The Contagion Effect of Audit Failure－Evidence from Taiwan

自安隆案以來，國內外許多弊案接連發生，導致投資人對於會計師提供之審計品質缺乏信任。本研究主要在探討會計師事務所與會計師個人若發生審計失敗案件，是否代表該事務所與會計師個人所提供之審計品質存有問題，且具有傳染之效果。 本研究以異常應計數做為審計品質之代理變數。根據實證結果顯示，由於異常應計數與發生審計失敗者間之關係呈現負向關係且與預期方向不相符，因此我們無法得到事務所內發生審計失敗是具有傳染效果之結論。反觀會計師個人若發生審計失敗，我們可以根據敘述性統計得知，其所查核之其他公司異常應計數會較沒有發生審計失敗者高，且實證結果得知異常應計數與發生審計失敗者間具有正向且顯著之關係 因此可以得到會計師個人發生審計失敗是具有傳染效果之結論。 整體而言，會計師個人之審計失敗是具有傳染效果的。Recent accounting scandals happened around the world cause investors concern about the audit quality provided by accounting profession. This thesis examines whether audit failures have contagion effects on the quality of other audits conducted by the audit firm and auditor. I use discretionary accruals as proxy for audit failures. The empirical results show that the relationship between discretionary accruals and the audit firm which occurred an audit failure is negative, which is inconsistent with the hypothesis that the audit failure occurred within the audit firm has the contagion effect. In contrast, if an auditor occurs an audit failure, our results suggest that the other office, which conducted by the same auditor, will have higher abnormal accrual than the auditor, who doesn’t occur the audit failure. In summary, this study shows that an audit failure from an auditor have a contagion effect