying complex estimates to identify misstatements. Pattern recognition requires rich problem representations of complex estimates that auditors may be unable to develop given their lack of valuation expertise. I predict and...

In this study, we examine the effect of accrual-based earnings management on the association between managers' earnings forecast errors and accruals, which we label “managers' accrual-related forecast bias.” We build on extensive research which finds that managers engage in accrual-based...

The amount of estimation uncertainty contained in financial statement items may be obscured from investors, given that all estimates, regardless of their imprecision, are reported as precise figures on the face of the financial statements. Our study examines two disclosures expected to help...

In this paper, we study spatial competition in the U.S. audit market while accounting for its two-tiered nature. We provide evidence on the differential impact that market share distances within and between the players in the large and small audit markets have on competition. We find that the...

The present research aims to propose a new approach to defining and measuring assets in terms of the negative effects and net benefits arising from their use and affecting the natural capital. In this regard, we provide a new definition and a reclassification of assets in three categories,...

We investigate whether companies strategically change accounting estimates to manipulate earnings, as some claim (“opportunism” hypothesis), or whether these modifications represent changes in the underlying fundamentals of financially troubled or risky companies updating their priors about...

This study examines the determinants and consequences of tax service provider choice among not-for-profit (NFP) organizations. Understanding how clients choose among professional services firms for tax services is important both because of the economic significance of tax service revenues to...

Accounting studies often examine whether the relation between X and Y varies with a moderating variable, M, by including an interactive term, X×M, in a regression. We provide plain-English guidance on why, how, and when to use control variables (Z) in interaction tests. Simple descriptions and...

Economic theory suggests that demand uncertainty should influence producer behavior. In this study, we empirically examine the impact of demand uncertainty on the production of audit services. Auditors must make resource allocation decisions in advance of exact demand being known, and because a...