@phdthesis{Fleischer2020, author = {Fleischer, Rouven}, title = {Audit Pricing: Further evidence from the German and European markets}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:824-opus4-6655}, school = {Katholische Universit{\"a}t Eichst{\"a}tt-Ingolstadt}, year = {2020}, abstract = {This study comprises three individual contributions to the research focus on pricing of auditing services. Using German and European data sets, the empirical investigation examines, among other things, how different dimensions of size, possible interactions from a so-called Big 4 premium or fee cutting behavior, as well as different financial risk factors affect the level of auditing services. The study 'Size effects and audit pricing: Evidence from Germany' shows, among other things, that of those auditors who also provide consulting services for their clients, only Big 4 auditors achieve higher fees for auditing services. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest that the Big 4 premium shown in previous studies for the German market is strongly influenced by a market leader premium. Taking into account the high relevance of company size as a factor in the pricing of audit services, the study also concludes that company size should rather be represented by non-financial variables such as the natural logarithm of the number of employees in order to exclude any interdependencies with other financial variables. The study entitled 'The Big 4 premium: Does it survive an auditor change? Evidence from Europe' presents new findings on the impact of auditor changes on audit fees, with a special focus on a possible Big 4 premium. This combines the previous research on the Big 4 premium and fee cutting. Matching analyses are used to compare the audit fees of companies that switch to a Big 4 auditor with those companies that switch to a non-Big 4 auditor. As a result, a Big 4 premium can only be shown for those companies that do not change auditors. In the case of a change of auditor, the results show that Big 4 auditors are willing to give up this bonus or even accept a discount on non-Big 4 auditors. This discount usually persists in the first few years. Accordingly, the assumption is that Big 4 auditors are pursuing a "foot-in-the-door" strategy to win new clients. Based on these results, the existence of a Big 4 premium is strongly dependent on the decision of the respective company to change auditors. The study 'Variation of financial risk over time and the impact on audit pricing' focuses on the consideration of financial risk factors and their development over time. The key assumption of the study is that continuity of relevant financial ratios reduces the risk position of the auditor and should be positively reflected in the audit fees. For companies that do not change auditors, the results show an influence of increased volatility of financial ratios on the level of audit fees. This leads to the assumption that in case of increased volatility in the financial ratios, companies could deliberately not change the auditor in order to send a sign of stability to third parties and, if necessary, accept a premium on the existing auditor's fees. In the case of a change of auditor, however, new auditors could waive a corresponding premium in order to win new clients.}, subject = {Wirtschaftspr{\"u}fung}, language = {en} }