Big 4

O presente estudo teve como objectivo analisar o impacto das estratégias adoptadas pela empresa X, na maximização dos seus lucros, e para o alcance desse objectivo, foram estabelecidos os seguintes objectivos específicos: Descrever a compreensão do conceito de concorrência perfeita por parte dos colaboradores da empresa X; Identificar as estratégias de maximização de lucros implementadas pela empresa X; descrever o impacto das estratégias implementadas, nos lucros da empresa X em 2023. Em termos de procedimentos metodológicos, foi escolhida a pesquisa qualitativa com um paradigma interpretativista tendo em conta os objectivos do estudo. Para a colecta de dados, foi escolhida a técnica da entrevista não estruturada e para a análise dos resultados a técnica de análise de dados. Após a realização da pesquisa, concluiu-se que as estratégias utilizadas pela empresa X tem gerada significantes resultados em termos de aumento dos lucros da empresa, através da diversificação dos produtos, redução dos custos de produção, bem como estratégias de marketing digital para atrair mais clientes para a empresa. Assim, salienta-se que no mercado de concorrência perfeita, embora não haja lucros extraordinários, as empresas podem elevar os seus lucros sem comprometer a estrutura do mercado, em relação as outras empresas.

Audit quality is crucial for upholding the integrity of the audit profession. However, due to its complex nature, auditing firms find it challenging to integrate audit quality as part of their organizational mandates. The main purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the status of audit quality within the global audit industry over the past decade thru the perspective of the Big 4 firms. Data were gathered from published annual reports spanning a ten-year period thru in-depth document analysis and were subjected to statistical, trends, and comparative analyses. Results revealed that the Big 4 have already been integrating audit quality concepts in their organizational operations even before formal audit quality management standards have been promulgated. They were able to identify proxies for effectively measuring audit quality. In addition, they also determined indicators that could potentially influence audit quality and classified them according to both organizational and operational parameters. These findings suggest that the Big 4 identify themselves as comprehensive organizational entities other than being mere external assurance providers. Smaller and local auditing firms can therefore look to the Big 4 for guidance on how to achieve and integrate audit quality within their own unique organizational and operational contexts.

We examine the effects of political risk at the firm level on the integrity of financial reports between 2009 and 2019 using a data from U.S. firms. We provide evidence that, as evaluated by quarterly earnings conference call transcripts of companies with analysts that focus on political risk or uncertainty, political risk at the firm level is inversely related to the quality of accounting information. This effect is more likely to happen to firms with a higher agency problem, faster growth, and greater reliance on outside finance. The results persist after controlling macroeconomic variables. Our findings are also robust to alternative financial reporting quality criteria and endogeneity tests, and are economically significant.

Começo por agradecer a Deus pelo presente da vida, e ter iluminado sempre o meu caminho, visto que sem a sua graça jamais teria conquistado esta etapa da minha vida. Ao meu orientador, Decano da Faculdade de Economia, Professor Doutor, César Fernando Reis que sempre esteve ali para me auxiliar em tudo e compartilhar o seu ensinamento comigo, pela disponibilidade, paciência, carinho, por orientar-me com os seus conhecimentos. Á minha família que têm me apoiado sempre de forma incondicional, especial agradeço aos irmãos que Deus me deu. Carlos Jorge Hapapa e a sua amada esposa Mariana Lúcia Kapule Hapapa, por terem acreditado, apostar e investirem em mim, quando não tinha mais forças para continuar a estudar, o vosso apoio foi crucial para que a obtenção desta licenciatura fosse uma realidade Agradecer também aos meus amigos, pelos conselhos apoio e encorajamento, a todos professores desta Faculdade que sempre partilharam os seus conhecimentos, aos colegas pelos momentos bons e ruins que vivemos, pelo companheirismo, em fim, por tudo. "A todos, o meu Muito Obrigado" III RESUMO O trabalho tem como objectivo de analisar a relação existente entre a Qualidade no Atendimento como factores Críticos de Sucesso (FCS) frequentemente encontrados na literatura e factores enfrentados nas iniciativas de Gestão de Processos de Negócio. Nesse contexto, busca-se investigar, por meio de um estudo empírico de natureza qualitativa, os factores que merecem mais atenção, dentro os FCS proporcionados através de um atendimento de qualidade. Usamos a metodologia quantitativa para a prossecução dos nossos objectivos apoiada num estudo de caso a empresa do ramo Hoteleiro. Novo Hotel, localizada na cidade do Lubango. Como resultado verificamos que, 60% concorda que o sucesso empresarial depende do bom atendimento e na relevância atribuída aos factores críticos de sucesso. E através da revisão da literatura, compreende-se que se os FCS se forem bem administrados, podem gerar impactos positivos para qualquer empresa. Palavras-chave: Qualidade, atendimento ao cliente e factor crítico de sucesso.

limitations to the construction of the self, or in Butler's own terms the source of my foreignness with respect to myself. However, according to Butler: "my own foreignness to myself is, paradoxically, the source of my ethical connection with others" (2005, p. 84). Besides, she adds: "I find that my very formation implicates the other in me" (p. 84). Thus, building on Butler (2005), I argue that the limits mentioned by Messner (2009) building on Butler do not limit or close the identity construction, but on the contrary help establish the relationship with others as the basis of the self and consequently ground the responsibility we have towards the others. Thus, these limitations do not ultimately limit but enable the construction of the self. This relationship with the other constitutes together with the norms "the conditions of my emergence as a reflective being" (Butler, 2005, p. 39).

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the relationship between key audit matters (KAMs) and audit costs and whether board size and independence affect this relationship. Furthermore, this paper examines the moderating effect of corporate governance on the relationship between KAMs and audit costs. Design/methodology/approach The authors hypothesise that disclosing more KAMs in the audit report is positively associated with audit costs because of the greater effort. The agency theory suggests that firms with good governance will mitigate the agency conflict of interest and improve financial reporting quality. Thus, good governance might moderate the relationship between reported KAMs and audit costs. The authors use a quantitative approach. The authors are using a sample of the UK FTSE all-share non-financial firms from 2014 to 2018 for the UK Financial Times Stock Exchange all-share non-financial firms. Findings The authors provide evidence of a significant positive relationship be...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

Objective: This paper explores the role of parental leave for gendered career patterns in individualized, competitive labor markets in Norway, a culturally and politically familyfriendly and gender-equal society. Background: Despite family-friendly policies and little prejudice against mothers, there is a significant gap in wages and careers between mothers and fathers in Norway. This is particularly true in individualized, competitive parts of the labor market, such as finance banking. To understand this pattern, we must examine the institutionalized rules of the game in which portfolio workers, with individual responsibility for their portfolio of clients, operate. Method: Drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 women and men working in Norwegian business banking, we analyze accounts of parental leave practices and how these bankers navigate the market conditions. Results: The analyses show how the market structure for finance banking and portfolio careers limits family policies, changing parenthood norms, and firms' goodwill. Fathers postpone, split, and adapt "leave" to fit clients' needs, thus sustaining their portfolio and career progress. In contrast, mothers, who typically take longer actual leave, give up clients and start from scratch upon return. Conclusion: Gendered use of parental leave within competitive market conditions leads to gendered career and wage patterns. More individualized competition in the wider labor market may increase inequality in parenting and careers, despite favorable cultural norms and policies, as long as public authorities, firms, and families accept individualized logics and gender-unequal practices of parental leave.

The competition to attract trainee accountants is fierce among accounting firms. Millennials seemingly have expectations in terms of work experiences and work environments that arguably cannot be ignored by accounting firms. This paper draws on a legitimacy framework to examine legitimacy management strategies utilized by large Canadian accounting firms in website communications directed at future employees. Our results demonstrate accounting firms appear to devote considerable effort to manage their legitimacy in the eyes of prospective employees and apparently use website communications to depict a work environment largely in accordance with Millennials' system of values and beliefs. This suggests a bottom-up socialization process is taking place whereby accounting firms adapt the workplace in response to future employees' expectations. Interviews with partners, managers and human resource advisors working in accounting firms support the idea of a bottom-up process. We conclude a two-way socialization process exists, where the firms and the new employees are both instigators and targets of socialization, jointly influencing what it is to be an accountant today.

Audit quality is a widely researched topic but remains a complex concept that is difficult to quantify, which is why several different proxy measurements have been developed. The earnings quality measurement discretionary accruals has been chosen as the proxy measurement for this study as it captures small variations in audit quality which is important since it allows for analysis of a relatively small sample size. Previous literature has found that for example client size, audit firm size, firm performance and company growth have a significant impact on audit quality. There has also been limited research on what the impact of financial crises has been on audit quality. The evidence in prior studies has suggested that financial crises could have both a positive and a negative impact on earnings quality and audit quality. This study therefore tests two alternative hypotheses regarding the effects of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) on publicly traded Swedish companies' audit quality. The first hypothesis stipulates that audit quality improved from the pre-crisis period to the crisis period and continued to improve in the post-crisis period. The alternative hypothesis stipulates that audit quality, in terms of discretionary accruals, worsened during the GFC in an effort by companies to hide their real economic performance during a period of financial turmoil.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

This research is an experimental research that assesses the giving of going concern opinions conducted by auditors during the Covid 19 pandemic. To enhance the degree of confidence in the financial statements, a qualified external party (an auditor) is engaged to examine the financial statements. However, Auditors are increasingly being asked to provide assurance on non-financial information, both on a standalone basis or in conjunction with the audit of normal financial statements. Auditors shall perform a risk assessment in order for continuity of the going concernThe participants who participated and can be used in this study are members of IAPI in the East Java region as many as 40 auditor. Participants in this research have experiences in positions as senior auditors, supervisors, managers and partners. The results of this study are that auditors do not differentiate in auditing the functioning and non-functioning companies in the context of giving going-concern opinion decisio...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

The competition to attract trainee accountants is fierce among accounting firms. Millennials seemingly have expectations in terms of work experiences and work environments that arguably cannot be ignored by accounting firms. This paper draws on a legitimacy framework to examine legitimacy management strategies utilized by large Canadian accounting firms in website communications directed at future employees. Our results demonstrate accounting firms appear to devote considerable effort to manage their legitimacy in the eyes of prospective employees and apparently use website communications to depict a work environment largely in accordance with Millennials' system of values and beliefs. This suggests a bottom-up socialization process is taking place whereby accounting firms adapt the workplace in response to future employees' expectations. Interviews with partners, managers and human resource advisors working in accounting firms support the idea of a bottom-up process. We conclude a two-way socialization process exists, where the firms and the new employees are both instigators and targets of socialization, jointly influencing what it is to be an accountant today.

Corporate governance is an important element in monitoring the process of financial reporting system. There are three monitoring mechanisms that are theoretically used to ensure the credibility of corporate governance, namely, external auditor, an internal auditing and the directorships. The trends of corporate governance model in developed countries cannot explain the reality of monitoring process of financial reporting in developing countries especially in Asian countries like Malaysia. Therefore, it is important to know to what extent the corporate governance of the Malaysian listed companies has been effective in meeting the responsibility of monitoring the process of financial reporting system? Generally, this study intended to examine an effective component of corporate governance in a Malaysian listed companies and relationship with the audit quality. A total of 655 companies were selected as the sample representing 73.84% of total number of companies across industries in yea...

This article reviews two recent bestselling research books by investigative journalists: 'The Finance Curse' by Nicholas Shaxson and 'Beancounters' by Richard Brooks. The writers analyse the current state of accounting and finance institutions and culture, lamenting the depth and breadth of the expert-assisted frauds and expropriation of wealth from economies and governments all over the world. The analysis presented shows how much we can learn from investigative journalists freed from the need to 'prove' scientific credibility and appease academic peer-review, especially without the confines of self-selected 'theory'. The evidence they present raises profound questions for our theories, pedagogy and analysis, suggesting that as academics we may have become too comfortable and complacent in our institutional cushions and safety-nets. At the very least, we need to recognise the boundaries of our knowledge and be aware of the limitations of theory and method in a world which is changing so fast, and often defies conventional analysis. Good public-spirited investigative journalists can be very insightful critical friends for our educational work. Their experience and stories from the ground make them fascinating 'diggers' of accounting and finance in action, obtaining access which we may not get or devoting time and resources which we may not have. They are natural allies and partners of critical researchers. Future generations of students can be taught about the real motives of financial structures like private equity or the conflicts of interest of the Big 4 firms through case studies and narratives compiled in such books. This article provides suggestions for reform of research and education in both accounting and finance, making it more ethical, grounded and impactful.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

Purpose: This paper examines the link between audit(or) type and restatements in Egypt, a complex and multi-faceted auditing market. The usual Big 4 vs. non-Big 4 comparison is insufficient as Egypt has a unique mix of private audit firms, one governmental agency (ASA), and mandatory/non-mandatory audit services, including single, joint, and dual audits. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a sample of listed companies in Egypt and analyzes the impact of auditor type and audit type on explicit, implicit, and total restatements. The study uses logistic regression model to examine the underlying relationship. Results: Results show no relationship between auditor type and audit quality, positive association between non-Big foreign CPA firms and total/implicit restatements, and mixed results for the impact of dual audits on audit quality. The study found no link between auditor type and audit quality in Egypt. Egyptian audit firms linked to non-Big 4 foreign CPA firms were positively linked to total and implicit restatements. Joint audits did not improve audit quality and were directly related to total and explicit restatements. Dual audits showed mixed results, positively associated with implicit restatements but inversely associated with explicit restatements. Originality/value: The study provides valuable insights into the complexities of the auditing market in emerging markets and offers valuable insights for stakeholders in the financial statement users, audit firms, and governmental agencies.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

This research is an experimental research that assesses the giving of going concern opinions conducted by auditors during the Covid 19 pandemic. To enhance the degree of confidence in the financial statements, a qualified external party (an auditor) is engaged to examine the financial statements. However, Auditors are increasingly being asked to provide assurance on non-financial information, both on a standalone basis or in conjunction with the audit of normal financial statements. Auditors shall perform a risk assessment in order for continuity of the going concernThe participants who participated and can be used in this study are members of IAPI in the East Java region as many as 40 auditor. Participants in this research have experiences in positions as senior auditors, supervisors, managers and partners. The results of this study are that auditors do not differentiate in auditing the functioning and non-functioning companies in the context of giving going-concern opinion decisio...

The primary objective of this study is to test a theoretical framework relating eight major corporate governance determinants with the extent of voluntary disclosure provided by listed firms listed on Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX). These corporate governance determinants are firm size, firm profitability, firm leverage, board size, independent directors, duality in position, block-holder ownership and Auditor Type. Using a weighted relative disclosure index for measuring voluntary disclosure, the results indicate that there is a positive significant correlation between firm size, firm profitability, firm leverage, independent directors in board, and auditor type, and the overall corporate governance voluntary disclosure extent. This result implies that these variables are the main voluntary disclosure drivers in Egypt. However, a negative significant correlation was found between Block-holder ownership and voluntary disclosure, while no significant correlation was found between board size, and Duality in position, and the overall corporate governance voluntary disclosure extent. The empirical proof from this study promotes the perception of the voluntary corporate disclosure environment in Egypt as one of the emerging markets in the Middle East.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

Recent financial international scandals around the world have led to a number of investigations into the effectiveness of corporate governance practices and audit quality. Although evidence of corporate governance practices and audit quality exists from developed economies, very scanty studies have been conducted in Egypt where corporate governance is just evolving. Therefore, this study provides evidence on the effectiveness of corporate governance practices and audit quality from a developing country. The data for analysis are gathered from the top 50 most active companies in the Egyptian Stock Exchange, covering the three year period 2007-2009. Logistic regression was used in investigating the questions that were raised in the study. Findings from the study show that board independence; CEO duality and audit committees significantly have relationship with audit quality. The results also, indicate that institutional investor and managerial ownership have no significantly relationship with audit quality. Evidence also exist that size of the company; complexity and business leverage are important factors in audit quality for companies quoted on the Egypt Stock Exchange.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

This paper investigates the adoption of hedge accounting by Malaysian listed companies in reporting their use of derivatives for hedging activities. Based on a sample of 300 Malaysian listed companies, we found that only 162 companies (54 percent) used derivatives to hedge their financial risks exposure and only 30 percent of the companies chose to apply hedge accounting. In addition, this study examines the relationship between the company specific characteristics and their application of hedge accounting. The logistic regression results showed that the decision to apply hedge accounting by Malaysian companies is positively influenced by the company size and leverage. The implications of the findings were discussed.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the determinants of firm's auditor choice in Malaysia in respect of their corporate governance mechanisms. A logit regression model was developed to test the impact of firms' internal corporate governance mechanism on auditor choice decisions made by public listed companies listed on main board of Bursa Malaysia from year 2006 to 2015. Five variables are used to proxy for firm's internal corporate mechanism which are the ownership concentration, the duality of CEO and chairman of BOD, the size of audit committee, the size of BOD and the number of independent directors on the board. All auditors in Malaysia were classified into Big Four and non-Big Four, assuming Big Four auditors can provide higher quality audit services. The final result show that firms with less concentrated ownership, with larger size of audit committee, larger size of the BOD, with lower proportion of independent directors on the board, or in which CEO and BOD's chairman are not the same person are more likely to hire a high-quality auditor. Hence, it suggests that when benefits from lowering capital raising costs are trivial, firms with good corporate governance mechanism are prone to choose a high-quality auditor.

The uncertainties brought forward by the COVID-19 pandemic of the recent years highlight the important role Going Concern Opinions (GCOs) continue to play in assessing a company’s financial condition. Studies to-date relied heavily on non-analytical research methods (archival, experimental, and survey) when studying GCO decisions, and results remain mixed on the differences in the probability of GCO issuance based on the audit firm size. Thus, we address said gaps and expand the GCO stream of research, given the topic is timely and relevant, by offering an analytical cost-benefit function of the audit firm’s GCO decision. Using actual audit fees charged by audit firms, we further validate this cost-benefit function and analyze the effect of the potential litigation costs on the firm’s decision to issue a GCO. We find that non-Big 4 auditors have a very low tolerance for litigation costs as compared to Big 4 auditors and hence are more likely to issue GCOs. In addition, we find that the average audit fees charged by Big 4 audit firms are much higher than the average audit fees charged by non- Big 4 audit firms. Thus, based on the analytical cost-benefit function, our findings suggest that the effect of litigation costs on the GCO reporting behaviors are different between Big 4 auditors and non-Big 4 auditors as their expected costs and benefits are different from each other.

This paper investigates the relationship between corporate governance practices and foreign direct investment on a sample of 186 listed companies in Nigeria for a period of six years from 2008-2010 and 2012-2014. The two distinct periods represent the pre and post-corporate governance review periods in Nigeria. The study commenced with the measurement of corporate governance quality through construction of corporate governance index from the publicly disclosed information in financial statements. Foreign direct investment data was obtained by calculating the percentage of the share holds by the foreign investors (institutions and individuals) on the total quoted share for each of the listed company in Nigeria. The data were subjected to various statistical analysis such as descriptive statistics, univariate t-statistics and multivariate regression analysis. The findings of this study revealed that corporate governance has a significant impact on the inflow of foreign direct investment into the Nigeria stock market. Therefore, the policy implication of these findings is that listed companies in Nigeria need an improvement on their corporate governance practices to attract more funds from foreign investors into the Nigeria economy.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed descriptive account and analysis of corporate internet reporting (CIR) practices among non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at two points in time – December 2010 (pre) and December 2013 (peri) political and social unrest in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach The study developed a disclosure index to determine the extent of CIR practices among all non-financial companies listed on the EGX in December 2010 and December 2013. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and isometric log-ratio transformations for compositional independent variables to empirically examine the factors affecting CIR in Egypt using a modern institutional theory lens. Findings The findings of this investigation suggest that listed companies in Egypt have started embracing the power of the internet as a disclosure channel, but the extent of these practices increased significantly over the investigated period, with ...

Purpose: The study examined the effect of ownership structures on audit fees of listed firms in Ghana. The study used four indicators to measure ownership structure; managerial ownership, foreign ownership, government ownership and substantial (block) ownership. Design/methodology/approach: The study sampled 21 listed non-financial firms over a 10-year period covering the period 2010 to 2019. The study also relied on secondary data extracted from the financial statement of these listed firms. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and panel regression analysis. Findings: The result of the study showed a positive and significant association between foreign ownership and audit fees in Ghana. The study further found a positive and significant relationship between block ownership and audit fees. The results however found an insignificant association between government ownership and audit fees. Furthermore, the study reported a positive coefficient between b...

The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between institutional ownership (IO) and the extent of forward-looking information (FLI) disclosure, by companies listed in the Egyptian Stock Exchange (ESE) for the year 2017. A sample comprising 34 companies was chosen from the most active 50 Egyptian listed companies in the ESE. To attain study objective, an index comprises 23 financial and non-financial items has been developed to measure disclosure level by sample companies. The descriptive analysis reveals a weak disclosure of future information by Egyptian listed companies ranging from 0.17 to 0.58, which indicates high variation in future disclosure among sampled companies. Moreover, the correlation analyses shows a positive strong significant correlation between the future looking disclosure level and institutional ownership, and also a positive moderately significant correlation between future looking disclosure and both audit firm and firm age. However, t...

Les femmes restent proportionnellement moins nombreuses dans les plus hauts niveaux de la hiérarchie des cabinets d'audit, alors qu'au moment du recrutement, la parité est désormais quasiment respectée. L'objectif de cet article est de proposer une analyse des mécanismes à l'origine des obstacles rencontrés par les mères auditrices au sein des Big 4 en France. A partir de 24 entretiens

Despite many firms are investing considerable resources in building and designing strong and effective internal auditing (IA) to improve corporate governance and internal control processes, IA literature is still relatively fragmented. This article provides a systematic review of studies on IA in twenty-seven (27) European countries and the United Kingdom (UK). Design/methodology/approach: Based on the Scopus database, 142 papers published between 1987 and 2022 were analysed. The study focused on evaluating and analysing the characteristics of literature and the themes investigated with a focus on four key aspects: governance, the effectiveness of IA, the relationship between internal auditors and other parties, and risk management to provide directions for future research. Findings: The study found that IA literature did not provide the integrated knowledge of internal audit functions (IAFs) and the factors that could contribute to their implementation as required. The results showed that UK, Greece and Italy dominate the published literature in terms of the number of studies. There are a few studies that investigate IA in private institutions and non-profit organisations. Interestingly, a vast majority of studies are not based on the theoretical ground. The results also showed that there is an absence of studies that discuss the impact of cultural and political systems as well as the demographic characteristics of auditors on the implementation of IAFs. Originality/value: This study is useful for researchers, organisations, and regulators as it contributes to the literature by highlighting the intellectual development of IA in the European counties and the UK and providing several directions for future studies. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first study to use a systematic review approach in evaluating the intellectual development of IA research in the European countries, identifying areas and elements that received less attention in previous studies and providing a roadmap for future studies.

This paper investigates whether internal governance mechanisms were associated with the financial stability of Egyptian banks over the period 2010–2019. To this end, a GMM regression analysis was employed using 252 firm-year observations. The results, in general, indicate that the level of banks’ financial stability is positively associated with board size, board meetings, and board gender. In contrast, the results show that board education and the ownership of shares by directors are negatively associated with banks’ financial stability. More interestingly, our results demonstrate that higher financial stability is significantly associated with lower board independence, the presence of CEO duality, and fewer audit committee meetings. These striking results can be attributed to the argument that the presence of independent directors on the board may reduce the CEO’s willingness to share information with board members, causing a high level of uncertainty in the decision-making proces...

The study reported here drew upon select portions of institutional theory, the sociology of the professions, and structuration theory to analyze the exercise, resistance and transformation of control in Big 6 accounting firms. Its focus is on understanding the interplay between structural and social facets of these firms as shaped by the relative power of their administrative and practitioner agents. We examined these issues by means of an interpretive field study which found that the firms have implemented the formal, structural practice of management by objectives (MBO) as one element in an array of rationalizing strategies in the expectation that MB0 would provide an integrated approach to effecting management control. We also found that mentoting has become an important social force shaping, and in turn being shaped by, the exercise of formal control. It is concluded that the structural and social processes of MB0 and mentoring, while serving primarily the administrative and practitioner components of the firms, have become interpenetrated or mutually constitutive in actual practice, each serving a spectrum of interests, functions and purposes. Our results further suggest that, as ongoing processes, MB0 and mentoring are infused with power and self-interest, and that they serve as instances of the constraints, media and oufcomes of structural and social change within the Big 6 firms.

This study aims to assess the barriers faced by female accountants in career advancement and progression in Sudan. The study assesses whether cultural factors, social factors, organizational factors or other individual factors are perceived to be hindering women career progression. A survey was designed to collect data from a sample of 50 women working in audit firms and commercial companies. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the firms with the highest and those with the lowest women representation. Eight audit firms and ten commercial companies and banks were selected by the researcher. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Data was analysed using simple frequencies. Findings showed that women advancement is perceived to be hampered by many factors namely gender discrimination, family obligation and other social factors. In addition to that lack of mentor and role models are also a powerful determinant. Major recommendations include; changing the organizational cu...

The objective of this study is to investigate the determinants (company specific characteristics and corporate governance factors) of audit report lag (ARL) in a developing country, namely, Lebanon. This paper adds and contributes to the limited literature that investigated the determinants of ARL in the developing Middle East countries through focusing on the Lebanese context. The study is carried out depending on a sample of Lebanese commercial banks operating in Lebanon, covering the period from 2012 to 2017. The researchers used the multiple regression analysis to examine the impact of the explanatory variables on ARL. The results show a significant relationship between ARL and each of bank size, leverage, board independence, board diligence, audit committee (AC) independence, and AC diligence. The regression outcomes reveal that banks with longer ARL are smaller, have higher leverage, their boards and ACs are less diligence, their boards are more independent, and their ACs include less independent and non-executive members.

PurposeAfter graduation, many female accountants tend to ordinarily have professional work experience to obtain an ideal position in the career; but under the influence of both internal (in the profession) and external (in life) adverse conditions, the application of their potential talent would be failed and they cannot utilize their abilities to progress in the career. Relevant studies in this field are in developed countries with minimal attention to females in other countries. This study contributes to the literature by examining the case in a developing country–Iran.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method study was undertaken to gather data by a postal questionnaire distributed in 2016–2017 and structured interviews with females who assuredly have working experience in the corporate finance department of firms listed in the Tehran Stock Exchange.FindingsIt is concluded that the primary issue affecting the career vision of women is to achieve a better working environment. This...

This study aims to examine the effects of the size of independent commissaries, the effectiveness of audit committee and leverage on the selection of external auditors with firm size as moderation variable. The population of this research was all the companies of financial sector listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange at 2017 as many as 95 companies. The samples were determined using purposive sampling technique. There were 89 companies as research samples and units of analysis. Moreover, the data were collected by documentation method. Analysis of research data used descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results indicate that the size of independent commissaries, the effectiveness of audit committee and leverage significantly have positive effect on the auditor selection. Firm size moderates the effects of the size of board of independent commissaries and leverage on the auditor selection, but does not moderates the effect of audit committee effectiveness on the aud...

This paper assesses the extent of corporate governance voluntary disclosure and the impact of a comprehensive set of corporate governance (CG) attributes (board composition, board size, CEO duality, director ownership, blockholder ownership and the existence of audit committee) on the extent of corporate governance voluntary disclosure in Egypt. The measurement of disclosure is based on published data created from a checklist developed by the United Nations, which was gathered from a manual review of financial statements and websites of a sample of Egyptian companies listed on Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX). Although the levels of CG disclosure are found to be minimal, disclosure is high for items that are mandatory under the Egyptian Accounting Standards (EASs). The failure of companies to disclose such information clearly shows some ineffectiveness and inadequacy in the regulatory framework in Egypt. Moreover, the phenomenon of non-compliance may also be attributed to socio-economic factors in Egypt. Therefore, it is expected that Egyptian firms will take a long time to appraise the payback of increased CG disclosure. The findings indicate that that-ceteris paribus-the extent of CG disclosure is (1) lower for companies with duality in position and higher ownership concentration as measured by blockholder ownership; and (2) increases with the proportion of independent directors on the board and firm size. The results of the study support theoretical arguments that companies disclose corporate governance information in order to reduce information asymmetry and agency costs and to improve investor confidence in the reported accounting information. The empirical evidence from this study enhances the understanding of the corporate governance disclosure environment in Egypt as one of the emerging markets in the Middle East.

Advances towards egalitarianism in professional recruitment may be offset by processes of occupational re-segregation. Drawing on gender theory this paper investigates horizontal segregation in the UK insolvency profession, as revealed through the lived experiences of female and male practitioners. It is shown that horizontal segregation pervades at different levels of practice and is undergirded by various elements of gender essentialism. Physical essentialism explains why insolvency practice has been traditionally gendered male. Interactional essentialism combines with the management of work-life balance to define the subfields of corporate and personal insolvency as masculine and feminine respectively. Gender essentialist assumptions also pervade the distribution of roles and the allocation of work tasks. Networks are identified as arenas for the reproduction and perpetuation of occupational segregation. The findings indicate the continuing potency of gender in everyday professional life, and suggest the limitations of diversity-orientated policies and the complexities of formulating transformative agendas.

Executive Summary

Theme: business model

Scope: the business model of the audit and consultant industry, restricted to the designated Big Four and focused in the case of Ernst & Young in Portugal.

Problem: since the collapse of Enron several questions arised about the practices of auditing and consulting and on the limits and ethics of large auditors / consultants, since in the middle of this scandal was Arthur Anderson (AA), which declared bankruptcy due to charges of malpractices. However, as a consequence, the problems have spread to the whole market and practices of auditing and consulting were challenged. In a market increasingly competitive, interdependent and globalized world, where different rules are still not uniform, the largest auditing and consultancy firms, eg, Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT) and KPMG , also known as the Big Four, have a crucial role in markets and provides investors the true financial reality of companies with which they work.

Objectives: the main objective of this study is to verify the applicability of the business
model proposed by Gary Hamel to the Big Four, including the case of Ernst & Young in
Portugal, considered an internal perspective, i.e. from the perspective of employees, not from the perspective of customers / market. The secondary objective of the work inherent to that, is to identify the main critical success factors of Ernst & Young in Portugal.

Methodology: the research method used was the case study and the data collection method was the semi-structured interview. Analysis techniques and data processing were the descriptive statistics and simple content analysis. The main steps of this work were: (1) understanding the concept of business model by identifying some of the authors who studied the subject, brief examination of the proposals of four of these authors and detail of the proposal of Gary Hamel, which in our opinion is the more robust business model and which better seems to fit the type of industry covered by the study, (2) market analysis on the type of organizations covered by the study and were it is included, (3) construction of an interview protocol and its application when performing thirty-one (31) interviews with professionals from Ernst & Young in Portugal and (4) analyzing data and performing conclusions.

Conclusion: we have concluded by the applicability of the business model proposed by Gary Hamel in Ernst & Young in Portugal, to several parts of the components of the mentioned model, as well as we have concluded that the main critical success factors of Ernst & Young in Portugal are globality, know-how, competency and prestige.

Keywords: Big Four, Ernst & Young, critical success factors, Gary Hamel, business model

JEL-classification: M10 e M42

The research aimed to measure the effect of accounting disclosure of sustainable development on the quality of financial reports for selected companies listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange. The independent variable is represented by the accounting disclosure about the sustainable development which includes quality and quantity of disclosure. The dependent variable is represented by the quality of financial report quality (QFR), which has been measured through discretionary accruals, accounting conservatism and asymmetry of information. The study adopted content analysis methodology to examine the financial reports of (153) company listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange during the year 2018. Our research concluded that there is a significant and negative correlation between the accounting disclosure of sustainable development and both discretionary accruals and information asymmetry, this found result can be explained by the fact that increasing disclosure of sustainability leads to a decr...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to open up the Anglo‐centred argument in gender and accounting by exploring the relationship of women and accounting in a different social and cultural context.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on in‐depth ethnographical studies to explore the real‐ life experiences of 66 Japanese women (9 percent of all women CPAs) who have entered the accounting profession from a range of backgrounds and generations.FindingsThe paper finds that some women accounting professionals in Japan have brought about changes in accounting practice there by applying a uniquely feminine approach in their day‐to‐day work. Their strict approach is attuned to the ongoing globalization in the field of accountancy, and this has helped to widen the opportunities for women.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper demonstrates that, in order to understand the issues surrounding gender and accounting, it is important to consider the prevailing social context and its unde...