FAR Literature Review: A Systematic Literature Review on Companies’ Auditor Selection Processes
We provide a systematic review of the academic literature on companies’ auditor selection process, that is, the process through which companies select and hire their auditor. Some process elements over which companies exercise discretion include the decision-makers and the extent of their influence (e.g., the audit committee, the CFO); timing (initiation, duration); the procedures and decision-making approach (e.g., formal tendering, assessment criteria, documentation, evaluation); and the eventual appointment of the auditor (e.g., shareholder voting on auditor ratification). By synthesizing the research, we identify key activities, decision points, and participants’ expectations in the selection process. We also consider academic research findings in light of practitioner guidance on best practices for auditor selection. Finally, even though most of the relevant studies use archival data to infer aspects of the selection process from associations between publicly observable auditor/company characteristics and auditor appointment outcomes, we highlight the limitations of this evidence for understanding companies’ processes, and we offer suggestions for future research. Our review provides valuable insights for audit academics, audit regulators, and practitioners interested in companies’ actual practices for auditor selection and appointment.
Authors
PhD candidate at the Departement Accountancy en Financiering at the University of Antwerp.
Kris Hardies obtained his Ph.D. from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 2011, worked at the University of Florida in 2012 and is currently an associate professor at the Universiteit Antwerpen where he teaches accounting and auditing at the BSc and MSc level. His research interests include professional skepticism, personality and individual differences, capital markets and firm behavior, and gender inequality. His recent research focuses on the effects of personality and individual differences among auditors on audit quality. His work has been published in journals such as Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Accounting Horizon, European Accounting Review, International Journal of Auditing, and Economics Letters.
Dr. Hoang’s research examines the judgment and decision-making behaviors of manager, directors, and auditors in corporate governance settings. Using experiments, she studies how psychological biases impact the quality of financial reporting. She also conducts field studies on audit market competition and audit policy making.