Auditor Tenure and Earnings Management

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the length of auditor tenure and the extent of corporate earnings management. In particular, we test the relationship between the length of auditor tenure and the magnitude of absolute discretionary accruals, using a sample of 133 firms over the period 1379 to 1385. We find a positive relationship between the tenure and absolute discretionary accruals. These findings show that as auditor tenure increases, the reporting flexibility in management using discretionary accruals rises. We also examine the relationship between auditor tenure and signed discretionary accruals. We find a significant negative relationship that is consistent with the view that management uses reporting flexibility to reduce reported earnings.

Keywords

• auditor tenure
• auditor rotation
• earnings management
• conservatism