Factores que determinan los honorarios de auditoría: Análisis empírico para México

La escasa investigación internacional sobre auditoría en el ámbito latinoamericano ha motivado el desarrollo de esta investigación. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar empíricamente los factores que influyen en el monto de los honorarios de auditoría en México, partiendo de una muestra de 59 empresas que cotizan en la Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV), durante el período de 2002 a 2008. La metodología empleada, en línea con los estudios previos, se basa en un modelo de regresión múltiple, a partir de un conjunto de hipótesis relacionadas con diversos factores que afectan la determinación de los honorarios, vinculados a la empresa auditada y a la firma auditora, recolectados de la base de datos de las cuentas anuales de las empresas. Los resultados revelan que, en el mercado mexicano, los factores determinantes de los honorarios de auditoría son el tamaño de la empresa, el riesgo del cliente, la complejidad de la empresa, la reputación del auditor, los servicios adicionales que presta el auditor, la duración del contrato con el auditor, el sector al que pertenece la empresa y los años en que se realice la auditoría. En conclusión, se evidencia la globalización de la profesión, ya que los factores determinantes de los honorarios del auditor en el mercado mexicano, son similares a los obtenidos por otros investigadores en otras regiones geográficas

Empirical Analysis of Non-Financial Reporting by Spanish Companies

[EN] Spain is one of the European countries that is the most strongly committed to the presentation of non-financial information. In 2017, Spain adapted its legislation to Directive 2014/95/EU through Royal Decree-Law 18/2017, which required Public Interest Entities (PIEs) to provide information in accordance with the requirements of the European Union (EU) Directive, with respect to financial years from 1 January 2017. Our research is focused on Spanish IBEX-351 listed companies and seeks to identify current trends in non-financial reporting. To our knowledge, the present paper is the first study to examine the impact made in Spain by the legislative changes. Our aim is to analyse the publication of non-financial information by Spanish listed companies whose first reports in this regard were made from early 2018. Specifically, we consider the impact of this information disclosure, determining whether the companies in question restrict themselves to meeting regulatory requirements or whether they go further and voluntarily supply additional information. Our findings show that the level of regulatory compliance produced is associated with the business sector in which the company operates. We also show that the highest rates of disclosure of non-financial information correspond to companies that provide this information in the sustainability report.This research was funded by the Generalitat Valenciana, grant number AICO/2017/092.Sierra-García, L.; García-Benau, MA.; Bollas-Araya, HM. (2018). Empirical Analysis of Non-Financial Reporting by Spanish Companies. Administrative Sciences. 8(3):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci8030029S11783Adams, C. A. (2004). The ethical, social and environmental reporting‐performance portrayal gap. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 17(5), 731-757. doi:10.1108/09513570410567791Archambeault, D., & DeZoort, F. T. (2001). Auditor Opinion Shopping and the Audit Committee: An Analysis of Suspicious Auditor Switches. International Journal of Auditing, 5(1), 33-52. doi:10.1111/1099-1123.00324Asif, M., Searcy, C., Santos, P. dos, & Kensah, D. (2012). A Review of Dutch Corporate Sustainable Development Reports. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 20(6), 321-339. doi:10.1002/csr.1284Bebbington, J., Kirk, E. A., & Larrinaga, C. (2012). The production of normativity: A comparison of reporting regimes in Spain and the UK. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 37(2), 78-94. doi:10.1016/j.aos.2012.01.001Boiral, O., Heras-Saizarbitoria, I., Brotherton, M.-C., & Bernard, J. (2018). Ethical Issues in the Assurance of Sustainability Reports: Perspectives from Assurance Providers. Journal of Business Ethics, 159(4), 1111-1125. doi:10.1007/s10551-018-3840-3Brammer, S., & Pavelin, S. (2008). Factors influencing the quality of corporate environmental disclosure. Business Strategy and the Environment, 17(2), 120-136. doi:10.1002/bse.506Brammer, S., & Millington, A. (2005). Corporate Reputation and Philanthropy: An Empirical Analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 61(1), 29-44. doi:10.1007/s10551-005-7443-4Brown, H. S., de Jong, M., & Levy, D. L. (2009). Building institutions based on information disclosure: lessons from GRI’s sustainability reporting. Journal of Cleaner Production, 17(6), 571-580. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.12.009Casey, R. J., & Grenier, J. H. (2014). Understanding and Contributing to the Enigma of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Assurance in the United States. AUDITING: A Journal of Practice & Theory, 34(1), 97-130. doi:10.2308/ajpt-50736H. Cho, C., Michelon, G., M. Patten, D., & W. Roberts, R. (2014). CSR report assurance in the USA: an empirical investigation of determinants and effects. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 5(2), 130-148. doi:10.1108/sampj-01-2014-0003Cho, C. H., & Patten, D. M. (2007). The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: A research note. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 32(7-8), 639-647. doi:10.1016/j.aos.2006.09.009Davis, G., & Searcy, C. (2010). A review of Canadian corporate sustainable development reports. Journal of Global Responsibility, 1(2), 316-329. doi:10.1108/20412561011079425De Beelde, I., & Tuybens, S. (2013). Enhancing the Credibility of Reporting on Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(3), 190-216. doi:10.1002/bse.1814Deegan, C. (2002). Introduction. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 15(3), 282-311. doi:10.1108/09513570210435852Is Your Non-Financial Performance Revealing the True Value of Your Business to Investors? Tomorrow´s Investment Rules 2017 https://www.ey.com/gl/en/services/assurance/climate-change-and-sustainability-services/ey-nonfinancial-performance-may-influence-investorsFernandez-Feijoo, B., Romero, S., & Ruiz, S. (2013). Effect of Stakeholders’ Pressure on Transparency of Sustainability Reports within the GRI Framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 122(1), 53-63. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1748-5Fonseca, A. (2010). How credible are mining corporations’ sustainability reports? a critical analysis of external assurance under the requirements of the international council on mining and metals. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 17(6), 355-370. doi:10.1002/csr.230Fortanier, F., Kolk, A., & Pinkse, J. (2011). Harmonization in CSR Reporting. Management International Review, 51(5), 665-696. doi:10.1007/s11575-011-0089-9Frias-Aceituno, J. V., Rodriguez-Ariza, L., & Garcia-Sanchez, I. . (2012). The Role of the Board in the Dissemination of Integrated Corporate Social Reporting. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 20(4), 219-233. doi:10.1002/csr.1294Frias-Aceituno, J. V., Rodríguez-Ariza, L., & Garcia-Sánchez, I. M. (2012). Explanatory Factors of Integrated Sustainability and Financial Reporting. Business Strategy and the Environment, 23(1), 56-72. doi:10.1002/bse.1765García-Sánchez, I.-M., & Noguera-Gámez, L. (2017). Integrated Reporting and Stakeholder Engagement: The Effect on Information Asymmetry. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 24(5), 395-413. doi:10.1002/csr.1415Goodwin-Stewart, J., & Kent, P. (2006). Relation between external audit fees, audit committee characteristics and internal audit. Accounting and Finance, 46(3), 387-404. doi:10.1111/j.1467-629x.2006.00174.xGürtürk, A., & Hahn, R. (2016). An empirical assessment of assurance statements in sustainability reports: smoke screens or enlightening information? Journal of Cleaner Production, 136, 30-41. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.089Pocas Novedades en la Transposición de la Directiva de Información no Financiera. Blog KPMG Responsabilidad Empresarial http://www.kpmgresponsabilidadempresarial.es/pocas-novedades-en-la-transposicion-de-la-directiva-de-informacion-no-financiera/Junior, R. M., Best, P. J., & Cotter, J. (2013). Sustainability Reporting and Assurance: A Historical Analysis on a World-Wide Phenomenon. Journal of Business Ethics, 120(1), 1-11. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1637-yKend, M. (2015). Governance, firm-level characteristics and their impact on the client’s voluntary sustainability disclosures and assurance decisions. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 6(1), 54-78. doi:10.1108/sampj-12-2013-0061Kolk, A. (2003). Trends in sustainability reporting by the Fortune Global 250. Business Strategy and the Environment, 12(5), 279-291. doi:10.1002/bse.370Kolk, A., & Perego, P. (2008). Determinants of the adoption of sustainability assurance statements: an international investigation. Business Strategy and the Environment, n/a-n/a. doi:10.1002/bse.643Sustainability Committee Effectiveness and CSR Assurance https://ssrn.com/abstract=2967165Lock, I., & Seele, P. (2016). The credibility of CSR (corporate social responsibility) reports in Europe. Evidence from a quantitative content analysis in 11 countries. Journal of Cleaner Production, 122, 186-200. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.02.060Lu, Y., & Abeysekera, I. (2014). Stakeholders’ power, corporate characteristics, and social and environmental disclosure: evidence from China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 64, 426-436. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.10.005Luque-Vílchez, M., & Larrinaga, C. (2016). Reporting Models do not Translate Well: Failing to Regulate CSR Reporting in Spain. Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, 36(1), 56-75. doi:10.1080/0969160x.2016.1149301Macias, H. A., & Farfan-Lievano, A. (2017). Integrated reporting as a strategy for firm growth: multiple case study in Colombia. Meditari Accountancy Research, 25(4), 605-628. doi:10.1108/medar-11-2016-0099Manes-Rossi, F., Tiron-Tudor, A., Nicolò, G., & Zanellato, G. (2018). Ensuring More Sustainable Reporting in Europe Using Non-Financial Disclosure—De Facto and De Jure Evidence. Sustainability, 10(4), 1162. doi:10.3390/su10041162Manetti, G., & Becatti, L. (2008). Assurance Services for Sustainability Reports: Standards and Empirical Evidence. Journal of Business Ethics, 87(S1), 289-298. doi:10.1007/s10551-008-9809-xManetti, G., & Toccafondi, S. (2011). The Role of Stakeholders in Sustainability Reporting Assurance. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(3), 363-377. doi:10.1007/s10551-011-1044-1Maroun, W. (2017). Assuring the integrated report: Insights and recommendations from auditors and preparers. The British Accounting Review, 49(3), 329-346. doi:10.1016/j.bar.2017.03.003Melis, A., Gaia, S., & Carta, S. (2015). Directors’ remuneration: A comparison of Italian and UK non-financial listed firms’ disclosure. The British Accounting Review, 47(1), 66-84. doi:10.1016/j.bar.2014.08.004Mio, C., & Venturelli, A. (2012). Non-financial Information About Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy in the Annual Reports of Listed Companies: Evidence from Italy and the UK. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 20(6), 340-358. doi:10.1002/csr.1296Miska, C., Stahl, G. K., & Mendenhall, M. E. (2013). Intercultural competencies as antecedents of responsible global leadership. European J. of International Management, 7(5), 550. doi:10.1504/ejim.2013.056477Mock, T. J., Rao, S. S., & Srivastava, R. P. (2013). The Development of Worldwide Sustainability Reporting Assurance. Australian Accounting Review, 23(4), 280-294. doi:10.1111/auar.12013Moneva, J. M., Archel, P., & Correa, C. (2006). GRI and the camouflaging of corporate unsustainability. Accounting Forum, 30(2), 121-137. doi:10.1016/j.accfor.2006.02.001Morhardt, J. E. (2009). Corporate social responsibility and sustainability reporting on the Internet. Business Strategy and the Environment, n/a-n/a. doi:10.1002/bse.657Patten, D. M. (2002). The relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: a research note. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 27(8), 763-773. doi:10.1016/s0361-3682(02)00028-4Prawitt, D. F., Sharp, N. Y., & Wood, D. A. (2011). Reconciling Archival and Experimental Research: Does Internal Audit Contribution Affect the External Audit Fee? Behavioral Research in Accounting, 23(2), 187-206. doi:10.2308/bria-10065Rivera-Arrubla, Y. A., Zorio-Grima, A., & García-Benau, M. A. (2017). Integrated reports: disclosure level and explanatory factors. Social Responsibility Journal, 13(1), 155-176. doi:10.1108/srj-02-2016-0033Rodrigue, M., Magnan, M., & Cho, C. H. (2012). Is Environmental Governance Substantive or Symbolic? An Empirical Investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(1), 107-129. doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1331-5Schaltegger, S., & Wagner, M. (2011). Sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainability innovation: categories and interactions. Business Strategy and the Environment, 20(4), 222-237. doi:10.1002/bse.682Sierra, L., Zorio, A., & García-Benau, M. A. (2012). Sustainable Development and Assurance of Corporate Social Responsibility Reports Published by Ibex-35 Companies. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 20(6), 359-370. doi:10.1002/csr.1303Simnett, R., Vanstraelen, A., & Chua, W. F. (2009). Assurance on Sustainability Reports: An International Comparison. The Accounting Review, 84(3), 937-967. doi:10.2308/accr.2009.84.3.937Tagesson, T., Blank, V., Broberg, P., & Collin, S.-O. (2009). What explains the extent and content of social and environmental disclosures on corporate websites: a study of social and environmental reporting in Swedish listed corporations. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 16(6), 352-364. doi:10.1002/csr.194Tarquinio, L., Raucci, D., & Benedetti, R. (2018). An Investigation of Global Reporting Initiative Performance Indicators in Corporate Sustainability Reports: Greek, Italian and Spanish Evidence. Sustainability, 10(4), 897. doi:10.3390/su10040897Venturelli, A., Caputo, F., Cosma, S., Leopizzi, R., & Pizzi, S. (2017). Directive 2014/95/EU: Are Italian Companies Already Compliant? Sustainability, 9(8), 1385. doi:10.3390/su908138

CSR Communication Strategies of Colombian Business Groups : An Analysis of Corporate Reports

ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to assess stakeholder orientation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategies in the business groups (BGs) of an emerging economy by means of content analysis. We worked with 30 non-financial BGs taken from the Colombian Stock Exchange. The study uses as its unit of analysis corporate reports that have been classified into four categories: annual reports (ARs), sustainability reports (SRs), combined reports (CRs), and integrated reports (IRs). The results show that IRs are the most similar reports, that Colombian BGs are mainly employee-oriented (ARs, SRs, CRs) and shareholder-oriented (IRs), and that response and involvement communication strategies are the most commonly used. Our research has theoretical and practical implications based on the assumption that the study of corporate reports has particular importance for those BGs with diversification strategies and international orientation, since it opens possibilities for future research

understanding the audit firm and matter type impact

El documento examina si la legibilidad (y por lo tanto, el valor informativo) de los asuntos claves de auditoría (KAM por sus siglas en inglés) varía según la firma de auditoría y el tipo de KAM revelado, proporcionando así a las partes interesadas una calidad de información diferente para una toma de decisiones efectiva. El análisis muestra que el valor informativo de las descripciones publicadas del KAM y los procedimientos de auditoría realizados para abordar el KAM, varía según la firma de auditoría responsable. Este valor informativo depende también de si los KAM refieren a riesgos a nivel de la entidad o a nivel de los estados financieros. El estudio contribuye a la teoría de las partes interesadas y a la literatura sobre la calidad del informe de auditoría, mostrando cómo las características de la firma auditora y el tipo/contenido del KAM revelado, impactan en el valor informativo del informe de auditoría extendido. Se sugiere además que las firmas auditoras pueden aumentar o disminuir el valor informativo del informe de auditoría según el tipo de KAM revelado

Intellectual engagements of accounting academics: The 'forecasted losses' intervention

This paper explores the social and political potential of accounting scholarship, presenting and discussing an intellectual intervention challenging a legislative reform that significantly affected Spanish industrial relations. In this reform, an accounting artifact (forecasted losses) played an unexpected role and was misrepresented, prompting a sizeable number of scholars to sign two manifestos in 2010 and 2012 against the use of forecasted losses made by the new legislation. As promoters of this manifesto, we perform in this paper a collaborative autoethnography to reflect on the context, events, reactions, and significance of this intervention for both the academic and the industrial relations fields. We mobilize Pierre Bourdieu’s ideas on the public intellectual to think more generally about academic engagements in the interplay between accounting, policymaking, and social issues. This intervention illustrates the different manners in which administrative and economic powers interfered in the Spanish accounting academic field, limiting the disposition of Spanish scholars to engage in public debates. We also interpret our engagement as mobilizing intellectual capital to expose how the notion of forecasted losses was used to produce a form of symbolic violence and how this capital is more effective as it produces messages addressed to the producers, i.e., policymakers and the judicature in this specific case

Análisis del valor comunicativo de los informes de auditoría españoles tras la inclusión de las cuestiones clave de auditoría

In recent years the content of the audit report has evolved significantly. Spain, through the NIA-ES, has established the standards that regulate its content, contemplating the incorporation of a section that reports on the most significant risks that have attracted the auditor's attention. In this research we study whether the inclusion of the key audit matters (KAM) has had a real impact on the quality of the audit, proxied by the communicative value of the audit report. Specifically, we analyze the readability of the risks linked to the KAM and whether the client and audit firm’s characteristics determine this readability. The results of our empirical study, based on the Ibex 35 companies for the period 2017-2019 (the period in which these new regulations came into force in Spain), show that the readability is low in both, the description of the risks and the description of the audit procedures performed by the auditor to address them. The most relevant readability determinant of the KAM is the audit firm. The incumbent audit firm, the change of auditor and the industry specialization also affect the KAM readability. This research shows that work must be done to improve the clarity of the auditor's report, which will have an impact on the user’s understanding of the content of the audit report. Therefore, the conclusions of this research are of great relevance for regulators, the practice and the academia.En los últimos años el contenido del informe de auditoría ha evolucionado de manera significativa. España, a través de las NIA-ES, ha establecido las normas que regulan su contenido, contemplando la incorporación de una sección que informa sobre los riesgos más significativos que han atraído la atención del auditor. En este artículo estudiamos si la inclusión de las cuestiones clave de auditoría (CCA) ha tenido un impacto real sobre la calidad de la auditoría, medida a través del estudio del valor comunicativo de los informes de auditoría. Concretamente analizamos la legibilidad de los riesgos vinculados a la CCA, estudiando cuáles son las características del cliente y de la firma de auditoría que determinan dicha legibilidad. Los resultados de nuestro estudio empírico, aplicado a las empresas del Ibex 35 durante el periodo en los que se han publicado estas cuestiones en España (2017-2019), muestran que la legibilidad, tanto en la descripción de los riesgos como de los procedimientos de auditoría empleados, es baja, siendo las variables vinculadas a la firma de auditoría las que ejercen una mayor incidencia en la legibilidad de las CCA. La decisión de elección de una firma de auditoría, el cambio de auditor y la especialización son elementos que inciden claramente sobre la legibilidad. Las implicaciones de esta investigación muestran que debe trabajarse en mejorar la claridad del mensaje del auditor, lo cual repercutirá sobre la comprensibilidad del contenido del informe de auditoría. Por ello, las conclusiones de esta investigación son de gran relevancia para reguladores, profesionales y para académicos

Retos para la educación y profesión contable derivados de una armonización mundial liderada por el IASC: la nueva estrategia europea de armonización contable como modelo para otras áreas económicas

The objective of this paper is to analyse the important decisions made by the European Commission in 2000, in order to undertake a final strategy with regard to accounting harmonisation. We think that this topic is especially relevant in the framework of this International Conference, because many regional accounting harmonising bodies may follow the EU steps since Europe is a very important economic area to be borne in mind in the world accounting harmonisation debate where the United States are playing the leading role on the grounds of their capital markets hegemony. Given the timeliness and relevance of these regulatory changes, we think it is of the outmost importance to look into their origins and highlight their impact on the everyday life of the different components of the accounting discipline, i.e., regulators, academics and the accounting profession.The "widely unknown" IAS are just "round the corner". It is about time that we all start preparing the change of the basis of financial reporting to IAS and get ready for the challenges that it poses to the accounting profession and education.En este trabajo presentamos un juicio crítico de las importantes decisiones que la Comisión Europea ha adoptado a lo largo del pasado año 2000, con miras a implantar definitivamente una estrategia sobre armonización contable. Consideramos que este trabajo es de especial importancia en el contexto de esta Conferencia Internacional, dado que muchos organismos mundiales a favor de la armonización contable, han puesto sus ojos en el modelo de la Unión Europea y en cierto sentido el área económica europea es un peso fundamental para contrarrestar la fuerza de los Estados Unidos, respaldados por sus mercados de capitales, de cara al debate de armonización contable internacional. Dada la actualidad y relevancia de estos cambios en el proceso regulador, creemos necesario profundizar en sus orígenes y poner de manifiesto sus importantes implicaciones, tanto para el ámbito profesional, esto es, de las propias empresas y la propia profesión de la auditoría, así como para el plano regulador y la esfera académica. Las NIC, "esas grandes desconocidas", están ya a la vuelta de la esquina. Se impone, pues, comenzar a considerar el cambio de base de presentación de la información financiera y los retos que plantea para cada uno de los ámbitos directamente afectados

Independencia en auditoría. En pro de la defensa del interés público

A lo largo de la historia se han producido escándalos financieros que han puesto de manifiesto las terribles consecuencias que la falta de independencia del auditor tiene sobre la defensa del interés público. En el presente trabajo analizamos, desde un punto de vista reflexivo y crítico, las consecuencias de dos casos de gran relevancia como son Enron y Bankia. A pesar de que ambos casos se produjeron en países distintos (EE. UU. y España) la gran repercusión internacional, política y mediática de los mismos nos ha servido como plataforma para llegar a un mensaje mucho más profundo en el que reclamamos la importancia de la auditoría, especialmente de la buena auditoría, lo que supone su ejercicio desde la más estricta independencia, sin restricciones. Solamente así se trabajará en pro del interés público.Financial scandals throughout history have served as a reminder of the terrible effects that the absence of auditor independence has on the protection of the public interest. In this paper, the consequences of two highly relevant cases—Enron and Bankiafrom—are analyzed from a reflective and critical perspective. Although the two cases involved different nations (the United States and Spain), their profound effects on politics, the world, and the media have provided us with a platform to convey a much deeper message to assert the value of auditing, particularly good auditing, which requires that it be carried out with the utmost independence and without restrictions. Working in the public interest can only be done in this way

Intellectual engagements of accounting academics: The ‘forecasted losses' intervention

This paper explores the social and political potential of accounting scholarship, presenting and discussing an intellectual intervention challenging a legislative reform that significantly affected Spanish industrial relations. In this reform, an accounting artifact (forecasted losses) played an unexpected role and was misrepresented, prompting a sizeable number of scholars to sign two manifestos in 2010 and 2012 against the use of forecasted losses made by the new legislation. As promoters of this manifesto, we perform in this paper a collaborative autoethnography to reflect on the context, events, reactions, and significance of this intervention for both the academic and the industrial relations fields. We mobilize Pierre Bourdieu’s ideas on the public intellectual to think more generally about academic engagements in the interplay between accounting, policymaking, and social issues. This intervention illustrates the different manners in which administrative and economic powers interfered in the Spanish accounting academic field, limiting the disposition of Spanish scholars to engage in public debates. We also interpret our engagement as mobilizing intellectual capital to expose how the notion of forecasted losses was used to produce a form of symbolic violence and how this capital is more effective as it produces messages addressed to the producers, i.e., policymakers and the judicature in this specific case.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, FEDER and Consejería de Educación, Junta de Castilla y León (Grants RTI2018-099920-B-I00 and BU058P17)

Factores que Condicionan la Elección y el Cambio de Auditor en la Empresa Española: Factors Affecting Auditor Choice and Auditor Change in Spanish Firms

There are several factors that influence, in different ways, the decision to choose and change an auditor. Even though empirical research seeking to determine these factors has been carried out in other countries, until now there have no studies in Spain seeking to show which variables affect both decisions and with what degree of significance. This paper presents the results of an empirical analysis that brings together the assessments provided by 60 firms, responding to a questionnaire, of 41 possible factors to bear in mind when choosing and changing an auditor. The results obtained indicate, among other things, that factors such as technical characteristics of the auditing service and the public prestige of the audit firm are predominant in choosing an auditor. As regards the decision to change auditors, however, the relationship between firm and auditor is particularly influential.En la elección de auditor, así como en la decisión acerca de su cambio, influyen diversos factores y en diferente medida. Aunque en otros países han sido llevados a cabo estudios empíricos con el objeto de determinar los extremos anteriores, hasta la fecha no han sido realizados en nuestro país trabajos que pongan de manifiesto cuáles son las variables que afectan ambas decisiones así como su grado de relevancia. En este artículo se presentan los resultados de un estudio empírico en el que se recopilaron las valoraciones expresadas por 60 empresas respecto a 41 factores que fueron propuestos a través de un cuestionario como posibles variables a tener en cuenta a la hora de elegir y cambiar de auditor. Los resultados obtenidos revelan, entre otros aspectos, que en la elección de auditor priman especialmente factores como las características técnicas del servicio y la imagen publica de la firma de auditoria. En el cambio de auditores, sin embargo, influyen especialmente las relaciones mantenidas entre empresa y auditor