FINANCE AND AUDIT PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC ORGANISATIONS

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 Background of the study

Auditor independence and objectivity are the cornerstones of the profession. The assurance services provided by auditors derive their value and credibility from the fundamental assumptions of independence of mind and independence in appearance. Prior research on auditor independence and objectivity has been undertaken predominantly in the context of external audit. However, in more recent years, there has been heightened interest in issues associated with the independence and objectivity of internal audit. The motivation for research growth in the area is related to the evolving and expanding role of internal audit as a key corporate governance mechanism as well as an internal consultancy service. In this regard, internal auditors are in a unique situation as providers of both assurance services within the organization and consultancy services to managers. Not surprisingly, this dual role has generated significant debate as it has the potential to place the internal auditor in a situation of conflict. Furthermore, as employees of the organization, the ability of internal auditors to exercise true objectivity has also been questioned (Paape, 2007).

Internal audit is a long-standing function and an effective tool of management in many organizations. It has been a recognized component of organizations in both the public and private sectors and in most industries for many years. Internal auditing is often seen as an overall monitoring activity with responsibility to management for assessing the effectiveness of control procedures which arc the responsibility of other functional managers. The internal audit function is not limited to the operation of any particular function within an organization. Rather, it is all-embracing and accordingly is structured in the organization as a separate entity responsible only to a high level of management. As Okezie(2004) puts it, the main objective of internal auditing is “to assist management in the effective discharge of their responsibilities by furnishing them with analysis, appraisal, recommendations and pertinent comments concerning the activities reviewed”.

According Griffiths, D. (2006), Internal Audit in United States of America are performed to ascertain the validity and reliability of information; also to provide an assessment of a system's internal control. The goal of an internal audit is to express an opinion on the person /organization/ system (etc) in question, under evaluation based on work done on a test basis. Due to practical constraints, an internal audit seeks to provide only reasonable assurance that the statements are free from material error. Hence, statistical sampling is often adopted in audits. In the case of financial audits, a set of financial statements are said to be true and fair when they are free of material misstatements a concept influenced by both quantitative and qualitative factors.

Auditing is an independent examination of, and the expression of an opinion on the financial statements of an enterprise by an appointed auditor, in accordance with his terms of engagement and the observance of statutory regulations and professional requirements (Dandago, 1999) and (Mainoma, 2007) This definition clearly stated that there must be someone (auditor) responsible for expressing an opinion on the entire financial statement of an organisation. The auditor here may mean an individual or firm carrying out the audit of an enterprise. The auditor should be approved and must have personal and operational independence in order to perform his duty effectively.