Towards Auditing Firm Success: Factors That Reduce Auditors’ Intention to Leave

Authors

  • U. Yeliz Eseryel East Carolina University
  • Asligul Erkan-Barlow East Carolina University
  • Anna J. Johnson-Snyder East Carolina University
  • Brenda L. Killingsworth East Carolina University
  • April H. Reed East Carolina University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33423/jlae.v21i2.7027

Keywords:

leadership, accountability, ethics, employee retention, turnover intention, voluntary termination, great resignation, decision making, auditor attrition

Abstract

This study investigates the factors that reduce an auditor’s intention to leave the company, thereby addressing the challenges of hiring experts and the great resignation that may jeopardize auditing firm success. We surveyed 63 auditors regarding the impact of their membership esteem and status on the decision-making and consensus-building process and their intention to leave the auditing firm. While higher membership esteem is linked with increased expression of disagreements between the auditor and the lead engagement reviewer, higher status is associated with higher decision-making consensus. Although the auditors’ decision-making consensus does not relate to their intentions to leave the auditing firm, a higher status increases their likelihood of leaving. In contrast, higher membership esteem is associated with lower intentions to leave the company. Our findings underscore the importance of developing higher membership esteem among auditors to reduce auditor attrition.

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Published

2024-06-13

How to Cite

Eseryel, U. Y., Erkan-Barlow, A., Johnson-Snyder, A. J., Killingsworth, B. L., & Reed, A. H. (2024). Towards Auditing Firm Success: Factors That Reduce Auditors’ Intention to Leave. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.33423/jlae.v21i2.7027

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