This study investigates auditor independence and audit quality in auditor-client negotiation over
financial reporting issues using Taiwan data.
This study examines auditor independence in auditor-client negotiation over financial
reporting issues, and whether high quality auditors are more likely than low quality
Audited financial statements are the joint product of the auditor-client negotiation process
(e.g., Antle and Nalebuff, 1991; Wright and Wright, 1997). Auditor independence is at
the heart of the integrity of the audit process. When auditors and clients negotiate issues
about financial reporting, maintaining the integrity of the independent audit function is
mandatory for auditors and required by the standards of the accounting profession. Recently,
financial scandals at companies such as Enron and WorldCom have eroded public
confidence in the independence of the accounting profession and the quality of audit services.
Restrictions on the provision of non-audit services and audit partner rotation are
among the principal provisions in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 designed to enhance
auditor independence. Prior studies addressing the issue of auditor-client negotiation have
asserted that client management has a broader power base than the auditor has (e.g.,
Goldman and Barlev, 1974; Nichols and Price, 1976), and auditor independence may be
impaired when auditors pursue economic self-gain, instead of serving the public interest,
during auditor-client negotiation.