Does Signing Auditor's Reputational Promotion Ease the Financing Constraints of Audited Firms?

Abstract

Based on the senior certified public accountants selected by the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants and data drawn from China's A-share listed companies from 2014 to 2019, this study studies the influence mechanism of signing auditors' personal reputational promotion on corporate financing constraints. The results show that the improved reputation of signing auditors will help ease the financing constraints faced by companies. Moreover, compared with that of signing auditors from Big Four accounting firms, the improved reputation of signing auditors from non-Big Four firms has a more significant effect on alleviating the financing constraints of enterprises. In addition, private enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises face more severe financing constraints than state-owned enterprises and large enterprises, and the reputational promotion of signing auditors can better alleviate the financing constraints of the former two types of enterprises. The research conclusions provide theoretical and data-driven support for constructing audit reputation mechanisms in China and improving the financing capabilities of enterprises.