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1 – 10 of over 2000Rhidian A. Hughes, Anu Sinha, Fiona Aspinal, Maria Dunckley, Julia Addington‐Hall and Irene J. Higginson
Clinical outcome measures are used in clinical audit to monitor the quality of care provided to patients. As information technology (IT) is increasingly being integrated into the…
Abstract
Clinical outcome measures are used in clinical audit to monitor the quality of care provided to patients. As information technology (IT) is increasingly being integrated into the delivery of health care, computerising the use of clinical outcome measures has been proposed. However, little is known about the attitudes of health professionals towards this. Aims to understand professionals’ views on adapting one clinical outcome measure – the palliative care outcome scale (POS) – for use on hand‐held computers. Concludes that these results reinforce existing research on clinical outcome measures and IT in health care; identify special palliative care issues when considering the use of computerised clinical outcome measures with patients; and highlight the need for further research.
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Stemming from the need to develop a teaching programme for the delivery of computer auditing/computerised system audit that involved a more hands‐on approach, this research…
Abstract
Stemming from the need to develop a teaching programme for the delivery of computer auditing/computerised system audit that involved a more hands‐on approach, this research describes the identification and creation of a case study, workbook and a spreadsheet of source data for students. Results indicate that students prefer using the computer‐based case study to learn practical auditing techniques.
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Aidi Ahmi and Simon Kent
Generalized audit software (GAS) is the tool use by auditors to automate various audit tasks. As most accounting transactions are now computerized, auditing of accounting data is…
Abstract
Purpose
Generalized audit software (GAS) is the tool use by auditors to automate various audit tasks. As most accounting transactions are now computerized, auditing of accounting data is also expected to be computerized as well. While GAS is the most popular of computer assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATTs), research shows that there is little evidence that GAS has been universally adopted by external auditors. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the utilization of GAS by external auditors in the UK. The paper focuses on small and medium‐sized audit firms in the UK whereas most other GAS studies have examined “Big 4” firms. Registered statutory auditors have been selected as a sample.
Design/methodology/approach
A framework was developed to identify a range of relevant factors which are important when considering the application of GAS. A web‐based survey has been used to gather the perceptions based on the responses from 205 statutory auditors across the UK. The questions posed to respondents were mapped against the framework.
Findings
The research finds that the utilization of GAS is unusually low among audit firms in the UK. About 73 per cent of external auditors make no use of GAS, due to the perceived limited benefit of using GAS for auditing small clients. While some respondents recognized the advantages of GAS, they were put off by what they believed to be high implementation costs; significant learning curve and adoption process; and lack of ease of use – they showed a preference for using traditional manual auditing methods instead.
Research limitations/implications
The paper focuses on small and medium‐sized auditors, and as such the results cannot be extrapolated to Big 4 auditors. Consequently, the responses and conclusions are relevant to the use of GAS during audits of smaller and medium‐sized companies which make up the client base of such audit firms.
Originality/value
This is one of the few studies that have sought to research the utilization of GAS by the external auditor.
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During a pandemic, with businesses implementing social distancing protocols and work-from-home strategies, the use of continuous controls monitoring (CCM) may add value to the…
Abstract
Purpose
During a pandemic, with businesses implementing social distancing protocols and work-from-home strategies, the use of continuous controls monitoring (CCM) may add value to the internal audit function. This study aims to examine the use of CCM technologies and the impact on the internal audit function during a pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a case study approach for this study because it focuses on questions of “how” and “what.” Case studies provided an opportunity for an in-depth analysis of the phenomena being investigated. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. This study did not use sampling. Instead, multiple case studies were used for data collection.
Findings
Based on the findings, this study makes several contributions to the literature, for example, in health-care evidence suggests the pandemic has caused internal audit to focus on risk areas. Other industries, such as retail, have invested in CCM. However, in all cases, education and preparedness (or the lack thereof) appeared to significantly influence uptake of CCM. Organizations that made prior investments in CCM technologies experienced greater acceptance in the face of changing demands. Training in emerging technologies is a key competency in supporting audit operations in changing environments.
Research limitations/implications
As the study was conducted with a small sample of cases, findings cannot be extrapolated nor generalized beyond the case study organizations.
Practical implications
This study found that several factors limit adoption, exploitation and further development of CCM technologies, such as lack of top management support, acceptance of CCM technologies and suitable education and training of internal audit staff.
Originality/value
This study addresses the issue of the value that CCM offers organizations and whether it is a silver bullet that the internal audit profession needs, particularly when physical access to organizations may be restricted. The COVID-19 pandemic placed considerable focus on digital access. Better IT systems and more data will allow organizations to better support employees, inform strategic and financial decisions and engage stakeholders. During the recovery phase, leveraging investments in CCM technologies will contribute to internal audits’ ability to help clients to manage organizational risk.
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Mohammed Muneerali Thottoli and Thomas K.V.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between characteristics of information communication technology (ICT, adoption, confidence, competency and training…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between characteristics of information communication technology (ICT, adoption, confidence, competency and training) and auditing practices. The paper further explained the significance of the auditing practices, evaluated the relationship between ICT characteristics (adoption, confidence, competency, training) and auditing practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a quantitative approach, where a set of questionnaires was developed by making necessary adaptations to available scales/items. Data were collected from practicing chartered accountants in Kerala targeting 89 respondents from various professional auditing firms. The results were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and structural equation modelling-partial least squares statistical tools.
Findings
The findings confirmed that there is a positive relationship between three components of ICT factors on audit practice, namely, ICT adoption, ICT competency and ICT training, whereas the factor, ICT confidence has a negative relationship with audit practice. Thus, the availability of ICT-competent staff, their practical ICT knowledge, sufficient and adequate ICT training assist audit firms from doing audit by implementing customized audit software for audit practice.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of the study is that limited variables of ICT on audit practice are taken in the model. Refinement of the model and the variables (such as ICT challenges), ICT perceived benefits and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model used provide an opportunity for future research.
Practical implications
The barriers facing by non-big four audit firms (especially sole proprietorship and limited liability partnership firms) faces ICT challenges requires intense management interventions to be self-equipped for the current information technology (IT) world and to facilitate and to ensure fairness of financial statements to the stakeholders that strongly links auditors advance IT skills and available firms resources to investment and adopt audit software for the benefits of the audit firms.
Originality/value
The paper upstretched some of the ICT challenges that will assist as points, which have been helpful for future researchers, and have provided accounting and auditing professionals, auditing professional institutions and their management, government, tax officials, policy makers, auditing software vendors and other stakeholders the bases for encouraging ICT adoption.
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Andreea Claudia Crucean and Camelia-Daniela Hategan
Introduction: Information technology is a field with particular importance in the activity of companies, which requires additional procedures in the audit of financial…
Abstract
Introduction: Information technology is a field with particular importance in the activity of companies, which requires additional procedures in the audit of financial statements.
Aim: The purpose of the chapter is to identify the reports in which the financial auditors considered the impact of information technology on the financial statements of companies as a Key Audit Matter (KAM) and what was the approach in assessing this issue.
Method: The sample consists of companies listed on the primary market on European stock exchanges for 2013–2021 from 25 countries. Data were synthesised, systematised and analysed according to auditor type, audit year, countries and industries.
Findings: During the analysed period, 465 KAMs were identified for 174 distinct companies that referred to information technology, of which a Big4 auditor issued 97 per cent. The most KAMs were issued on companies from countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Norway, and the least in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy. Also, most KAMs were issued by auditors in 2018 (19 per cent), and the least in 2013 (2 per cent). The industry that recorded the most KAMs related to information technology was finance, insurance, and real estate (64 per cent), and those which identified a single KAM on this topic were agriculture, forestry, fishing.
Conclusion: Information technology and its impact on audit quality and automation remain a growing topic especially in this pandemic period that caused more changes in the financial audit planning and risk assessment. The auditors were forced to perform remote audits and use information technology more than in previous years.
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Amr Kotb, Alan Sangster and David Henderson
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of technological change on the internal audit practices and skills requirements for internal auditors in an e-business…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of technological change on the internal audit practices and skills requirements for internal auditors in an e-business environment.
Design/methodology/approach
Generalist internal auditors and specialist information technology (IT) internal auditors were surveyed online in ten countries, including the USA and the UK which, together, provided the majority of responses.
Findings
The results suggest a need for advanced IT-audit techniques in conducting the internal audit function, thereby increasing IT audit skill demands on generalist internal auditors. However, the results show a low confidence among internal auditors about their IT training and a continuing reliance upon IT audit specialists, rather than their own training/retraining.
Research limitations/implications
The responses obtained in this study provide insight into both the status quo of the internal audit function, and to the changes that are needed to prepare generalist internal auditors for work in an e-business environment and, while the scale of the study limits the extent to which the findings may be generalized, they are consistent with the literature concerning the changing business environment and with the literature on resistance to change, suggesting that the issues revealed should be of concern.
Practical implications
The results reported in this paper are useful to internal auditing educators and regulators in their consideration of the skills needed by generalist internal auditors in e-business environment.
Originality/value
This study sheds light on a significantly growing area which remains relatively unexplored in the auditing-related literature, e-business audit. The study provides empirical evidence on challenges facing internal auditors in an e-business environment, thereby serving as a wake-up call, to both internal auditors and the professional bodies representing them, to defend their jurisdictional space against rival professional groups.
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Describes the internal audit arrangements in the Chinese tobacco industry. The elements of a high quality, well‐supervised service are already in place, with the capability of…
Abstract
Describes the internal audit arrangements in the Chinese tobacco industry. The elements of a high quality, well‐supervised service are already in place, with the capability of auditing across the range of activities and tackling corruption. States that there is a need for continuous development and staff training, with computer technology being an area requiring special attention. Feels the prospects seem bright and that internal auditing’s role of supervision will be enhanced in the continuing transition to the market economy.
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Mélanie Roussy, Odile Barbe and Sophie Raimbault
From the perspective of two groups of governance actors, this paper aims to understand how internal audit (IA) achieves and consolidates organizational significance.
Abstract
Purpose
From the perspective of two groups of governance actors, this paper aims to understand how internal audit (IA) achieves and consolidates organizational significance.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with audit committee chairs and chief audit executives from multinational corporations, and the participating corporations’ registration documents were analyzed.
Findings
The data indicate that IA achieves and consolidates organizational significance by activating the IA effectiveness “building blocks” (Lenz et al., 2014) all together so as to generate organizational learning and positive change. New IA effectiveness drivers also emerged from the field.
Research limitations/implications
This research contributes to the IA literature by establishing a connection, through the IA impact on organizational learning, between the constructs of IA effectiveness and organizational significance. It also contributes to the IA literature by identifying new drivers and illustrating the complementarity and interconnections between the IA effectiveness building blocks.
Practical implications
This paper encourages internal auditors to keep their eyes on the prize (i.e. organizational significance) instead of simply being focused on the mean (i.e IA effectiveness), in order to fight stakeholder disappointment.
Originality/value
The paper proposes a conceptual model of IA organizational significance and gives key insights for setting up effective IA to stimulate organizational learning and fostering positive change in the whole organization.
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Bernard C. Williams, Keith L. Hood, Jui‐Chih Chen and Peter O Russell
Considers the impact of EDI on accounting systems, accounting, and on auditing. Indicates that the beneficiaries of EDI are mainly the powerful companies that initiate it, a point…
Abstract
Considers the impact of EDI on accounting systems, accounting, and on auditing. Indicates that the beneficiaries of EDI are mainly the powerful companies that initiate it, a point sometimes overloooked in the claims made for EDI. Finds that IT and business strategy did not appear to be integrated for these companies although they were able to extend their span of control through inter‐organizational systems beyond their organizational boundaries into areas where they do not need to be providers of capital. In turn this presents them with an additional control risk which needs to be addressed through a stronger managerial or internal audit function.
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