Conservatism and Auditor-Client Negotiations
研究审计师促使财务报表客观的动机，挑战了审计师保守的普遍看法，强调审计过程的谈判性质，指出财务报表是审计师与管理层联合声明的结果。
This paper examines an auditor's incentives to take actions that lead to objective financial statements. Our results challenge the common perception that auditors are conservative. Under Generally Accepted Auditing Standards, the literal claim is that financial statements are the representations of management. Our view of the auditing process, however, focuses on its negotiated character. Financial statements should be read as a joint statement from the auditor and manager. The statement becomes a joint venture if the auditor is unwilling to provide an unqualified opinion on management's stated representations. At that point, the auditor and client begin negotiations in which the auditor may offer a revised statement. The client may threaten to dismiss him and find one more accepting of its views. Or they may decide to extend the audit to obtain more facts. In the end, compromises are usually found, statements are revised, and the auditor issues an unqualified opinion on the revised statements.'