The “Big Four” largest international accounting and audit firms — Deloitte, EY, PwC and KPMG — wield significant influence on audit quality and industry fee structures worldwide, sparking ongoing discussion over the last few years.

Fayez Elayan, a CPA Ontario Transdisciplinary Research Scholar, will explore auditee merger, audit fees and the market dominance of the Big Four during the next Goodman Luncheon Speaker Series event on Friday, Nov. 15.

Elayan is Chair and Professor of Accounting at the Goodman School of Business, where he began teaching in 2004. He holds a PhD in Finance from Louisiana State University and an MBA in Finance and Investments from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In addition to his time at Brock University, he has previously held various faculty positions at North Dakota State University, Northeast Louisiana University, Southwest Missouri State University and Massey University in New Zealand.

Elayan is a member of numerous associations and committees including the Canadian Academic Accounting Association and the American Allied Social Science Association. His research focuses on merger and acquisitions, credit rating and capital markets.

The Luncheon Speaker Series is open to anyone and provides Goodman faculty, staff and students with an informal opportunity to discuss recent advances in research, teaching and practices with business colleagues. The talk will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Sankey Chamber.

The event is also part of the 60 Research Talks at Brock series, which celebrates 60 years of impactful research at the University.

Anyone interested in attending can RSVP to Crystal Li at goodmandean@brocku.ca to reserve a seat.