International insurance audits and governance

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to assess 12 audit procedures that deemed challenging to insurance audits. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses grounded theory as a framework for conducting series of semi-structured interviews with six technical audit partners, two from Big Four and four from non-Big Four. The interview agendas are drawn from the 12 audit approaches suggested by Practice Notes 20 (The Audit of Insurance in the United Kingdom) issued by the Auditing Practices Board (UK). Findings – Without an audit standard, practitioners will exercise excessive professional judgments and deviate from audit approaches. Research limitations/implications – Though the findings are solely drawn from the insurance sector rather than a wide spectrum of sectors, they have huge ramifications to accounting and audit professions, stakeholders and regulators. Practical implications – This paper reveals differences in audit approaches between the theoretical context and practical perspective. Social implications – The paper showed that impact of audit failure leads to litigation, financial losses and loss of faith in audit quality and approaches. Originality/value – This paper suggests a hybrid approach on the grounded theory, provides an extensive overview of the sector’s audit approaches and issues and unravels an urgent need for a concerted international auditing standard.