Whistle-blowing by external auditors: seeking legitimacy for the South African audit profession?

Auditing is often cited as playing an important role in managing agency-related costs and, accordingly, being integral to the sound functioning of capital markets. There may, however, be more to the attest function than a technical rational practice. By virtue of relying heavily on claims to technical expertise, professionalism, prudential judgement and public confidence, auditing is both a source of legitimacy for organisations and, paradoxically, dependent on claims to legitimacy for its continued existence. From this perspective, recent regulatory developments, purportedly enacted to increase arms-length control over the profession, may not only be about improving perceived audit quality and practice but also about ensuring continued faith in the well-established ‘rituals’ of the assurance function. A reporting duty imposed on South African external auditors, akin to whistle-blowing, is used as a case study to explore this perspective. In doing so, this paper contributes to the scant body of interpretive research on auditing, simultaneously offering one of the first insights into auditing regulation from an African perspective

Audit quality implications of regulatory change in South Africa

Purpose: This paper explores how technical constructions of audit practice are influenced by mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) regulations. The paper responds to calls for additional research on how external regulation influences audit quality and supplements the predominately quantitative research dealing specifically with firm rotation and its relevance for audit quality. Design/methodology/approach: Data are collected from South Africa which is the latest jurisdiction to adopt MAFR (from 2017). Detailed interviews with 49 participants comprising 24 audit partners and 25 non-auditors are conducted to explore how MAFR can impact audit quality. For this purpose, audit quality is defined according to a schematic developed interpretively and based on professional auditing standards and the prior research on audit quality. Findings: There is no guarantee that MAFR will bolster auditors’ independence or contribute to a more thorough audit approach. On the contrary, the effort required by incoming audit firms to gain an understanding of new clients coupled with material tendering costs is expected to decrease the profitability of audit engagements with adverse implications for audit quality. A loss of client experience and staff retention challenges may contribute further to a decline in audit quality. There may be some improvements to audit practice when an incumbent firm’s work is going to be scrutinised by a new auditor but audit methodologies, including the nature and extent of testing performed, are not expected to change significantly because of MAFR. In this way, the regulation may be a symbolic response to a perceived decline in audit quality and auditor independence rather than part of an effective strategy to encourage more rigorous audit practice for the benefit of the users of financial statements. Originality/value: The current paper provides one of the first exploratory accountants of how MAFR is expected to impact audit practice and, in turn, audit quality. The research responds to the call for more fieldwork studies on the mechanics of the audit process by engaging directly with practitioners instead of relying on inferential testing of broad audit quality surrogates. The study also makes an important empirical contribution by providing primary evidence on how external regulation influences audit practice from a seldom studied African perspective

A review of biodiversity reporting by the South African seafood industry

Background: Biodiversity reporting is an area of sustainability accounting research that has received comparatively little attention from the academic community. This is despite the growing scientific concern about climate change, habitat destruction and extinction of species and mounting evidence on the implications of these environmental issues for our current way of life. This necessitates additional research on biodiversity reporting, especially in a South African context given that the country is home to some of the richest biodiversity regions on earth.   Aim: This research examines what information companies in the South African seafood industry are reporting on biodiversity. This includes the development and application of an easy-to-use disclosure scorecard to track the quality of biodiversity-related disclosures.   Setting: The study focuses on South African biodiversity reporting. The choice of region is informed by the country’s significant marine resources and mature corporate reporting environment, where non-financial disclosures are expected to be well developed.   Methods: Content analysis was used to collect data from a sample of companies’ integrated and sustainability reports. The data were analysed interpretively to determine what biodiversity disclosures companies provide and the quality of those disclosures.   Conclusion: The study shows that while the quantum of biodiversity reporting is relatively low, some companies are starting to provide more detailed accounts of their biodiversity impact, pointing to higher levels of reporting quality. There is still room for improvement, but these findings suggest that reporting on non-financial sustainability issues is maturing and that companies are beginning to appreciate the importance of preserving biodiversity for ensuring long-term sustainability

To report or not to report

Whistle-blowing can play an important role in enhancing the effectiveness of corporate governance processes. In particular, legislation mandating that auditors blow the whistle on their clients’ transgressions can assist in overcoming agency-related costs and improve confidence in external audit. This is, however, only the case if regulatory reform enjoys cohesion. The Companies Act No. 71 of 2008, by introducing a definition of ‘reportable irregularities’ different from that in the Auditing Profession Act No. 26 of 2005 (APA); excluding ‘independent reviews’ from the scope of APA; and effectively exempting the majority of South African companies from the requirement either to be audited or reviewed, may materially undermine whistle-blowing by auditors in South Africa. In turn, this begs the question: for how long will South Africa rank first globally for the quality of its auditing practices

The Naturalist's Journals of Gilbert White: exploring the roots of accounting for biodiversity and extinction accounting

Purpose This paper explores the historical roots of accounting for biodiversity and extinction accounting by analysing the 18th-century Naturalist's Journals of Gilbert White and interpreting them as biodiversity accounts produced by an interested party. The authors aim to contribute to the accounting history literature by extending the form of accounting studied to include nature diaries as well as by exploring historical ecological accounts, as well as contributing to the burgeoning literature on accounting for biodiversity and extinction accounting. Design/methodology/approach The authors’ method involves analysing the content of Gilbert White's Naturalist's Journals by producing an 18th-century biodiversity account of species of flora and fauna and then interpretively drawing out themes from the Journals. The authors then provide a Whitean extinction account by comparing current species' status with White's biodiversity account from 250 years ago. Findings This paper uses Gilbert White's Naturalist's Journals as a basis for comparing biodiversity and natural capital 250 years ago with current species' status according to extinction threat and conservation status. Further the paper shows how early nature diary recording represents early (and probably the only) forms of accounting for biodiversity and extinction. The authors also highlight themes within White's accounts including social emancipation, problematisation, aesthetic elements and an example of an early audit of biodiversity accounting. Research limitations/implications There are limitations to analysing Gilbert White's Naturalist's Journals given that the only available source is an edited version. The authors therefore interpret their data as accounts which are indicative of biodiversity and species abundance rather than an exactly accurate account. Practical implications From the authors’ analysis and reflections, the authors suggest that contemporary biodiversity accounting needs to incorporate a combination of narrative, data accounting and pictorial/aesthetic representation if it is to provide a rich and accurate report of biodiversity and nature. The authors also suggest that extinction accounting should draw on historical data in order to demonstrate change in natural capital over time. Social implications Social implications include the understanding gleaned from the authors’ analysis of the role of Gilbert White as a nature diarist in society and the contribution made over time by his Journals and other writings to the development of nature accounting and recording, as well as to one’s understanding and knowledge of species of flora and fauna. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge this is the first attempt to analyse and interpret nature diaries as accounts of biodiversity and extinction

Exploring the decision to adopt International Financial Reporting Standards early: The case of International Financial Reporting Standards 13

Using an exploratory interpretive research approach and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 13 as a case study, this article investigates the factors that affect the decision to adopt a specific IFRS early. The research findings are significant as very little interpretive research has been performed on financial reporting from a South African perspective. The findings reveal that the majority of the interviewees did not elect to adopt IFRS 13 early. Technical constraints – such as the need to provide additional accounting disclosure – discouraged the early adoption of the standard. Factors such as the effect of adoption on earnings, decisions made by competitors and the relevance of the standard to business operations were also considered as part of this decision. Perhaps most significant is the logic of resistance to new standards evidenced by a general dismissal of the view that IFRS 13 provides more useful information to users of financial statements

"Good" news from nowhere:imagining utopian sustainable accounting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to attempt to provide a ray of hope, in the form of a Morris-style utopian dream of a sustainable world, as a basis for new forms of accounting and accountability in contemporary society. Design/methodology/approach The method is four-fold, weaving together an auto-ethnographic approach, a contextual dialogue between accounting academics and lobbyists, a Morris-inspired utopian metaphor and a stakeholder accountability event in the form of oral disclosures written as a song cycle. Findings Current efforts at integrated reporting are unlikely to change how large companies do business in order to address the risk of climate change in the short term. If the UN reports on climate change are correct, the authors need to take immediate action. The authors argue that, instead of waiting for climatic disaster to lead to a paradigm shift in corporate practice, “monetisation” of the costs of climate change is one way to encourage integrated thinking and sustainable business models. This relies on existing finance and accounting discourse to create a new “field of environmental visibility” which engenders environmental awareness on the part of the world’s companies and policy makers.Practical implications This utopian image may not appear a practicable, realistic solution to current problems but represents a starting point for optimism. It provides inspiration for policy makers to develop better forms of sustainability reporting, more suitable to the accelerating rates of climatic change. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge this is the first attempt to develop Morris’s News From Nowhere as a basis for building new forms of accounting and accountability

Integrated reporting : the influence of King III on social, ethical and environmental reporting

This study analyses the annual reports of 10 major South African companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) to assess the impact of the required introduction of integrated reporting on social, environmental and ethical reporting.Publisher PD