The findings offer three important contributions to the existing literature. First, they indicate that MW reported in multiple consecutive years have a progressively larger and statistically significant negative impact on CE when firms that partially remediate are excluded from the sample. That is, the market notices that some firms are slow to remediate MW, whereas other firms take timely remediation steps to address MW. Second, the study shows that the number and specific types of MW are significant factors in understanding the relation between MW and CE. In fact, even if a firm does not remediate all MW in a given year, the market views favorably a reduction in the number of MW (i.e., partial remediation). Third, given the richness of the dataset, the current study helps to reconcile conflicting results in the prior literature on the effects of MW.

Gordon, L. A., and A. L. Wilford. 2012. An Analysis of Multiple Consecutive Years of Material Weaknesses in Internal Control. Accounting Review 87 (6): 2027-2060.

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The results of this study are important for companies and regulators that are trying to understand the true costs for firms with an adverse report on internal control. It further informs the continuing debate regarding Section 404 of SOX and provides some evidence that these premiums can be as high as 30 (20) percent in the first(second) year after remediation when compared to firms that only have clean Section 404 reports. Lastly, this provides opportunities for future research investigating how long it takes audit fees to return the level of companies that only receive clean opinions and whether or not this premium relates to additional audit work or a risk premium.

Munsif, V., K. Raghunandan, D. V. Rama, and M. Singhvi. 2011. Audit Fees after Remediation of Internal Control Weaknesses.  Accounting Horizons 25 (1):  87-105. 

The uncertainties surrounding material weaknesses, the difficulty of auditing around some types of weaknesses, and the fact that the auditor must explain why it issued a clean report on the financial statements when it had issued a MWO, may cause the auditor to become conservative in its GCO decision, which is fairly ambiguous to start with. The study has particular relevance for policy makers and a need for a broader evaluation of the effects of SOX 404.

Goh, B. W., Krishnan, J., & Li, D. 2013. Auditor Reporting under Section 404: The Association between the Internal Control and Going Concern Audit Opinions. Contemporary Accounting Research 30 (3): 970-995.

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The results of this study support the audit committee regulations under SOX and the board independence regulations of the listing exchanges. These results are important to regulators as they show that improvements in audit committee influence, competence, and incentives are each positively associated with ICMW remediation. In addition, the results reveal that improvements in these audit committee characteristics are most strongly associated with the remediation of ICMWs relating to control activities and monitoring, but not to ICMWs across the other COSO categories. Lastly, the results are important to management as they highlight the importance of hands-on day-to-day leadership by management in addressing situations involving the revelation and remediation of material negative events.

For more information on this study, please contact Karla Johnstone.
 

Johnstone, K., C. Li, and K. H. Rupley. 2011. Changes in Corporate Governance Associated with the Revelation of Internal Control Material Weaknesses and Their Subsequent Remediation.  Contemporary Accounting Research 28 (1):  331-383. 

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The high proportion of disclosures of internal control problems in annual Section 404 filings without a prior disclosure in quarterly Section 302 filings suggests that in many cases it is the auditors who detect and/or classify a problem as material enough to warrant public disclosure. The empirical evidence is useful for the debate about the role of auditors in internal control testing and reporting.

For more information on this study, please contact K. Raghunandan (raghu@fiu.edu).

Munsif, V., K. Raghunandan and D. V. Rama. 2013. Early warnings of internal control problems: Additional evidence. Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory 32(2): 171-188.

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