Sherrena Buckby

Evidence of the audit expectation gap in Singapore

Reports a study in 1996 of the audit expectation gap in Singapore. The main aims were to measure the level and nature of expectation gap in the 1990s and compare with the results of Schelluch, Low and Low et al.. The motivation for performing this research in Singapore was due to lack of research on this issue in recent years and Singapore’s status as one of the “dragon countries”. The research method adopted is a replication of a study by Schelluch. The results found evidence of a wide audit expectation gap in Singapore in the areas of auditor responsibility for fraud prevention and detection, maintenance of accounting records, freedom of the entity from fraud, and auditor judgment in the selection of audit procedures. The results strongly support the adoption of the long‐form audit report in Singapore if Singaporean professionals are serious about reducing the expectation gap and improving decision making by financial statement users.

Business research in virtual worlds: possibilities and practicalities

Purpose – It is predicted that virtual business and related research possibilities will expand significantly. In this context, the aim of this paper is to use insights from a virtual research project to present a theoretically-informed toolbox of practical suggestions to guide the conduct of virtual world business research. Design/methodology/approach – Archival evidence is presented, and data from a study conducted in Second Lifew in 2007 is interpreted through Llewellyn’s framework (physical, structural, agential, cultural and mental dimensions). Findings – With the burgeoning of virtual business applications, appropriate systems that encompass the dynamics of both the real and the virtual will need to be developed by and for accountants, auditors and business professionals. Researchers of virtual business activities will need to adapt to the physical, structural, agential, cultural and mental dimensions unique to virtual worlds. Research limitations/implications – While based on reflections from a single study in Second Life, this paper identifies possibilities for future virtual research on issues of accountability and accounting relating to virtual worlds. Practical implications – The practical toolbox will assist virtual researchers to deal with the possibilities and practicalities of conducting research in virtual worlds. Originality/value – Despite the proliferation of virtual worlds, predictions of virtual business applications, and consequent accountability and accounting implications, there is a paucity of academic literature on conducting business research in virtual settings. This prescient paper develops a conceptual framework to guide the conduct of research in virtual worlds, and identifies the unique opportunities and challenges they present.

A metamorphosis of the traditional accountant

Purpose – The aim of the study is to identify the latest trends in accounting forensic work in Australia by examining how accounting firms that specialise in forensic services meet the needs of their clients, and to inform universities on the appropriate curricula to ensure the knowledge and skills of future graduates meet industry expectations.Design/methodology/approach – The methodological approach taken in this study was exploratory, and qualitative semi‐structured interviews were the primary data collection instrument used.Findings – Findings from 32 interviews with Australian practising forensic professionals suggest that these services are broad and complex. Opinions differ widely on the best way forward for this area of the accounting profession. Both work‐based and personal attributes required by practising forensic professionals together with the wide range of complex services offered in Australia are presented in a posited model, providing a unique contribution to international forensic account...

An analysis of risk management disclosures: Australian evidence

Purpose - – Communication of risk management (RM) practices are a critical component of good corporate governance. Research, to date, has been of little benefit in informing regulators internationally. This paper seeks to contribute to the literature by investigating how listed Australian companies disclose RM information in annual report governance statements in accordance with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) corporate governance framework. Design/methodology/approach - – To address this study’s research questions and related hypotheses, the authors examine the top 300 ASX-listed companies by market capitalisation at 30 June 2010. For these firms, the authors identify, code and categorise RM disclosures made in the annual according to the disclosure categories specified in ASX Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations (CGPR). The derived data are then examined using a comprehensive approach comprising thematic content analysis and regression analysis. Findings - – The results indicate widespread divergence in disclosure practices and low conformance with the Principle 7 of the ASX CGPR. This result suggests that companies are not disclosing all “material business risks” possibly due to ignorance at the board level, or due to the intentional withholding of sensitive information from financial statement users. The findings also show mixed results across the factors expected to influence disclosure behaviour. While the presence of a risk committee (RC) (in particular, a standalone RC) and technology committee (TC) are found to be associated with some improvement in disclosure levels, the authors do not find evidence that company risk measures (as proxied by equity beta and the market-to-book ratio) are significantly associated with greater levels of RM disclosure. Also, contrary to common findings in the disclosure literature, factors such as board independence and expertise, audit committee independence and the usage of a Big-4 auditor do not seem to impact the level of RM disclosure in the Australian context. Research limitations/implications - – The study is limited by the sample and study period selection as the RM disclosures of only the largest (top 300) ASX firms are examined for the fiscal year 2010. Thus, the findings may not be generalisable to smaller firms or earlier/later years. Also, the findings may have limited applicability in other jurisdictions with different regulatory environments. Practical implications - – The study’s findings suggest that insufficient attention has been applied to RM disclosures by listed companies in Australia. These results suggest RM disclosures practices observed in the Australian setting may not be meeting the objectives of regulators and the needs of stakeholders. Originality/value - – The Australian setting provides an ideal environment to examine RM communication as the ASX has explicitly recommended RM disclosures areas in its principle-based governance rules since 2007 (Principle 7). This differs from other jurisdictions where such disclosure recommendations are typically not provided and provides us with a benchmark to examine the nature and quality of RM disclosures. Despite the recommendation, the authors reveal that low levels and poor RM communication are prevalent in the Australian setting and warrant further investigation.

A finer-grained approach to assessing the "quality" ("quantity" and "richness") of risk management disclosures

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the “quality” of narrative risk management disclosures (RMD) from a “quantity” and “richness” (width and depth) perspective, utilising a finer-grained approach. Evidence is then provided on the relationships between RMD quality and the corporate determinants driving that quality. Design/methodology/approach - Within a multidimensional quality disclosure framework, annual report narrative RMD from the top 100 Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed companies precisely “matched” for the 2010 and 2012 years were examined using semantic content analysis. The relationship between the dimensions and sub-dimensions of RMD “quantity” and “richness”, and various corporate characteristics were explored using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis. Findings - The results indicate that RMD are considerably lacking in quality, from the “quantity”, “width” and particularly the “depth” dimension and sub-dimensions for both years. Many companies provide “boiler plate” RMD over consecutive years and many do not comply with the intent of the ASX Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations under the “if not, why not” regime (ASX CGC, 2010). Company size and cross-listing were found to be the primary determinants of higher quality RMD and, to a lesser extent, firm risk. Some evidence was found that “quality” RMD were less likely where companies are more highly leveraged and when their shareholders are more concentrated. Research limitations/implications - Although two coders independently coded the RMD and specific decision rules were followed, the subjectivity inherent in conducting semantic content analysis into the dimensions and sub-dimensions of the framework cannot be completely eliminated. However, by adopting a finer-grained approach, this study contributes to the global literature on the quality of RMD. Previous studies are extended by analysing and testing the individual dimensions and sub-dimensions of “quantity” and “richness” which provides new empirical evidence and a more comprehensive portrayal of RMD quality and a greater understanding why some companies are more likely to disclose higher quality RMD than others. Practical implications - These results provide useful and predominantly new empirical evidence on the quality of RMD for practitioners, regulators and researchers. As many companies are not complying with the “intent” of the “if not, why not” approach, these results support the argument for mandated narrative RMD regulations at an international level. Originality/value - The multidimensional framework of RMD “quantity” and “richness” provides a basis for examining not only how much is disclosed, but what is disclosed and how. In adopting a finer-grained approach, this study analyses and tests the individual dimensions and sub-dimensions of the framework. This provides a deeper understanding of the overall quality of RMD and the determinants driving RMD quality for the sample companies.