繼美國安隆案(Enron)後，全球引爆一系列弊案相關報導，使會計師的專業能力及品質遭受嚴重質疑，雖然2002年頒佈之美國沙氏法案(Sarbanes- Oxley Act, SOX) 促使查核人員以更嚴謹的態度進行查核工作，但許多研究也發現在SOX法案通過後，管理者亦轉變其進行盈餘管理的模式，從以往利用應計項目的方式改變為實質營運活動之操縱，以規避審計人員之查核。本文以事務所規模作為審計品質良窳之衡量，檢測「四大」會計師事務所之審計人員抑制實質盈餘管理之能力，藉以瞭解在SOX法案實施之後，審計品質與企業實質盈餘管理之間的關聯性。本研究參照Dechow et al. (1998) 及Roychowdhury (2006)衡量實質盈餘管理之模式，針對美國上市櫃公司2003~2010年之樣本進行分析。實證結果發現當企業為四大事務所查核時，則企業進行實質盈餘管理的程度較低，符合本研究之假說預期。

The occurrences of Enron and followed by a series of accounting scandals have raised the question of the professional ability and audit quality of auditors. Several studies indicate that the management shift from accrual-based earnings management to real earnings management to avoid auditor detection after the effective of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) since 2002. This study employed a firm-level measurement of audit quality based on the size of CPA firms and examined the ability of Big 4 accountants to mitigate real earnings management. My measures of real earnings management are based on the models proposed by Dechow et al. (2008) and Roychowdhury (2006). Using a sample of publicly listed companies in the U.S. from 2003 to 2010, I find that when firms are audited by Big 4 auditors, the degree of real earnings management is, which is consistent with my hypothesis.

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