This study offers insights into why internal auditing is experiencing a shortage of qualified job candidates and offers a potential solution to the problem. The authors find that external auditors have negative perceptions about internal auditing, and these negative perceptions are associated with a (1) decreased desire to apply for internal auditing positions, (2) lower likelihood of recommending an in-house internal auditing career to high-performing students, and (3) higher likelihood of recommending an in-house internal auditing career to mediocre students. Internal auditors can try solving this problem by improving perceptions about internal auditing via a media campaign that raises awareness about the true internal audit career path.

Bartlett, G.D., J. Kremin, K.K. Saunders, and D.A. Wood. 2016. Attracting Applicants for In-House and Outsourced Internal Audit Positions: Views from External Auditors. Accounting Horizons 30 (1): 143-156.

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This study’s results are important to regulators thinking about requiring issuance of an internal audit report and practitioners planning how to respond to such proposals. The authors suggest that the assurance internal audit report, which leads to more conservative risk assessment when internal auditors mainly report to the audit committee, may prove rather costly and unpopular among internal auditors. Meanwhile, the descriptive internal audit report, which prior research found to be useful to investors, does not make internal auditors more conservative, but it may prove less costly and more popular among internal auditors. Ultimately, these findings suggest that regulators need to discuss any internal audit report proposals with key stakeholders, including internal auditors, before getting too far into the rule making process. 

Boyle, D. M., F. T. DeZoort, and D. R. Hermanson. 2015. The Effects of Internal Audit Report Type and Reporting Relationship on Internal Auditors' Risk Judgments. Accounting Horizons 29 (3): 695-718.

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The results suggest that internal auditors contribute to decreased reliability of disclosed amounts. It appears that the incentives of external auditors and internal auditors are closely aligned on this issue. In general, both of these parties seem to feel less responsibility for disclosed, relative to recognized amounts. The results indicate that financial reporting location has significant effects on internal auditors’ decisions to correct misstatements. Specifically, internal auditors are more willing to waive disclosed misstatements relative to recognized misstatements. Contrary to expectations, the results do not indicate that increased audit committee expertise and associated increases in audit committee members’ perceived powers cause internal auditors to be less willing to waive misstatements.

Norman, C. S., J. M. Rose, and I. S. Suh. 2011. The effects of disclosure type and audit committee expertise on Chief Audit Executives’ tolerance for financial misstatements. Accounting, Organizations & Society 36 (2): 102-108.

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This study makes an original contribution to the development of new knowledge on internal auditing. It concludes that internal auditors tend to lack independence and audit committee members often exercise disturbingly weak power (on the internal audit function), as compared to the top managers. This points to the difficulty of applying an idealized conception of independence and purist governance principles to practice. That is, it encourages auditors to consider the appropriateness of internal auditing as a meaningful independent assurance device in operating the corporate governance "mosaic."

Roussy, M. 2015. Welcome to the day-to-day of internal auditors: How do they cope with conflict? Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory 34 (2): 237-264.

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The primary result that audit committee involvement is significantly and positively associated with “outsourcing” is an important finding that suggests a need for management to pay close attention to the role that audit committee plays in “outsourcing” internal audit activities. The significance of value-added-activities, missing-skill-set, and audit-staff-vacancies on “outsourcing” also require management attention because collectively these three variables indicate trade-offs between acquiring the expertise in-house or “outsourcing” to external service providers.

For more information on this study, please contact Mohammad Abdolmohammadi

Abdolmohammadi, M. 2013. Correlates of Co-Sourcing/Outsourcing of Internal Audit Activities. Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory 32(3): 69-85.

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