The question of the existence of competition among auditors has been
the subject of considerable discussion in recent years. More specifically,
the "Big Eight" firms as a group have been accused of monopolizing the
market for audits (Staff Study of the Subcommittee on Reports, Accounting
and Management of the Senate Committee on Government Operations
[1977]). However, evidence on the issue is scanty and typically
anecdotal (e.g., Bernstein [1978]). The evidence of the Staff Study itself
is limited to concentration statistics, with the allegations relying on what
has come to be called the "concentration doctrine" (Demsetz [1973]).
According to this doctrine, supplier concentration is a reliable indicator
of supplier behavior and performance. In this paper, I provide evidence
from a test of the hypothesis that price competition prevails throughout
the market for the audits of pubUcly held companies, irrespective of the
share of a market segment which is serviced by the Big Eight firms. The
evidence is based on an examination of a sample cross-section of audit
fees.