Audit Exercise Research Articles

Quality and security as key factors in the development of computer audits in higher education institutions

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need a specialized computer audit method to minimize quality and security risks and facilitate institutional evaluation and accreditation. This study aimed to develop a Computer Audit Method for HEIs (MAIIES) providing methodological support for the computer audit process. The MAIIES method includes planning, execution, communication of results, validation, and follow-up of the audit exercise with 47 activities. The validation phase resulted in an evaluation instrument with 42 variables for quality and 18 for security, forming a multivariate model measuring quality and security dimensions. The model comprises factors such as human, technical, contextual, confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The MAIIES method provides a comprehensive audit framework, facilitating compliance with quality and security standards and identifying areas of improvement. It offers a strategic approach for minimizing quality and security risks in HEIs through a comprehensive computer audit process, enabling institutional evaluation and accreditation by ensuring compliance with quality and security standards and identifying areas of improvement.

Does Tax Audit Enhance Tax Compliance? The Role of Tax Education and Fear-Appealing Messages

The study explores the role of tax education and fear-appealing messages in the linkage between tax audit and tax compliance among corporate entities. Data was collected from 205 corporate entities using questionnaire as an instrument. The data was analysed using the PLS-SEM. It was observed that tax audit enhances tax compliance among corporate entities. Again, while tax education partially mediates the linkage between tax audit and tax compliance, fear-appealing messages negatively moderate the relationship between the two. The study concluded that regular tax education during tax audits enhances tax compliance but does not release threatening messages to taxpayers. It was recommended that tax revenue authorities should increase tax audit frequency and educate tax payers during the audit exercise. This has the tendency to improve the level of tax compliance among corporate entities.

Artificial intelligence and audit quality: Implications for practicing accountants

Audit quality has been one of the most controversial issues in auditing and financial reporting research. The implication of audit quality has become critically significant for accountants and users of accounting information. Some studies have shown that the improvement of audit quality lies with the application of artificial intelligence in audit exercises. This study examines the effect of artificial intelligence on audit quality by employing the survey method, using structured questionnaires administered to practicing accountants and staff of the Big Four accounting firms. The Taro Yamani formula was used to determine the sample size, and a total of 641 questionnaires were retrieved. Cronbach’s alpha was employed to test the reliability and validity alongside the pilot testing conducted. Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis were also used. The results of the descriptive method showed that many of the respondents support the usefulness of artificial intelligence. The regression results revealed that artificial intelligence has a positive effect on audit quality. Based on the results, it is recommended that managers and accountants in private, corporate, and accounting firms should embrace the application of artificial intelligence due to its economic value and helpful effect of improving audit quality in terms of accuracy, reliability, and timely financial reporting.

Standardization and quality control of Doppler and fetal biometric ultrasound measurements in low-income setting.

The aim of this study was to determine the quality of fetal biometry and pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasound measurements in a prospective cohort study in Uganda. This was an ancillary study of the Ending Preventable Stillbirths by Improving Diagnosis of Babies at Risk (EPID) project, in which women enroled in early pregnancy underwent Doppler and fetal biometric assessment at 32-40 weeks of gestation. Sonographers undertook 6 weeks of training followed by onsite refresher training and audit exercises. A total of 125 images for each of the umbilical artery (UA), fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA), left and right uterine arteries (UtA), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL) were selected randomly from the EPID study database and evaluated independently by two experts in a blinded fashion using objective scoring criteria. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using modified Fleiss' kappa for nominal variables and systematic errors were explored using quantile-quantile (Q-Q) plots. For Doppler measurements, 96.8% of the UA images, 84.8% of the MCA images and 93.6% of the right UtA images were classified as of acceptable quality by both reviewers. For fetal biometry, 96.0% of the HC images, 96.0% of the AC images and 88.0% of the FL images were considered acceptable by both reviewers. The kappa values for inter-rater reliability of quality assessment were 0.94 (95% CI, 0.87-0.99) for the UA, 0.71 (95% CI, 0.58-0.82) for the MCA, 0.87 (95% CI, 0.78-0.95) for the right UtA, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.87-0.98) for the HC, 0.93 (95% CI, 0.87-0.98) for the AC and 0.78 (95% CI, 0.66-0.88) for the FL measurements. The Q-Q plots indicated no influence of systematic bias in the measurements. Training local healthcare providers to perform Doppler ultrasound, and implementing quality control systems and audits using objective scoring tools in clinical and research settings, is feasible in low- and middle-income countries. Although we did not assess the impact of in-service retraining offered to practitioners deviating from prescribed standards, such interventions should enhance the quality of ultrasound measurements and should be investigated in future studies. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Evaluation of Internal Audit and Control System as a Prerequisite for Qualitative External Audit Report

The quality of the audit report in corporate organization around the world and Nigeria has been of great concern considering the contribution of internal auditors as the overseer of daily accounting entries in an organization. Considering this issue, the study focused on evaluation of internal audit and control system as a prerequisite for the qualitative external audit report. Survey research design was adopted in the conduct of the study. The population of the study includes 93 internal and external auditors randomly selected amongst organizations in Nigeria. Three research questions and three hypotheses, all stated in its null form guided the study. Questionnaire instrument was adopted in the conduct of the study, which was rated on a five point scale with an acceptable rating of 3. Hypotheses that guided the study was tested using one sample test statistics at .05 level of significance. Findings from the study shows that, internal auditors in corporate organizations are not significantly independent in the discharge of their duties. It was also discovered that internal audit and control system of corporate organizations in Nigeria are significantly relied on as audit evidence/basis for financial report. Final findings showed that, internal audit and control systems do not significantly aid qualitative external audit report of corporate organizations in Nigeria. The findings imply that the quality of the external audit report is determined by the quality of its internal audit and control team. Based on this, the researcher recommends amongst others that, regulation and training should be provided to enhancing independence of internal auditors and that external auditors should endeavor to carryout more comprehensive sampling during audit exercise.

Low partograph completion in a public health facility in northern Uganda: a retrospective review of maternity records

Background/Aims Low levels of partograph documentation and completion in Uganda by skilled health personnel is an ongoing problem. Completion of the partograph lowers the maternal mortality ratio by allowing for the early detection and management of childbirth complications, lowering the incidence of maternal death from preventable causes. However, there is a scarcity of recent studies focused on assessing partograph completion to the required standards. The aim of this study was to assess partograph documentation during monitoring of labour by skilled health personnel. Methods A retrospective desk review of 400 partographs from women who laboured and gave birth at the Lira Regional Referral Hospital between 1 July and 31 December 2019 was conducted. A structured checklist was used to extract data on completion of the partograph. Results Only 5% of the partographs were filled to the required standards. Average documentation of the parameters of a partograph to the required standards was 45.1% for fetal monitoring, 44.8% for labour progress, and 15.6% for maternal monitoring. Conclusions Documentation of different parameters of the partograph by skilled health personnel in public health facilities in northern Uganda was generally low. The Ministry of Health should strengthen partograph audit exercises and support supervision of and in-service capacity development training for skilled health personnel in high-volume facilities on partograph documentation.

Audit of In-Hospital Mortality from a Medical Oncology and Hemato-Oncology Center with the Emphasis on Best Supportive Care.

Deepak SundriyalBackground and Objectives The newly established medical oncology and hemato-oncology center at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, provided us an opportunity to audit in-hospital mortalities with a vision that the audit will serve as a standard for ceaseless improvement. Aim of the study was to initiate a vigorous process for the evaluation of all-cause mortality in patients suffering from cancer. Methods An audit of all in-hospital deaths that occurred during the year 2019 was performed, and comprehensive scrutiny of various parameters (demographic, clinico-pathological, therapeutic, causes of death) was done. Reviews from two independent observers sharpened the infallibility of the audit. The lacunae in the existing practices and the scope for further improvement were noted. Results Forty-five in-hospital deaths were registered during the study period (January-December 2019). The majority of the deaths occurred in patients with advanced stage of malignancy ([ n = 31] 68.8%). Most common causes of death were progressive disease, neutropenic, and non-neutropenic sepsis. Chemotherapeutic agents, growth factors, blood components, and antibiotics were found to be used judiciously as per institutional policy. The reviewers emphasized on the use of comorbidity indexes in the treatment planning and avoiding intensive care unit referrals for patients receiving best supportive care (BSC). Emphasis was put on providing only BSC to the patients with a very limited life expectancy. Emphasis was also laid down on record of out of the hospital deaths. Interpretation and Conclusion The audit disclosed areas of care which require further improvement. The mortality audit exercise should become a regular part of evaluation and training for the ongoing and future quality commitment. This should impact the clinical decision making in an oncology center providing quality care to the terminally ill patients.

Clinical audit of orthodontic chart documentation by dental undergraduates.

Clinical audit is a quality improvement process that seeks to improve patient care and outcomes through the systematic review of care against explicit criteria and the implementation of change. The objective of this audit was to evaluate the quality of orthodontic chart documentation by dental undergraduates against established guidelines. An audit checklist with 13 criteria for good documentation was adapted from guidelines proposed by the American Association of Orthodontists and British Orthodontic Society. Orthodontic chart documentation in 103 removable appliance therapy patients under 4th and 5th year dental undergraduates' care was retrieved from the electronic record of the University dental clinic and audited. The audit exercise explored in detail the thirteen criteria for good documentation and eight assessment attributes of the first criterion, namely, basic orthodontic examination. The level of compliance was measured as the percentage records meeting the criteria. The data were statistically analysed using SPSS 26.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). There was no complete compliance for any of the criteria. Thirty-five (33.9%) patient charts reported basic orthodontic examination documentation adequately. Compliance was the highest for documentation of treatment modality (77.6%), appliance delivery encounters (77.6%), and appliance adjustment appointments (83.5%). About 51.4% of the 68 patient charts (treatment of 35 patients of the total 103 were in the progress stage) stated adequately the outcome of treatment. Only 22% of the 68 patient charts had the details for retention protocol. There was statistically significant difference in chart documentation between male and female students for basic orthodontic assessment and appliance delivery and patient instructions attributes. The clinical audit demonstrated poor compliance with the criteria for orthodontic chart documentation. The audit should be repeated after the provision of learning opportunities and self-critical analysis.

Audit Report Lag. Differential Analysis between Spanish SMEs and Non-SMEs

Audit report lag is considered to be an indicator of audit punctuality and efficiency, while the existence of factors that may determine this lag has been signalled in previous studies. The objective of this study is to identify the determinants of audit report lag in Spanish SMEs, and to analyse the potential singularities of these factors with regards to non-SMEs. With this aim in mind, a set of factors has been analysed; in the previous literature, a relationship has been observed between these factors and the characteristics of the audited company, the auditor and the audit exercise. Additionally, the possible influence of financial crisis and recovery periods is analysed. The sample analysed is made up of 3217 unlisted Spanish firms for the years 2008–2015. Multiple linear regression analysis is used, modelling the audit report lag based on the independent variables related to the characteristics of the audited company, the auditor and the audit exercise. Based on the results obtained, we can support the existence of differences among the independent variables responsible for the audit report lag based on company type (SME/non-SME), with a larger number of factors impacting the audit report lag in SMEs. It is worth noting the significant relationship between audit report lag and opinion and crisis variables, both for the SME and non-SME models. In the case of SMEs, links between audit report lag and the likelihood of bankruptcy, auditor type, number of economic activities carried out by the audited company, the industry to which the audited company pertains, and audit fees were also observed. Furthermore, we can conclude that audit report lag is greater in SMEs and that the independent variables explaining report lag differ according to whether the company is an SME or not.

Walkability and the Right to the city: A snapshot critique of pedestrian space in Maputo, Mozambique

On the premise of transport inequality, urban mobility and the production of pedestrian space, this research explores pedestrians (im)mobility in Maputo, Mozambique's capital city, as a means of unravelling deeper-rooted issues of societal inequality. Borrowing from the Right to the City (RTTC), walking is repositioned as a potential ‘equalising mode’, reflecting on the social, physical and individual drivers of inequalities for walking in the city. Such analysis responds to existing gaps in a literature about walking that has little to offer about its links with social and economic inequalities in the global South. The paper builds on 22 semi-structured interviews and a journey audit exercise to discover that whilst the unfavourable pedestrian infrastructure makes walking difficult, the social stigmas of this space have a greater impact on people's perceptions of walkability. As such, low-income identities are more likely to walk, frequently in parts of the city where walking infrastructure is minimal (if at all), and may therefore find it more difficult to exercise their RTTC than their high-income counterparts. To challenge the status quo, this study concludes that more ‘hubs’ of opportunity must be created to make walking more equitable in addition to improving the most urgent infrastructural shortages.

A Communication Audit Exercise to Enhance Virtual Team and Individual Communication Skills

This article outlines a unique student activity designed to close the gap between students’ perceived and actual communication and team behavior during virtual group meetings. The Communication Audit exercise requires that students record an online small group meeting and then review the recording while categorizing each verbal remark into observable behaviors aligned to the instructor’s learning objectives. The audit delivers objective data to students concerning their team habits and leads to excellent discussions of opportunities to improve team dynamics and individual contributions to a team process.

Deep learning model for Demolition Waste Prediction in a circular economy

An essential requirement for a successful circular economy is the continuous use of materials. Planning for building materials reuse at the end-of-life of buildings is usually a difficult task because limited time are usually made available for building removal and materials recovery. In this study, deep learning models were developed for predicting the amount (in tons) of salvage and waste materials that are obtainable from buildings at the end-of-life prior to demolition. Datasets used for deep neural network model developments were extracted from 2280 building demolition records obtained from the practitioners in the UK Demolition Industry. The data was partitioned into training, testing and validation datasets in the ratio 8:1:1. Deep learning models were developed with a deep learning framework in R programming environment. The average R-squared value for the three deep learning models is 0.97 with Mean Absolute Error between 17.93 and 19.04. The models were evaluated with four scenarios of a case study building design. The results of the evaluation show that, given basic features of buildings, it is possible to predict with a high level of accuracy, the amount of materials that would be recovered from a building after demolition. The models developed will provide decision support functionalities to demolition engineers and waste management planners during the pre-demolition audit exercise.

Optimization of energy performance with renewable energy project sizing using multiple objective functions

Energy demand profiling of varied stocks within the Faculty of Engineering is investigated, comprising of audit activities like the performance optimization of air-conditioners and other energy appliances. Using a newly-developed renewable energy (RE) calculator, standard energy performance methodologies, including cooling load analysis, energy audit and rating exercises, thermal comfort analysis, distributed power generation from wind turbine and solar photovoltaic module, are adopted. Based on a comprehensive energy audit exercise, areas of energy saving potential are observed. Also, the minimum energy performance standard of energy appliances for maximum human thermal comfort is assessed. Towards the possibility of integrating different sources of renewable energy into the Faculty of Engineering for alternative power supply, an open source widget toolkit based on Qt development environment is used to design a new renewable energy (RE) calculator, known as EnerghxPlus. A multiple objective function approach is proposed to properly evaluate all the key performance indicators simultaneously, thereby unveiling the existing gaps and identifying possible synergies and strategies in the estimation of the building life cycle. The regression of the data obtained from the segregated optimization approach shows a strong linear relationship (i.e., for the appliance audit, the coefficient of determination is approximately 84%; while the correlation coefficient is 0.92). It is anticipated that the application of the proposed methodologies to the multi-scale and multi-objective nature of the challenges in the optimization of energy demand in the built environment will address the uncertainties in previous modelling strategies.

The Impact of Audit Committee on Financial Performance of Insurance Firms in Nigeria

This study examined the effect of audit committee size on the financial performance of insurance companies in Nigeria between the year 2004 and 2015. The study used secondary data obtained from the annual report, National Insurance Commission Facts Books and Nigeria Stock Exchange Facts Books of fifteen selected insurance companies listed on the Nigeria stock exchange. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The result revealed a significant negative correlation between audit committee and financial performance. The study recommended that the regulatory authorities focus more on other appropriate measure like competence (financial expert in committee) and independence of the committee that will ensure check and balance framework in the audit exercise and hence positive performance. Keywords : Audit Committee, Financial Performance, Insurance companies, Nigeria DOI : 10.7176/RJFA/10-14-02 Publication date :July 31 st 2019

Determinants of Tax Compliance Behaviour under the Self-Assessment Scheme in Nigeria

This study examined the determinants of tax compliance behaviour under the self-assessment scheme in Nigeria. A non-random stratified sampling technique was used to evaluate taxpayer behaviour. Data was also gathered using questionnaire from three of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, namely South-South, South-West and North central zones respectively. The specific locations were Edo state, Lagos state, and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja resulting in 550 respondents which were analysed. The results showed that tax audit and awareness of offences and penalties had a positive and significant impact on tax compliance behaviour under the self-assessment scheme in Nigeria. Simplicity of tax administration and returns, tax knowledge and taxpayers’ integrity had a positive but not significant impact on tax compliance behaviour under the self-assessment scheme in Nigeria. The study recommends that the tax authorities should enhance the capacity of tax audit and ensure that there are sufficient tax officials to facilitate tax audit exercise, create greater awareness of the various offences and penalties through the mass media and undertake an upward review of extant penalties.

Foot-based audit of streets adjacent to new light rail stations in Houston, Texas: measurement of health-related characteristics of the built environment for physical activity research

BackgroundActive travel to and from a transit station may provide significant amounts of physical activity and improve health. The ease with which people can traverse the distance to the transit station may impede or support active travel. Therefore, transit stations that have features that are supportive of utilitarian physical activity would be desirable. This study aimed to characterize the built environment surrounding new light rail transit (LRT) stations in the City of Houston, Texas.MethodsIn 2014, we used a series of systematic protocols and a standardized environmental audit instrument, the Analytic Audit Tool, to collect data on segments (streets) that surround 22 LRT stations that were being newly built. Using Geographic Information System (GIS), we assembled all the segments that intersect a 0.25-mile circular buffer around each station for the audit exercise. Several 3- to 4-member teams of trained auditors completed the audit exercise on a subset of these identified segments. Our analysis were descriptive in nature. We provided the frequency distributions of audited features across the study area. We also followed an original algorithm to produce several composite index scores for our study area. The composite index score is indicative of the prevalence of physical activity friendly/unfriendly features in the study area.ResultsIn all, we audited a total of 590 segments covering a total of 218 US Census blocks, and eight City of Houston super neighborhoods. Findings suggest the environment around the new LRT stations may not be supportive of physical activity. In general, the audited segments lacked land use integration; had abandoned buildings, had uneven sidewalks; were not bike-friendly, had minimal presence of public-recreational facilities that would support physical activity; and had significant physical disorder. Notably, certain attractive and comfort features were frequently to usually available.ConclusionsCurrent findings, which will be compared to follow-up audit data, can be useful for future researchers and practitioners interested in the built environment around LRT stations.

Hedge Accounting: An Auditor’s Perspective

Radical changes have been introduced in the hedge accounting framework by the new IFRS accounting standards. In particular, the hedge effectiveness regime has been completely overhauled and replaced by a strong principles-based charter. The relevance of qualitative assessment procedures has, accordingly, increased making the audit of such assignments immensely challenging. Pronouncements from regulatory bodies providing professional guidance on audit issues of hedge accounting and effectiveness testing have failed to keep pace with this rapid transition, enhancing the complexity of such audit exercises. In the present article, after providing a brief analysis of the contemporary hedge accounting and effectiveness testing provisions, we dwell upon the salient issues connected with the auditor’s predicament and highlight the way forward in the changed environment.

Energy Efficient Designs of Sustainable Buildings in Urban Environment.

The Developing communities in their path for rapid development is endeavoring to make all necessary and appropriate measures to enhance the efficiency of energy utilization and increase the beneficiation of the energy resources. The energy production, transmission, distribution and utilization efficiency becomes a vital factor and measure of national development. Governmental organizations were established earlier to be responsible for energy planning and efficient utilization, information dissemination and capacity building as well as devising the necessary codes and standards. Throughout the Nation Energy resources are widely used and consumption rates are in general exceeding the International accepted values. Energy rationalization and audit exercises were developed and monitored by Governmental authorities, Universities and Research centers through the past two decades with a definitive positive energy reduction and beneficiation. The development of the relevant codes for Residential and Commercial Energy Efficiency in Building is underway through the governmental bodies responsible for the research, training and development in the building Technology sector and is the umbrella under which the National and Unified Arab Codes are developed and issued.

Audit in the service of revenue increase: A tool for boards and committees of local authorities

Governmental funding is on a continuous decline. It is clear that local authorities need economic self-sufficiency and autonomy. In this context, public boards must utilize different revenue maximizing strategies from direct taxation and their own income. This paper attempts to investigate the extent to which a number of factors such as organization, human resources, legislation, cooperation and the use of information systems influence the effectiveness of local authorities’ revenue attestation, making particular reference to the important role that internal and external audit can play in the process. The results of the survey can help councils of local public organizations in their decisions regarding strategies and goals based on the utilization of the identified factors. For the purposes of this paper, a questionnaire was sent electronically to all municipalities in Greece. In particular, descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used. The results of the regression model revealed that audit, cooperation, and human resources variables exercise a significant positive influence on the effectiveness of local authorities’ revenue attestation.

Push button replication: Is impact evaluation evidence for international development verifiable?

ObjectiveEmpirical research that cannot be reproduced using the original dataset and software code (replication files) creates a credibility challenge, as it means those published findings are not verifiable. This study reports the results of a research audit exercise, known as the push button replication project, that tested a sample of studies that use similar empirical methods but span a variety of academic fields.MethodsWe developed and piloted a detailed protocol for conducting push button replication and determining the level of comparability of these replication findings to original findings. We drew a sample of articles from the ten journals that published the most impact evaluations from low- and middle-income countries from 2010 through 2012. This set includes health, economics, and development journals. We then selected all articles in these journals published in 2014 that meet the same inclusion criteria and implemented the protocol on the sample.ResultsOf the 109 articles in our sample, only 27 are push button replicable, meaning the provided code run on the provided dataset produces comparable findings for the key results in the published article. The authors of 59 of the articles refused to provide replication files. Thirty of these 59 articles were published in journals that had replication file requirements in 2014, meaning these articles are non-compliant with their journal requirements. For the remaining 23 of the 109 articles, we confirmed that three had proprietary data, we received incomplete replication files for 15, and we found minor differences in the replication results for five.ConclusionThe findings presented here reveal that many economics, development, and public health researchers are a long way from adopting the norm of open research. Journals do not appear to be playing a strong role in ensuring the availability of replication files.