Abstract-External auditing is essential due to the belief that it can enhance users' reliability of the financial reports. However, negative perception on auditor's independence decreases investors' reliability on the reports. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of audit and non-audit fees on earnings response coefficient. Negative perception on auditor's independence concerning the high amount of fees decreases the investors' reliability on audited earnings and thus, results in lower ERCs. Based on 270 listed companies on the Bursa Malaysia in 2011, the OLS regression result shows that investors place lower reliability on earnings audited by highly paid auditors. Investors view high fees as a form of compensation to the auditors. The finding is consistent with earlier perceived studies which had found negative perceptions on high fees.Index Terms-Audit fees, non-audit fees, earnings response coefficient, auditor independence.

Reliability of quarterly accounts has been a concern by many. The occurrence of deviation between earnings reported in audited annual accounts and cumulative quarterly accounts has been posited as a signal of low reliability in quarterly earnings. This study examines whether the earnings deviation is more related to misstatements rather than the occurrence of events after reporting period. Data is based on Bursa Malaysia listed companies consisting of 731 observations for the period between 2000 until 2012. It is found that only a total of 14 percent of sample had declared events after reporting period, while 95 percent have declared misstatements as reasons for earnings deviation. At the same time, the mean magnitude of earnings deviation related to misstatements is RM15 million, while only less than RM4 million is related to events after reporting period. Results of the t-test show that the magnitude of earnings deviation related to misstatements is significantly higher than those related to events after reporting period. The results suggest that earnings deviation is more related to low quality of quarterly earnings, instead of mandatory accounting adjustments. Finding suggests the need for the company and regulators to take steps to resolve the occurrence of earnings deviation. Future studies should also explore the individual items involved in the earnings deviation.

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Market demand for employees who are proficient in English language has increased nowadays, hence, many developing countries including Malaysia has put high emphasis on their local university graduates' capabilities to master the foreign language by implementing various methods of cultivating the use of English in the university settings. Hence, the main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of English language proficiency on a student’s academic performance in the university. Previous studies conducted in this area simply focuses on either testing the results of language tests or perceptions of students themselves, but none have yet to combine both techniques in investigating the impact, especially in Malaysia. This study utilizes 300 respondents among business students from four (4) public universities in Malaysia. The results of the study suggest that on average the respondents do perceive the importance of being proficient in English in manoeuvring the academic environment in the university. The results also indicate significant effect between students’ secondary results (i.e., SPM) and English entrance exam (i.e., MUET) with students’ academic performance in the university (i.e., CGPA).