Does mandatory rotation of audit partners improve audit quality?

• Main Authors: Lennox, Clive S., Wu, Xi, Zhang, Tianyu
• Other Authors: Nanyang Business School
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Audit Partners; DRNTU::Business::Accounting; Mandatory Rotation
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/87657; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/46766
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Opponents of mandatory rotation argue that a change of partner is bad for audit quality, as it results in a loss of client-specific knowledge. On the other hand, proponents argue that a change of partner is beneficial, as it results in a positive peer review effect and a fresh perspective on the audit. We test the impact of mandatory partner rotation on audit quality using a unique dataset of audit adjustments in China. Our results suggest that mandatory rotation of engagement partners results in higher quality audits in the years immediately surrounding rotation. Specifically, we find a significantly higher frequency of audit adjustments during the departing partner's final year of tenure prior to mandatory rotation and during the incoming partner's first year of tenure following mandatory rotation.