Fortlevnadsprincipen är en av de grundläggande principerna för upprättandet av en årsredovisning, vilket innebär att företaget förutsätts kunna fortsätta bedriva sin verksamhet under en överskådlig tid. Covid-19 pandemin skapade osäkra marknader, vilket ökade osäkerheten kring den fortsatta driften hos företag. Revisorn har en viktig roll på en osäker marknad för att säkerställa att den finansiella rapporteringen inte innehåller väsentliga fel. I början av revisionsprocessen råder det många orosmoment för revisorn, vilket gör att dessa behöver minskas för att revisorn ska kunna uppnå komfort i sin bedömning av fortlevnadsprincipen. Det blir därmed intressant att utforska om Covid-19 pandemin haft någon inverkan på hur revisorn uppnår komfort. Tidigare studier visar att Covid-19 pandemin hade en inverkan på revisorns arbete, vilket ledde till försämrade möjligheter till en korrekt bedömning av den fortsatta driften. Det finns ingen tidigare studie angående effekten av Covid-19 pandemin vid bedömning av fortlevnadsprincipen med hänseende till revisorns komfortabilitet, vilket är anledningen till studien. En ytterligare anledning till vår studie är att öka revisorernas och intressenternas förståelse för vad som har en inverkan på komfortabiliteten hos revisorer. Syftet med studien är att utforska huruvida effekten av Covid-19 pandemin haft en inverkan på hur revisorn uppnår komfortabilitet i sin bedömning av fortlevnadsprincipen. Studien utgår från komfortteorin och dess tre dimensioner, komfort som lättnad, komfort som tillstånd och komfort som förnyelse. De tre dimensionerna ställs sedan mot studiens empiri för att utforska huruvida effekten av Covid-19 pandemin haft en inverkan på hur komfort uppnås. Empirin har samlats in genom sex semistrukturerade intervjuer, med auktoriserade revisorer.  Studiens slutsats är att effekten av Covid-19 pandemin inte haft någon inverkan på hur revisorn uppnår komfortabilitet vid bedömningen av fortlevnadsprincipen. Erfarenhet inom yrket samt respondenternas kundkännedom är två faktorer vilka bidragit till revisorns komfort. Beroende på om revisorn arbetar på en mindre eller större revisionsbyrå bidrar olika faktorer till revisorns komfortabilitet. På de mindre byråerna är granskningsprogrammet en bidragande faktor till komfort medan det på större byråer nämns, metodik, branschexperter och risk management som bidragande faktorer till att revisorn uppnår komfort. / The going concern principle is one of the fundamental principles for establish the financial statements, which assumes that the company can continue its operations for the foreseeable future. The Covid-19 pandemic created uncertain markets, which increased the uncertainty surrounding the going concern principle of companies. Auditors’ play a crucial role in an uncertain market to ensure that the financial reporting does not contain material misstatements. At the beginning of the audit process there are many concerns for the auditor, which need to be minimized for the auditor to achieve comfort in their assessment of the going concern principle. Therefore it’s interesting to explore whether the Covid-19 pandemic has had any impact on how the auditor achieves comfort. Previous studies show that the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the auditors' work, leading to reduced opportunities for an accurate assessment of the going concern. There is no previous study regarding the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the assessment of the going concern principle in relation to the auditors' comfort, which is the reason for this study. An additional reason for our study is to enhance the understanding of auditors and stakeholders regarding the factors influencing auditors´comfort.  The purpose of the study is to explore whether the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced how auditors achieve comfort in their assessment of the going concern principle. The study is based on the comfort theory and its three dimensions, comfort as relief, comfort as state, comfort as renewal. The three dimensions are then compared with the empirical data of the study to explore whether the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on how comfort is achieved. The empirical data has been collected through six semi-structured interviews, with certified auditors. The conclusion of the study is that the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has not had any impact on how the auditor achieves comfort in assessing the going concern principle. Experience within the profession and the respondents' knowledge of their clients are two factors that have contributed to the auditor's comfort. Depending on whether the auditor works at a smaller or larger audit firm, different factors contribute to the auditor's comfort. In smaller firms the audit program is mentioned as a contributing factor to comfort, while in larger firms, methodology,experts in specific markets and risk management are mentioned as contributing factors to the auditor's achievement of comfort

In a time where the implementation of technical solutions has become common in the audit industry, the auditor's way of performing judgments of a company's financial reports has changed. The purpose of this essay is to, based on the Technology Dominance Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), contribute knowledge about the consequences of digitization in the auditing industry, specifically on the role of the auditor and its professional judgment. In addition, the paper examines the effects that digitization has on the required skills in today's digital audit environment. In the essay, a deductive research approach is used, and a qualitative method is applied in the form of semi-structured interviews with authorized auditors in Sweden. The essay shows that the implementation of digital tools challenges today's auditors to develop professional judgment in high-risk areas. The process of extracting and transforming audit evidence into appropriate digital formats has also been shown to result in an improved judgment capability. However, the paper could not show any differences in whether the use of digital tools can dominate professional judgment among authorized auditors. Furthermore, the paper identifies some of the qualifications that may be in demand as a result of the implementation of digital audit tools.

No description available.

Fortlevnadsprincipen är en redovisningsprincip som används när företag upprättar sina årsredovisningar, principen är ett grundlagt antagande. När en revisor inte finner betryggande bevis på att företag kommer att fortleva under nästkommande tolv månader ska en fortlevnadsvarning utfärdas. Tidigare studier tyder på att det föreligger skillnader i antal utfärdade fortlevnadsvarningar mellan revisionsbyråer beroende på om de tillhör Big 4 eller icke Big 4. En revisionsbyrå inom Big 4 hör till de fyra största revisionsbyråerna, icke Big 4 är resterande revisionsbyråer. Studien syftade till att studera om det förekommer skillnader i utfärdade fortlevnadsvarningar när konkursprediktionsmodellen Altmans Z-score indikerar på sådan. Studien har genomförts med en tvärsnittsdesign då flera fall i form av företag har studerats, där alla hanterats utifrån året 2019. För att begränsa studiens urval bestämdes populationen till små företag inom bygg-, design- och inredningsbranschen. De tre branscherna utgjorde tillsammans en passande urvalsstorlek för aktuell studie. Urvalet begränsades vidare till aktiva företag verksamma i minst tre år med en Zscore som indikerar på kommande konkurs. Med hjälp av deskriptiv statistik och chi2framkom att det inte förekommer någon skillnad i antalet utfärdade varningar mellan Big 4 och icke Big 4. Studien syftade även till att söka om det föreligger ett samband mellan indikationer i förvaltningsberättelsen och en ren revisionsberättelse. I studien genomfördes även en innehållsanalys med tillhörande kodning av den publicerade årsredovisningen, för att kunna genomföra statistiska tester. Testet genomfördes både deskriptivt och genom chi2-samt korrelationstest. Genom testerna har ett samband identifierats. Studiens slutsats blev således att det inte spelar en avgörande roll vilken tillhörighet revisionsbyrån har för om företag får en fortlevnadsvarning eller inte. Vidare inkluderar slutsatsen att det föreligger en korrelation mellan en ren revisionsberättelse och indikationer i förvaltningsberättelsen. / The principle of going concern is an accounting principle that is adopted when companies prepare their annual reports, the principle is a basic assumption. When an auditor does not find enough evidence to ensure that a company will survive for the next twelve months a going concern opinion should be issued. Previous studies indicates that there are differences in the number of going concern opinion that is issued depending on if the audit is implemented by a Big 4 or a non-Big 4-agency. An agency within Big 4 is an agency that belongs to the four biggest auditing firms, a non-Big 4 agency belongs to all other agencies. This paper aimed to study whether there are differences in issued going concern opinions when the model for prediction of bankruptcy, named Altman's Z-score, indicates such. The study was conducted with a cross-sectional design as several cases, companies,has been studied. They were all handled from the same year, 2019. The population was determined to small companies in three industries, construction-, design- and interior industry. The three industries together constituted a suitable sample size. The sample was also limited to companies that has been active for at least three years and which had a Z-score that indicates future bankruptcy. With both descriptive statistics and chi2 we found a test result that indicated that it may be no difference in issued going concern opinions between Big 4 and non-Big 4-agencys. The paper also aimed to search for whether there is a connection between indications in the management report and a clean audit report. Acontent analysis was also done with associated coding of the management report to be able to do statistical tests. The test was performed both descriptively and through chi2-and correlation. We have trough the tests found a connection. The conclusion of this paper was that it does not play a crucial role which audit firm the auditor represents whether companies receive a going concern opinion or not. Furthermore, the conclusion includes that there is a correlation between a clean audit report and indications in the management report.

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide evidence on the extent and the consequences of the provision of non-audit services (NAS) by statutory auditors to German family firms. Design/methodology/approach – The study analyzes hand collected fee data of 368 listed and private family firms in Germany. It employs univariate tests, ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares regressions to investigate potential threats to perceived auditor independence and knowledge spillovers between jointly provided NAS and audit services. Findings – Incumbent auditors are shown to be a significant source of various types of NAS to family firms. There is weak evidence on threats to perceived auditor independence and support for reciprocal knowledge spillovers between the services. While listed and private family firms do not differ in regard to the proportion of NAS fees, comparative findings suggest that key threats and benefits of jointly provided services are more prevalent among private than among listed family firms. Research limitations/implications – The study suffers from limited data availability and is restricted to the initial year of mandatory audit fee disclosure of private firms in Germany. Particularities of family firms and the German setting, as well as differential results for listed and private family firms, suggest fruitful avenues for future research. Practical implications – The study addresses the current issues in audit regulation. Regulatory bodies should consider that key threats and benefits of auditor-provided NAS decrease with stronger exogenous restrictions. Attempts to restrict jointly provided services in the EU suggest family firms to reconsider their reliance on auditors as a trusted source of NAS. Originality/value – This study is the first to provide evidence on the extent and consequences of auditor-provided NAS in family firms based on fee disclosure. It is also among the few studies that investigate private firms in a code law country and complements prior evidence from Germany that is restricted to listed firms. More generally, it contributes to limited evidence at the intersection of audit and family business research.

Reformen för frivillig revision genomfördes med syfte att möjliggöra valfrihet för revisionsfrågan utefter småföretagens egna behov och resurser. Trots att reformen genomfördes för över ett decennium sedan är forskarna fortfarande oense om effekterna av den avskaffade revisionsplikten. Det senaste åren har debatten kring återinförandet av revisionsplikten varit aktuell där argumenten bakom återinförandet baseras på den ökade ekonomiska brottsligheten och minskade lönsamheten hos de bolag som valt bort revisionen. Även de olika fördelar som revisorns kompetens och legitimitet som skapar trygghet för företagens intressenter är argument för återinförandet av revisionsplikten. Denna studie bidrar med en ökad förståelse och vägledning för småföretag i valet om frivillig revision. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka om reformen för frivillig revision har påverkat konkursrisken hos svenska aktiebolag, samt om det finns andra finansiella faktorer som kan påverka småföretagens långsiktiga överlevnad. Syftet besvaras med utgångspunkt i tre teorier: legitimitetsteori, informationsasymmetri och signalteori, som dessutom utgör en del av den teoretiska referensramen. Den kvantitativa studien utvecklar hypoteser genom teorierna och den tidigare forskningen. Dessa ligger till grund för dataanalysen som sker genom logistisk regression för att skapa en konkursprognostiseringsmodell. Datamaterialet som undersökts består av sekundärdata genererad från Retriever Business av småföretag i Västra Götaland under period 2019. Studiens resultat visar att det finns ett signifikant negativt samband mellan revisorn och konkursrisk. Studien visar därmed att revisorn har en effekt på konkursrisken, även om det är svårt att fastställa den exakta påverkan som revisorn har på konkursrisken. Resultatet ger trots det indikationer på att återinförande av revisionsplikten skulle gynna såväl småföretagare som myndigheter och bidrar på så sätt med stöd till debatten om återinförandet av revisionsplikten. / The reform for voluntary audit was implemented with the aim of enabling freedom of choice regarding audit matters based on the needs and resources of small businesses. Despite the reform being implemented over a decade ago, researchers are still divided on the effects of abolishing the mandatory audit requirement. In recent years, there has been a debate on reintroducing the mandatory audit requirement, with arguments based on increased economic crime and decreased profitability among companies that have opted out of audits. The various advantages of the auditor's expertise and legitimacy in providing security for stakeholders are also arguments for the reintroduction of the mandatory audit requirement. This study contributes to a better understanding and guidance for small businesses in the decision-making process regarding voluntary audits. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine whether the reform for voluntary audit has influenced the bankruptcy risk of Swedish limited liability companies and to identify other financial factors that may affect the long-term survival of small businesses. The purpose is addressed based on three theories: legitimacy theory, information asymmetry, and signaling theory, which also form part of the theoretical framework. The quantitative study formulates hypotheses based on these theories and previous research. These hypotheses form the basis for data analysis using logistic regression to create a bankruptcy prediction model. The data analyzed consist of secondary data generated from Retriever Business on small businesses in Västra Götaland during the period 2019. Therefore, this study is written in Swedish. The study's results show a significant negative correlation between the auditor and bankruptcy risk. Thus, the study demonstrates that the auditor has an effect on bankruptcy risk, although it is difficult to determine the exact impact of the auditor on bankruptcy risk. In spite of that, the results provide indications that reintroducing the mandatory audit requirement would benefit both small business owners and authorities, thus offering support to the debate on reintroducing the mandatory audit requirement.

[ES] Esta tesis ofrece una contribución significativa al campo de la ética de la auditoría a través de cinco estudios interconectados. El primer estudio (Capítulo dos) analiza cuarenta años de literatura académica, contemplando 114 artículos publicados en revistas prestigiosas de contabilidad y ética empresarial. La investigación, que abarca enfoques bibliométricos, de redes sociales y de contenido, descubre diversas brechas y oportunidades para investigaciones futuras. Resulta relevante destacar que, si bien la ética de la auditoría es un campo emergente, su foco principal ha sido en los países desarrollados, creando un vacío en los países en desarrollo. Además, se ha dado énfasis a los factores individuales de los auditores, minimizando la atención a los aspectos organizacionales. En un entorno empresarial en constante evolución, la tesis enfatiza la necesidad de orientar la investigación hacia implicaciones prácticas, para así mitigar errores previos y prevenir riesgos futuros. El segundo estudio (Capítulo tres) aborda una laguna en la literatura mediante un análisis de las actitudes de los auditores frente a distintos tipos de comportamientos corruptos en un contexto poco explorado, como es Palestina. Los resultados indican diferencias en la percepción de corrupción y sugieren que ciertos factores individuales de los auditores, como la edad y la posición, influyen en la aceptación de la corrupción. Este estudio brinda información valiosa para aquellos que buscan reducir la corrupción. El tercer estudio (Capítulo cuatro) emplea el Modelado de Ecuaciones Estructurales para examinar los factores que inciden en el Conflicto Ético (EC) y su impacto en la Intención de Rotación (TI). Se investiga el papel del Clima Ético (EtC) en la EC y su relación con los resultados laborales, así como el papel mediador de la EC entre el fracaso ético percibido del auditor y la TI, y entre la carga laboral y la TI. El cuarto estudio (Capítulo cinco) es pionero en la aplicación del marco de Demandas-Recursos del trabajo para investigar el impacto de varios factores en los resultados laborales de los auditores. Los hallazgos respaldan el marco JD-R, mostrando que el Conflicto Ético está asociado con resultados laborales adversos, especialmente la Intención de Rotación. Se enfatiza la necesidad de examinar los matices de los recursos laborales en la profesión de auditoría. El estudio puede ayudar a las empresas auditoras a mitigar los posibles efectos adversos del Empowerment en EC, ofreciendo pautas claras para la toma de decisiones y formación. Así, las firmas de auditoría pueden garantizar que los auditores cuenten con los recursos necesarios para manejar eficazmente las demandas laborales, lo que conduce a resultados laborales positivos y una profesión de auditoría más productiva y ética. En general, el estudio resalta la importancia de las demandas y recursos laborales para moldear los resultados laborales de los auditores y ofrece información relevante para informar políticas y prácticas en la profesión de auditoría. / [CA] Aquesta tesi, dividida en cinc articles interrelacionats, aporta llum i novetat a l'àmbit de l'ètica de l'auditoria, abordant lacunes de la literatura existent. En primer lloc, es realitza un anàlisi exhaustiu de la literatura existent dels últims 40 anys, evidenciant l'ètica de l'auditoria com un camp emergent amb moltes oportunitats de recerca. Es remarca que la majoria d'estudis preexistents es centren en països desenvolupats, deixant a un costat els països en desenvolupament. També es denota una falta d'investigació respecte a la percepció de l'ètica entre auditors professionals. A més, malgrat que la presa de decisions ètiques i el raonament moral són temes recurrents, s'observa un desequilibri cap als factors individuals en lloc dels organitzatius. Finalment, s'assenyala la necessitat d'implicacions pràctiques per a la mitigació d'errors i riscos en l'entorn empresarial que evoluciona ràpidament. El segon article proporciona una nova visió de les actituds dels auditors cap a diferents comportaments corruptes, concretament a Palestina. Els resultats suggereixen que l'acceptació de la corrupció varia segons el tipus de comportament, amb una major acceptació envers el rol de polític, de treballador privat i de buròcrata. Es detecta una associació negativa entre l'acceptació de la corrupció i l'edat, així com diferències significatives en la percepció de la corrupció segons el gènere, la posició de l'auditor i l'educació. El tercer article investiga els factors que influeixen en el conflicte ètic i l'impacte d'aquest en la intenció de rotació. S'examina el paper moderador del Clima Ètic i la seva relació amb la intenció de rotació. A més, es considera el paper mediador del conflicte ètic entre el fracàs ètic de l'auditor percebut i la intenció de rotació, així com entre la càrrega de treball i la intenció de rotació. El quart article aplica per primera vegada el marc Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) per explorar l'impacte de diversos factors en els resultats laborals dels auditors. Les conclusions suporten el marc JD-R, amb el conflicte ètic associat positivament a resultats laborals adversos, especialment la intenció de rotació. Els recursos laborals, com el Clima Ètic i la Realització de la Carrera, tenen un efecte significatiu en les demandes laborals i els resultats, reduint tant el conflicte ètic com la intenció de rotació. De forma inesperada, es troba una associació positiva entre l'empoderament i el conflicte ètic. En resum, aquesta tesi ressalta la importància de les demandes laborals i els recursos en la determinació dels resultats laborals dels auditors. Proposa la necessitat de desenvolupar estratègies per afrontar els possibles efectes negatius de l'empoderament sobre el conflicte ètic, subratllant la necessitat de suportar les habilitats de presa de decisions dels auditors. Amb aquest objectiu, es suggereix que les empreses d'auditoria proporcionen als auditors els recursos necessaris per afrontar les demandes laborals de manera eficaç, la qual cosa conduiria a resultats laborals positius i a una professió d'auditoria més productiva i ètica. La recerca subratlla l'importància de considerar tant els efectes positius com els negatius dels recursos laborals per a desenvolupar estratègies orientades a fomentar el benestar dels auditors i el rendiment laboral. En conclusió, aquest estudi subratlla la importància de les demandes i recursos laborals en la conformació dels resultats laborals dels auditors i proporciona informació útil per a informar la política i la pràctica en la professió d'auditoria. / [EN] This thesis contributes novel insights to the understudied field of auditing ethics through four linked studies. Chapter two offers a detailed review of literature over 40 years, amalgamating Bibliometric, Social Network and Content Analysis to scrutinize 114 articles from accounting and business ethics journals on the Web of Science database from 1980-2021. Through a thematic clustering of this literature, gaps are identified and potential research trajectories suggested. While auditing ethics is emerging as a field, most existing studies focus on developed countries, with a scarcity of work on developing nations and the ethical perceptions of professional auditors. Although individual auditors' ethical decision-making and moral reasoning have been widely studied, organizational factors received less attention. Recognizing the need for research to reflect the rapidly evolving business environment, this thesis posits more emphasis on practical applications of auditing ethics. Insights derived from this analysis provide the basis for the following three papers within this thesis. Chapter three of this thesis offers a unique exploration of auditors' attitudes towards different forms of corruption, with a specific focus on an under-studied context - Palestine. Utilizing ordinal regression and the Mann-Whitney U Test, an original survey of Palestinian auditors is analyzed. The findings indicate variability in auditors' perceptions of corruption, with corrupt behaviors linked to political, private, and bureaucratic jobs perceived as more acceptable than illicit receiving and giving practices. Acceptance of corruption was found to decrease with age across most corrupt behaviors surveyed. Gender differences also emerged, with female auditors exhibiting a higher tolerance towards various forms of corruption. The auditor's position and external education were also found to influence attitudes towards corruption. These findings have valuable implications for regulators and professional bodies looking to curb corruption, providing actionable insights to inform anti-corruption strategies. The fourth Chapter analyses an original survey of auditors using Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). to examine possible factors affecting Ethical Conflict (EC) and the impact of EC on Turnover Intention (TI). It investigates the moderating role of Ethical Climate (EtC) and its relationship with EC and job-related outcomes. It also examines the mediating role of EC between Perceived Auditor Ethical Failure (PAEF) and TI and also between Workload (WL) and TI. In the final chapter of this thesis, we pioneer the application of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework in assessing factors impacting auditors' work outcomes, utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. We find that ethical conflict (EC) is positively associated with adverse work outcomes, notably turnover intention (TI), validating the JD-R framework. Vital job resources, such as ethical climate (EtC) and career fulfilment (CF), markedly influence job demands and work outcomes, thus mitigating both EC and TI. Intriguingly, the study identifies a positive relationship between Empowerment (EM) and EC, arising when auditors with perceived empowerment lack actual decision-making authority, a finding which challenges the JD-R framework and underscores the necessity of scrutinizing the subtleties of job resources within the audit profession. Recognizing both positive and negative effects of job resources is key in devising strategies that enhance auditor welfare and job performance. The findings have implications for auditing firms, aiding in the mitigation of potential EM's negative impact on EC, and promoting decision-making capacity in auditors. Consequently, these firms can equip auditors with essential resources to effectively manage job demands, fostering positive work outcomes and an ethical audit profession. / Dwekat, ZMM. (2023). Understanding the Auditor's Ethical Behaviour in the Professional Environment [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/196560

This study was conducted to generate an in-depth understanding of key internal audit function (IAF) customers’ perceptions of the work performed by the Department of National Treasury’s IAF. This study was further intended to address the absence of any qualitative study of IAF customers’ experiences and expectations, and their perceptions of the challenges the IAF faces. The study had five research objectives, namely: to identify the role of the IAF in the public sector in relation to its customers; to discuss strategies to meet the expectations of IAF customers; to determine the experiences of the identified key IAF customers of the work performed by the IAF in the National Treasury; to determine the expectations of the identified key IAF customers of the IAF in the National Treasury, and to ascertain what the identified key IAF customers perceive to be challenges facing the IAF in the National Treasury. In order to achieve the research objectives, the study implemented a qualitative research design using the National Treasury as a case study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants selected from the key IAF customers’ categories (comprising the audit committee (AC), executive and senior managers, programme and operating managers, and external auditors). Three main themes emerged from the identified key customers’ views. These were (1) Experiences, which revealed that the participants were reasonably satisfied with the work of the IAF in the National Treasury. Participants from the AC, the executive and senior managers, and the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) felt that the IAF does add value, while the programme and operating managers participants indicated that the IAF does not demonstrate a holistic view when it conducts evaluations. (2) Expectations, the AC participants expected the AGSA to be able to rely on the work of the IAF, that the IAF should maintain a findings register, and that it should demonstrate IT skills. Executive and senior managers participants expected the IAF to add value to the strategic direction of the National Treasury. Programme and operating managers participants expected the IAF to be open and consultative, to set realistic audit plans, to provide regular feedback, and to demonstrate knowledge of the business. The AGSA participants called for the IAF to demonstrate technical competencies as well as independence and objectivity. (3) Challenges, participants perceived the IAF’s lack of knowledge of the business, the limited reliance placed on its work by the AGSA, the lack of audit action monitoring processes and the lack of management support for the IAF as its biggest challenges. This study could benefit the National Treasury’s IAF by helping it to understand the changing needs and expectations of its customers, and to identify areas for improvement. It may also benefit professional audit bodies and the newly-established National School of Government by providing them with insights into the training needs of internal auditors, and the necessity of providing continuing professional educational programmes. / Auditing / MCom (Auditing)

Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva och analysera svenska myndigheters internrevision för att kunna dra slutsatser om i vilken ansvarslinje de befinner sig i dagsläget samt att föra en diskussion kring internrevisionens oberoende. I denna uppsats har en kvalitativ studie genomförts. Med hjälp av semi-strukturerade intervjuer på sex olika myndigheter med krav på internrevision har empiri insamlats som tillsammans med teoretisk referensram ligger till grund för analys och slutsatser. Studien visar att svenska myndigheters internrevision befinner sig i den tredje ansvarslinjen. Vissa variationer inom den tredje ansvarslinjen kan urskiljas på grund av dels otydliga riktlinjer för internrevisorerna för att kunna bibehålla ett oberoende i samband med råd och stöd och dels på grund av bristfälliga kunskaper i den andra ansvarslinjen avseende hur ansvaret ska fördelas. / The purpose of this essay is to describe and analyze internal audit of the Swedish authorities internal audit in order to draw conclusions about which of The Three Lines of Defense they are positioned in at the present time, and to include a discussion about internal audit’s independence. In this essay, a qualitative study has been conducted. Using data from semi-structured interviews conducted at six different authorities with requirements for internal audit, empirical evidence has been collected. This empirical evidence, together with a theoretical framework constitutes the basis for analysis and conclusions. The study showed that the internal audit of the Swedish authorities is positioned in the third line of defense. Some variations in the third line of defense could be distinguished due to unclear guidelines for internal auditors to maintain independence in connection with advice and support, and also due to insufficient knowledge in the second line of defense regarding how responsibility should be allocated.

The dissertation thesis at large discusses the problems of unlawful conduct in the economic area, possibilities for its exposure and prevention issues. Every human conduct, apart from the legal viewpoint, may also be assessed from the moral viewpoint, whereas in this context, law is designated as the "moral minimum". From this relationship, we arrive at the conclusion that every instance of unlawful conduct is also immoral. On the contrary, conduct that complies with the law always need not be in compliance with the moral norms. In the Czech Republic, the New Criminal Code came into force on 1 January 2010, which also punishes the most severe forms of unlawful conduct and fundamentally affects performance of the accounting and auditing professions. Apart from some concept changes, this Codex also introduced, for instance, changes in the punishability of planning crimes. From the viewpoint of the auditor, tax adviser and accountant, barring of perpetration, whose commitment or planning authentically comes to the knowledge of the auditor, tax adviser or accountant seems to be fundamental. The issues of occupational fraud are mainly related to the problems of the auditing profession. These unlawful acts take various forms, which can be split into three basic groups, which are asset misappropriation, fraudulent statements and corruption. When exposing occupational fraud, as well as other forms of unlawful conduct, confidentiality issues are fundamental. In some cases, the law anticipates breaking through this confidentiality, mainly, for the purpose of exposing the most severe forms of unlawful conduct. Within the framework of prevention of occupational fraud, internal control systems play an essential role. It is possible to evaluate the existence of ethical codices, respectively, building of ethical corporate culture as very fundamental.