Audit Adjustment Disputes: The Effect of Affective Commitment and Tenure on Audit Committee Judgment

Audit committee members (ACMs) play a pivotal role in negotiating disputes between management and the external auditor concerning audit adjustments. Research suggests ACMs support the external auditor when audit adjustment conflicts arise. This study investigated the perceived effect of audit quality indicators (AQIs), through the mediating effect of affective reaction, on an ACM's recommendation for proposed audit adjustments. Audit firm tenure was examined as a moderating factor in both the effect of perceived AQIs on ACM's proposed adjustment and the relationship between perceived AQIs and affective reaction. Results suggested affective reactions created from perceptions of AQIs influence an ACM's decision-making. Audit firm tenure was found to moderate the relationship between perceptions of AQIs and affective reaction while not moderating the relationship between perceptions of AQIs and the ACM's proposed adjustment.