Auditor industry specialization and market segmentation: Evidence from Hong Kong

Audit fees of Big 6 and non-Big 6 accounting firms are examined for 348 pub licly listed Hong Kong companies. Using more recent data than prior studies , we find evidence of Big 6 premiums for both general brand name and for in dustry specialization. In addition, we find that the large local firm Kwan Wong Tan & Fong, which is the market leader in the property sector, has sig nificantly lower fees than both Big 6 and other non-Big 6 auditors in that industry. Specialization thus leads to different results for Big 6 and non- Big 6 firms and suggests a market segment not previously identified: non-Bi g 6 specialization, which leads to production economies and the capture of market share through lower fees for a clientele seeking low-priced audits. These results also suggest that prior studies do not recognize sufficiently that Big 6 brand-name reputation is a necessary foundation on which to ach ieve higher priced quality-differentiated audits based on industry speciali zation.