This paper provides empirical evidence on audit quality in Kazakhstan as measured by audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. In addition, an overview of audit institutions of Kazakhstan and an ana...This paper provides empirical evidence on audit quality in Kazakhstan as measured by audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. In addition, an overview of audit institutions of Kazakhstan and an analysis of the current audit market for public companies are offered. This paper also sheds light upon the potential independence problems resulting in low audit quality and current barriers to audit researches in Kazakhstan. Consistent with the findings of extant researches on audit quality and the general perceptions of investors, two hypotheses were developed, i.e., the audits performed by Big 4 audit firms in Kazakhstan also have higher quality than non-Big 4 audit firms in terms of audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result confirms the hypothesis that Big 4 audit firms provide higher audit quality than smaller local firms in association with audit tenure instead of in relation to the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result indicates that Big 4 audit firms may not be as independent as they will be in a highly litigious market. Therefore, an independent inspection should be regularly implemented according to the audit law, and the inspection report should be publicized by Chamber of Auditors （COA）1. If this is not practical due to the lack of qualified inspectors, a peer review may be an altemative to implement the quality control policy immediately. To the author＇s best knowledge, this is the first audit quality research in countries of the Commonwealth of Independence States （CIS）.展开更多
Audit report is the primary means of communication for auditors. To reduce the phenomenon of agency conflict, auditors work as agents for shareholders and report to them after reviewing the financial statements. In la...Audit report is the primary means of communication for auditors. To reduce the phenomenon of agency conflict, auditors work as agents for shareholders and report to them after reviewing the financial statements. In last 15 years, Australia has witnessed some major changes in Australian economy which have affected Australian business and its auditors＇ opinions. This paper examines the trend of audit opinions issued to Australian listed companies during this period. In total, 20,473 audit opinions were sited over the 15-year period, i.e., from 1996 to 2010. This research found that over the period, unqualified report was the most common type of audit reports issued in Australia with an average of 96.4%. The average rate at which the Big 4 audit firms issue unqualified reports is 88% compared with 76% issued by the non-Big 4 firms. It is also evidenced that the rate at which modified reports were issued during and after global financial crisis （GFC） （2007-2009） has increased across all industries, while the most noticeable increase occurred in the financial services, materials, and industrial sectors.展开更多
In order to attain the best energy efficiency in an industrial plant, an energy audit is a prerequisite process for identifying the general energy consumption condition and to hence identify the measures that need to ...In order to attain the best energy efficiency in an industrial plant, an energy audit is a prerequisite process for identifying the general energy consumption condition and to hence identify the measures that need to be taken to save the cost of excessive energy consumed and later to retrofit the faults that were observed. The case study presented in this paper is a medium industry plant located in Hebron. The audit methodology, observation, and audit results will be presented and discussed with the recommendation drawn.展开更多
This study aims to examine the relationship between audit committee attributes （audit committee independence, financial expertise, meeting frequency, gender diversity, and ethnic composition） and the propensity for ...This study aims to examine the relationship between audit committee attributes （audit committee independence, financial expertise, meeting frequency, gender diversity, and ethnic composition） and the propensity for fraudulent financial reporting. The sample includes 116 fraudulent and non-frandulent firms listed on Bursa Malaysia from 2005 to 2010. The finding of this study indicates that audit committee independence is positively associated with fraudulent financial reporting. The higher the proportion of independent or outside directors on the committee, the higher the possibility of financial fraud, and vice versa. The results also show that the expertise of members of the audit committee is negatively associated with corporate fraud. This suggests that when audit committee members are financially literate, they are more competent to curb fraudulent financial reporting. However, the findings for frequency of audit committee meetings, gender, and ethnicity show that there is no relationship between these variables and corporate fraud. The result of this study is robust after controlling for other firm-specific effects.展开更多
文摘This paper provides empirical evidence on audit quality in Kazakhstan as measured by audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. In addition, an overview of audit institutions of Kazakhstan and an analysis of the current audit market for public companies are offered. This paper also sheds light upon the potential independence problems resulting in low audit quality and current barriers to audit researches in Kazakhstan. Consistent with the findings of extant researches on audit quality and the general perceptions of investors, two hypotheses were developed, i.e., the audits performed by Big 4 audit firms in Kazakhstan also have higher quality than non-Big 4 audit firms in terms of audit tenure and the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result confirms the hypothesis that Big 4 audit firms provide higher audit quality than smaller local firms in association with audit tenure instead of in relation to the frequency of issuing modified opinions. The result indicates that Big 4 audit firms may not be as independent as they will be in a highly litigious market. Therefore, an independent inspection should be regularly implemented according to the audit law, and the inspection report should be publicized by Chamber of Auditors （COA）1. If this is not practical due to the lack of qualified inspectors, a peer review may be an altemative to implement the quality control policy immediately. To the author＇s best knowledge, this is the first audit quality research in countries of the Commonwealth of Independence States （CIS）.
文摘Audit report is the primary means of communication for auditors. To reduce the phenomenon of agency conflict, auditors work as agents for shareholders and report to them after reviewing the financial statements. In last 15 years, Australia has witnessed some major changes in Australian economy which have affected Australian business and its auditors＇ opinions. This paper examines the trend of audit opinions issued to Australian listed companies during this period. In total, 20,473 audit opinions were sited over the 15-year period, i.e., from 1996 to 2010. This research found that over the period, unqualified report was the most common type of audit reports issued in Australia with an average of 96.4%. The average rate at which the Big 4 audit firms issue unqualified reports is 88% compared with 76% issued by the non-Big 4 firms. It is also evidenced that the rate at which modified reports were issued during and after global financial crisis （GFC） （2007-2009） has increased across all industries, while the most noticeable increase occurred in the financial services, materials, and industrial sectors.
文摘In order to attain the best energy efficiency in an industrial plant, an energy audit is a prerequisite process for identifying the general energy consumption condition and to hence identify the measures that need to be taken to save the cost of excessive energy consumed and later to retrofit the faults that were observed. The case study presented in this paper is a medium industry plant located in Hebron. The audit methodology, observation, and audit results will be presented and discussed with the recommendation drawn.
文摘This study aims to examine the relationship between audit committee attributes （audit committee independence, financial expertise, meeting frequency, gender diversity, and ethnic composition） and the propensity for fraudulent financial reporting. The sample includes 116 fraudulent and non-frandulent firms listed on Bursa Malaysia from 2005 to 2010. The finding of this study indicates that audit committee independence is positively associated with fraudulent financial reporting. The higher the proportion of independent or outside directors on the committee, the higher the possibility of financial fraud, and vice versa. The results also show that the expertise of members of the audit committee is negatively associated with corporate fraud. This suggests that when audit committee members are financially literate, they are more competent to curb fraudulent financial reporting. However, the findings for frequency of audit committee meetings, gender, and ethnicity show that there is no relationship between these variables and corporate fraud. The result of this study is robust after controlling for other firm-specific effects.
