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The purpose of this study is to understand how internal auditors perceive the internal audit quality and to highlight the different profiles of internal auditors based on their perception of internal audit quality determinants.

The authors’ methodological approach is based on the submission of a self-administered questionnaire. The final sample consists of 104 internal auditors. The first stage of the study is in the lead of a certified public accountants (CPA), which highlights seven factors of the internal audit quality. The second step is a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) that allowed the authors to validate the model proposed by the CPA. Finally, the authors carry out a typological analysis of the auditors according to their way of perceiving the factors extracted by the CPA.

The authors’ model, validated by the CFA, shows that the knowledge of the internal auditor, the independence of reporting, compliance with professional standards of internal audit, the relationship with the external auditor, the personal relationship of the internal auditor, the access to information and the field of intervention of the internal auditor have a positive association with the internal audit quality but with a different degree of significance. For example, the field of intervention of the internal auditor and the access to information explain better the internal audit quality. However, the knowledge of the internal auditor and the relationship with the external auditor are not significant to explain the internal audit quality. From the hierarchical cluster analysis, four groups of internal auditors emerged: the autonomous, the perfectionists, the rigorous ones and the objectives.

In offering these findings, the paper contributes to the existing internal audit literature by introducing evidence from an emerging country, namely, Tunisia, of the internal audit quality model. In addition, the authors proposed a new measure to the internal audit quality model which is the use of the work of the internal auditor by the external auditor. This study is also interesting to managers and professional internal audit organizations in recognizing the characteristics of the quality of the internal audit and advance reflections on the effectiveness of internal audit practices. The authors’ study proposes a typology of certified internal auditors through their perceptions of the quality of the internal audit while taking into account the specificities of the Tunisian audit market. This provides insights to managers and audit committees on the measures necessary to ensure the relevance of the internal audit work within their companies.

The science and discipline of management have undergone some remarkable changes in recent years. These changes affect virtually every part of organizations, including internal auditing. One impact has been an increase in what are known as special projects conducted by internal auditors. Notes three observations suggesting several unique challenges for internal auditors performing special projects. Observation 1 – Special projects are more likely to involve higher level strategy. Observation 2 – Special projects may lead internal auditors into unfamiliar organizational territory. Observation 3 – Special projects are more likely to occur in the context of larger projects. Outlines defining characteristics of special projects and analyses five issues related to the above observations: (1) how to ensure auditor competence; (2) how to gain senior management′s commitment to special projects by internal auditors; (3) how to determine objectives, expectations and deadlines; (4) how to schedule special projects; and (5) how to report findings.

This study aims to examine and visualize the adopted internal control structure and effectiveness in firms and present a typology of firms. Control structure and effectiveness are measured based on the assessment of management, rather than using reported material weaknesses as most studies do. This type of evaluation is more purposeful for firms that do not apply the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Internal control frameworks provide only broad guidance concerning internal control concepts, leaving the details to the adopting firms.

The survey data (from 741 CEOs) are clustered using the self-organizing map, a visual artificial neural network approach. A three-dimensional effectiveness proxy is used.

The analysis reveals four alternative types of internal control effectiveness in firms and visually presents how the components of the internal control structure are associated with each one. A typology of internal control structure and effectiveness is then created.

The findings suggest that there are interrelated, but not straightforward, relationships between internal control variables and that there is a link between some of them and higher internal control effectiveness in practice. These findings have important implications for those responsible for improving or assessing internal control, such as management, personnel and internal and external auditors.

This paper uses a clustering approach to create a typology for alternative types of internal control structure and effectiveness, based on data from actual firms. Instead of using material weaknesses as a measure, this study uses managers’ own assessments of internal control effectiveness.

This chapter aims to enhance understanding of the main drivers of internal auditors' moral courage to speak up about sensitive information and their cause-and-effect relationships. We use cognitive mapping method to analyze 20 chief audit executives' cognitive maps in Tunisia. A collective map was grounded through assembling the full individual maps. Using the Decision Explorer software for our analysis, we find that the state hope, whistle-blowing policy, self-efficacy, perceived supervisor support and independence of internal audit function are the main drivers for internal auditors' moral courage. Our findings are also supplemented by semi-structured interviews. Our chapter offers a novel methodological contribution to auditing literature as well as new empirical evidence (contribution to knowledge) on the drivers of internal auditors' moral courage.

The purpose of this paper is to draw inferences – from the results of an Ethiopian public sector corporation (for‐profit) case study – on how the attributes of a value‐adding internal audit department would vary among organisations.

The case study strategy is employed. The internal audit function of a public sector corporation was examined using an analytical framework derived from the literature. Research evidence was gathered distributing questionnaires to managers and internal auditors, conducting a semi‐structured interview with the internal audit department manager, and reviewing documents.

The results highlight that traditional/compliance audit is dominant in the organisation studied as contrasted with value‐added auditing. The paper concludes that goals and strategies pursued and the level of risk faced by organisations to which internal audit provides service, appear to shape the attributes of a value‐adding internal audit department. The study also demonstrates that the quality of strategic planning for, and marketing of, internal audit would influence the extent to which an appropriate value‐added profile is attained in a particular context.

Since a single unit of analysis is examined, universal generalisability of the findings cannot be claimed. Also, the research design assumed that the unit of analysis investigated falls within the scope of internal audit departments considered in the literature that served as a basis to develop the analytical framework and data collection instruments.

The paper is expected to inspire conclusive follow‐on research on the role of internal audit in Ethiopia, or other countries with similar settings.

This paper examines the role of professional associations, governmental agencies, and international accounting and auditing bodies in promulgating standards to deter and detect fraud, domestically and abroad. Specifically, it focuses on the role played by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the US Government Accounting Office (GAO), and other national and foreign professional associations, in promulgating auditing standards and procedures to prevent fraud in financial statements and other white‐collar crimes. It also examines several fraud cases and the impact of management and employee fraud on the various business sectors such as insurance, banking, health care, and manufacturing, as well as the role of management, the boards of directors, the audit committees, auditors, and fraud examiners and their liability in the fraud prevention and investigation.

Examines the role of professional associations, governmental agencies, and international accounting and auditing bodies in promulgating standards to foster auditor independence domestically and abroad. Focuses specifically on the role played by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Government Accounting Office. Also looks at other professional associations in banking, industry, and manufacturing sectors dealing with sensitive issues of auditors′ involvement in such matters as management advisory services, operating responsibilities, outsourcing, opinion shopping, auditor rotation, and other conflicts of interest which may impair auditor independence.

Whistleblowers have been credited for uncovering financial scandals in companies globally, including Enron, Olympus Corporation, and WorldCom. Despite increasing support and incentives for whistleblowing, there generally remains reluctance to blow the whistle. Thus, the purpose of this study is to review: (1) the determinants of internal and external whistleblowing on accounting-related misconduct, (2) U.S. whistleblowing legislation on accounting-related misconduct and related research, and (3) the effects of whistleblowing on firms and whistleblowers. Within each area, suggestions for future research are offered.

The study aims to provide new evidence on the relationship between the board of commissioners (BOCs) and audit committee (AC) as a primary corporate governance structure toward business strategy typologies.

The authors use logistic regression analyses with a sample of industrial companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2012–2018. Data of the BOC and AC are hand-collected from the annual reports and analyzed using the content analysis.

The study finds evidence that the effectiveness of the BOC is more likely to have a positive association with the prospector strategies. The authors also find that the AC's effectiveness is more likely to associate negatively with prospector strategies. As the board monitoring system, the findings appear to disclose that the BOC and ACs following the prospector strategies are more likely to focus on achieving the entity's strategy than monitoring financial reporting and internal control functions compared with the defender strategies.

The results have significant practical implications to help explain that despite the corporate governance mechanisms that are likely to exist, prospectors are still likely to have weaker internal control and less likely to remediate material weaknesses (MWs) than defenders due to their specific business strategy related attributes.

The study extends the studies on the corporate governance mechanism using the BOC and the AC's roles in business strategy setting from the strategic management literature using Miles and Snow's (1978; 2003) framework.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an empirical study of the impact of motivational factors underlying ISO 9000 certification on several aspects of organizational performance.

An extension of a typology based on motivational factors is proposed and four integration rationales (quality enthusiasts, ISO integrators, ritual integrators, and dissidents) are exposed. The paper then evaluates how each of these four rationales related to potential organizational problems and benefits. Various statistical analyses were conducted on data obtained from a sample of 872 certified Canadian firms. A factor analysis was completed to develop an instrument allowing to develop a typology distinguishing between the four integration rationales.

The results demonstrate that the nature and intensity of motivations behind a decision to adopt the ISO 9000 standard play a key role in the success of the implementation process and the emergence of organizational problems arising from certification.

The main contribution of the study was to develop a typology of certified organizations based on a theoretical framework explaining some paradoxes and pervasive effects of ISO 9000 adoption.

The typology helps characterize certified firms and anticipate potential consequences ancillary to the certification process; it can assist firms in evaluating whether they should go forward with the certification process.

Contrary to many studies focusing on traditional performance criteria only, this study sheds light on organizational problems and the possible ineffectiveness of ISO 9000 certification depending on their integration rationale. This approach led to a more comprehensive and tempered vision of ISO 9000 impacts.