본 연구는 우리나라 유명감사인의 감사품질에 관한 연구이다. 우리나라 유명감사인(BIG)이 과연 그 이름에 걸맞게 높은 감사품질을 실현하는지, 아니면 그 명성만 높지 실제로는 비유명감사인과 감사품질의 차이가 없는지 실증적으로 검증한다. 본 연구에서는 BIG과 NONBIG의 감사품질차이를 비교하는데, 이러한 비교연구는 매우 중요한 의미를 지닌다. 만약 BIG이 이름만 높았지 실제로 감사품질이 높은 것이 아니라는 것이 밝혀진다면 이는 BIG이 기회주의적 감사를 실시한다는 것을 의미하는 것이 되기 때문이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 2001년부터 2008년까지 상장제조기업을 표본으로 BIG과 NONBIG의 감사품질을 비교하여 보았다.
본 연구에서는 감사품질을 재량발생의 절대값과 비영업발생의 3년간 누적(보수성)으로 측정하였다. BIG과 NONBIG간에 두 변수의 차이를 검증해 본 결과, BIG이 NONBIG에 비해 재량발생의 절대값이 유의하게 낮았다. 이는 BIG이 NONBIG에 비해 재량발생의 변동성이 낮다는 것을 의미하므로, BIG이 NONBIG에 비해 감사품질이 높다는 증거라 할 수 있을 것이다. 보수성측면에서는 BIG이 NONBIG보다 보수적인 것으로 나타났으나 유의성은 없었다. 이러한 결과로 보건대, BIG이 NONBIG에 비해 감사품질이 다소 높은 것은 사실인 것으로 판단된다.
I conduct a study on audit quality regarding reputational auditors in our country. Reputational auditors are defined as Korean domestic auditors who are in association with big international auditors. I implement an empirical test about whether domestic reputational auditors achieve higher audit quality consistent with their brandname or actually not. This study compares audit quality between BIG and non－BIG auditors. The comparison can give implications to us. If the audit quality of BIG appears not as high as its reputation, it implies that BIG exercises opportunistic audits. Thus I compare audit quality of the two types of auditors with listed manufacturing firms over the period 2002－2008. I measure audit quality as the absolute value of discretionary accruals and conservativeness over the past three years including this year. As a result, the absolute discretionary accruals of BIGs shows a significantly lower than those of NONBIGs. This implies that the variation of discretionary accruals of BIGs is lower than that of NONBIGs, supporting the evidence that the audit quality of BIGs is higher than that of NONBIGs. Whereas, from the perspective of conservativeness, BIGs appear more conservative than NONBIGs, showing no significance. Referring to these results, BIG auditors are likely to provide higher quality than NONBIGs.
I conduct a study on audit quality regarding reputational auditors in our country. Reputational auditors are defined as Korean domestic auditors who are in association with big international auditors. I implement an empirical test about whether domestic reputational auditors achieve higher audit quality consistent with their brandname or actually not. This study compares audit quality between BIG and non－BIG auditors. The comparison can give implications to us. If the audit quality of BIG appears not as high as its reputation, it implies that BIG exercises opportunistic audits. Thus I compare audit quality of the two types of auditors with listed manufacturing firms over the period 2002－2008. I measure audit quality as the absolute value of discretionary accruals and conservativeness over the past three years including this year. As a result, the absolute discretionary accruals of BIGs shows a significantly lower than those of NONBIGs. This implies that the variation of discretionary accruals of BIGs is lower than that of NONBIGs, supporting the evidence that the audit quality of BIGs is higher than that of NONBIGs. Whereas, from the perspective of conservativeness, BIGs appear more conservative than NONBIGs, showing no significance. Referring to these results, BIG auditors are likely to provide higher quality than NONBIGs.
