Audit Industry Specialization

Download or read book Audit Industry Specialization written by Keith A. Houghton and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While auditing literature has investigated the main effect of auditor industry specialization on audit fees and planning decisions, the underlying processes explaining differential pricing between specialists and other auditors are largely unexplored. This study seeks to fill a portion of this gap by examining the interaction between auditor industry specialization and auditee risk. Using data derived from a sample of public sector audits, this study examines distinctions in how different auditors price risk. Building upon the differentiation between "premium" and "discount" specialists investigated in Houghton, Dolley, Jubb and Monroe (2000) and possibly found in DeFond, Francis and Wong (2000), the results of this study demonstrate that, in response to increased auditee risk, premium specialists price risk relatively less than other auditors. In contrast, discount specialists increase fees relatively more than other auditors. These results may reflect differences in the skill sets and work processes that underlie specialization for these two specialist sub-groups. The results are also consistent with increased competencies of premium specialist auditors in the audit of risky clients.