Implications to the Audit Process of Auditing that uses Data Analytics Tools and New Business Models

Paper II is excluded from the dissertation until it is published.New advances in information technology have created a wave of technological innovations which affect the audit firms. Audit firms are now investing large sums of money to acquire and adopt data analytics tools. Using three studies in this dissertation, I investigated questions relating to the impact of digital tools in the audit process. These studies are briefly summarized below. The first study investigates whether the audit evidence from a process mining tool provides information that adds to the appropriateness (relevance) of the audit evidence collected by traditional analytical procedures. The results shows that auditors do perceive evidence from a process mining tool to express information that is relevant for both the planning and substantive stages of the audit even though the auditor’s risk assessment was higher in the substantive stage as compared to the planning stage. In addition, the results also shows that there was no difference in the auditor’s assessment of the relevance of the information presented in graph format and in written text format as both are considered equally relevant in the planning and substantive stages. The second study investigates the unintended consequences in auditor’s decision making of using digital tools with powerful visualization abilities in the audit process. Specifically, the study investigates whether auditors make their decisions based on the relevance of the information to the decision to be made when using both visual audit evidence and text evidence or their decision will be based on a bias. The results shows that when auditors are presented with different information presented in different formats (visual or text), they are most likely to use the piece of information presented in visual rather than using the piece of audit evidence which is relevant to the decision. The third paper analyses the fraud case of a financial technology company Wirecard using the fraud triangle as the theoretical framework. The results shows that of the three factors identified in the fraud triangle, opportunity was the most prevalent factor and rationalization was least observable.publishedVersio

Research Notes : Evaluation of soybean germplasm for aluminum tolerance

A growth-chamber experiment was conducted in nutrient solution containing 0 or 8 ppm of aluminum as Al2K(S04)3 to study differential Al tolerance of soybean germplasm representing Maturity Groups V, VI and VII, supplied by Dr. E. E. Hartwig. Two soybean cultivars, one sensitive (\u27Chief\u27) and the other tolerant (\u27Perry\u27), were included as standard checks (Fig. 1). Soybean roots were affected by the presence of Al and showed discoloration, stunted and blackish root tips

Lablab purpureus—A Crop Lost for Africa?

In recent years, so-called ‘lost crops’ have been appraised in a number of reviews, among them Lablab purpureus in the context of African vegetable species. This crop cannot truly be considered ‘lost’ because worldwide more than 150 common names are applied to it. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this paper aims to put forward four theses, (i) Lablab is one of the most diverse domesticated legume species and has multiple uses. Although its largest agro-morphological diversity occurs in South Asia, its origin appears to be Africa. (ii) Crop improvement in South Asia is based on limited genetic diversity. (iii) The restricted research and development performed in Africa focuses either on improving forage or soil properties mostly through one popular cultivar, Rongai, while the available diversity of lablab in Africa might be under threat of genetic erosion. (iv) Lablab is better adapted to drought than common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) or cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), both of which have been preferred to lablab in African agricultural production systems. Lablab might offer comparable opportunities for African agriculture in the view of global change. Its wide potential for adaptation throughout eastern and southern Africa is shown with a GIS (geographic information systems) approach

Independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene, and improved complementary feeding, on child stunting and anaemia in rural Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Child stunting reduces survival and impairs neurodevelopment. We tested the independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and anaemia in in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised, community-based, 2 × 2 factorial trial in two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Clusters were defined as the catchment area of between one and four village health workers employed by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Women were eligible for inclusion if they permanently lived in clusters and were confirmed pregnant. Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to standard of care (52 clusters), IYCF (20 g of a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement per day from age 6 to 18 months plus complementary feeding counselling; 53 clusters), WASH (construction of a ventilated improved pit latrine, provision of two handwashing stations, liquid soap, chlorine, and play space plus hygiene counselling; 53 clusters), or IYCF plus WASH (53 clusters). A constrained randomisation technique was used to achieve balance across the groups for 14 variables related to geography, demography, water access, and community-level sanitation coverage. Masking of participants and fieldworkers was not possible. The primary outcomes were infant length-for-age Z score and haemoglobin concentrations at 18 months of age among children born to mothers who were HIV negative during pregnancy. These outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We estimated the effects of the interventions by comparing the two IYCF groups with the two non-IYCF groups and the two WASH groups with the two non-WASH groups, except for outcomes that had an important statistical interaction between the interventions. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01824940. FINDINGS: Between Nov 22, 2012, and March 27, 2015, 5280 pregnant women were enrolled from 211 clusters. 3686 children born to HIV-negative mothers were assessed at age 18 months (884 in the standard of care group from 52 clusters, 893 in the IYCF group from 53 clusters, 918 in the WASH group from 53 clusters, and 991 in the IYCF plus WASH group from 51 clusters). In the IYCF intervention groups, the mean length-for-age Z score was 0·16 (95% CI 0·08-0·23) higher and the mean haemoglobin concentration was 2·03 g/L (1·28-2·79) higher than those in the non-IYCF intervention groups. The IYCF intervention reduced the number of stunted children from 620 (35%) of 1792 to 514 (27%) of 1879, and the number of children with anaemia from 245 (13·9%) of 1759 to 193 (10·5%) of 1845. The WASH intervention had no effect on either primary outcome. Neither intervention reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea at 12 or 18 months. No trial-related serious adverse events, and only three trial-related adverse events, were reported. INTERPRETATION: Household-level elementary WASH interventions implemented in rural areas in low-income countries are unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia and might not reduce diarrhoea. Implementation of these WASH interventions in combination with IYCF interventions is unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia more than implementation of IYCF alone. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Development Cooperation, UNICEF, and US National Institutes of Health.The SHINE trial is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1021542 and OPP113707); UK Department for International Development; Wellcome Trust, UK (093768/Z/10/Z, 108065/Z/15/Z and 203905/Z/16/Z); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; US National Institutes of Health (2R01HD060338-06); and UNICEF (PCA-2017-0002)

Tecnologías relacionadas con Internet en la profesión de auditor : una revisión bibliométrica de la WOS de las últimas tres décadas y un mapa de la estructura conceptual

Research on Internet-Related Technologies in the auditing profession has grown substantially over the past three decades; however, it is very fragmented. This study seeks to synthesize and provide a comprehensive overview of the literature. Using bibliometric techniques and content analysis, this study provides an exhaustive overview of the research on Internet-Related Technologies in the auditing profession. The study utilized bibliography from the Web of Science database spanning for three decades from 1990 to 2019. A total of 236 academic documents, written by 478 authors from 102 sources was retrieved and used for the analysis. HistCite and Biblioshiny in R were used to run the citation and network analysis. Influential journals, institutions, trending articles and important network collaborations were identified. Bibliographical coupling in a data visualization software (VOSviewer) and content analysis in Excel were used to identify the following six major research streams: (1) the use of big data analytics in the auditing profession, (2) impact of Internet Related Technologies on continuous auditing, (3) impacts of Internet Related Technologies on audit quality and efficiency (4) impact of Internet Related Technologies on fraud detection and risk assessment (5) blockchain and the auditing profession (6) cloud auditing and audit support systems. Potential important research avenues and practical implications of the research were also provided.La investigación sobre las tecnologías relacionadas con Internet en la profesión de auditor ha crecido sustancialmente en las últimas tres décadas; sin embargo, está muy fragmentada. Este estudio pretende sintetizar y ofrecer una visión global de esa literatura. Utilizando técnicas bibliométricas y de análisis de contenido, este estudio proporciona una visión exhaustiva de la investigación sobre las tecnologías relacionadas con Internet en la profesión de auditor. El estudio utilizó bibliografía de la base de datos Web of Science que abarca tres décadas, desde 1990 hasta 2019. Se recuperaron y utilizaron para el análisis un total de 236 documentos académicos, escritos por 478 autores de 102 fuentes. Se utilizaron HistCite y Biblioshiny en R para ejecutar el análisis de citas y redes. Se identificaron las revistas influyentes, las instituciones, los artículos de tendencia y las colaboraciones importantes en red. Se utilizó el acoplamiento bibliográfico en un software de visualización de datos (VOSviewer) y el análisis de contenido en Excel para identificar las siguientes seis grandes corrientes de investigación: (1) el uso de big data en la profesión de auditoría, (2) el impacto de las tecnologías relacionadas con Internet en la auditoría continua, (3) los impactos de las tecnologías relacionadas con Internet en la calidad y la eficiencia de la auditoria, (4) el impacto de las tecnologías relacionadas con Internet en la detección del fraude y la evaluación del riesgo, (5) blockchain y la profesión de auditoria y (6) la auditoría en la nube y los sistemas de apoyo a la auditoría. También se proporcionaron posibles vías de investigación importantes e implicaciones prácticas de la investigación