Behavioural Factors Affecting Accounting Task Performance

The purpose of this study is to examine the interrelationships among accounting employees’ behavioural variables of conflict, communication, balanced power, shared values, trust and cooperation, and their impact on accounting task performance. The study uses the structural equation modeling technique and data collected through survey method. Results indicate that the relationships of conflict, communication and balanced power on trust are statistically significant and are of the a priori expectations. The factors: conflict and balanced power have significant influence on cooperation and their relationship with cooperation are of the a-priori expectation. Overall, the study finds that trust and cooperation have significant positive impacts on accounting employee task performance. Conclusion and implications are derived from the study findings and direction for further research provided. Keywords: behavioural factors, accounting employee task performance, balanced power, shared values, trust, structural equation modelin

Ethics and Role of Accountants

The role of accountants in adhering to ethics was addressed in this paper. Accountants face a number of challenges in the course of carrying out their roles and obligations. Questionnaires were used to elite responses from respondents and the Chi-Square statistic was used to analyse the data collected. It was found that the role of the accountants is dependent on the ethics of the accounting profession. Keywords: Ethics, Code of conduct, Accounting profession

Determinants of Corporate Profitability in Developing Economies

The study investigates the determinants of corporate profitability in developing economies, with main emphasis on the Nigerian context. The study analyzes the relationship between capital structure, firm size, cash liquidity, financial leverage and corporate profitability. A panel data consisting of forty (40) randomly selected companies, spanning a period of five (5) years was utilized for the study. The ordinary least square regression was used to analyze the existence of relationships among the dependent and independent variables. A positive relationship was found to exist between firm size and corporate profitability, and financial leverage and corporate profitability. Capital structure and cash liquidity exhibited negative relationships with corporate profitability. The study recommended the use of different indices of profitability; as differing results are possible. The study further proposed the inclusion of additional variables in order to improve the stability and explanatory power of the overall model. Keywords: Corporate Profitability, Capital Structure, Firm Size, Cash Liquidity, Financial Leverage

Audit Firm Characteristics and Auditing Quality: The Nigerian Experience

This study examines the link between auditing quality and auditor independence, auditor experience, auditor accountability. Using a sample of 210 respondents made up of finance directors, auditors, shareholders, and financial analysts and employing structural equation modeling technique for data analysis, we find that auditor independence and auditor accountability have a significant relationship with audit quality. We find that auditor experience is not a factor affecting audit quality in Nigeria. We recommend auditors should consider audit risk before embarking upon an audit so as to be independent and accountability conscious. Key words: auditing quality; audit evidence; structural equation modelin

Internal Control System and Quality Audit Work

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reported that the backward development in the Nigeria banking sector is attributable to the weaknesses in the internal control systems and poor audit work of the banks. This has clearly pointed out the picture of how fraud has penetrated in the financial strength of Nigerian Banks. In a nut-shell, the damage which this menace, called fraud has done to the banks is innumerable and needs urgent attention. Therefore, the attempt to put an end to this economic degradation, gave rise to the topic of this research study the internal control system and quality audit work in the banking sector in Nigeria with Access Bank PLC as a case study. However, this study verifies the conception that an effective and efficient internal control system has a greater influence on the quality of audit work. Data captured for this study, were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The descriptive analysis involves the use of tabulation and percentages. While the inferential statistical method involved the use of the chi-square. This study reveals that internal control system has a great influence on the operations of the bank and consequently on their quality audit work. Base on the above point, it was recommended that a good internal control system should be employed by the management of every organization. Keywords: Internal control, fraud, audit quality, banking secto

Business Ethics and Corporate Growth

This study was carried out to ascertain the impact of business ethical code of conduct on corporate growth in the wake of several corporate fraud, misstatement and misrepresentation. This study employed the survey research design. Business ethics and corporate growth questionnaire (BECGQ) was developed and 100 of the BECGQ were administered, out of which 80 were completely filled and returned. The Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the analysed data at 50% significance level. The study revealed that adoption of business ethical code of conduct and employee adherence to rules and regulations enhance corporate growth. The study also revealed that there is no significant relationship between corporate growth and corporate adherence to rules and regulations. The study therefore recommended that business ethics should be align with the corporate structure, goals and culture in order to enhance corporate growth. Key words: Business ethics, Corporate growth, rules and regulation

Determinants of Audit Quality in the Nigerian Business Environment

The objective of this study was to analyze the determinants of audit quality in the Nigerian business environment. The research empirically examined the relationship between audit quality, engagement and firm related characteristics such as audit tenure, audit firm size, board independence and ownership structure. A regression model was used to analyze the existence of significant relationships between audit quality and the firm/audit related characteristics. Audit firm size, board independence and ownership structure were found to be positively related to audit quality; however, only board independence exhibited a significant relationship with audit quality. Audit tenure exhibited a negative relationship with audit quality which was also not significant. The study recommends the sustenance and possible improvements on the non-executive board composition of organizations. Keywords: Audit Quality, Audit Tenure, Audit Firm Size, Board Independence, Ownership Structure

Ethical Challenges and Financial Performance in the Nigerian Banking Sector

This study examines ethical challenges and financial performance in the Nigerian banking sector. In the presence of the acclaimed sound corporate governance by most banks which ought to promote good ethical practices, bank’s customers continue to express dissatisfactory banking services rendered, mostly observed in areas where unwarranted deductions (debits) are made to customer’s account without detailed explanations. Also, the degree to which most individual and corporate customers change their banking services due to loss of confidence, and the level of insider related credit granting have called for concern to examine some practices in this industry. Further, the dearth of research work in this particular area of interest has motivated this study. Percentage analysis, Descriptive statistics and Spearman ranked order of correlation (rho) using Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS 21.0) were used to analyze the responses from the various respondents. Findings from the empirical result indicates that insider related credits exhibit a significant positive relationship with financial performance in the Nigerian banking sector while unauthorized tampering with customers’ accounts revealed unexpected insignificant negative relationship with financial performance. It is therefore recommended that the Central Bank of Nigeria should instill tougher disciplinary measures against erring CEOs as this could go a long way to further mitigate the rising tide of unethical practices in the Nigerian banking sector. Keywords: Unethical practices, Insider credits, financial performance and unauthorized access to customers’ accounts

Impact of Audit Evidence on Auditor’S Report

This study seeks to emphasize the importance of audit evidences, their quality characteristics and the professional judgment used to measure and to evaluate them in order to express their final audit opinion. There is no mathematical formula, neither a specific model in order to evaluate the quality of audit evidences. Their quality depends upon the professional judgment concerning the audit technical standards, the accounting references and nevertheless upon the auditor’s ethics. This is one of the reasons for which the financial audit is one of the edges of economical research, highlighting the credibility of financial statements. This study employ primary and secondary source of data. Questionnaires were administered to obtain information about audit evidence and auditor report was obtained through the secondary source. The empirical findings from the binary logistic regression result revealed that sufficiency of audit evidence had a negative but insignificant and reliability of audit evidence had a positive coefficient sign but insignificant. The low value of the Mcfadden R-squared indicated that the null hypotheses were rejected and acceptance of the alternative hypotheses. The study suggested that further empirical work should be conducted in this area. Keywords: Auditor report, Audit evidence, Audit opinion and Auditing standard