Search results

The creation of well‐designed products is widely acknowledged as an important contributor to company success. In principle, an effective design process, as part of the wider new product development (NPD) process, should result in well‐designed products. This paper aims to present a tool to enable a design team to evaluate their design process in a workshop setting, with a view to targeting improvements.

This tool is based on literature and has been iteratively developed using a mixed research approach, including detailed exploratory cases and application in action research mode.

The resulting tool comprises two main components. A “process audit” based on process maturity principles, which targets the design‐related activities in NPD. The process audit enables a company team to identify improvement opportunities in the design process. A product audit enables perceptions towards product characteristics to be assessed. The audit tool does not seek to be a benchmarking tool, but aims to capture “good design” principles in a form which is accessible and useful to practitioners.

In use, the tool enabled managers to balance their concern with meeting budget and timescale demands against the importance of producing well‐designed products. By first focusing on the tangible output of the design process – the product – practitioners are better able to understand the way in which design decisions influence product usability, desirability and producibility. Evidence from cases confirms the value and originality of this tool.

Previous tools addressing product development have focused on strategic and managerial concerns. This novel assessment tool focuses explicitly on design issues, within the wider context of NPD.

This study aims to explore the implementation of data analytics in the Big-Four accounting firms, including the extent to which a digital transformation is changing the work of financial auditors, why it is doing so and how these firms are managing the transformation process.

The authors conducted 23 interviews with 20 participants across four hierarchical levels from three of the Big-Four accounting firms in New Zealand.

The firms have entered the era of “smart audit systems”, in which auditors provide deep business insights that are communicated more effectively through data visualisation. The full potential, however, of data analytics depends not only on the transformation process within accounting firms but also on improvement in the quality of IT systems in client companies. The appointment of transformation managers, the recruitment of technology-savvy graduates and the provision of extensive training are helping to embed data analytics in the Big-Four firms. Accounting graduates in financial audit now need to show that they have the aptitude to become “citizen data scientists”.

The findings explain how data analytics is being embraced in the Big-Four auditing firms and underline the implications for those who work in them.

The findings challenge the “technological reluctance” thesis. In contrast, the authors observe a climate of positive attitudes towards new technology and accompanying actions in the Big-Four firms. The authors show how branches of the Big-Four firms operating distantly from their global headquarters, and with smaller economies of scale, are implementing the new technologies that characterise their global firms.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of emerging technology (technology adoption, perceived benefits, technological challenges and ease of use) and the auditing practice of accounting professionals.

The primary method of data collection was a questionnaire directed to newly practicing chartered accountants who are partners of sole proprietorship or partnership firms in India. The data were analyzed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The findings revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between characteristics of emerging technology (technology adoption, technological challenges and ease of use) and auditing practice, while factors of the perceived benefits had a negative relationship with auditing practice.

The study model would aid technology enabled audit research by giving a platform for a new study to investigate further detailed solutions to emerging information technology determinants.

This study illustrates how tools technique perceived benefit motivates sole proprietorship practicing auditors to adopt emerging technology- enabled auditing software for auditing client's financial statements. Further, this study has added to the information technology auditing literature and might add benefits to the numerous other audit firms to adopt in emerging technology tools their audit firm.

Audit firms, generally sole proprietorship and partnership firms, should be given enough awareness about the latest audit software tools to carry out their audit tasks efficiently.

The study findings highlight benefits of emerging technology-enabled auditing practice among owners/partners of the sole proprietorship or partnership firms, which is not extensively discussed in the prior studies. Furthermore, it broadens knowledge of perceived benefit, technological challenges and ease of use in technology-enabled audit software in the auditing and accounting literature.

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?

The authors use a cross-sectional, case-based field study comparing four engagements in a major audit firm.

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.

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.

The paper presents a discussion of the reasons why auditors do not fully use technology and provide tools to increase its usability.

The paper benefits from a unique opportunity of interviewing audit teams of a large firm, as well as through reviewing their work papers.

This paper aims to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) audit tool for auditing text-based evidence and determine its efficiency and effectiveness.

A manual audit checklist and an AI audit tool are developed with fuzzy front-end (FFE) from Innovation Management System Standard (IMSS) as the audit scope, First, a manual audit of five organisations is conducted to determine their compliance scores. The transcripts of the audit are recorded which are used by the AI audit tool to assign compliance scores for the same organisations. The effectiveness and efficiency of the AI audit tool are determined by comparing their results with the manual audit.

This paper demonstrates the development of the FFE AI audit tool which led to 92% improved efficiency while being 95% effective compared to a human auditor.

The publication of new financial and non-financial standards (such as ISO56002: IMSS) have implications for internal auditing (IA). The scope of IA must expand to include new standards while remaining efficient. Emerging technologies, such as AI help achieve this. Even though the use of AI in financial auditing is widely studied, it has not received similar attention in non-financial auditing. This paper develops a non-financial AI audit tool to audit an essential component of the IMSS, the FFE of innovation and determine its efficiency and effectiveness.

The study develops an FFE AI audit tool for the first time. The methodology used has practical and academic implications for the use of AI in non-financial auditing.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual auditing framework (CAF), which can help the organizations that experience difficulties with current ISO 9001 auditing to achieve their desired benefits with regard to the auditing of conformance, performance, risk management and improvement collectively.

A literature review was undertaken to identify the audit limitations and the program strategies that were reported in literature to overcome these limitations. The relevant audit standard (ISO 9001:2015) and guidelines (ISO 19011:2011 and ISO 19011:2018) have also been reviewed to determine the gap in relation to this purpose.

Most of the previous suggestions to overcome the difficulties of the current ISO 9001 auditing were to focus on processes in addition to ISO 9001 clauses and to apply the two principles of “Process Approach” and “Improvement” of ISO 9001, by having the manner of integration of their risk-based thinking concept and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approaches, respectively, within audit. However, this integration also has limitations such as the desire for implementing risk management program and the necessity for applying LSS approach. Therefore, a CAF was developed to enhance the ISO 9001 quality audit. It suggests the integration of 12 management tools that are connected to the seven principles of ISO 9001:2015 severally and collectively. The selected tools ought to be linked to the audit limitations that have been previously reported in the literature, and connected with the complaints of the organizations that experience difficulties with current ISO 9001 auditing. Auditing of conformance/performance, risk management and improvement in combination can be assured by upgrading, testing and validating this CAF.

Utilizing the ISO 9001 quality audit in a way that helps organizations to audit performance, risk management and improvement in combination by changing the auditing approach from ISO 9001 elements to ISO 9001 principles and by learning from the experience of business excellence models implementers in development of the Performance measurement frameworks and in converting the concepts and principles into practice.

This paper aims to explore organisational intentions to use Big Data and Big Data Analytics (BDA) in external auditing. This study conceptualises different contingent motivating factors based on prior literature and the views of auditors, business clients and regulators regarding the external auditing practices and BDA.

Using the contingency theory approach, a literature review and 21 in-depth interviews with three different types of respondents, the authors explore factors motivating the use of BDA in external auditing.

The study presents a few key findings regarding the use of BD and BDA in external auditing. By disclosing a comprehensive view of current practices, the authors identify two groups of motivating factors (company-related and institutional) and the circumstances in which to use BDA, which will lead to the desired outcomes of audit companies. In addition, the authors emphasise the relationship of audit companies, business clients and regulators. The research indicates a trend whereby external auditors are likely to focus on the procedures not only to satisfy regulatory requirements but also to provide more value for business clients; hence, BDA may be one of the solutions.

The conclusions of this study are based on interview data collected from 21 participants. There is a limited number of large companies in Lithuania that are open to co-operation. Future studies may investigate the issues addressed in this study further by using different research sites and a broader range of data.

Current practices and outcomes of using BD and BDA by different types of respondents differ significantly. The authors wish to emphasise the need for audit companies to implement a BD-driven approach and to customise their audit strategy to gain long-term efficiency. Furthermore, the most challenging factors for using BDA emerged, namely, long-term audit agreements and the business clients’ sizes, structures and information systems.

The original contribution of this study lies in the empirical investigation of the comprehensive state-of-the-art of BDA usage and motivating factors in external auditing. Moreover, the study examines the phenomenon of BD as one of the most recent and praised developments in the external auditing context. Finally, a contingency-based theoretical framework has been proposed. In addition, the research also makes a methodological contribution by using the approach of constructivist grounded theory for the analysis of qualitative data.

The purpose of this paper is to test the validity of the curriculum auditing tool Sustainability Tool for Auditing University Curricula in Higher Education (STAUNCH©), which was designed to audit the education for sustainability and global citizenship content of higher education curricula. The Welsh Assembly Government aspires to incorporate sustainability across all sectors and required an audit of all higher education curricula within Wales. The paper also discusses responses to the auditing process, findings at an institutional and national level and proposes recommendations for improvements.

The University of Wales, Newport, provides the case study to test the validity of the STAUNCH© software.

The quality and effectiveness of the curriculum content was not identified by the audit. The audit identified what the curriculum offered but did not necessarily reflect that studied by students. Modules offered on more than one course were awarded credit within the “cross‐cutting” criteria of the audit and this distorted the final results. The audit enabled curriculum managers to identify programmes of study which exhibited strengths and limitations in this area. Utilising a common auditing tool across the Welsh higher education sector allows for future developments to be collective and collaborative.

A general consensus of opinion from a network of Welsh higher education institutions regarding any future use of this auditing tool is currently one of uncertainty as far as any validity the tool may bring to driving the sustainability agenda forward. Alterations to the STAUNCH© software and auditing process are proposed if possible future audits are to be more effective. Nevertheless, within a relatively short time span education for sustainable development and global citizenship within Welsh higher education is gaining momentum. Amendments have been made to university documentation, staff‐training initiatives developed and the potential impact of curriculum development in this area is beginning to be realised.

This paper discusses the application of a new sustainability curriculum‐auditing tool and the validity of the tool in progressing sustainability within the higher education sector.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an auditing framework which would assist the organizations that experience difficulties with the current ISO 9001 quality audits to achieve their planned objectives with regard to their auditing of conformance, performance, risk management (RM) and improvement collectively.

A literature review was conducted to develop a conceptual audit framework (CAF). Subsequently, a preliminary audit framework (PAF) was developed. It includes the questions that are based on the CAF and connected with the complaints of the concerned organization. This PAF was thoroughly tested and validated by performing 11 internal audits, 2 management reviews (MR) and 3 workshops.

Applying this PAF indicated that in order to help organizations to audit their performance, RM and improvement collectively, they need to: change their audit approach from ISO elements to ISO principles, integrate the tools that are related to ISO 9001 Principles within the audit’s phases, perform pre-audits in the form of self-auditing, induce auditors to learn all tools to determine the ideal tools for particular situation, audit each department in combination with its internal customer, involve their auditors in problem solving, perform MR prior to closing the audit and analyze the results of audits with their causes by using one of the appropriate qualitative methods, such as analysis by themes. Finally, an auditing framework was developed to meet these needs. It includes the PAF’s questions that led to the discovery of chronic and systematic audit findings. It enhances any ISO 9001 Quality Auditing Questionnaires Checklist.

This study enhances the role of auditors to include risk identification, problem solving and data analysis by development of an auditing framework that is based on ISO 9001 Principles rather than clauses.

In light of the increasing demand on auditors to make the audit more effective and efficient, this paper presents a brief summary of the most prominent computer assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATTs), which auditors can use to increase audit efficiency and effectiveness. Additionally, the results of a survey of governmental auditors which inquired about their perceptions of a specific type of CAATTs (generalized audit software proxied by the use of Audit Control Language or ACL) are presented. Results show that auditors seemed to perceive the potential benefits associated with ACL; however, they displayed a lower confidence in their technical abilities in using the application. Also, the auditors surveyed expressed a desire to increase their skills through increased ACL training. Taken together, these results give audit decision makers evidence that additional technical training is needed and desired by auditors.