Professor Phyllis MO

Head and Professor

Department of Accountancy

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Academic & Professional Qualifications

PhD (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
MBA (University of Birmingham)
BBA (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

CPA (H.K.)
FCCA (U.K.)

Biography

With a bachelor and PhD degrees in Accounting from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a MBA degree from the University of Birmingham in the U.K., Professor Mo had professional experience with leading firms (TVB and Coopers & Lybrand, now merged to become PricewaterhouseCoopers) and academic faculty experience with well-established academic institutions (the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Southern California, Lingnan University and City University of Hong Kong). She is a veteran auditing professor with updated knowledge on auditing theory and practices through research and professional activities. Professor Mo has a great variety of teaching experience from diploma to PhD programmes. She is a CPA with many interactions with the professional and business communities, and through such connections, she actively supports students for internships and placements.

Research and Teaching Interests

Auditing, tax compliance, corporate governance and sustainability

Intellectual Contributions (Publications, Conferences, Books, Book Chapters, etc.)

Professor Mo has published extensively in leading accounting journals including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Contemporary Accounting Research, Review of Accounting Studies, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, British Accounting Review, Accounting Horizons, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, Journal of the American Taxation Association, Journal of International Accounting Research, Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, and International Journal of Accounting.

Selected Journal Publications

“Auditors’ Response to Controlling Shareholders’ Share Pledging: Evidence from Audit Opinions and Audit Fees” (with Chan, Jiang and Zhang) Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory (AJPT) (2025), 44 (1): 27-53.
“High-Speed Railways, Audit Partner Changes across Audit Offices and Audit Quality: Evidence from China” (with Chan, Liu and Li), British Accounting Review (BAR) (2025), 57 (3), 101506.
“Long-term Tax Strategy and Corporate Acquisition Payment Structure: An Analysis based on the Book-Tax Tradeoff Theory” (Chan, He and Zhang), Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics (JCAE) (2024), 20(30): 100442.
“Informativeness of Internal Control Weakness Disclosure on Acquirers’ M&A Decisions” (with Chan and Yorke), Accounting Horizons (AH) (2024). 38(2): 83-100.
“Secrecy Culture, Client Importance, and Auditor Reporting Behavior: An International Study” (with Lam and Rahman), Managerial Auditing Journal (2024), 39 (2): 113-137.
“Partner-Level Internal Control Opinion Shopping and Its Economic Consequences: Evidence from “SOX 404” in an Emerging Market” (with Guo, Guo and Zhang), Journal of Accounting and Public Policy (JAPP) (2023), 42(6), 107056.
“Does Independent Director Experience Improve Individual Auditors’ Audit Quality?” (with Guo and Li), Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance (JAAF) (2023), 38(4), 964-985.
“Does IFRS Convergence Improve Earnings Informativeness? An Analysis from the Book-tax Tradeoff Perspective” (with Chan, Lin and Wong), Accounting and Business Research (ABR) (2023), 53(2), 158-184.
“Do Abnormal IPO Audit Fees Signal IPO Audit Quality and Post-IPO Performance? A Principal-Agent Analysis Based on Evidence from China” (with Chan and Zhang), Journal of International Accounting Research (JIAR) (2021), 20(1): 1-29.
“Can Auditors’ Local Knowledge Compensate for a Weaker Regulatory Oversight for the Audit Quality of Foreign Companies” (with Chan and Guo), Accounting and Business Research (ABR) (2021), 51(2): 127-155.
“Market Competition, Audit Fee Stickiness, and Audit Quality: Evidence from China” (with Chang and Guo), Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory (AJPT) (2019), 36(2):79-99.
“Tax Collector or Tax Avoider? An Investigation of Intergovernmental Agency Conflicts” (with Chan and Tang), The Accounting Review (TAR) (2017), 92 (2): 247-270.
“The Effects of Using Bank Auditors on Audit Quality and the Agency Cost of Bank Loans” (with Chan and Jiang), Accounting Horizons (2017), 31 (4): 133-153.
“Auditors’ Constraining Effect on Tax Noncompliance at Different Book-Tax Conformity Levels in a Transitional Economy” (with Chan and Luo), Journal of International Accounting Research (2016), 15 (3):1-30.
“Determinants and Implications of Long Audit Reporting Lags: Evidence from China” (with Chan and Luo), Accounting and Business Research (2016), 46 (2): 145-166.
“Tax Avoidance and Tunneling: Empirical Analysis from an Agency Perspective” (with Chan and Tang), Journal of International Accounting Research (2016), 15 (3): 49-66.
“Auditors’ Going Concern Reporting in the Pre- and Post-Bankruptcy Law Eras: Chinese Affiliates of Big 4 versus Local Auditors”, (with Rui and Xi), International Journal of Accounting (2015), 50 (1): 1-30.
“Auditors’ Reporting Conservatism after Regulatory Sanctions: Evidence from China” (with Firth and Wong), Journal of International Accounting Research (2014), 13(2): 1-24.
“Auditors’ Organizational Form, Legal Liability and Reporting Conservatism: Evidence from China” (with Firth and Wong), Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR) (2012), Vol. 29, No. 1, pp.57-93.
“Will a Departure from Tax-based Accounting Encourage Tax Noncompliance? Archival Evidence from a Transition Economy” (with Chan and Lin), Journal of Accounting and Economics (JAE) (2010), Vol. 50, No.1, pp.58-73.
“Managerial Autonomy and Tax Compliance: An Empirical Study on International Transfer Pricing” (with Chan and Lo), The Journal of the American Taxation Association (JATA) (2006), Vol.28, No. 2, pp.1-22.
“A Political-Economic Analysis of Auditor Reporting and Auditor Switches,” (with Chan and Lin), Review of Accounting Studies (RAS) (2006), Vol. 11, No.1, pp.21-48.
“Financial Statement Frauds and Auditor Sanctions: An Analysis of Enforcement Actions in China” (with Firth and Wong), Journal of Business Ethics (2005), 62 (4): 367-381.
“An Empirical Study on the Impact of Culture on Audit-Detected Accounting Errors” (with Chan and Lin), Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory (2003), 22(2): 291-295.
“The Impact of Firm Characteristics on Book-Tax-Conforming and Book-Tax-Difference Audit Adjustments”, (with Chan), The Journal of the American Taxation Association (2002), 24 (2): 18-34.
“Tax Holidays and Tax Noncompliance: An Empirical Study of Corporate Tax Audits in China’s Developing Economy,” (with Chan), The Accounting Review (TAR) (2000), Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 469-484.

Scholarly Books and Monographs

Pawnshops in the Chinese Communities and Corporate Governance 華人社區當押業與公司管治 (2024), (with Chan, Lin and Wong), Joint Publishing, Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Professional Services and the Belt-Road Initiative: Challenges for Co-evolving Sustainability, (2023), (with Li) London: Routledge.
Transcending the Bottleneck –The Hong Kong Accountancy Profession 突破瓶頸: 香港會計業 (2017), (with Li, Chan and Kam). City University Press.
A Dream of the Red Chambers and Corporate Governance of Family Businesses 紅樓夢與家族企業管治 (2009), (with Chan and Wong). Hong Kong: Commercial Press. (in Chinese)
Tax Avoidance and Anti-Avoidance Measures in Major Developing Economies (2003) (single-authored); 207 pages. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Modern Auditing 现代审计学 (2003), (with Chen and Shi), 210 pages. Beijing, PRC: Tsinghua University Press. (In Chinese).

Research Grants and Awards

Awarded numerous research grants as principal investigator or co-investigator.

Recent RGC grants include:

Hong Kong Insolvency and Restructuring Law and Policy in Times of COVID-19 and Beyond (Co-Principal Investigator), (Collaborative Research Fund).
Why Government-Controlled Firms Avoid Taxes? Further Evidence (Principal Investigator).
Will Changes in Book-Tax Conformity Affect the Effectiveness of Monitoring Mechanisms in Constraining Corporate Tax Noncompliance? (Co-investigator).
An Empirical Tax Compliance Study on the Association between Tax Audits and Financial Audits (Principal Investigator).
Could a Tax Credit Rating System create a Spillover Effect to reduce the Tax Avoidance of Peer Firms? (Co-Investigator).
Does Sharing the Same Auditor with Listed Affiliated Firms Affect IPO Audit Quality? An Analysis at the Audit Firm and Partner Levels (Co-Investigator).
Book-Tax Relationships, Tax Avoidance and IPO: Evidence from China (Co-Investigator).
Revisiting the DeAngelo (1981) Theory on Auditor Size and Audit Quality at the Audit Firm, Audit Office and Engagement Partner Levels (Co-Investigator).

Strategic Public Policy Research (SPPR) and Public Policy Research (PPR) Fund:

Hong Kong Professional Services in the Co-evolving Belt-Road Initiative: Innovative Agency for Sustainable Development (SPPR, Co-Investigator)
Sustainability and Social Mobility in Professional Services: A Case Study of Accounting Profession in Hong Kong (PPR, Co-I)

Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme (PASS):

Economic and Trade Cooperation Zones Along Belt and Road Workshop Series (Deputy Project Coordinator)

Contract Policy Research:

Estimation of Carbon Emissions of the Hong Kong Financial Sector and Policy Recommendation (Funded by European Climate Foundation/Sunrise Project) (Co-Principal Investigator)

Business and Professional Engagement

Editorship/Editorial Board of Academic Journals:

Associate Editor, Accounting and Business Research (2020- now)
Associate Editor, Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Economics (2013-2023)
Editorial Board member, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory (2015-now)
Editorial Board member, Journal of International Accounting Research (2017- now)
Editorial Board member, Review of Accounting and Finance (2020-now)

Professional Services:

Served on various committees of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) including Sustainability Assurance Advisory Panel (2024 – now), Greater Bay Area Committee (2020-2021) and Auditing & Assurance Standards Committee (2012-2017);
Member of the ESG Disclosure and Integration Working Group of Hong Kong Green Finance Association (2019 – 2024)

Public Services:

Non-Executive Director, Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (2024-now)
Convenor, Financial Reporting Review Panel, Financial Reporting Council (2024-now)
Member, Vetting Committee of the Trade and Industrial Organisation Support Fund, HKSAR (2022 – now)
Member, Vetting Committee of Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, HKSAR (2020 – now)
Board of Review (Inland Revenue Ordinance) (2015- 2020)
Selection Panel Member, Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee (2015-2016)