Financial reporting fraud is a concern for investors, regulators, external auditors, and the public. Although the responsibility for fraud detection lies upon management and those charged with governance, external auditors are likely to come under scrutiny if fraud scandals come to light. Despite the audit regulators efforts in fighting fraud, evidence from prior literature revealed that external auditors still need guidance in assessing and responding to fraud risks. Hence the current study aims at helping external auditors properly assess and respond to the risk of financial reporting fraud in an effort to increase the likelihood of detecting it. In order to achieve this, the current study sought to explore the significance of various fraud factors in assessing the risks of financial reporting fraud and examined how external auditors could assess these fraud factors. The current study also explored the likely motivations behind management fraud, the impact of management motivations on the financial statements, and how external auditors could assess the impact of management motivations. The data for the current study was collected from external auditors working at various audit firms in Egypt via the use of mixed research methods, namely through an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The findings of the current study revealed that management motives are the most significant factor in assessing the risk of financial reporting fraud. Hence the current study suggests that external audit should be viewed in terms of management motivations rather than just the audit of financial statements figures and disclosures. The current study offers detailed guidance to external auditors in this area. The findings of the current study also revealed that management integrity is a significant factor in assessing the risk of financial reporting fraud and that rationalisation of fraud should be assessed as part of management integrity rather than a separate fraud risk factor. The current study found that fraud perpetrators capabilities are equally significant to the opportunity to commit fraud factor yet it is currently ignored by the audit standards and thus should be assessed as part of opportunity to commit fraud. The current study was the first to explore financial reporting fraud and the extent by which external auditors comply with ISA 240 in the Egyptian context. The current study offered recommendations to external auditors, audit firms, audit regulators, and the Egyptian government on how to combat financial reporting fraud. Potential areas for future research were also identified by the current study.

Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Sepedi / The auditing profession is facing criticism for audit firms being associated with clients with a poor ‘tone at the top’ despite auditors being required to assess a company’s ‘tone at the top’, both prior to and during an audit. A problem arises if, should auditors perform an inappropriate ‘tone at the top’ assessment, they may be associated with an unethical company. Moreover, such an inappropriate assessment may result in an incorrect risk of material misstatement assessment and, consequently, an inappropriate audit opinion on the financial statements of the company. A qualitative research approach and a multiple case study design were used to understand how auditors assess a company’s ‘tone at the top’. An audit partner from six JSE-accredited audit firms and senior inspectors from the IRBA were interviewed. It was found that the participating auditors assess a company’s ethical leadership, ethical culture, the governance role of the audit committee and compliance with laws and regulations when assessing a company’s ‘tone at the top’ while adhering to quality control principles. Despite the participants acknowledging both that ‘tone at the top’ assessments are conducted during the pre-engagement and planning of an audit and that the audit engagement partner is responsible for these assessments, there was a lack of evidence in the audit files supporting these assessments. The study findings may enable audit firms to include guidance in their audit methodologies on ‘tone at the top’ assessments and in documenting such assessments and may also assist the IRBA in providing guidance and training to auditors on ‘tone at the top’ assessments. / Die ouditprofessie staar kritiek in die oë as gevolg van die feit dat ouditfirmas geassosieer word met kliënte met 'n swak “karakter aan die hoof”, ten spyte daarvan dat van ouditeurs vereis word om 'n maatskappy se “karakter aan die hoof” voor en tydens 'n oudit te assesseer. Die probleem is dat indien ouditeurs 'n onvanpaste assessering van die “karakter aan die hoof” uitvoer, hulle met 'n onetiese maatskappy geassosieer kan word. Boonop kan so 'n onvanpaste assessering aanleiding gee tot 'n verkeerde assessering van die risiko van wesenlike wanvoorstelling en, gevolglik, 'n onvanpaste ouditmening oor die finansiële state van die maatskappy. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering en 'n veelvoudige gevallestudie-ontwerp is gebruik om te verstaan hoe ouditeurs 'n maatskappy se “karakter aan die hoof” assesseer. Onderhoude is met ouditvennote van ses ouditfirmas wat deur die JSE geakkrediteer word en senior inspekteurs van die IRBA gevoer. Daar is bevind dat die deelnemende ouditeurs 'n maatskappy se etiese leierskap, etiese kultuur, die beheerrol van die ouditkomitee en voldoening aan wette en regulasies assesseer wanneer 'n maatskappy se “karakter aan die hoof” geassesseer word terwyl aan gehaltebeheerbeginsels voldoen word. Ten spyte daarvan dat die deelnemers erken dat assesserings van “karakter aan die hoof” uitgevoer word tydens die vooraanstelling en beplanning van ’n oudit en dat die ouditaanstellingsvennoot verantwoordelik is vir hierdie assesserings, is daar 'n gebrek aan bewyse in die ouditlêers wat hierdie assesserings steun. Die studie se bevindings kan ouditfirmas in staat stel om leiding in hulle ouditmetodologieë in te sluit vir assesserings van “karakter aan die hoof” en om sodanige assesserings te dokumenteer, en dit kan die IRBA ook help om leiding en opleiding aan ouditeurs te gee vir sulke assesserings. / Profešene ya go hlakiša e lebane le tshekatsheko ka lebaka la difeme tša tlhakišo tšeo di amanywago le badirelwa ba ‘boikgafo le boetapele bja taolo’ bja go fokola, le ge bahlakiši ba nyakega go lekola ‘boikgafo le boetapele bja taolo’ bja khamphani, bobedi pele ga le nakong ya tlhakišo. Bothata bo tšwelela ge, go ka direga gore bahlakiši ba dire tekolo ya ‘boikgafo le boetapele bja taolo’ yeo e sego ya maleba, ba ka amanywa le khamphani ya go se be le maitshwaro. Gape, tekolo yeo e sego ya maleba, e ka tšweletša kotsi ya tekolo ya setatamente se se fošagetšego sa materiale gomme, ka gona, kgopolo ya tlhakišo yeo e sego ya maleba mo setatamenteng sa ditšhelete sa khamphani. Mokgwa wa dinyakišišo tša temogo le moakanyetšo wa tshepetšo ya dinyakišišo di šomišitšwe go kwešiša ka moo bahlakiši ba lekolago ‘boikgafo le boetapele bja taolo’ bja khamphani. Badirišani ba tlhakišo go tšwa femeng ya bahlakiši yeo e dumeletšwego ya JSE le bahlahlobibagolo go tšwa IRBA ba boledišitšwe. Go utollotšwe gore bahlakiši bao ba kgathago tema ba lekotše boetapele bja maitshwaro bja khamphani, setšo sa maitshwaro, mošomo wa taolo wa komiti ya tlhakišo le go obamela melao le melawana ge go lekolwa ‘boikgafo le boetapele bja taolo’ wa khamphani mola go latelwa mekgwa ya taolo ya boleng. Le ge bakgathatema ba amogela bobedi gore ditekolo tša ‘boikgafo le boetapele bja taolo’ di dirwa nakong ya peakanyo ya pele le thulaganyo ya difaele tša tlhakišo tšeo di thekgago ditekolo tše, ga se gwa ba le bohlatse ka mo difaeleng tša tlhakišo tšeo di thekgago ditekolo tše. Dikutollo tša dinyakišišo di ka thuša difeme tša tlhakišo go akaretša tlhahlo mo mekgweng ya bona ya tlhakišo mo go ditekolo tša ‘boikgafo le boetapele bja taolo’ le go ngwala ditekolo tšeo, gape di ka thuša gape IRBA ka go fa tlhahli le tlhahlo go bahlakiši mo ditekolong tšeo. / Business Management / M. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)