Purpose – This study aims to critically analyse the independence of the internal audit function through its relationship with management and the audit committee. Design/methodology/approach – Results are based on a critical comparison of responses from questionnaires sent out to Australian...

Purpose – This paper aims to recognise the importance of informal processes within corporate governance and complement existing research in this area by investigating factors associated with the existence of informal interactions between audit committees and internal audit functions and in...

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the relationship between firm characteristics and incentives for the voluntary formation of audit committees by non-top 500 firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Design/methodology/approach – Data are obtained from a random sample of 224...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of auditor independence between auditors, bank-loan officers, and financial analysts in Bahrain. Design/methodology/approach – This study examines the effect of 41 independence-enhancing and – threatening Factors on the...

Several years prior to the 2002 passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt, identified problems regarding audit committee effectiveness. In response, in September 1998 the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) on Audit Committee Effectiveness was established jointly by the New...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of the roles, responsibilities and basic characteristics of audit committees (ACs) in the current business environment in China, from the perspectives of investors/creditors, independent directors (AC members), company...