Abstract
This study investigates whether governance acts as a mediating factor between audit culture, audit quality, and internal control aspects by examining the factors contributing to effective governance. This study uses a quantitative research design; we collect primary data using a structured survey questionnaire. The study was conducted on responses received for 350 respondents and analysed using structural equation models. The results indicate that governance leadership mediates the relationship between audit culture, internal control, and audit quality to some extent. By emphasizing the importance of governance for audit culture and quality, regulators can develop effective policies to promote high-quality audits and financial reporting. Indeed, governance acts as a guiding force in an organization’s culture. Think of it as the compass that sets the direction and promotes transparency, accountability, and ethical behavior, thereby fostering a strong audit culture. Internal control, on the other hand, encompasses the policies, procedures, and practices that protect assets, ensure accurate financial reporting, and comply with regulations. Governance structures provide the framework within which internal control operates, overseeing its functions and establishing mechanisms for accountability and reporting. The results of this research have important practical implications for accounting and audit firms and regulators.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdullatif, M., and A.S. Al–Rahahleh. 2020. Applying a new audit regulation: reporting key audit matters in Jordan. International Journal of Auditing 24 (2): 268–291.
Afriyie, S.O., Y. Kong, P.O. Danso, A.-A. Ibn Musah, and M.O. Akomeah. 2019. Do corporate governance mechanisms and internal control systems matter in reducing mortality rates? International Journal of Health Planning and Management 34 (2): 744–760. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.2732.
Alayli, S. 2022. The impact of internal control practices on fraud prevention: The case of Lebanese small-medium Enterprises. European Journal of Business and Management Research 7 (5): 141–147.
Alberti, C.T., J.C. Bedard, O. Bik, and A. Vanstraelen. 2022. Audit firm culture: Recent developments and trends in the literature. European Accounting Review 31 (1): 59–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180.2020.1846574.
AlQadasi, A., and S. Abidin. 2018. The effectiveness of internal corporate governance and audit quality: The role of ownership concentration—Malaysian evidence. Corporate Governance 18 (2): 233–253. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-02-2017-0043.
Aobdia, D. 2020. The economic consequences of audit firms’ quality control system deficiencies. Management Science 66 (7): 2883–2905. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2019.3301.
Barr-Pulliam, D. 2019. Continuous auditing and role duality affect the incidence and likelihood of reporting management opportunism. Management Accounting Research 44: 44–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mar.2018.10.001.
Bhaskar, L.S., J.H. Schroeder, and M.L. Shepardson. 2019. Integration of internal control and financial statement audits: Are two audits better than one? Accounting Review 94 (2): 53–81. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-52197.
Bloomfield, R.J., K. Rennekamp, B. Steenhoven, and S. Stewart. 2021. Penalties for unexpected behavior: Double standards for women in finance. Accounting Review 96 (2): 107–125. https://doi.org/10.2308/TAR-2018-0715.
Bustos-Contell, E., L. Porcuna-Enguix, J. Serrano-Madrid, and G. Labatut-Serer. 2022. Female audit team leaders and audit effort. Journal of Business Research 140: 324–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.003.
Chalmers, K., D. Hay, and H. Khlif. 2019. Internal control in accounting research: A review. Journal of Accounting Literature 42: 80–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acclit.2018.03.002.
Chang, Y.-T., H. Chen, R.K. Cheng, and W. Chi. 2019. The impact of internal audit attributes on the effectiveness of internal control over operations and compliance. Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics 15 (1): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcae.2018.11.002.
Chin, A. 2021. Why internal audit should assess corporate culture—a how-to example. EDPACS 64 (6): 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/07366981.2020.1864885.
Costa, M.D., and A. Habib. 2022. Local creative culture and audit fees. British Accounting Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2022.101151.
Cronbach, L.J. 1951. Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika 16 (3): 297–334.
Dellai, H., and N. Slimene. 2021. Development and validation of a scale for measuring internal auditing effectiveness in Tunisian companies. International Journal of Advanced Engineering, Management and Science 7 (11): 10–20. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijaems.711.2
Diya, L. 2022. the impact of audit culture and internal control systems on audit quality: The case of Lebanese banks. European Journal of Business and Management Research 7 (5): 255–261.
Evinita, L.L., and J.P. Kambey. 2021. Mediating effects of governance on audit culture, internal control and audit quality in Indonesia: Basis for model. Estudios De Economia Aplicada. https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v39i12.6224.
Francoeur, C., Y. Li, Z. Singer, and J. Zhang. 2022. Earnings forecasts of female CEOs: Quality and consequences. Review of Accounting Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11142-021-09669-7.
Fung, S., V.T. Pham, and K.K. Raman. 2022. Client corruption culture and audit quality: The conditioning effect of the competitive position of the incumbent auditor. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting 59 (3): 1133–1171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11156-022-01072-w.
Gajadhar, A.A., K. Noeckler, P. Boireau, P. Rossi, B. Scandrett, and H.R. Gamble. 2019. International commission on Trichinellosis: Recommendations for quality assurance in digestion testing programs for Trichinella. Food and Waterborne Parasitology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00059.
Gal, G., and O. Akisik. 2020. The impact of internal control, external assurance, and integrated reports on market value. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 27 (3): 1227–1240. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1878.
Graham, J.R., C.R. Harvey, and S. Rajgopal. 2005. The economic implications of corporate financial reporting. Journal of Accounting and Economics 40 (1–3): 3–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2005.01.002.
Handayani, Y.D., and E.Y. Ibrani. 2019. Corporate governance application, audit quality and audit report lag: The moderating role of law compliance. International Journal of Financial Research 10 (4): 164–171. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijfr.v10n4p164.
Harasheh, M., and R. Provasi. 2022. A need for assurance: Do internal control systems integrate environmental, social, and governance factors? Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2361.
Hartono, P.H., S. Badruddin, P. Hendarso, and M.I.S. Yulianto. 2018. Information systems and tax online in Indonesia, effect decrease in rate, audit and organization’s culture against tax revenue on foreign investment office. International Journal of Engineering & Technology 7 (3.6 Specia): 415–419. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i3.12.16118.
Hofstede, G. 1980. Culture’s consequences—international differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Hoitash, R., and U. Hoitash. 2018. Measuring accounting reporting complexity with XBRL. The Accounting Review 93 (1): 259–287.
Huacca-Incacutipa, R., R.A.J. Fernández Argandoña, L.W.M. Valderrama Pérez, and A. Nuñez-Vizcarra. 2022. Internal control and corporate governance in family businesses: A review of studies and approaches from a Latin American perspective. Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results 13 (4): 666–675. https://doi.org/10.47750/pnr.2022.13.04.089.
Ishak, S., M.N.M. Nor, M.S. Shuib, A.F. Osman, and R.A.J. Saad. 2019. Corporate governance practice, risk management and internal control at Kedah State Zakat Board (LZNK). International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change 6 (2): 389–404.
Jalloul, S., G. Awwad, and K. Shatila. 2022. The impact of accounting information systems on bank performance: The case of Lebanon. Management and Economics Review 7 (3): 405–422.
Jodi, L.B. 2007. Descriptive evidence from audit practice on SAS No 99 brainstorming activities. Current Issues in Auditing 1 (1): A1–A11. https://doi.org/10.2308/ciia.2007.1.1.A1.
Jodi, E., J. Forlizzi, and S. Evenson. 2007. Research through design as a method for interaction design research in HCI. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (pp. 493–502).
Khlif, H. 2016. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions in accounting research: A review. Meditari Accountancy Research 24 (4): 545–573. https://doi.org/10.1108/medar-02-2016-0041.
Kwon, S.Y., N.R. Lee, and E. Ki. 2014. Effects of agency costs on the relationship of corporate governance with audit quality and accounting conservatism in the Korean audit market. Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Economics 21 (2): 157–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/16081625.2012.762970.
Li, X., and Y. Li. 2020. Female independent directors and financial irregularities in Chinese listed firms: From the perspective of audit committee chairpersons. Finance Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2019.101320.
Likert, R. 1932. A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology 140: 1–55.
Lisic, L.L., L.A. Myers, T.A. Seidel, and J. Zhou. 2019. Does audit committee accounting expertise help to promote audit quality? Evidence from auditor reporting of internal control weaknesses. Contemporary Accounting Research 36 (4): 2521–2553. https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.12517.
Martin, R.D. 2013. Audit quality indicators: Audit practice meets audit research. Current Issues in Auditing. 7 (2): A17-23. https://doi.org/10.2308/ciia-50581.
Morrison, D.F. 1976. Multivariate statistical methods, 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Musa, N. (2019). A conceptual framework of IT security governance and internal controls. In: Proceedings of the 2018 cyber resilience conference, CRC 2018. https://doi.org/10.1109/CR.2018.8626831.
Musah, A., A. Padi, B. Okyere, E.D. Adenutsi, and C. Ayariga. 2022. Does corporate governance moderate the relationship between internal control system effectiveness and SMEs financial performance in Ghana? Cogent Business & Management. 9 (1): 2152159.
Mulyani, S., S. Winarningsih, and B. Akbar. 2020. The significance of management culture on investigative audit quality. Polish Journal of Management Studies. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2020.22.1.22.
Nobes, C. 2008. Accounting classification in the IFRS Era. Australian Accounting Review 18 (3): 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1835-2561.2008.0024.x.
Oradi, J., K. Asiaei, and Z. Rezaee. 2020. CEO financial background and internal control weaknesses. Corporate Governance: An International Review 28 (2): 119–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12305.
Salehi, M., M. Moradi, and N. Paiydarmanesh. 2017. The effect of corporate governance and audit quality on disclosure quality: Evidence from Tehran stock exchange. Periodica Polytechnica Social and Management Sciences 25 (1): 32–48. https://doi.org/10.3311/PPso.8354.
Sarhan, A.A., C.G. Ntim, and B. Al-Najjar. 2019. Antecedents of audit quality in MENA countries: The effect of firm and country-level governance quality. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation 35: 85–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2019.05.003.
Schroeder, J.H., and M.L. Shepardson. 2016. Do SOX 404 control audits and management assessments improve overall internal control system quality? Accounting Review 91 (5): 1513–1541. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51360.
Spooner, M. 2020. Technologies of governance in context: Four global windows into neoliberalism and audit culture in higher education. Qualitative Inquiry 26 (7): 743–747. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800419878750.
Steinbart, P.J., R.L. Raschke, G. Gal, and W.N. Dilla. 2018. The influence of a good relationship between the internal audit and information security functions on information security outcomes. Accounting Organizations and Society 71: 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aos.2018.04.005.
Sujana, E., K.A.K. Saputra, and D.T.H. Manurung. 2020. Internal control systems and good village governance to achieve quality village financial reports. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change 12 (9): 98–108.
Sulaiman, N.A., N. Jaffar, and Y. Yahya. 2022. Audit rotation and strength of corporate governance and its effects on audit quality. Management and Accounting Review 21 (3): 71–89. https://doi.org/10.24191/MAR.V21i03-03.
Taufik, T. 2019. The effect of internal control system implementation in realizing good governance and its impact on fraud prevention. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research 8 (9): 2159–2165.
Thaker, A.M., S. Kim, A. Sedarat, R.R. Watson, and V.R. Muthusamy. 2018. Inspection of endoscope instrument channels after reprocessing using a prototype borescope. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 88 (4): 612–619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2018.04.2366.
Tukey, J.W. 1977. Exploratory data analysis. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Vigim, J.A., R.N.N. Apandi, A. Widarsono, and I.F.A. Prawira. 2020. How auditor limitation and corporate tax governance effect on audit quality. Journal of Critical Reviews 7 (16): 432–440. https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.16.52.
Wang, M.-Y. 2014. Earnings quality and voluntary disclosure of internal control audit reports. International Conference on Management Science and Engineering—Annual Conference Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICMSE.2014.6930366.
Zhang, L., Y. Ma, and Y. Hu. 2022. Does CEO duality worsen or fosters audit quality: Evidence from Chinese firms? Economic Research Ekonomska Istrazivanja 36 (1): 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2095521.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this research.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Appendix
Appendix
"Invitation to Participate in a Study: Exploring the Mediating Role of Governance on Audit Culture, Quality and Control"
Dear Participants,
We are researching "The Mediating effect of Governance on Audit Culture, Quality and Control aspects." Your participation in this study is essential as it will provide valuable insights into this critical topic.
We invite you to complete a questionnaire that will take approximately 10–15 min to complete. The questionnaire is completely anonymous, and your responses will be kept confidential. The study’s results will be used to further our understanding of the relationship between governance and audit culture, quality, and control. Kindly click on the following link to answer the questionnaires (https://shorturl.at/frtDZ).
Thank you for your time and participation in this study. Your contributions will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Shatila, K., Nigam, N. & Benetti, C. The mediating effect of governance on audit culture, quality and control issues. Int J Discl Gov (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41310-024-00235-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41310-024-00235-6