Competencias profesionales del proveedor de aseguramiento: ¿impulso o lastre a la legibilidad de sus informes?
- Jennifer Martínez-Ferrero 1
- Emma García-Meca 2
- Emiliano Ruiz-Barbadillo 3
-
1
Universidad de Salamanca
info
-
2
Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena
info
-
3
Universidad de Cádiz
info
ISSN: 2695-6896, 2792-8306
Any de publicació: 2023
Número: 489
Pàgines: 187-212
Tipus: Article
Altres publicacions en: Revista de Contabilidad y Tributación. CEF
Resum
The objective of this study is to analyze the professional skills of the assurance provider that favor, or, on the contrary, limit the readability of assurance reports, certainly questioned for their lack of credibility and transparency in recent years. To test this objective and making use of an international database of 16 countries composed of 183 observations for the period 2012-2016, a regression model for panel data is proposed. The results obtained show interesting evidence on the attributes of the insurance provider linked to its nature (accounting or non-accounting), industry specialization and experience. Thus, under an industry specialization and experience effect, assurance providers manage to reinforce the readability of assurance reports, achieving clearer, more precise reports with less linguistic complexity. On the contrary, the reputation effect, that is, the accounting nature of the provider, does not act as a driving mechanism but rather as a drag on readability. Therefore, it is not the auditing firms that have the greatest ability to improve the readability of the assurance reports, but rather the consulting firms specialized in social and environmental issues.
Referències bibliogràfiques
- Alsahali, K. F. y Malagueño, R. (2022). An Empirical Study of Sustainability Reporting Assurance: Current Trends and New Insights. Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, 18(5), 617-642.
- Arellano, M. y Bond, S. (1991). Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations. The Review of Economic Studies, 58(2), 277-297.
- Ballou, B., Chen, P. C., Grenier, J. H. y Heitger, D. L. (2018). Corporate Social Responsibility Assurance and Reporting Quality: Evidence from Restatements. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 37(2), 167-188.
- Balsam, S., Krishnan, J. y Yang, J. S. (2003). Auditor Industry Specialization and Earnings Quality. Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, 22(2), 71-97.
- Ben-Amar, W. y Belgacem, I. (2018). Do Socially Responsible Firms Provide More Readable Disclosures in Annual Reports? Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(5), 1009-1018.
- Boiral, O. y Heras-Saizarbitoria, I. (2020). Sustainability Reporting Assurance: Creating Stakeholder Accountability Through Hyper-reality? Journal of Cleaner Production, 243, 118596.
- Boiral, O., Heras-Saizarbitoria, I. y Brotherton, M. C. (2019). Assessing and Improving the Quality of Sustainability Reports: The Auditors’ Perspective. Journal of BusinessEthics, 155(3), 703-721.
- Burgoon, M., Denning, V. P. y Roberts, L. (2002). Language Expectancy Theory. En The Persuasion Handbook: Developments in Theory and Practice (pp. 117-136).SAGE.
- Carcello, J. V. y Nagy, A. L. (2004). Client Size, Auditor Specialization and Fraudulent Financial Reporting. Managerial Auditing Journal, 23(2), 55-69.
- Casey, R. J. y Grenier, J. H. (2015). Understanding and Contributing to the Enigma of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Assurance in the United States. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, 34(1), 97-130.
- Casterella, J. R., Francis, J. R., Lewis, B. L. y Walker, P. L. (2004). Auditor Industry Specialization, Client Bargaining Power, and Audit Pricing. Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, 23(1), 123-140.
- Channuntapipat, C., Samsonova-Taddei, A. y Turley, S. (2019). Exploring Diversity in Sustainability Assurance Practice: Evidence from Assurance Providers in the UK. Accounting, Auditing & Accountabil-ity Journal, 32(2), 556-580. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-05-2017-2940
- Cohen, J. R. y Simnett, R. (2015). CSR and Assurance Services: A Research Agenda. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, 34(1), 59-74.
- Farooq, M. B. y Villiers, C. de (2017). The Market for Sustainability Assurance Services: A Comprehensive Literature Review and Future Avenues for Research. Pacific Accounting Review, 29(1), 79-106.
- Farooq, M. B. y Villiers, C. de (2019). Sustainability Assurance: Who Are the Assurance Providers and What Do They Do? En S. Arvidsson (ed.), Challenges in Managing Sustainable Business. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93266-8_6
- Ferguson, A., Francis, J. R. y Stokes, D. J. (2003). The Effects of Firm-Wide and Office-Level Industry Expertise on Audit Pricing. The Accounting Review, 78(2), 429-448.
- Francis, J. R. y Yu, M. D. (2009). Big 4 Office Size and Audit Quality. The Accounting Review, 84(5), 1521-1552.
- Fuhrmann, S., Ott, C., Looks, E. y Guenther, T. W. (2017). The Contents of Assurance Statements for Sustainability Reports and Information Asymmetry. Accounting and Business Research, 47(4), 369-400.
- García-Sanchez, I. M., Aibar-Guzman, B. y Aibar-Guzman, C. (2022). What Sustainability Assurance Services Do Institutional Investors Demand and What Value Do They Give Them? Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 13(1), 152-194.
- Ghosh, A. y Moon, D. (2005). Auditor Tenureand Perceptions of Audit Quality. The Accounting Review, 80(2), 585-612.
- Gunning, R. (1952). Technique of Clear Writing. McGraw-Hill.Hasan, I., Kobeissi, N., Liu, L. y Wang, H. (2018). Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Productivity. Journal of Business Ethics, 149(3), 671-688.
- Hasan, I., Kobeissi, N., Liu, L. y Wang, H. (2018). Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Productivity. Journal of Busi-ness Ethics, 149(3), 671-688.
- Hasan, M. M. (2020). Readability of Narrative Disclosures in 10-K Reports: Does Mana-gerial Ability Matter? European Accounting Review, 29(1), 147-168.
- Hasan, M., Maijoor, S., Mock, T. J., Roebuck, P., Simnett, R. y Vanstraelen, A. (2005). The Different Types of Assurance Services and Levels of Assurance Provided. International Journal of Auditing, 9(2), 91-102.
- Hassan, A. (2019). Verbal Tones in Sustainability Assurance Statements: An Empirical Exploration of Explanatory Factors. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 10(3), 427-450.
- Hazaea, S. A., Zhu, J., Khatib, S. F., Bazhair, A. H. y Elamer, A. A. (2022). Sustainability Assurance Practices: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(4), 4.843-4.864.
- Hodge, K., Subramaniam, N. y Stewart, J. (2009). Assurance of Sustainability Reports: Impact on Report Users’ Confidence and Perceptions of Information Credibility. Australian Accounting Review, 19(3), 178-194.
- Huggins, A., Green, W. J. y Simnett, R. (2011). The Competitive Market for Assurance Engagements on Greenhouse Gas Statements: Is There a Role for Assurers from the Accounting Profession? Current Issues in Auditing, 5(2), A1-A12.
- Hummel, K., Schlick, C. y Fifka, M. (2019). The Role of Sustainability Performance and Accounting Assurors in Sustainability Assurance Engagements. Journal of Busi-ness Ethics, 154(3), 733-757.
- Li, F. (2008). Annual Report Readability, Current Earnings, and Earnings Persistence. Journal of Accounting and economics, 45(2-3), 221-247.
- Loughran, T. y McDonald, B. (2016). Textual Analysis in Accounting and Finance: A Survey. Journal of Accounting Research, 54(4), 1.187-1.230.
- Lundholm, R. J., Rogo, R. y Zhang, J. L. (2014). Restoring the Tower of Babel: How Foreign Firms Communicate with US Investors. The Accounting Review, 89(4), 1.453-1.485.
- Manetti, G. y Becatti, L. (2009). Assurance Services for Sustainability Reports: Standards and Empirical Evidence. Journal of Business Ethics, 87(1), 289-298.
- Martínez-Ferrero, J. y García-Sánchez, I. M. (2018). The Level of Sustainability Assu-rance: The Effects of Brand Reputation and Industry Specialisation of Assurance Providers. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(4), 971-990.
- Martínez-Ferrero, J., García-Sánchez, I. M. y Ruiz-Barbadillo, E. (2018). The Quality of Sustainability Assurance Reports: The Expertise and Experience of Assurance Providers as Determinants. Business Strategy and the Environment, 27(8), 1.181-1.196.
- Michelon, G., Patten, D. M. y Romi, A. M. (2019). Creating Legitimacy for Sustainability Assurance Practices: Evidence from Sustainability Restatements. European Accounting Review, 28(2), 395-422.
- Moroney, R., Windsor, C. y Aw, Y. T. (2012). Evidence of Assurance Enhancing the Quality of Voluntary Environmental Disclosures: An Empirical Analysis. Accounting & Finance, 52(3), 903-939.
- Perego, P. (2009). Causes and Consequences of Choosing Different Assurance Providers: An International Study of Sustainability Reporting. International Journal of Management, 26(3), 412-425.
- Rossi, A. y Tarquinio, L. (2017). An Analysis of Sustainability Report Assurance Statements: Evidence from Italian Listed Companies. Managerial Auditing Journal, 32(6), 578-602.
- Ruhnke, K. y Lubitzsch, K. (2010). Determinants of the Maximum Level of Assurance for Various Assurance Services. International Journal of Auditing, 14(3), 233-255.
- Ruiz-Barbadillo, E. y Martínez-Ferrero, J. (2020). Empirical Analysis of the Effect of the Joint Provision of Audit and Sustainability Assurance Services on Assurance Quality. Journal of Cleaner Production, 266, 121943.
- Ruiz-Barbadillo, E. y Martínez-Ferrero, J. (2022). Is Tenure Important in the Sustainability Assurance Context? An Empirical Analysis of the Informative Value of Assurance Statements. Meditari Accountancy Research (en prensa).
- Simnett, R., Vanstraelen, A. y Chua, W. F. (2009). Assurance on Sustainability Reports: An International Comparison. The Accounting Review, 84(3), 937-967.
- Velte, P. (2021). Determinants and Consequences of Corporate Social Responsibility Assurance: A Systematic Review of Archival Research. Society and Business Review, 16(1), 1-25.
- Yan, M., Jia, F., Chen, L. y Yan, F. (2022). Assurance Process for Sustainability Reporting: Towards a Conceptual Framework. Journal of Cleaner Production, 134-156.