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The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of WebTrust assurance, issued by Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firms, on web purchase behaviour and to examine such effects provided by different‐sized CPA firms.

In an experiment, several scenarios were manipulated to simulate a number of web purchase environments in which participants make decisions online.

The results indicate that the WebTrust assurance seal has a significant effect on consumers' web purchase willingness. An “ordering effect” was also found, in that, removing the seal has more impact than obtaining the seal, and an assurance seal issued by big firms has greater impact than one issued by smaller firms.

This study contributes to the existing literature by focusing on an important yet rarely addressed issue of brand assurance services. The paper helps to understand this phenomenon in a global sense. Compared to the student participants used in the previous literature, this experiment provides a practical addition to the prevalent framework of trust in e‐commerce studies. Finally the research went a further step to test whether the web assurance provided by different‐sized auditors affects web consumers' purchase decisions.

This paper seeks to examine how auditors sought to establish their trustworthiness as trust providers on the internet; a vision which has remained largely unrealized. The investigation focuses on the WebTrust assurance project, launched by the North American accounting institutes to reinvigorate the alleged declining market for the expertise of external auditors.

An in‐depth longitudinal case study drew on a social theory of trust to examine the complexity of relations upon which trustworthiness of professional claims is predicated and investigate how commercialism has influenced the development of WebTrust.

Analysis illustrates the critical role that experts have in professionalization processes in trusting (or not) their own systems of expertise. Also, face‐to‐face relationships continue to play a key role in establishing the trustworthiness of professionals and their systems of expertise – even in the cyberspace domain.

It is argued that the WebTrust case and other commercialistic ventures sustained in accountancy provide a persuasive argument against the benefits of the free‐market logic in professional domains. Professional associations should be more vigorous in defending professionalism.

The research indicates that élite bodies of the profession, including professional associations, conceived of WebTrust mainly through a commercialistic lens – which is particularly revealing of the mindset that seemed to characterize a number of experienced professional accountants across North America shortly before the collapse of Andersen. The WebTrust saga illustrates how the profession has strayed from its ideals, or myths, of service ethic towards more focused efforts in developing “innovative” services based on a commercialistic logic.

Prior research suggests that significant impediments to the growth in electronic commerce exist, particularly in relation to international exchanges. This paper aims to investigate the respective roles of vendor location (domestic vs international) and web assurance seals in the development of initial trusting beliefs about a vendor's web site, and to determine whether these beliefs ultimately influence online purchase intentions.

A model is developed and tested using a controlled laboratory experiment in which 181 subjects are randomly allocated to one of six web site treatments corresponding to two possible locations of the web site vendor (domestic vs international) and three web assurance states (no Web seal vs TRUSTe seal vs WebTrust seal). Data are analysed using ANCOVA and multiple regression analysis.

As hypothesised, the results suggest that geographical location does appear to influence the formation of initial trusting beliefs (perceived trustworthiness) about a vendor's websites. In contrast, web assurance seals, in general, were found to have little influence on trusting beliefs; and accountants' seals, in particular, were found to be equally ineffective as those issued by other providers. Overall, trusting beliefs were seen to strongly influence online purchase intentions.

Future research aimed at evaluating the relative effectiveness of various trust‐building mechanisms applicable to international vendors is warranted, as is research advancing the understanding of why assurance seals appear to be ineffective as trust‐building mechanisms. The implications of using students as surrogates for online consumers and other limitations inherent in experimental analyses ought to be considered in interpreting the study's findings.

The study's findings indicate that international vendors ought to consider implementing targeted trust‐building mechanisms to compensate for being at a competitive disadvantage to their domestic counterparts. Suggested strategies are discussed in the paper. In relation to assurance seals, results suggest that the accounting profession can no longer assume to successfully leverage off its reputation for trustworthiness and integrity in extending its claims to expertise into new markets.

No previous study has examined the role of vendor location in the development of initial trusting beliefs. In relation to web assurance, previous studies have produced conflicting results and employed a range of research models. This study attempts to address these concerns through the use of a comprehensive and integrated theoretical model.

This paper examines the issue of fraud on the Internet and discusses three areas with significant potential for misleading and fraudulent practices, namely: securities sales and trading; electronic commerce; and the rapid growth of Internet companies. The first section of the paper discusses securities fraud on the Internet. Activities that violate US securities laws are being conducted through the Internet, and the US Securities and Exchange Commission has been taking steps to suppress these activities. The second section of the paper discusses fraud in electronic commerce. The rapid growth of electronic commerce, and the corresponding desire on the part of consumers to feel secure when engaging in electronic commerce, has prompted various organizations to develop mechanisms to reduce concerns about fraudulent misuse of information. It is questionable, however, whether these mechanisms can actually reduce fraud in electronic commerce. The third section of the paper discusses the potential for fraud arising from the rapid growth of Internet companies, often with little economic substance and lacking traditional management and internal controls. The paper examines the three areas of potential Internet fraud mentioned above and suggest ways in which these abuses may be combated.

This study aims at investigating the extent of SysTrust’s framework (principles and criteria) as an internal control approach for assuring the reliability of accounting information system (AIS) were being implemented in Jordanian business organizations.

The study is based on primary data collected through a structured questionnaire from 239 out of 328 shareholdings companies. The survey units were the shareholding companies in Jordan, and the single key respondents approach was adopted. The extents of SysTrust principles were also measured. Previously validated instruments were used where required. The data were analysed using t-test and ANOVA.

The results indicated that the extent of SysTrust being implemented could be considered to be moderate at this stage. This implies that there are some variations among business organizations in terms of their level of implementing of SysTrust principles and criteria. The results also showed that the extent of SysTrust principles being implemented was varied among business organizations based on their business sector. However, there were not found varied due to their size of business and a length of time in business (experience).

This study is only conducted in Jordan as a developing country. Although Jordan is a valid indicator of prevalent factors in the wider MENA region and developing countries, the lack of external validity of this research means that any generalization of the research findings should be made with caution. Future research can be orientated to other national and cultural settings and compared with the results of this study.

The study provides evidence of the need for management to recognize the importance of the implementation of SysTrust principles and criteria as an internal control for assuring the reliability of AIS within their organizations and be aware which of these principles are appropriate to their size and industry sector.

The findings would be valuable for academic researchers, managers and professional accounting to acquire a better undemanding of the current status of the implementation of the SysTrust principles (i.e., availability, security, integrity processing, confidentiality, and privacy) as an internal control method for assuring the reliability of AIS by testing the phenomenon in Jordan as a developing country.

This paper examines the historical means by which accountancy, as a mature profession, has sought to expand its practice to new areas of business. Accountancy has long been eager to satisfy perceived client needs, and in so doing foster an ever widening scope for accounting expertise. However, as the profession faces the end of a boom in audit services, the question of how its markets can be self‐consciously expanded has re‐emerged. To understand the dynamics of professional expansion we examine the way in which accountants attempted to develop their practice in the US industrial relations arena shortly after the Second World War, amid the charged industrial relations climate of the time. By examining professional discourse, as evidenced in practitioner journals, we explore accountants’ constructions of potential roles for themselves in this new field. The means by which the profession has redefined itself previously may be instructive as an element in the development of fresh markets for its services.

Electronic commerce is about business. Businesses are built on relationships and relationships are built on trust, especially in today’s virtual competitive world. Trust is an essential ingredient for electronic commerce in creating loyal and very satisfied customers. This paper discusses the concept of trust and its importance for secure electronic commerce.

Purpose – This article aims to focus on raising awareness of the limitations of traditional “enterprise‐centric” views of enterprise risk management that ignore the risks that are inherited from key business and supply chain partners. In essence, enterprise systems implementations have allowed organizations to couple their operations more tightly with other business partners, particularly in the area of supply chain management, and in the process enterprise systems applications are redefining the boundaries of the entity in terms of risk management concerns and the scope of financial audits. Design/methodology/approach – The prior literature that has begun to explore aspects of assessing key risk components in these relationships is reviewed with an eye to highlighting the limitations of what is understood about risk in interorganizational relationships. This analysis of the prior research establishes the basis for the logical formation of a framework for future enterprise risk management research in the area of e‐commerce relationships. Findings – Conclusions focus on the overall framework of risks that should be considered when interorganizational relationships are critical to an enterprise's operations and advocate an “extended‐enterprise” view of enterprise risk management. Research limitations/implications – The framework introduced in this paper provides guidance for future research in the area of interorganizational systems control and risk assessment. Practical implications – The framework further highlights areas of risk that auditors and corporate risk managers should consider in assessing the risk inherited through interorganizational relationships. Originality/value – The paper highlights the need to shift from an enterprise‐centric view of risk management to an extended‐enterprise risk management view.

The need for reliable information for decision makers is a fundamental principle underlying the demand for audit and assurance services. Yet, individuals and companies often do not understand the value that users place on independent third‐party assurance. This paper aims to address this issue.

This paper uses the market for baseball cards to provide an empirical analysis of the value users associate with third‐party assurance services. Paired observations for baseball cards are identified on eBay; one with a third‐party assurance regarding its quality and one with only the seller's statement.

Comparative analysis indicates that bidders are willing to pay significantly more for the items when third‐party assurance was provided.

These findings indicate that third‐party assurance is valued by consumers, and where information asymmetry exists between buyer and seller, sellers should consider the use of third‐party assurance to increase sale price.

In this paper a new concept “trust”, and how it influences the process of managing the security of an organization operating in an electronic commerce environment has been introduced. Pragmatically, the study suggests awareness for organizations entering into electronic commerce and theoretically the study aims to develop a framework of trust and security for electronic commerce thus providing a set of guidelines for secure electronic commerce.