This study examines whether audit market structure affects audit quality and audit pricing. We analyze two conceptually distinct dimensions of market structure: audit market concentration and client mobility. Focusing on the private-client segment of the Belgian audit market, we compare the pricing and quality effects of market structure between the segment of small and medium-sized (SME) clients and the segment of large clients to test how audit complexity moderates such effects. We find that market concentration impairs price and quality competition in the SME-client segment. Market concentration is unrelated to audit quality in the large-client segment, where we argue that concentration is endogenous to audit complexity. Furthermore, we find that client mobility stimulates price competition in both segments but improves audit quality only in the large-client segment. We interpret our findings as evidence that (a) audit market concentration impairs competition especially when audits have low complexity and that (b) the large-client market segment, characterized by higher audit complexity and higher market concentration, can also be price and quality competitive if clients are sufficiently mobile, and change auditors relatively frequently.

Audit research relies on a wide range of publicly available measures to examine which factors influence the quality of financial statement audits. While research to date has to rely largely on remote proxies due to a lack of access to proprietary data, there is considerable doubt about the validity of these proxies and the inferences drawn based on these proxies. In order to provide insight into the reliability of these measures, Rajgopal, Srinivasan & Zheng (2015) investigate whether commonly used proxies for audit quality (i.e. auditor size, abnormal audit fees, accrual quality, and the propensity to meet and beat analyst targets) are associated with deficiencies reported in SEC investigations and class-action lawsuits. Such alleged deficiencies reflect how external stakeholders assess audit performance. Their study indicates that the use of such proxies is highly problematic and that the performance of these measures, with the exception of auditor size, is poor.

ObjectiveTo examine whether the outcomes of a chat-based suicide-prevention helpline could be improved by training counselors in motivational interviewing (MI).MethodsIn a pre- and post-test design, visitors of a chat-based suicide prevention helpline received either the Five-Phase Model (treatment as usual [TAU]) or MI. They completed a pre- and post-chat questionnaire on several suicide-related risk factors. Linear mixed modeling was used to estimate the effect of the condition. Furthermore, the treatment proficiency of newly trained counselors was assessed using MI-Scope.ResultsA total of 756 visitors and 55 counselors were included in this study. The visitors showed an improvement in suicidal ideation and psychological risk factors after a chat conversation. However, there were no significant differences between the MI and TAU conditions (β = 0.03, 95% CI [−0.23–0.30], p = 0.80). The treatment integrity indices showed that the counselors mostly used MI-consistent techniques but were unable to strategically employ these techniques to evoke enough change talk.ConclusionsMI and TAU led to comparable outcomes in a chat-based suicide prevention helpline. The effectiveness of MI might improve by intensifying or improving the training of counselors, keeping the process of engaging more concise or offering visitors multiple sessions of MI.

Onderzoek in de Verenigde Staten (Bagley et al., 2012) onder studenten accountancy laat zien dat studenten die een voorkeur hebben voor Big 4-kantoren meer belang hechten aan de reputatie van een kantoor en aan de erkenning die het werken bij een prestigieus kantoor levert, en minder aan sfeer en werkprivébalans. Tegelijkertijd is de beroepsgroep aan grote kritiek onderhevig, en zijn vooral de Big 4-kantoren regelmatig negatief in het nieuws. Door middel van een enquête onder 137 masterstudenten Accountancy & Control onderzoeken we of negatief nieuws de aantrekkelijkheid van Big 4-kantoren ten opzichte van non-Big 4-kantoren beïnvloedt. Analoog aan de resultaten uit de VS vinden we dat prestige en erkenning positief gerelateerd zijn aan de aantrekkelijkheid van Big 4-kantoren, maar er is geen invloed van sfeer en werk-privébalans. Kennis van negatief nieuws heeft geen direct effect op de voorkeur van studenten; voor studenten die reputatie minder belangrijk vinden geldt dat meer nieuwskennis leidt tot meer voorkeur voor een Big 4. Er is derhalve geen negatieve invloed van kennis van slecht nieuws op de aantrekkelijkheid van grote kantoren.

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