Search results

1 – 7 of 7
Article
Publication date: 5 January 2015

Dominic S.B. Soh and Nonna Martinov-Bennie

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature and extent of internal audit functions’ (IAFs) involvement in environmental, social and governance assurance (ESG) and…

5950

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature and extent of internal audit functions’ (IAFs) involvement in environmental, social and governance assurance (ESG) and consulting in Australia. To identify emerging priorities, and the profession’s capacity to respond to these, the paper also explores internal audit practitioners’ perceptions of the current and future importance of these issues and the adequacy of their skills and expertise in meeting the challenges associated with their involvement in these areas.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 100 Chief Audit Executives and internal audit service provider partners through a survey.

Findings

Governance issues are a key area of focus for respondents’ assurance and consulting efforts, followed by social and environmental issues, respectively. While governance issues are perceived to be of greatest current importance to IAFs, environmental issues are most commonly expected to increase in importance over the next five years, and are reported to be in greatest need of further development of IAFs’ skills and expertise.

Research limitations/implications

As the corporate landscape and expectations around transparency and accountability increase, the internal audit profession needs to address the current perceived skills gap in their ability to provide assurance and consulting on ESG issues to ensure their continued relevance and ability to meet stakeholders’ needs and expectations in providing effective integrated assurance and in contributing to internal improvements.

Originality/value

This paper provides initial empirical evidence of the nature and extent of internal audit’s involvement in ESG assurance and consulting.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2015

Nonna Martinov-Bennie, Dominic S.B. Soh and Dale Tweedie

This paper aims to investigate how the roles, characteristics, expectations and evaluation practices of audit committees have adapted to regulatory change and what practices are…

5781

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how the roles, characteristics, expectations and evaluation practices of audit committees have adapted to regulatory change and what practices are most conducive to effective audit committees.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses semi-structured interviews with audit committee chairs and chief audit executives.

Findings

While new regulation is a primary driver of changes in the roles of audit committees, the audit committee’s role has evolved beyond regulatory requirements. Audit committees are taking a more active role in organisational governance and performance in key areas such as risk management. However, while audit committees have a clear concept of what characteristics committee members require, conceptual frameworks and mechanisms for evaluating the performance of committees and their members remain underdeveloped.

Research limitations/implications

The responses of audit committees in Australia to broader regulatory trends suggest that more research is required into how audit committees function in practice, and into developing new frameworks for evaluating the committees’ performance. This paper provides an in-depth exploration of key areas of audit committee performance, and identifies aspects that might be further investigated.

Practical implications

The paper identifies key attributes of effective audit committees and especially the characteristics of audit committee members. The paper also identifies a need to improve – and in many cases create – performance evaluation frameworks and mechanisms. Given the international regulatory trend towards greater reliance on audit committees to improve governance, more policy attention is required on developing guidelines and assessment processes that evaluate whether audit committees are fulfilling their legislative mandate in practice.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the relatively new and more specific discussion on reviewing and evaluating the performance of the board and its subcommittees.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 30 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 July 2011

Dominic S.B. Soh and Nonna Martinov‐Bennie

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the current roles and responsibilities of the internal audit (IA) function and the factors perceived to be necessary to…

25820

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the current roles and responsibilities of the internal audit (IA) function and the factors perceived to be necessary to ensure its effectiveness. The current performance evaluation practices of IA are also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi‐structured interviews were utilised to elicit the perceptions of key corporate governance actors about the evolving role of IA, as well as IA effectiveness, in terms of its design, measurement and evaluation.

Findings

The results of the study suggest significant expansion and refocus of the role of IA and perceptions of its effectiveness. However, the findings also suggest that performance evaluation mechanisms of IA have not evolved contemporaneously. The misalignment between the role and evaluation gives rise to difficulty in assessing the extent to which IA functions are meeting stakeholders' expectations.

Practical implications

The findings are useful in informing the deliberations of regulators and standard setters, as well as providing a benchmark for internal auditors and audit committees. The insights are also relevant for external auditors who are required to consider various aspects of corporate governance, including the objectivity and quality of IA.

Originality/value

The use of semi‐structured interviews facilitates an in‐depth insight and understanding of the perceptions of roles, effectiveness and evaluation of IA and adds depth to the predominantly questionnaire‐based survey approach of prior studies.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 26 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 5 January 2015

Gerrit Sarens

915

Abstract

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Content available
Article
Publication date: 26 July 2011

Nava Subramaniam and Professor Peter Carey

2425

Abstract

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 26 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Article
Publication date: 19 May 2020

Cheng Ling Tan and Sook Fern Yeo

In recent years, the traditional pastries industry has gained popularity among tourists due to the advantage of the pastries location at UNESCO Heritage city, Penang. However, the…

Abstract

Purpose

In recent years, the traditional pastries industry has gained popularity among tourists due to the advantage of the pastries location at UNESCO Heritage city, Penang. However, the little research focussed on this particular industry, and there is lack of evidence of the tourists' experience with the traditional pastries and how these attributes affect their revisit decision.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilizes a qualitative research design to gain in-depth understanding on tourists' thought and their repurchase decision. Secondary data were collected via TripAdvisor with 68 tourists who visited the most popular three pastries shops namely, Him Heang, Ghee Hiang and Min Xiang Tai, which are later analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Findings

The findings revealed that tourists generally concerned about the service quality, value, brand image and atmospherics that could affect their repurchasing decision. Particularly, the staff service quality has been viewed as the upmost important attribute to influence the tourists' decision. Therefore, the pastries shops shall ensure that the staff who serve the tourists shall be well trained to satisfy the tourists' enquiry.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation concerning the interpretation of the secondary data based on the feedbacks and comments of the tourists may derive the bias possibility. Future research might consider the large-scale primary data to extend the findings.

Originality/value

Limited research exists on the tourists' experience which affects the repurchasing decision in pastries industry. This study provides valuable information for pastries shops and researchers interested in this area.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 122 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2018

Vijaya Sunder M., L.S. Ganesh and Rahul R. Marathe

The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) for services, construct a morphological analysis (MA) framework and identify research gaps…

4115

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) for services, construct a morphological analysis (MA) framework and identify research gaps to point to future research possibilities and priorities.

Design/methodology/approach

The MA framework is based on literature review of 175 papers published from 2003 to 2015, across 67 journals recognised by Scopus or ABS Academic Journal Quality Guide 2015. A three-phased methodology is used by the authors, with Phase1 featuring a five-stage systematic review protocol to identify relevant journal papers for review; Phase2 presenting a framework for classifying the reviewed papers in terms of their fundamental, methodological, chronological and sector-wise orientations; and Phase3 constructing an MA framework on the classified papers and identifying the research gaps.

Findings

The MA framework constructed based on six dimensions, namely, organizational context of applications, desired outcomes, implementation systems, LSS tools and techniques, integration with other management philosophies and evaluation methods, involving 40 focused themes, has revealed 355 distinct research gaps as opportunities for future research.

Practical implications

This paper confirms the existence of substantial scope and points to specific topics for further research in the area of LSS for services. The findings demonstrate the gaps in academic research on the subject. In addition, the study also helps organisational leaders and practitioners to look at LSS from a holistic perspective in the services context.

Originality/value

The MA framework of the existing literature on LSS for services presents a unique, systematic effort to identify research opportunities. In addition, a five-stage systematic review protocol is proposed in this paper. This could be valuable to researchers and practitioners in enabling them to systematically review the literature on research subjects of interest to them.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 38 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

1 – 7 of 7