Audit Bodies Research Articles

A Study on Audit Information Systems Improved Model based on Public Internal Audit Paradigm Shift

In the recent work environment, any firm or organization can’t guarantee the achievement of its strategic goals, that is, its success without utilizing IT well, so the IT became the object of main attention, and the reliance on the IT gets more intensified in all business fields. Therefore, each firm and public institute take enormous efforts for setting their internal audit systems appropriate for the recent business environment. Especially as the Public Audit Act began to take in effect from 2010, its raised the necessity to develop a new internal audit administration meeting a more advanced internal audit body’s role and its status as well as the changes in the administration different from the past administration. Reflecting the past, the existing internal audit activities have done around the post-exposure approaching to the known risks or a kind of fragmentary checkup around samples. Besides, the existing internal audits have focused on pointing out the organization’s problems and controlling them. So the organization being audited did not fully accept the internal audit results and there were also some aspects not meeting the internal customer’s needs. Therefore this study aimed to propose an improved model of audit information system supporting the recent audit trends (enhancing the efficiency of work process and consulting) in order to draw out a more strategic improvement plan after analyzing the status quo of public firms’ internal audits and their problems through the review of existing studies and literature about the theme.

Modelo de acreditación de centros de atención hospitalaria aguda de Cataluña

The implementation of an accreditation model for healthcare centres in Catalonia which was launched for acute care hospitals, leaving open the possibility of implementing it in the rest of lines of service (mental health and addiction, social health, and primary healthcare centres) is described.The model is based on the experience acquired over more tan 31 years of hospital accreditation and quality assessment linked to management. In January 2006 a model with accreditation methodology adapted to the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model was launched.83 hospitals are accredited, with an average of 82.6% compliance with the standards required for accreditation. The number of active assessment bodies is 5, and the accreditation period is 3 years.A higher degree of compliance of the so-called “agent” criteria with respect to “outcome” criteria is obtained. Qualitative aspects for implementation to be stressed are: a strong commitment both from managers and staff in the centres, as well as a direct and fluent communication between the accreditation body (Ministry of Health of the Government of Catalonia) and accredited centres. Professionalism of audit bodies and an optimal communication between audit bodies and accredited centres is also added.

Protection of human research participants: accreditation of programmes in the Indian context

The recent negative media reports on the status of participants in clinical trials in India, together with the concerns expressed by the regulatory bodies, have raised questions regarding India's credibility in the conduct of clinical research. Even though the regulations require the registration of trials with the Clinical Trial Registry-India and despite the recently mandated registration of ethics committees (ECs) with the Drugs Controller General of India, the lack of governmental audit and accreditation procedures and bodies has resulted in inadequate protection of human participants in clinical research. Institutions and research sites would benefit by implementing a human research protection programme, which would safeguard the rights, safety and wellbeing of participants in clinical trials, in addition to improving the processes and procedures for the conduct of the trial. The Jehangir Clinical Development Centre, Pune has received accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programme (AAHRPP). A unique feature of the AAHRPP is the integrative nature of the programme, wherein the sponsors of the trial, investigators, EC members and institution work towards the common goal of protecting research participants. Here, we discuss the improvement needed in the quality standards of institutions for them to be able to meet the requirements of the AAHRPP. We also suggest the need for a governmental accreditation body, which will be required for the future promotion of and improvement in the standards for clinical practice in India.

Local Government Units in Indonesia: Demographic Attributes and Differences in Financial Condition

This study examines the outcome of decentralisation reforms in Indonesia, focusing on the association between demographic characteristics and differences in the financial condition of local governments units. It investigates cross-sectional data pertaining to demographic characteristics and financial statements audited by the Supreme Audit Body of 419 Indonesian local government units for the fiscal year 2007. It utilises demographic attributes including scope of entity, location, tenure (date of entry), gender, human development index (HDI) and size of local governments to explain differences in the financial condition of Indonesia’s local government. Local government financial condition is proxied by quick ratio, debt ratio, services ratio, and ratio of local to total revenues. The results suggest that scope and location of local government units help explain all of the financial condition variables. The findings further infer that local government units domiciled in Java tend to report better financial conditions relative to those domiciled in other islands. Our results also show that local government units with greater female populations and higher HDI are more likely to have a local authority that (1) has better ability to finance their general services from their unrestricted net assets, and (2) has greater ability to earn more revenues from local sources. Finally, this study documents that the larger the population of a local government unit, the higher its liquidity position, the stronger its ability to funding general services, and the greater its possibility earning revenues from its local sources.

Практика деятельности региональных контрольно-счётных органов и пути улучшения их работы

Практика деятельности региональных контрольно-счётных органов и пути улучшения их работы

Challenges and Opportunities in Higher Education System in India

This research paper purports to finding out the specific sets of challenges and opportunities which are evident in the Indian [HE] Higher Education system. This paper also seeks to know how the level of engagement in the faculty members of HE institutions should be improved. Through an online and personal survey, data was collected from the faculty members of the University of Delhi (DU). Recommendations include the establishment of an audit body to look after the implementation of strategic plans developed by authorities as well as a needs based assessment system to assist with revamping the HE system.

4. International / Civil Liability and Compensation

In October, the 1992 Fund Administrative Council, after appraising a legal opinion on the issue of the implementation of the conventions under national law, adopted the Decision on the Implementation of the Conventions under National Law, which outlined the approach it should follow in the event of the improper implementation of the conventions by a party (Record of Decisions of the October 2013 Sessions of the IOPC Funds’ Governing Bodies, Doc. IOPC/OCT/13/11/1, paras 8.5.1–8.5.22). While the decision stresses that the fund may take legal action against the state party for incorrect implementation of the conventions, claiming compensation for the loss it may have suffered, priority is given to the exchange of views and to the initiation of dialogue with that state. Moreover, the council noted that the director, in consultation with the Audit Body, examined the possibility of adopting a new policy so...

Financial Discrepancies in Political Party Funding by Indonesian Local Government Authorities

Through different forms of decentralization variables, this study investigates Indonesian local government authorities' 2006 financial accountability reports in terms of local government authorities' contributing funds to political parties. Audit results by the Supreme Audit Body reveal that many articles were violated by these authorities in regard to the distributing, administrating, and reporting of assistance funds from them to political parties. Each rupiah committed by the 221 local government authorities involved in this study violated, on average, 1.8 articles, indicating a low level of compliance. Critically, the study finds that administrative, fiscal, and political decentralization decreases discrepancies. The less administratively decentralized provincial authorities, where decision making is a level of government farther from the people, are more likely than non-provincial local government authorities to make discrepancies with political party legislation and regulations. Fiscally decentralized local government authorities, who earn a higher fraction of their revenue from local sources, also tend to have fewer discrepanciesFinally, politically decentralized authorities with a higher percentage of elected officials from the decentralized supporting ruling coalition, also have fewer discrepancies.

Could corporate governance practices enhance social welfare?

The purpose of the article is to contribute to the quantitative evaluation of economy-wide corporate governance reforms. In the literature quantitative studies on this issue are not common. The computable general equilibrium (CGE) approach offers useful insights, which complement a partial equilibrium (firm level) analysis. In this study, corporate governance is assumed to be costly for those firms that implement it and we model it as an additional cost with spill-over on the rest of the economy through the price system. The model is simulated using 2006 macroeconomic data for Argentina. An additional internal audit body is required of firms implementing corporate governance (public firms) in the country. Auditors are thus the direct recipient of those costs and they provide the possibility of proxy corporate governance incremental expenses for public firms. Simulations assume different scenarios and potential benefits from corporate governance are considered too. The article models potential benefits in terms of reduced cost of capital and simulates various scenarios where: (1) there are no benefits, (2) cost of capital is reduced (permanently), (3) the reduction is temporary and (4) the volatility of the cost of capital is reduced.

SCRUTINIZING PERFORMANCE: HOW ASSESSORS REACH JUDGEMENTS ABOUT PUBLIC SERVICES

Strengthening the accountability and improving the performance of public services is an important issue in many countries. A common response is to impose elaborate oversight or scrutiny arrangements. While we know a good deal about the formal operation of these arrangements, we know much less about the informal practices of scrutiny bodies and how they make judgements. This paper investigates scrutiny processes in three national audit bodies, three service inspectorates, and two inquiry committees in the UK. Judgement processes were analyzed along five dimensions: intuitive to analytical thinking; implicit to explicit assessment criteria; inductive and deductive methods; internal and external validity; and the principles used to make and evaluate judgements. These processes varied considerably, suggesting the need for a broader conception of the nature of and influences on scrutiny processes, which recognizes the inherent tensions in these processes and the skills required by those who engage in them.

Audit Bodies: Embodied Participation, Disability Universalism, and Accessibility in India

: In this article we think critically about the role of the “access audit” in creating new forms of embodied participation, experiential and technical expertise, and imaginaries of what the modern Indian city should be. We analyze how disability activists make claims about the relationship between subjective bodily experiences and bodies of objective knowledge. We also explore the emergence of a professional access audit apparatus focused on technical standards. As neither volunteer nor professional access audits result in significant architectural or structural changes, we are interested in what other effects and affects these audits produce and what discursive authority claims of inaccessibility have. This article analyzes the practice of conducting “access audits” by lay and professional disability rights activists and organizations in urban India. We argue that access audits are overly focused and that they have limited impact. In overly focusing on physical and technical access, auditors miss the importance of programmatic and policy interventions as well as the need for a more collective contentious politics. Our research illustrates that the contested field of access auditing appears to prevent a unified disability coalition from forming. In addition, it is important for auditors to think critically about the concept of “access” and ask what social, economic, and political processes are embedded within the concept.

The Impact of the Spanish Financial Act (44|2002) on audit quality

ABSTRACTThis study examines the impact of the Financial Act 44|2002 (FA henceforth) on audit quality in Spain. Our goal is to provide empirical evidence on whether the audit reforms recommended by the EU and introduced under the FA actually result in higher audit quality. These audit reforms introduce rules and actions to reinforce auditor independence and competence and thus, incentivise audit quality. The public oversight body for the audit profession (the Institute of Accounting and Auditing—ICAC) and the main professional audit body (the Spanish Institute of Chartered Accountants—ICJCE) maintain the view that the changes ensure and increase audit quality (Fernández and Combarros, 2002; Atarés and Canales, 2004). However there is no empirical evidence to support this argument. We empirically test the effect of the FA on audit quality by assessing the ability of auditors to constrain opportunistic earnings management practices. We use data from Spanish companies for the pre- and post-FA periods 2000–2001 and 2003–2004 respectively. The study shows that audit quality has increased after the FA. These results support European recommendations on questions regarding audit regulation.

ПРАВОВЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЯ СЧЕТНОЙ ПАЛАТЫ РФ С КОНТРОЛЬНО-НАДЗОРНЫМИ ОРГАНАМИ СУБЪЕКТОВ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

The implementation of the control functions of the Russian state in the financial sector requires special bodies. Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation and the control and audit bodies of the subjects of the Russian Federation called on to implement these functions. The interaction between these bodies is based on federal law. However, there are problems that will increase the efficiency of the interaction.

Holding Public Bodies to Account and Helping Them to Improve in Times of Austerity

Strong independent audit, inspection and scrutiny play a vital part in democratic systems of government. These functions will become increasingly important during straitened fiscal conditions, with additional pressures on audit bodies and the public sector organisations within their purview. What follows is a report of a meeting organised by the Scottish Policy Innovation Forum in partnership with the Scottish Public Management Network exploring issues pertaining to audit, inspection, accountability and austerity. This meeting was held in the Royal Society of Edinburgh on 21 January 2011 and was chaired by Professor Michael Keating, Professor of Politics at the University of Aberdeen and a founding member of the Scottish Policy Innovation Forum.

A review of UK public sector real estate asset management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to outline the development of public sector real estate asset management in the UK from the 1980s to the present day.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a narrative based upon a chronology of a selection of the reports, studies and research of the subject by academics, audit bodies, consultants, government departments, eminent business people and economists. The principal findings of the referenced reports/research are drawn out and highlighted. It should be noted that the extensive reference schedule is arranged in date order and not in the usual alphabetic sequence.FindingsThe analysis shows cycles of asset management focus across the public sector over the 30 years of the narrative. The attention of government changes, often reflecting straitened economic times, from influencing local authority asset management to highlighting the better use of the assets used by its departments. A strategy to involve private sector‐generated solutions to improve efficiency and generate cash is currently under development.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a narrative paper. In‐depth research of the referenced reports would produce valuable insights to inform future strategies.Originality/valueStrategists should be aware that some asset management issues identified in the 1980s remain unsolved and are still evident today.

Theories Of Public Service Improvement

The use of performance auditing and inspection as tools of public services reform is a key feature of contemporary public management. In the UK, external assessments of organizational capacity and performance play a pivotal role in attempts to drive public service improvement. However significant differences have emerged between the local government performance assessment frameworks which now operate in England, Scotland and Wales. These reflect contrasting theories of improvement and differences in the relationships between central government, local authorities and audit bodies.

Performance auditing

In an attempt to improve the quality of political and democratic processes, governmental organisations could decide to introduce performance auditing. However, earlier studies suggest that performance auditing can actually damage the quality of these processes, especially when it leads to information about the inputs, outputs and efficiency of programmes or activities. This raises the question of whether performance audits that lead to other types of information have similar effects. This paper analyses the effects of two local government audit committees in the Netherlands, both of which conduct performance audits that produce a broad set of information. It concludes that the lack of success of performance auditing, in terms of its contribution to the quality of political and democratic processes, cannot fully be explained by the type of information that is produced. In order to strengthen their role, audit bodies must find a balance between maintaining an independent position and responding to the expectations and requirements of their key stakeholders, which include the elected body, the Executive and the official organisation.

The Relationship between Supreme Audit Institutions and Internal Audit bodies

The Relationship between Supreme Audit Institutions and Internal Audit bodies

Developing an alert system for local governments in financial crisis

This article presents a new model which will show whether a local authority is heading for financial trouble. The model is simple for national audit bodies to use and provides an early warning of financial tensions allowing corrective action to be taken before there is a crisis.

Project Cerberus: Tobacco Industry Strategy to Create an Alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Between 1999 and 2001, British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and Japan Tobacco International executed Project Cerberus to develop a global voluntary regulatory regime as an alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). They aimed to develop a global voluntary regulatory code to be overseen by an independent audit body and to focus attention on youth smoking prevention. The International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards announced in September 2001, however, did not have the independent audit body. Although the companies did not stop the FCTC, they continue to promote the International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards youth smoking prevention as an alternative to the FCTC. Public health civil society groups should help policymakers and governments understand the importance of not working with the tobacco industry.