Cameran, Ditillo, and Pettinicchio Authored the Best Paper Published by EAR in 2018

THE EUROPEAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW HAS AWARDED THE THREE SCHOLARS FOR A WORK ON THE OPTIMAL FEATURES OF AUDITING TEAMS

Mara Cameran, Angelo Ditillo, and Angela Pettinicchio, three scholars at Bocconi’s Department of Accounting, are the winners of the Best Paper Prize in European Accounting Review for 2018 with their Auditing Team Attributes Matter: How Diversity Affects Audit Quality (Volume 27, 2018, issue 4, Pages 595-621).
 
In their paper, they highlight some of the key features of auditing teams that have a positive impact on audit quality and efficiency.
 
In particular, the data shows that a higher percentage of hours worked by partners and managers assigned to an audit engagement in the early stages has a negative impact on audit quality, while this effect becomes positive as the duration of the relationship with the client company increases. This result is explained by the fact that a higher number of hours allocated to partners and managers corresponds, in relative terms, to a lower number of hours allocated to seniors and staff, who actually perform the most technical work. And the focus on technical aspects is of particular importance in the early stages of the assignment, as it is necessary to improve the firm’s knowledge of the audited company.
 
In addition to this, the diversity of partners and managers in terms of common educational background and gender within the group has a positive impact on the quality and efficiency of the audit.  
 
The prize-giving ceremony will take place in Paphos, Cyprus, during the opening session of the 42^nd Annual Congress of the European Accounting Association, on 29 May.
 
(Pictured above, from left, Pettinicchio, Ditillo, and Cameran)

by Fabio Todesco