Efeitos da pandemia Covid-19 na qualidade da auditoria

Abstract

The scope of this work is an exploratory study to identify an increase in audit fees motivated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Through a qualitative analysis of the behavior of fees billed by auditors between 2017 and 2020, in Portuguese companies listed on the stock exchange, it is intended to conclude whether there are indications that justify an increase in fees billed by the Statutory Auditor (ROC). Indeed, taking into account that, in order to maintain audit quality in the context of a pandemic, more audit work was required, namely on the assessment of the effects on business continuity, it is expected to see an increase in fees in 2019 and/or 2020. To control other variables, in addition to the pandemic, which may influence ROC fees, various information was collected from the reports and accounts of the companies selected in the years under analysis, namely relevant audit matters, ROC emphases related to Covid-19 and specific mentions in business continuity. Analyzing the information collected, it was observed that only in 27% of the selected companies there was evidence of an increase in fees, possibly motivated by the pandemic context in 2019 and, in 2020, in only 24%. On the other hand, in 2019, in 27% of the companies there were indications of specific work related to Covid-19, however this did not lead to an increase in fees, in 2020 this indication represents 24% of the total sample.

Date of Award	7 Jul 2022
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria Luisa Anacoreta Correia (Supervisor)