Key research themes
1. How Does Audit Tenure Influence Audit Quality and Auditor Independence?
This theme examines the empirical relationships between the length of auditor-client engagements (audit tenure) and key audit outcomes such as audit quality and auditor independence. It addresses the debate over whether longer audit tenures enhance audit effectiveness through greater client familiarity or impair independence due to economic bonding and complacency, with implications for regulatory policies like mandatory auditor rotation.
2. What Governance Factors Moderate the Relationship Between Audit Reporting Practices and Audit Costs?
This area explores how corporate governance mechanisms such as board size and independence influence the cost implications of audit reporting enhancements, particularly the disclosure of Key Audit Matters (KAMs). It highlights the interplay between governance strength, auditor effort, and associated audit fees, contributing to audit market dynamics and informing governance reforms.
3. How Do Audit Committees’ Practices and Internal Audit Effectiveness Shape Audit Quality and Institutional Governance?
This theme investigates the functioning of audit committees and internal audit functions as pivotal governance mechanisms influencing audit quality and institutional accountability. It addresses the gap between prescribed best practices and actual governance praxis, emphasizing qualitative factors shaping audit oversight effectiveness in both corporate and public sectors.
4. What are the Historical and Evolutionary Perspectives on Audit Practices and Their Implications for Current Audit Quality Assessment?
This theme covers the historical trajectories and evolving paradigms of auditing, elucidating how audit roles, methodologies, and institutional contexts have transformed. Understanding this evolution aids in contextualizing present audit quality debates and the development of future audit processes, including the integration of technology and risk-based approaches.