Internal Audit: Does it Enhance Governance in the Australian Public University Sector?
This study seeks to confirm if internal audit, a corporate control process, is functioning effectively in Australian public universities. The study draws on agency theory, published literature and best-practice guidelines to develop an internal audit evaluation framework. A survey instrument is ther...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Sage Publications
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20187 |
| _version_ | 1848750237583147008 |
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| author | Christopher, Joseph |
| author_facet | Christopher, Joseph |
| author_sort | Christopher, Joseph |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This study seeks to confirm if internal audit, a corporate control process, is functioning effectively in Australian public universities. The study draws on agency theory, published literature and best-practice guidelines to develop an internal audit evaluation framework. A survey instrument is thereafter developed from the framework and used as a basis to examine if internal audit is structured to enhance governance in the Australian public university sector. The results show that a majority of university internal audit functions are operating under flexible structural and functional arrangements to achieve internal audit’s theoretical role of enhancing governance. A minority of functions did not comply with best-practice guidelines for achieving internal auditing’s theoretical role. The flexible arrangements further do not guarantee internal audit functions currently complying with best-practice guidelines will continue to do so. Contributing factors to non-compliance and flexible operating arrangements include the non-availability of mandatory requirements for compliance by the profession or government legislation. The study provides avenues for further research to confirm the findings with other stakeholders. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:33:38Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-20187 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:33:38Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Sage Publications |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-201872017-09-13T13:48:58Z Internal Audit: Does it Enhance Governance in the Australian Public University Sector? Christopher, Joseph This study seeks to confirm if internal audit, a corporate control process, is functioning effectively in Australian public universities. The study draws on agency theory, published literature and best-practice guidelines to develop an internal audit evaluation framework. A survey instrument is thereafter developed from the framework and used as a basis to examine if internal audit is structured to enhance governance in the Australian public university sector. The results show that a majority of university internal audit functions are operating under flexible structural and functional arrangements to achieve internal audit’s theoretical role of enhancing governance. A minority of functions did not comply with best-practice guidelines for achieving internal auditing’s theoretical role. The flexible arrangements further do not guarantee internal audit functions currently complying with best-practice guidelines will continue to do so. Contributing factors to non-compliance and flexible operating arrangements include the non-availability of mandatory requirements for compliance by the profession or government legislation. The study provides avenues for further research to confirm the findings with other stakeholders. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20187 10.1177/1741143214543206 Sage Publications restricted |
| spellingShingle | Christopher, Joseph Internal Audit: Does it Enhance Governance in the Australian Public University Sector? |
| title | Internal Audit: Does it Enhance Governance in the Australian Public University Sector? |
| title_full | Internal Audit: Does it Enhance Governance in the Australian Public University Sector? |
| title_fullStr | Internal Audit: Does it Enhance Governance in the Australian Public University Sector? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Internal Audit: Does it Enhance Governance in the Australian Public University Sector? |
| title_short | Internal Audit: Does it Enhance Governance in the Australian Public University Sector? |
| title_sort | internal audit: does it enhance governance in the australian public university sector? |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20187 |