Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)
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Item An exploration of labour broking in the auditing industry in Gauteng, South Africa(An exploration of labour broking in the auditing industry in Gauteng, South Africa, 2023) Kgwete, PodileLabour broking is a controversial topic in South Africa and, invariably, what comes to mind is employees being exploited. The typical employees under this arrangement are people with no tertiary training, the so-called blue-collar workers. This is perhaps the reason why there are limited studies conducted on labour broking in high-end professions like auditing. Recently there has been a huge advent of labour broking in the auditing profession led by two labour brokers, Makosi and Sapro. They have found a niche market where they outsource South African Auditors to American and European Audit firms on a contract basis. This has been disruptive to the South African market as it has increased the demand for accountants. This has meant that audit firms and corporate South Africa have had to compete for accountants in the international market more than ever. We have studied here the phenomenon in the hope of understanding why these professionals choose to work under these circumstances. The key findings were that there is a myriad of factors why auditors in South Africa continue to choose this way of working. Great remuneration has come up often, while experience and exposure to working with international clients were also listed as attractive benefits. Above all, most participants spoke about the great work culture, as opposed to what some have experienced when working for the average audit firm in South Africa. This has ground-breaking applications in the labour broking industry and shows that this model can be applied safely and fairly to contracted employees. Moreover, labour broking provides flexibility in the labour market, which is beneficial to both job seekers and employerItem The adoption of intelligent robot automation by auditors within South Africa(2021) Naidoo, EvaashanTo automate, or not to automate, that is the question? The use of disruptive technologies has changed, and in many instances, has replaced traditional business operations and models. The auditing profession has been burdened with high costs and reputational damage as a result of false results due to a high dependency on manual tasks that are susceptible to errors or manipulation. The use of robots to help minimise these errors, achieve efficiencies and reduce costs, provides a convincing theoretical case to automate. The objective of this research is to apply the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to understand the views of audit professionals determine the factors that would influence organisations to use robot technology for performing audits in South Africa. The study adopted a quantitative approach, where a survey questionnaire consisting of 39 questions, aligned with the UTAUT model, was used to gather data. The sample comprised 59 auditors and 26 non-auditors who were involved in audits performed in South Africa. The non-auditors comprised of a Chief Information Officer, Finance Managers, Heads of Product, and various Senior Risk Management Professionals. A purposive sampling technique was used to select individuals who had an understanding of the capabilities of robots, and the potential use of robots to support business operations. The results of the study highlighted that performance expectancy and facilitating conditions were the key factors that influenced the adoption of robots in audits. Auditors and clients were more likely to use robots if they felt it would improve their performance. The respondents were more likely to use robots if it enabled the quicker iii completion of tasks, reduced errors, increased the number of tasks that could be completed and delivered better value than manual processes. The study also highlighted that sufficient investment and management support would be provided to ensure that an enabling environment is established for using robots to perform audit tasks. This would include acquiring management support as well as finding hardware, software, and skills to support the robotics development initiatives. The study provides more insight on how leaders and management in the auditing field can use insights attained through this study to successfully influence and support the use of robots to perform audits. Furthermore, the study contributes to an increased used of robotics in auditing which could improve the quality and efficiency of the auditor’s work. The study contributes towards the body of knowledge in the accounting and robot fields of study.Item The adoption of intelligent robot automation by auditors within South Africa(2021) Naidoo, EvaashanTo automate, or not to automate, that is the question? The use of disruptive technologies has changed, and in many instances, has replaced traditional business operations and models. The auditing profession has been burdened with high costs and reputational damage as a result of false results due to a high dependency on manual tasks that are susceptible to errors or manipulation. The use of robots to help minimise these errors, achieve efficiencies and reduce costs, provides a convincing theoretical case to automate. The objective of this research is to apply the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to understand the views of audit professionals determine the factors that would influence organisations to use robot technology for performing audits in South Africa. The study adopted a quantitative approach, where a survey questionnaire consisting of 39 questions, aligned with the UTAUT model, was used to gather data. The sample comprised 59 auditors and 26 non-auditors who were involved in audits performed in South Africa. The non-auditors comprised of a Chief Information Officer, Finance Managers, Heads of Product, and various Senior Risk Management Professionals. A purposive sampling technique was used to select individuals who had an understanding of the capabilities of robots, and the potential use of robots to support business operations. The results of the study highlighted that performance expectancy and facilitating conditions were the key factors that influenced the adoption of robots in audits. Auditors and clients were more likely to use robots if they felt it would improve their performance. The respondents were more likely to use robots if it enabled the quicker completion of tasks, reduced errors, increased the number of tasks that could be completed and delivered better value than manual processes. The study also highlighted that sufficient investment and management support would be provided to ensure that an enabling environment is established for using robots to perform audit tasks. This would include acquiring management support as well as finding hardware, software, and skills to support the robotics development initiatives. The study provides more insight on how leaders and management in the auditing field can use insights attained through this study to successfully influence and support the use of robots to perform audits. Furthermore, the study contributes to an increased used of robotics in auditing which could improve the quality and efficiency of the auditor’s work. The study contributes towards the body of knowledge in the accounting and robot fields of studyItem A case study: an exploration of the implications of computer-assisted audit techniques on the audit approach in terms of the key elements of an assurance engagement.(2019-08) MacDonald, Darren KyleNot only has IT become more prominent in the business environment, but it has also expanded the available tools at the auditors’ disposal. These tools are more commonly known as CAATs. The implications of CAATs have not been addressed adequately in the academic environment. As a result, this leads to the purpose of this research report: to illustrate the implications of introducing CAATs in the audit process on the five key elements of an assurance engagement. A case study methodology has been selected to explore this audit approach in great detail by focusing on one client and its audit firm. This methodology has been chosen to illustrate the context of a computerised audit and its specific consequences over a period of time. As a result, this study has managed to demonstrate the benefits from introducing CAATs throughout each key area of the audit process. In order to achieve these benefits, the auditor needs to consider several matters to ensure an efficient IT-based audit is realised.