DETERMINANTS OF EXTERNAL AUDITORS’ INDEPENDENCE: A CASE STUDY ON ETHIOPIAN AUTHORIZED AUDIT FIRMS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
IASET iaset
Keyword(s):  
External Auditors ◽  
Audit Firms

Technology in audit engagements: a case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 350-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miklos A. Vasarhelyi ◽  
Silvia Romero
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Support Teams ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Integration Of Technology ◽  
Employee Competencies ◽  
Audit Team ◽  
Tools And Techniques

Purpose – The audit of corporations is now dependent on the examination of corporate computer systems. Although tools and techniques have been available for decades, there are major limitations on the audits of corporate systems by external auditors. This paper aims to examine external auditor usage of technology benefiting from a unique opportunity of reviewing a large CPA firm's audit work papers and interviewing their audit staff to examine the following questions: are auditors using the available technological tools? What are the difficulties they face in using these tools? Are there mediators to enhance usability? Why and what circumstances surround their absence? Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a cross-sectional, case-based field study comparing four engagements in a major audit firm. Findings – This paper concludes that the characteristics of the audit team largely determine the levels of technology utilization. Furthermore, the integration of technology support teams and auditors may improve usability, and, consequently, increase technology adoption. Research limitations/implications – The paper includes information about four audit engagements. Given that audit firms have different cultures, practices and employee competencies, and hence emphasize the use of technology to varying degrees, it would be desirable to expand this study to reflect these variations. Practical implications – The paper presents a discussion of the reasons why auditors do not fully use technology and provide tools to increase its usability. Originality/value – The paper benefits from a unique opportunity of interviewing audit teams of a large firm, as well as through reviewing their work papers.

scholarly journals Assessing Management Integrity: Insights from Big 4 Auditors in Egypt

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. A29-A39
Author(s):  
Rasha Kassem
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Corporate Scandals ◽  
Fraud Risk ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Fraud Risk Assessments ◽  
Audit Standards

SUMMARY Recent corporate scandals have raised concerns about the quality and value of the audit profession and have generated demands for improving auditors' evaluation of management integrity. The literature lacks evidence regarding methods of assessing management integrity, while audit standards provide little if any guidance on this matter. This raises questions about how external auditors can comply with the audit standards in this area and what best practices and deficiencies exist in the assessment of management integrity. This study examines methods of assessing management integrity by providing insights from the Big 4 auditors in Egypt. The findings of this study will benefit audit firms in their professional audit training programs, as well as auditors conducting fraud risk assessments.

scholarly journals White Collar Fraud: A Case Study of KOSS

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Gagan Kukreja ◽  
Robert Brown
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
White Collar ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Financial Statement Fraud ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Executive Staff ◽  
American Express

Fraud does not draw community and political reaction like other crimes (Chapman & Smith, 2001) yet many believe that fraud can be as serious or even more serious than certain types of street crimes (Rebovich & Kane, 2002). The financial statement fraud of KOSS, an American company of more than $34 million was discovered in 2009 after the tipoff from American Express to Michael Koss, CEO. The fraud was significant relative to the size, turnover and profit of the organization perpetrated by senior accounting professional (white collar). KOSS would be classified as an SME and this fraud emphasizes that it is not only large organizations that need to be vigilant regarding accounting frauds and internal controls, but smaller companies as well. Because of its size, KOSS had little segregation of duties and, as was later revealed, massive weaknesses in internal controls. The external auditors, (Grant Thornton, LLP or “GT”) upon whom management were relying, did not have a full understanding of the business and clearly did not meet the expectations of senior management. It is also appeared that auditors failed to apply required audit standards during the audit. Later on, the external auditors agreed to pay KOSS compensation worth $8.5 million in July 2013 as a settlement.The board of directors including audit committee appeared to be unconcerned regarding effective internal controls, risk management and (wrongly) assumed that they could trust their senior executive staff. The board’s limited policy of ethics and compliance was outdated and did not include a whistleblowing policy. There was no internal audit function reporting to the board. Further, the computerized accounting system was outdated and lacked the application controls found in more modern applications. The purpose of this case study is to analyze what went wrong at KOSS, who was involved in fraud and how such kind of frauds can be avoided in future.

scholarly journals Non-audit fees and auditor independence: Nigerian evidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1029-1049
Author(s):  
Paul Nnamdi Onulaka ◽  
Moade Fawzi Shubita ◽  
Alan Combs
Keyword(s):  
Audit Fees ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Fund Managers ◽  
Expectation Gap ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Economic Necessity

Purpose This study aims to investigate the extent to which the provision of non-audit services (NAS) by external auditors to audit clients affects auditors’ independence and the audit expectation gap in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts an interpretivist approach. In total, 30 semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted to explore the views expressed by audit partners and pension fund managers in Nigeria; group responses were evaluated and presented separately. After transcribing the interview audio recordings, a thematic data analysis of the two groups’ responses was performed. Findings Interpretation of the interview responses indicates that the provision of NAS by audit firms to their audit clients is regarded by auditors as a matter of economic necessity. Nevertheless, it is also perceived as impeding auditors’ independence and increasing the gap between the auditor and public expectations. Practical implications This study contributes to the debate surrounding the need for an independent body to oversee auditing standard setting distinct from the current practice to enhance transparency. Originality/value A qualitative analysis of the nuanced responses obtained from the semi-structured interviews reveals starkly the perceived economic pressures on auditors to accept non-audit work. Moreover, it endorses the regulation to restrict non-audit work in support of a sustainable fee level for an independent audit.

scholarly journals Determinants of audit fees: The perception of external auditors

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 44-54
Author(s):  
Godfred Matthew Yaw Owusu ◽  
Rita Amoah Bekoe
Keyword(s):  
Audit Fees ◽  
Firm Reputation ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Audit Market ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Client Risk ◽  
Level Of Importance ◽  
Chartered Accountants ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

This paper examines the perception of external auditors on the dominant factors that influence audit fees determination. By means of a survey, the study explored from the perspective of external auditors the level of importance audit firms attach to some identified factors in the determination of audit fees. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data from professional auditors working with practicing auditing firms certified and approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG). Using a total of 339 valid responses, the study explored the dimensionality of the factors that influence audit fees by employing the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) procedure. Based on the factor structure identified from the EFA, we subsequently evaluated the level of importance auditors perceive these factors to be in the determination of audit fees. The EFA results suggest that audit fees determinants can be grouped into five distinct factors (Audit firm reputation, experience & expertise; Nature and scope of the audit; Market-wide factor; Client size; Client risk). The factor ‘Client risk’ was rated to be the most important determinant of audit fees distantly followed by the ‘Nature and scope of the audit’ factor. The ‘Market-wide factor’ was rated to be the least important factor in the determination of audit fees. The findings of this study provide some useful insights from the perspective of external auditors on the factors that influence audit fees from a developing country context. 

scholarly journals Performance appraisal and premature sign-offs and underreporting of chargeable time of external auditors – internal benchmarking of experience and gender

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabih Nehme ◽  
Amir Michael ◽  
Alcheikh Edmond Kozah
Keyword(s):  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Performance Appraisals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Internal Benchmarking ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Level Of Experience ◽  
Big Four

PurposeThe research paper investigates auditors' dysfunctional behaviors in relation to performance appraisals. It explores the dysfunctional audit behavior (DAB) differences among experienced/inexperienced and male/female auditors when expecting performance appraisals, how their perception of DAB changes and how their reactive-outcomes vary.Design/methodology/approachThe survey comprises statements pulled from performance appraisal templates used by the Big Four audit firms in the UK. The sample has been tested during two different periods to highlight variations in the perception of DAB.FindingsExperienced auditors become more tolerant of DAB compared to their perception when they were inexperienced. Inexperienced male auditors are generally more accepting of DAB compared to their inexperienced female counterparts. Experienced female respondents continue to be less accepting of DAB.Originality/valueThe study associates performance appraisal procedures with DAB. The analysis examines the perception of dysfunctional behavior according to the level of experience auditors (males and females) accumulate over time.

scholarly journals Auditing versus consultancy: a critique of the EU law reforms on the new form of auditing

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 90-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kubra Kandemir
Keyword(s):  
Audit Fees ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Consulting Services ◽  
Expectations Gap ◽  
Auditor Tenure ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
New Form

Auditors used to serve the interest of the shareholders only. However, there have been significant changes in terms of auditors’ role and their function. Auditors are now expected to verify financial statements, but at the same time give an assurance regarding the financial sustainability of the entity. Regarding the latter role, audit firms provide consulting services, including risk assessment and management services. However, the law does not assign the latter role to external auditors. This situation results in an expectations gap in relation to both the role of the auditors and the scope of the external auditing. In addition, the growing economic importance of consulting and the long years of auditor tenure is likely to impair auditor independence. This paper submits that the new form of auditing is not problematic but creates issues. First, the expectations between the users of the financial reports and auditors are wider. Second, auditors’ independence is damaged due to the long years of auditor tenure and dependence of non-audit fees generated from consultancy services that not related to audit. The recent law reforms issued by the European Commission has brought some important provisions in terms of filling the expectations gap, reinforcing auditor independence and reducing the familiarity threat. EU’s relatively strict rules on provision of non-audit services and audit firm rotation are expected to have an important impact in the audit market. A critical analysis of the new EU law is submitted with some policy recommendations.

scholarly journals An Applied Valuation of the Association among Internal and External Auditors

2018 ◽  
pp. 122-129
Author(s):  
Dr. Alhassan Haladu ◽  
Mohammed Haliru Beri
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Internal Auditor ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Internal Control System ◽  
External Auditor

The study examines the cooperation between internal and external auditors in discharging duties and upholding organizational objectives. The aim is to know how the internal auditor relates with the external auditor once appointed and especially during the process of carrying out his/her duties. To achieve this primary data was collected through face-to-face interview from Mike Ukueje & Co. which is the case study of this research. The result showed that both the internal auditor and external auditor work in the interest of the organization through emphasis on the internal control system even though they are guided in their duties by the articles of association (internal auditor) and CAMA 2004 (external auditor). In the private sector external auditors are welcome whole heartedly by their internal counterpart, while in the public sector they are treated with suspicion and prejudice. For this reason it is advisable to enlighten the public sector more on the responsibilities of the external auditor.

Implications of the Audit Oversight Board: External Auditors’ Perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Mazlina Mustapha ◽  
Foong Sook Hwa
Keyword(s):  
Internal Audit ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Training Costs ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
And Training

The purpose of Audit Oversight Board (AOB) is to oversee the external auditors who audit the listed companies. Its establishment is expected to improve the quality of the audited financial statements and to increase the confidence of the public on the quality of the services provided by the auditors. This study explores how the establishment of audit oversight board affects the auditors in Malaysia. As the study is exploratory in nature with limited studies being carried out on AOB, face-to-face interviews were conducted with the external auditors. The findings show that the establishment of AOB affects the job of external auditors, especially on the documentation and training costs, which vary across audit firms of different sizes. There are opinions that the increased pressure on the external auditors is not solely due to the establishment of AOB, but it is also due to the revised accounting standards and other regulations. The study also finds that the external auditors’ reliance on the internal auditors is not affected by the establishment of AOB. In addition, regardless of whether the internal audit department is in-house or outsourced, it will not affect the reliance of external auditors on the internal auditors work.

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