Does the Internal Audit Function Play a Role in Mitigating Earnings Management?

This paper aims to investigate the effect of the characteristics of the internal audit function(IAF)on earnings management(EM)for a sample of 27 Tunisian listed companies.The authors employed the Correlated Panels Corrected Standard Errors model to estimate the regression equation.The results showed that EM is negatively associated with internal audit effectiveness,frequency of audit committee meetings with Chief Audit Executives(CAEs),the partial outsourcing of internal audit,and the firm’s size.Moreover,the authors found a positive relationship between EM and the use of IAF as a training ground for management and the private sector.This study is important to academics,regulators,and policymakers in introducing new governance reforms to strengthen the IAF as an important internal governance mechanism to reduce earnings management practices in emerging countries.The results also provide useful information for investors to examine the effect of internal audit characteristics on earnings management.

Enhancement of Audit Closed-Loop Management for Optimal Audit Results Transformation

The process of converting audit findings into actionable improvement measures within an enterprise is pivotal for achieving the“value-added”objective of internal audits and fostering sustainable business development.By elucidating the definition and significance of transforming internal audit results,this study underscores the imperative of applying and effectively converting these findings.Additionally,it seeks to streamline the value assessment framework for internal audit result transformation and delineates key factors that impede this transformation.Furthermore,this study explores strategies to bolster the closed-loop audit management system and outlines specific methods for enhancing the transformation of internal audit results within the enterprise,thereby contributing to its overall progress.

Research on Firm Size, Firm Performance and Internal Auditing Modes——Based on Listed Manufacturing Companies of China

This paper is based on the samples of listed manufacturing companies of China, taking the financial performance as criterion, and then does research on the firm performance with different internal auditing modes, using Cross-sectional data to analyze the distribution of internal auditing modes and the characteristics of the firm performance. The conclusion is that setting up internal auditing is good for the development of companies, but the function of internal auditing has not been widelv fulfilled.

Auditor Reputation, Audit Opinion, and Eamings Management： Evidence From French Banking Industry

The aim of this research is to study the impact of auditor reputation and audit opinion on earnings management in French banks. This article used a sample of 162 French banks over the period from 2005 to 2012. By using three different tests （loss-avoidance, just-meeting-or-beating prior year＇s earnings, and abnormal loan loss provision）, the findings of this paper show that both high auditor reputation and qualified audit opinion constrain earnings management to avoid loss or to just meet or beat prior year＇s earnings in banks. In separate tests related to earnings management through abnormal loan loss provisions, the paper also finds that high auditor reputation constrains earnings management. Qualified audit opinion has a negative but non-significant effect on abnormal loan loss provisions.

Analysis on Present Status and Development Tendency of Performance Audit in China

Performance audit has become a mainstream-trend in the development of modern government audit currently.However,the launch of performance audit in China is unbalanced,which the performance audit with Chinese characteristics develops quite fast,while the full sense of performance audit develops quite slowly.Except factors such as different recognition of performance audit,the main reason of this development imbalance is that development of performance audit is limited by the current audit system.Nevertheless,it is not hard to find some positive aspects existing in the development of performance audit in China,concluding developments and changes of the environment of performance audit in China over the recent years.

Financial Management and Control and Internal Audit System in the Public Sector in BiH

The introduction and implementation of finansijsko upravljanje i kontrola(FUK,financial management and control[FMC])in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina(FBiH)aims to incorporate a modern public internal financial control(PIFC)system into traditional public resources management models.This area is one of the reform areas in which Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH)is obliged to harmonize the legislative framework and practice with the good practices and regulations recommended by the European Commission.The establishment and development of the PIFC are also an obligation of Bosnia and Herzegovina established by the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the European Community and the member states,of the one part,and Bosnia and Herzegovina,of the other part.The public internal financial control(PIFC)system focuses on enhancing transparency,financial discipline,and dedicated use of public resources,that is,transparent,economical,efficient,and effective management of public resources,and control of the use of those resources.The topic of this paper is“financial management and control in the public sector”where the aim is to show,through the conducted theoretical research,the level of achievement of the establishment of this system in public sector institutions in BiH.The European Union wants to direct all potential member countries towards development of internal controls in the use of their own resources,but also to create a control environment that would ensure the dedicated use of EU funds.In Bosnia and Herzegovina,there is no single legal framework in terms of a single law governing public internal financial controls.The contents of the applicable legal provisions at all three levels(BiH,FBiH,and Republic of Srpska[RS])are largely congruent thanks to the Coordination Committee of Central Harmonization Units(CHJs)in Bosnia and Herzegovina,through which the harmonization of regulations and practices in the development of public internal financial controls is ensured.

Dysfunctional Audit Behaviour： The Effects of Employee Performance, Turnover Intentions and Locus of Control

Dy Ov sfunctional audit behaviour （DAB） and staff turnover are associated with decreased audit quality （Public ersight Board, 2000）. This study develops and tests a theoretical model that turnover intentions and locus of control as antecedents of attitudes toward DAB survey results from 225 auditors support the theoretical model identifies employee performance, Using a path analysis technique,

Assessment of the Implementation of Energy Conservation Opportunities Arising from Energy Audits;A Study of Four-Star and Five-Star Hotels in Nairobi Kenya

This study assesses the implementation of energy conservation opportunities in four-star and five-star hotels in Nairobi. The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the Hospitality Industry. Currently, there is a growing inclination to furnish guests with superior and sustainable services in an energy-efficient and eco-friendly way. Comprehensive research was conducted from energy audits gathered from the establishments and contracted auditing companies, on top of this, hotel staff were given digital questionnaires. To add to the data, the researcher surveyed the hotels with engineering managers. The Energy Audits found that all 10 hotels had adopted Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECOs). After further analysis, the mean adoption rate of Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECOs) during the past three years was 55.83%, which was below the aim of 100%. According to studies, hotel staff manages energy to cut costs. The researcher found that hotels use up a lot of energy. However, they have conservation potential, depending on government policies, costs, ease of implementation, and management commitment to sustainable practices. Essentially, Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECOs) reduce energy expenditures and boost reliable revenues, especially during high energy prices and uncertainty.

Research on the Influence Factors of the Auditing Quality from the Perspective of Profit Management

As one of the external mechanisms to protect investors,the quality of CPA auditing influences the profit of the investor directly.This paper studies the A-share listed companies in China from2009to 2011,with logistic regression,re-evaluating and exploring the influence factors to the auditing quality of CPA from the perspectives of the size of accountant firms and the profit management level.It finds that the size of accountant firms and the auditing quality are positively correlated with each other,but the statistics are not significant;however,the profit management level influences the auditing quality significantly.Besides,this paper finds that compared with the small-sized accountant firms,the profit management level and the auditing quality of those big-sized accountant firms are correlated with each more significantly.

Toward the Effect of Audit Quality on Earnings Management——Empirical Evidence from Manufacturing Enterprises Listed in Shanghai Stock Market

Nowadays, earnings management is a hot issue, but most of the researches focus on the incentives of earnings management and few of them refer to the effect of audit quality on earnings management. In this study, we directly examine the effect of external audit quality on earnings management by using discretionary accruals. We find that the discretionary accruals of non-dual audit companies are significantly greater than those of dual audit companies. We also find that clients of non-First Ten auditors intend to report greater discretionary accruals than those of First Ten auditors.

Joseph Hardy Ltd.： Internal Audit for Performance Improvement

This paper features a case study, which looks at the use of financial and non-financial indicators （NFIs） of performance in the monitoring of a production process. It highlights the apparent deficiencies in the use of some indicators and provides opportunities for the implementation of preferred alternatives and for improvements in the organization and evaluation of the production process.

Do auditors perform governance functions？ A research on the change of performance notice

Whether auditors provide high-quality audit services has been a concern of academics for a long time, but it has not clear answer. In this paper the author studies this problem from the real basis of audit activities, in view of an endless stream of the performance of listed companies notice ＂change＂ phenomenon. The author finds that auditing is the important reasons of listed companies notice ＂change＂, auditor can improve disclosure quality, is the gatekeeper to accounting information. The author also finds that there may be exist collusion of listed company with auditor, SEC should enhance inspection of the implementation of listed companies notice of earnings.

The Design for R＆D Performance Auditing System

Based on the definition of R＆D pcrformance auditing system, this paper analyzes the characteristics of the system. Then it designs the components of the R＆D performance auditing system and the procedure of its establishment.

The Audit Opinion of Earnings Management in Listed Companies of China

The paper testes the relationship between audit opinions and financial sensitive zones and accounts on the basis of the data of A-share companies in China. The author finds that when ROE of listed companies is in the small-profit zone or in the large-loss zone, the probabilities that they get modified audit opinions increase. But the right-offering zone, accrual accounts and accounts below the line have no significant effects on the modified audit opinions. Besides, the author also finds that the ratio of accounts receivable to asset, debt ratio, previous year＇s audit opinion and change of CPA firms have significant positive effects on the modified audit opinions, while the ratio of major business revenue and size of companies have no notable effects. Some other factors such as cash ratio, age of the listing and CPA firm ranking have no consistent and continuous effects.

Governance of artificial intelligence applications in a business audit via a fusion fuzzy multiple rule‑based decision‑making model

A broad range of companies around the world has welcomed artificial intelligence(AI)technology in daily practices because it provides decision-makers with comprehensive and intuitive messages about their operations and assists them in formulating appropriate strategies without any hysteresis.This research identifies the essential components of AI applications under an internal audit framework and provides an appropriate direction of strategies,which relate to setting up a priority on alternatives with multiple dimensions/criteria involvement that need to further consider the interconnected and intertwined relationships among them so as to reach a suitable judgment.To obtain this goal and inspired by a model ensemble,we introduce an innovative fuzzy multiple rule-based decision making framework that integrates soft computing,fuzzy set theory,and a multi-attribute decision making algorithm.The results display that the order of priority in improvement—(A)AI application strategy,(B)AI governance,(D)the human factor,and(C)data infrastructure and data quality—is based on the magnitude of their impact.This dynamically enhances the implementation of an AI-driven internal audit framework as well as responds to the strong rise of the big data environment.Highlights Artificial intelligence(AI)promotes the sustainability development of audit tasks.A fuzzy MRDM model extracts key factors from large amounts of data.Fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory analysis accounts for dependence and feedback among factors.An effective framework of AI-driven business audit is proposed in which“AI cognition of senior executives”is the most important criterion.

Energy Auditing and Improvement Scheme for Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences at Taibah University

In this work, a survey is used to investigate the current energy performance for Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences (previously Faculty of Engineering) at Taibah University in Medina city. The results of the survey show that several factors affect the energy performance in this building. It revealed that the building has been poorly designed from the point of view of thermal performance. Therefore, the building energy consumption needs to be monitored and maintained through energy auditing program. To determine the energy profile, the power consumption was calculated;the cooling load was estimated and analyzed to know the actual capacity required. The level of comfort in the building has been evaluated. Against the installed air conditioning capacity of 200-ton refrigeration, the cooling load calculations showed that the maximum cooling load needed, which is in August is only 83.22-ton refrigeration. In addition, illumination levels were measured and compared to the standard levels. Based on obtained results, two solutions were proposed: to install a building management system with approximate cost of 337,904 SR and to replace the existing chiller. Finally, the payback period for the proposed system has been estimated and found to be about 5.4 years.

From the Opacity of Internal Control to the Effectiveness of Legal Audit: Analysis of Issues and Determinants in Business in Cameroon

Legal audit is a statutory control of the accounts carried out based on internal control(IC).Meanwhile,paradoxically,IC is not always transparent to the legal auditor,but rather a compromise to his expectations.What are the determinants that allow the auditor to adapt to it?This paper proposes the analysis of issues and determinants of the effectiveness of legal audit in the context of an opaque IC.This study is carried out on a sample of 56 limited liability companies in Cameroon,carefully selected based on the existence of an IC service.The determinants explaining the auditor’s effectiveness in his mission are noted.

Chinese Specific Independent Auditing Standard No.20 —Auditing in a Computer Information Systems Environment

Chapter 1 General provisionsArticle2The term“CIS environment”in this standard refers to an environment where a computer is involved in the processing of accounting information significant to the CPA’s audit.Chapter 2 General principlesArticle 4When performing an audit of the financial statements in a CIS environment,the CPA should consider the environment’s impact on the audit.However,the CPA should not change the objective and scope of the audit.

Internal Audit and Risk Analysis:The Particular Case of a Public Entity in Portugal

The purpose of this paper is to present the results obtained by an internal audit unit of a large public sector entity,in the area of education,during 2018,which we will call here Entity X and analyze the impact that developed work had in the management decisions of that entity.The methodology used in the preparation of the article is the case study,where Cervo,Bervian,and Silva(2007,p.62)define it as“research on a particular individual,family,group or community that is representative of their universe,to investigate the different aspects of life”.The theoretical framework on the theme(secondary sources)was developed from bibliographic and documentary research,which concerns the classification of procedures and are appropriate to the characterization of this study,as an instrument for collecting information on the subject in question(Gil,2006).The results obtained are related to the activity of the referred internal audit unit in 2018,which proved to be quite fruitful and are developed in points 4,5,and 6 of the paper.During the preparation of the study,some limitations were found,related to the fact that it was only possible to analyze the year 2018,thus failing to establish a relationship with the department’s activity history.In our opinion,this study is important because it allows other similar entities to verify that it is possible to carry out internal auditing in the public sector(especially in this sector of education),since this practice is not yet disseminated within the area.This study is original in that it uses real data from an internal audit body.

Audit Partner Rotation, Audit Quality, and Dynamic Industry Structure

Previous research on the relationship between audit partner tenure and audit quality assumed that auditors conducted auditing works in a stable external environment where the corporate and management behavior was highly predictable. This study uses the joint tenure between audit partners and management to explain audit quality, because corporate directors would consider an appropriate adjustment in the management to deal with a dramatic change in the external environment. First, we examined whether there is a significant association between audit partner tenure and audit quality after the implementation of mandatory audit partner rotation by using the auditor tenure only. We addressed this issue by using a sample of Taiwan Residents companies and found no significant association between audit partner tenure and the magnitude of discretionary accruals （DA）, a common proxy for audit quality. Second, we tested the relationship between audit partner tenure and audit quality under the consideration of industry structure stability. The result exhibits a negative relation between audit partner tenure and audit quality under the control of industry structural stability which is measured by a proxy variable, the joint tenure between audit partner and management. Third, we investigated whether the association does exist between joint tenure of auditors and management and audit quality. We also addressed this issue by using Taiwan Residents data and found a significant association between the joint tenure of auditor and management and the magnitude of DA. Our findings provide evidence that the use of a mandatory rotation rule is an ineffective way to improve audit quality.