Effect of Computer Assisted Audit Tools on Corporate Sustainability

The literature is fertile in studies that examine the determinants of internal and external auditors’ adoption of computer-assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATs), often ignoring their practical effects on audit quality and organizational performance. This study provides novel evidence on the type of CAATs used by internal auditors, tests the effect of their adoption on corporate sustainability, and explores the moderating effect of organizational characteristics. In this paper, we used data from Portuguese internal auditors collected through a survey, whose research hypotheses were analyzed by the partial least squares–structural equation modeling technique. We found that internal auditors use CAATs moderately in the exercise of their tasks. The results of our study show that there is a strong and positive effect of the use of CAATs by internal auditors on fraud detection in the purchase-to-pay business process, and that the intensity of this relationship is not influenced by the type and size of the entity. This study complements previous research and provides support to practitioners’ decisions that can boost the use of CAATs in internal auditing to make organizations more sustainable.

Effectiveness of internal audit in local governments: The moderating role of internal and external auditors’ relations

Research on the internal audit function is relevant for improving the quality of governance in organizations. The internal auditor is an important element of government management in the context of realizing good governance by providing quality and effective audit results. The aim of this study is to examine the factors influencing (determinants) the effectiveness of the internal audit function in Indonesian local government organizations. The research samples were 137 respondents. This study used primary data in the form of a questionnaire. The hypothesis testing technique used Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis. The results of statistical tests showed that independence, competence, and management support could increase the effectiveness of the internal audit function. However, this cooperative relationship does not moderate the influence of competence and management support on the effectiveness of internal audit. The practical implication of this study is that in order to increase the effectiveness of internal audit, internal auditors must uphold an attitude of independence, objectivity and freedom from conflicts of interest in carrying out their professional responsibilities. The practical value of this study also shows that to increase the effectiveness of public sector internal audit, internal and external auditors must increase cooperation to improve the effectiveness of internal audit, especially in discussion activities between internal and external auditors, communication between internal and external auditors, and activities to share working papers between internal and external auditors.

The Effect of Auditors' Use of Analytical Procedures in the Light of ISA 520 on Audit Quality: Evidence from Jordan

This study aims to demonstrate the effect of auditors' use of analytical procedures in the light of audit standard 520 (ISA 520) on the audit quality from the point of view of external auditors in Jordan. Moreover, the study sought to make valuable recommendations to develop audit methods and address weaknesses to take advantage of financial analysis methods. To achieve the objectives of the study, questionnaire was developed included (35) questions distributed to a sample of auditors practitioners of the audit profession and numbered (64) auditors, have been recovered, (60) of them were collected, and all of them, were used in analysis; One sample t-test was used to test the hypotheses of the study. the researcher found: There is a statistically significant impact of auditors' use of analytical procedures on the quality of audit for both: the auditor 's use of financial ratios and the comparing financial ratios and extracted information with predetermined standards (financial analysis standards), also there are no statistically significant differences on the impact of auditors' use of analytical procedures on the quality of audit attributable to personal variables (educational qualification, specialization, duration of service). Finally, researchers Finally, the researcher made some recommendations to develop the audit process, the most important of them: The supervisory authorities shall ensure that Audit offices and auditors should comply with international auditing standards in general and in the field of analytical procedures based on the International Auditing Standard (520), as well as Standard No. (220) on Quality Auditing in particular. and professional standards and meet the wishes of users of financial statements to achieve quality control and be subject to peer review.

The Impact of Auditors’ Industry Knowledge and Experience on Premature Sign-Offs: Evidence from Jordan

This study aims to investigate the impact of auditors’ industry knowledge (AIK) and auditor experience (EXP) on premature sign-offs (PMSOs) among external auditors. PMSOs is one of dysfunctional behaviours in auditing that eventually affects the audit quality. Audit quality is defined as all audit procedures are satisfactorily performed and stakeholders are not negatively affected with the results of poor audit quality. While the topic of audit quality has received great attention from previous studies decades ago, studies on how AIK and auditor experience affects PMSOs are limited. Therefore, this study examined the effects of AIK and auditor experience on PMSOs. Survey data was gathered from 144 auditors in the Jordanian audit firms. AMOS-SEM was used to analyse the data for testing the hypotheses. Results revealed that AIK and auditor experience negatively affected PMSOs. Based on these findings, this study suggests that to a certain extent PMSOs practices are prevalent in Jordanian audit firms, AIK, and auditor experience are a measure that can be used to reduce the PMSOs practices. Thus, this study provides empirical evidence of the impact factor determining the effect of auditor knowledge in the industry and auditor experience on the dysfunctional behaviour-PSMOs and impact on audit quality. The limitations of this study and recommendations for future research are also provided.

The Effect of Corporate Sustainable Management on the Relationship between Cost Stickiness and Earnings Transparency

This study empirically analyzes the relationship between cost stickiness and earnings transparency. Additionally, this study examines the effect of corporate sustainable management (CSM) on the relationship between cost stickiness and earnings transparency. The evaluation scores of Korea Corporate Governance Service (KCGS) are employed to measure CSM activities. The empirical results show that the relationship between cost stickiness and earnings transparency is significant in the negative direction. This means that the more sticky the costs of a firm, the lower the earnings transparency of the firm. In addition, the relationship between the interaction variables of CSM and cost stickiness and earnings transparency is significant in the positive direction. This indicates that CSM activities act as a mechanism to mitigate the negative relationship between cost stickiness and earnings transparency. The findings of this study, which presented the effects of cost stickiness on earnings transparency and the fact that CSM activities act as a device to suppress the opportunistic cost behavior of managers, are expected to provide important implications to investors, external auditors, and supervisors.

What do You Know About Audit Quality in Malaysian Small and Medium Audit Firms?

Audit quality has been addressed and is being discussed globally, throughout the years. The Enron Corporation and WorldCom cases have affected the reputation of the audit profession. The credibility of auditors also has become more questionable as the auditors' function in identifying mistakes and fraud is being debated by the public. However, the issue of audit quality has only focused on big firms only. There is shortage of studies that focussed on audit quality in small and medium audit firms. In line with this issue, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between top management support, auditor’s experience and auditor’s accountability on audit quality amongst small-medium audit firms in Malaysia. By employing the Attribution Theory, the study utilised purposive sampling. The data used in this study was primary data obtained through questionnaires from external auditors in small and medium sized audit firms around Klang Valley. A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed and the number of usable questionnaires was 81. Findings indicate that auditor’s experience and auditor’s accountability have a significant effect on audit quality. This research thus contributes to standard setters, regulators, policymakers and other audit firms by providing evidence with regard to the determinants of audit quality judgment in Malaysian small and medium audit firms. Keywords: audit quality, small and medium audit firms, audit judgments, accountability, audit experience

Dampak Self Efficacy, Moral Intention Dan Budaya Etis Organisasi Terhadap Whistleblowing Intention

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of Self Efficacy, Moral Intention and Organizational Ethical Culture on Whistleblowing Intention. The data used in this study are primary data obtained through distributing questionnaires to respondents, namely external auditors who work in public accounting firms in Surabaya. The sampling method uses non-probability sampling with saturated sampling technique. The sample consists of 33 external auditors who work in the Public Accounting Firm in Surabaya. The analytical tool used to test the hypothesis is multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that self-efficacy, moral intention, and organizational culture simultaneously had a positive effect on whistleblowing intention. Self-efficacy and moral intention partially do not affect whistleblowing intention, while organizational ethical culture partially has a positive effect on whistleblowing intention.

The Role of External Auditor Responsible in Examining and Assessing the Sustainability Dimensions of the Audited Companies

The study aims to identify the responsibility of the external auditor in examining and evaluating the dimensions of sustainability information from the perspective of the auditors who are working in Iraqi companies and auditing offices. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire was created and distributed to a random sample of the study population consisting of auditors working in Iraqi companies and auditing offices. 83 questionnaires were retrieved, and all were valid for statistical analysis, which indicates100% of the sample study. The results of the study show that there is awareness among the external auditors in Iraq about their responsibility to examine and evaluate information related to dimensions of economic, environmental and social and the governance rules for sustainability and their application of the standards on the global reporting initiative (GRI). Besides, the presence of high trend among the auditors causing them to be accountable to the society who are the stakeholders, causing problems that can hinder the performance of the auditors in fulfilling their professional responsibility. This study will highlight several pieces of evidence from the works of literature as references of information to the external auditor and the corporate sustainability in Iraq to the future empirical and theoretical researcher.