This paper presents a general framework for studying factors associated with engagement-level audit quality. The framework is intended to sharpen our thinking about conducting audit-quality research, and to help scholars, professional accountants, regulators, and policy makers to better understand the multiple drivers of audit quality. While the framework has a broad scope, the research implications will focus mainly on archival-based audit research.1
Table 1 summarizes the framework, and the central point of the paper is that audit quality is affected by each of the units of analysis in Table 1.2 The framework begins with two inputs to the audit process (in additional to the client's financial statements/records): (1) audit-testing procedures, and (2) engagement team personnel. The next level in the framework is the audit process whereby decisions and judgments are made by the engagement team with respect to the specific tests to be implemented, the interpretation of...
