The Center for Audit Quality’s Research Advisory Board Awards Four New Grants

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Washington, DC – The Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) has awarded four new grants to fund independent academic research on projects of interest to the auditing profession. Over the past 12 years, the CAQ has provided funding for 48 such projects through its Research Advisory Board (RAB) grant program.

The RAB grant recipients will receive funding to support their research. In addition, since these four projects are behavioral research projects, the CAQ will assist in providing access to auditors from its eight Governing Board firms. To date, RAB grant projects have produced 22 peer-reviewed journal articles, which can be accessed on the CAQ website here.

“The CAQ is proud to support auditing academics in their pursuit of research that can provide insights into audit quality,” said CAQ Vice President for Research and Anti-Fraud Initiatives, Margot Cella. “We congratulate this year’s grant recipients who will be addressing important research questions.”

The CAQ’s RAB, comprised of members from academia and the auditing profession, selected the following projects to receive funding:

• Austin, Ashley, University of Richmond. “Detecting Fraud: A Proactive Approach to Improving Auditors’ Attention to Fraud During Audit Testing.”
• Holman, Blake, University of Kentucky; and Benjamin C. Commerford, University of Kentucky. “Human Versus Non-Human Specialists: The Costs and Benefits of Additional Explanation.”
• Jollineau, Jane, University of San Diego; Mary Parlee Durkin, University of San Diego; and Sarah C. Lyon, University of San Diego. “Does the Phrasing of a Client Inquiry Matter?  Effects on Client Deception and Relationship Building.”
• Schaefer, Tammie, University of Missouri – Kansas City; and Joseph F. Brazel, North Carolina State University. “False Positives vs. Hit Rates: Does the Framing of Data Analytic Calibration Affect Auditor Skepticism?”

The request for proposals for the 2021 cycle will be released in November 2020; proposal submissions will be due by Monday, March 15, 2021.

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About The Center for Audit Quality

The Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) is an autonomous public policy organization dedicated to enhancing investor confidence and public trust in the global capital markets. The CAQ fosters high-quality performance by public company auditors; convenes and collaborates with other stakeholders to advance the discussion of critical issues that require action and intervention; and advocates policies and standards that promote public company auditors’ objectivity, effectiveness, and responsiveness to dynamic market conditions. Based in Washington, DC, the CAQ is affiliated with the American Institute of CPAs. For more information, visit thecaq.org.

Press Contact:

Ben Edwards
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(202) 609-8048
bedwards@thecaq.org