Browsing by Subject "Accountants--South Africa"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Barriers to the adoption of independent reviews by non-public interest entities in South Africa :the current perceptions of South African professional accountants(2019) Nyambuya, KudzinetsaOrientation: The South African Companies Act no. 71 of 2008 introduced independent reviews as an additional form of providing assurance for the non-public interest entities (non-PIEs) with the aim of reducing the reporting burden. Despite the Companies Act becoming effective on 1 May 2011, some companies which qualify for independent reviews still opt to have their annual financial statements (AFS) audited. Research aim: The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the reasons that companies which qualify for independent reviews still select to have their AFS audited when there is a less burdensome option. The main research question is directed towards investigating why audits are still preferred to independent reviews and the barriers to the selection of independent reviews. Motivation of the study: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in the South African economy so it is critical to ascertain whether the independent review option is meeting its goal of reducing the reporting burden. The feedback provided assists the government in developing and updating strategies meant to support SMEs. Research approach and method: The research follows a qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm where the data were collected from a series of nineteen detailed semi-structured interviews with a sample of South African professional accountants with the relevant experience on the subject matter. Main findings: The main findings indicate that audits are retained due to the need of small companies to reduce agency costs and appease the demands of various stakeholders, specifically lenders, lack of knowledge and guidance from practitioners regarding independent reviews, independent reviews being compared to audits, misconceptions and the resistance to change. Contributions of the study: This study contributes to providing an understanding of the barriers to the successful adoption of independent reviews and also recommendations on how acceptance of independent reviews can be improved to meet the purpose of reducing reporting burden for non-PIEs in South Africa.Item Trainee accountants' perceptions of the usefulness of the business ethics curriculum: a case of SAICA(2019) Maseko, Kwena NicholasThe main research objective of this study was to determine whether Chartered Accountancy (CA) trainees consider business ethics education they received to be useful, and to investigate if it was given the necessary attention at SAICA-accredited universities. The data obtained from CA trainees using a survey was analysed using four theoretical constructs, namely: a) Adequacy of coverage of ethics education, b) Importance of ethics, c) Impact of ethics education on ethical awareness and, d) Effectiveness of ethics education. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests of normality were applied to the theoretical constructs to determine if the data was normally distributed. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine if there were significant differences when opinions were categorized according to gender, study mode (part-time or full-time) and highest academic qualification. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was computed to test the reliability of participants’ responses to the survey. The study has found strong agreement among CA trainees that business ethics education is receiving adequate attention at SAICA-accredited universities and is useful in both their professional and personal lives