The Revised External Audit Law, which was revised in 2017 and applied from 2018, sought to improve corporate accounting transparency and audit quality through the implementation of the revised auditor designation system. The purpose of the first study...
The Revised External Audit Law, which was revised in 2017 and applied from 2018, sought to improve corporate accounting transparency and audit quality through the implementation of the revised auditor designation system. The purpose of the first study seeks to ascertain how the audit quality changes in the year immediately preceding the auditor change of companies subject to this auditor designation system appear through changes in discretionary accruals.
Unlike the previous mandatory auditor replacement system, the audit will be conducted in the year immediately before the auditor's replacement in a situation where the designated auditor is known, so the meaning of the change in audit quality can be seen in conjunction with the preceding effect of implementing the auditor designation system under the Revised External Audit Law.
As a result of the analysis of 644 designated companies that have been changed since 2020, first, the designated company has a significant negative relationship with the discretionary accruals in the year immediately preceding the designation. Second, in the case of compulsory designated companies, audit quality is estimated to be reduced by weakening the negative (-) relationship between the designation of auditors and discretionary accruals, resulting in different levels of improvement in each designated type. Third, further analysis of downgrade-redesignated companies showed no significant impact on discretionary accruals in the year immediately preceding the designation, and, finally, even if the size of auditors differed between the auditors in 2019, the year immediately preceding the designation, and the designated auditors from 2020, it did not have a significant effect on the audit quality in 2019, the year immediately before the designation.
This study verified the policy's prior effectiveness by examining the actual responses of entities and auditors to implementing the revised audit designation system under the Revised External Audit Law, and sought timeliness and accuracy in analysis using actual samples of auditor-designated companies. It is also the first study to analyze the impact on audit quality depending on the type of auditor designation, and how the improvement of audit quality varies depending on the difference in the size of auditors and designated auditors in the year immediately preceding the designation. However, if all auditor-designated companies are identified and re-examined, more accurate verification and investigation results will be obtained, and there is a limit that has not been controlled to the impact of the introduction of standard audit time in 2019. In the future, academic implications can be derived through various cross-analyses.
On the other hand, when an incentive for earnings management occurs, corporate management will choose whether to perform discretionary accrual earnings management or real earnings management, depending on the circumstances of the company. In a situation in which audits of designated auditors are expected to become more stringent due to the revision of the audit designation system under the Revised External Audit Law, and auditors are mandatorily replaced, the management have a lot of burden on earning management and the quality of the audit in the year immediately before the change of auditors will increase. Therefore, it can be estimated that the management will use real earnings adjustments rather than discretionary accruals that are more likely to be detected.
The purpose of the second study is to verify whether the use of real earnings adjustment accompanying real transactions increases in the year immediately before the auditor replacement due to the implementation of the auditor designation system under the Revised External Audit Law. As a result of the analysis, first, the implementation of the revised auditor designation system did not have a significant effect on earnings management based on actual activities in the year immediately preceding the auditor replacement of companies subject to auditor designation, but the abnormal operating cash flows increase in the auditor's replacement year. Second, in the case of compulsory designated companies, it is analyzed that the positive (+) relationship with abnormal operating cash flow during real earnings management is alleviated in the year immediately before the auditor replacement, so it can be estimated that the effect on real earnings management is different for each type of designation. Third, as a result of further analysis of downgrade-redesignated companies, it did not have a significant effect on the real earnings management in 2019, the year immediately before the auditor replacement, but the abnormal operating cash flows increase in the auditor's replacement year. Finally, even if the auditor size was different between the auditors in 2019, the year immediately preceding the designation, and the designated auditors from 2020, it did not have a significant effect on earnings management based on actual activities in the year immediately preceding the auditor replacement, but abnormal operating cash flow. It was analyzed that abnormal operating cash flow increased in the year immediately before the auditor replacement as there was a significant positive (+) relationship.
This shows that the revised implementation of the auditor designation system did not have a significant effect on the overall real earnings management in the year immediately before the auditor replacement, but abnormal operating cash flow increased during the real earnings management, indicating a significant positive relationship. It can be estimated that real earnings management will be made through abnormal operating cash flow in anticipation that earnings management will be difficult due to the implementation of the designated audit, and it can be analyzed that there is a preemptive effect of the implementation of the auditor designation system.
This study verified the proactive effectiveness of the policy by examining the effect of the implementation of the auditor designation system under the Revised External Audit Law on the earnings management of the year immediately before the auditor replacement through real earnings management of designated companies, and sought timeliness and accuracy in analysis using actual samples of auditor-designated companies. In addition, it is possible to suggest that there is a limit to the policy effect of the designation audit system by suggesting the possibility that companies will make real earnings management, contrary to the expectation that a strict audit environment will be created by the implementation of the auditor designation system, which will reduce companies’ earnings management. It was also the first study to analyze the impact on real earnings management depending on the type of auditor designation, and also analyzed whether the impact on real earnings management depends on the difference in the size of auditors and designated auditors in the year immediately preceding the designation. However, if all auditor-designated companies are identified and re-examined, more accurate verification and investigation results will be obtained, and academic implications can be derived through various cross-analyses in the future.