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South African municipalities are the entities closest to citizens in local communities across the country, and they are required to provide services to them. The sustainable provision of services is heavily reliant on sound public finance management in all levels of government. It is unfortunate that municipalities in South Africa are failing to effectively manage and use public funds to improve service delivery. Most South African municipalities have received negative audit opinions for years, and their current financial situation is deteriorating year after year. This is concerning for a country that has recently celebrated 30 years of democracy; it is unfortunate that democratic gains are being reversed due to issues within South African municipalities such as irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure, non-compliance, a lack of skills, a lack of consequence management, political infighting, corruption, and poor leadership, to name a few. Citizens are the ones who pay the price at the end of the day when services owed to them are not delivered by municipalities due to poor financial management. The objective of this paper is to examine the causes of unsatisfactory audit outcomes in the South African local government sector and recommend solutions to for improving financial management in South African municipalities. To achieve this objective, a systematic literature review was chosen as the appropriate research methodological strategy for this paper

This study explores the relevance of corporate governance mechanisms in determining audit quality, with a specific focus on the moderating role of firm performance in the Jordanian industrial sector. Audit quality is essential for ensuring transparency and accountability in financial reporting, making this analysis highly relevant for stakeholders aiming to strengthen corporate governance. The study sample included 64 manufacturing companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange for the study period (2014–2022), with a total of 474 firm-year observations. The regression analysis is used to investigate the study hypotheses, including the key variables related to corporate governance, board performance, and audit quality. The findings show that company size has a significant positive effect on audit quality. There is no significant impact of CEO duality, independent directors, and ownership concentration on audit quality within the Jordanian industrial sector. The R² value of 0.067 indicates that approximately 6.7% of the variance in audit quality is explained by the study variables, while the F-value of 6.633, with a significance level of 0.00, suggests that the overall model is statistically significant, even though the explanatory power is relatively low. The study shows that company size is important to improve audit quality; other governance mechanisms may not have the same impact in the Jordanian industrial sector.

Non-banking financial institutions (NBFI), including microfinance institutions (MFIs), pawnshops, leasing companies, and insurance corporations, have become essential for financing the Romanian economy, contributing to the diversification of funding sources and supporting economic growth. NBFI have demonstrated their ability to provide flexible and accessible financing solutions, particularly during crises. As of the end of 2022, lending activities constituted the majority of NBFI portfolios, with consumer loans being the primary source of household financing. Loans extended to non-financial corporations experienced significant growth, with many denominated in euros. Additionally, there has been an increase in loans granted to non-residents. Between 2019 and 2023, outstanding balances decreased as a percentage of total amounts owed, while the number of debtors with arrears saw a slight increase. In the European context, NBFI have become increasingly important for financing non-financial corporations, indicating a significant rise in the proportion of loans provided by these institutions. These developments underscore the pivotal role of NBFI both domestically and globally.

The article carries out a critical evaluation of the characteristics of the main software products for the needs of analysis and audit of the activities of economic entities. Taking into account the identified specific features will allow responsible employees to quickly monitor the programs available on the market for their compliance with the needs of the economic entity and its management system. It is proved that taking into account the user’s requests will allow promptly, objectively, quickly and instantly respond to the existing challenges of the market environment with the help of correctly selected software. The scheme of interrelations of the components of the modernized system of managerial decision-making with the use of software products is generalized and the expediency of their use in the management process is substantiated. The proposed system of managerial decision-making with the use of software products determines new vectors of development of audit and analytical activities of the economic entity. It is noted that the purpose of software products of analysis and audit is the automation of complex and labor-consuming technical processes, which are important in the process of evaluating the activities of the economic entity. It is proved that the use of computer software in the process of activity will allow to effectively conduct analysis and audit and determine the directions of development of economic entities, taking into account modern challenges and objectives of economic management. An approach to the selection of the most adapted to the requirements of a particular economic entity software product for analysis and audit on the basis of taking into account the proposed standard criteria has been elaborated. This will enable the prompt selection of the software product in accordance with the needs of the management. Prospect for further research will be the study of potential risks in the use of software products in the economic activity of the economic entity and the identification of the principles and objectives of the development of software products that would take into account external factors of influence in the process of evaluating the activities of the economic entity, which will allow more accurate development of strategic plans of activity and effective functioning in the long run.

Accounting information provides the financial state, performance, cash flow, and notes to the enterprise’s financial statements. Information quality plays an essential role for stakeholders in making business decisions. The study examines the impact of government policy and the controller’s connection with relevant parties on the information quality of Vietnamese audit firms in the context of COVID-19. The surveyed subjects include 347 controllers of audit firms in Vietnam. The paper uses quantitative methods, specifically the exploratory factor analysis method, and the ordinary least squares are used to test the model’s hypotheses. Agency and stakeholder theories are used to explain the basis of the study’s theory. The results show that the government policy and the controller’s connection with relevant parties positively affect the information quality of Vietnamese audit firms. The level of correlation between factors is appropriate, between 0.126 and 0.618. Government policy is one of the most influential factors in information quality (0.412). Relevant parties include audit firms, relatives, and the community, and the level of connection between the controller and relatives and the community (0.298) is better than that of audit firms (0.183). The study proposes policies to connect controllers and relevant parties in cooperation and mutual support to ensure strict control activities and improve the information quality of Vietnamese audit firms.

Research question: What are the effects of auditors’ characteristics on timeliness of financial reporting among listed family-owned firms in Nigeria? Motivation: Timely issuance of audited annual financial report is highly desirable to various stakeholders against top management insider trading on the accounting information of which family-owned listed firms is highly prone to involve. Idea: This study examined the effect of auditor’s characteristics on timeliness of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the extent at which auditor’s type; audit opinion; audit fee; auditor’s tenure; and joint audit affect timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned businesses in Nigeria. Data: The data used and evaluated covered a period from 2012 to 2021, and were drawn from 47 listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. The secondary data were obtained from MachameRatio database. Tools: Both descriptive statistics and partial least square regression analyses were performed. Findings: The robust test performed revealed that Big-4 audit firms, audit opinion and audit tenure have positive effect, while audit fee and joint audit impound negative effect, on timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. However, the result is statistically significant for audit opinion, audit tenure and audit fee. Contribution: The implication of the findings is that audit opinion and audit tenure enhance timely issuance of the financial reports of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. This study’s contributions to the body of knowledge include exploring the position of auditor’s features on timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria which extant studies have scarcely investigated. The study recommended that listed family-owned firms in Nigeria should engage auditors for longer audit tenure among others.

Audit is an important instrument that organizations used to prevent the occurrence of frauds along the years. Investigations in the field of audit are increasing, however, none of them presents quantitative overview on audit-related publications from 2003 to 2023. To fill this gap, this study aims to identify the transformation of audit related research in the past 20 years using bibliometric analysis and suggest avenues for future research in the audit fields. We analyzed a sample of 1177 articles published on Scopus and Web of Science databases. The results show that the most frequent keywords used by the authors were corporate governance, audit quality, audit and audit committee. United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), China are the leader countries in this field. Sustainability, Cogent Business and Management and Current Issues in Auditing, are the most prolific journals. The article shows how audit is a pertinent topic and demands upcoming investigations about. This article makes an important contribution to the current literature on audit through a bibliometric analysis and describe future research and research agenda audit matter for academics.

The study aims to systematically review the role of big data visualization in the auditing field. Employing a qualitative approach, the research utilized the Systematic Literature Review method to gather pertinent data. The study used 35 published articles extracted from different journals and reputed publishers, which served as the sample. This research provides an overview of the data visualization trend literature in auditing and describes the associated capabilities and practices. The result showed a fluctuating pattern in the publication years, highlighting a relatively recent research area, with the highest volume noted in 2021. The findings indicated that most articles used qualitative methods, such as conceptual or case study research. This suggests that empirical research is needed to add to the body of knowledge of data visualization in auditing. Furthermore, the study identified nine of the main capabilities of data visualization to improve audit quality. The study offers valuable perspectives for both practitioners and researchers, detailing the progress made to date and identifying future avenues of inquiry within the discipline. The study contributes to extending the literature on accounting information systems and auditing and provides a knowledge gap for further analysis.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to trace the evolution of audit opinion research and identify research gaps that require the future investigation. Data was collected from Scopus and Dimension sources and then filtered by criteria so that the total final data analyzed bibliometrically was 709 over the last ten-year observation period. The research method is carried out in two stages, namely bibliometric analysis and content analysis on relevant articles. This study finds that the majority of audit opinion research have examined the topics of audit quality, types of audit opinions, business continuity, financial ratios, shopping opinions, earning management, audit tenure, and audit fees. Many audit opinion studies have employed quantitative methods, while a small number have used qualitative research methods. Furthermore, previous audit opinion studies have focused on corporate research, especially companies listed in the stock exchange market. Audit opinion research have also been explored in the local government sector, while they, in the relation to education, health, and sharia institutions still need to be improved. This research documents valuable research insights to future research agendas. In addition, the results revealed flaws in the audit opinion study of untouched objects.

This paper aims to systematically reconstruct and analyze both typical and atypical models of fraud schemes prevalent in various sectors and channels of the modern landscape. It seeks to explore and delineate the evolving tools and strategies developed to combat the spread of fraud. The primary focus is not to provide an exhaustive analysis of the entire scope of specialized literature on fraud, but rather to offer an insightful description of various forms of fraudulent behavior within a company context, highlighting their prevalence and consequences. This approach allows for a nuanced understanding of fraud dynamics, contributing significantly to the field of fraud detection and prevention.

This paper explores the impact of implementing chatbots in the internal audit process of public education entities. The study analyzes the efficiency and effectiveness of chatbots in optimizing audit operations, highlighting benefits such as increasing efficiency, improving audit quality and facilitating communication between auditors and institution staff. The results highlight the significant contributions of chatbots in reducing administrative burdens, saving resources and creating a more transparent and adaptable audit process. The paper provides relevant insights for public entities seeking to integrate emerging technologies into their internal audit practices, highlighting the importance of chatbots in the effective evolution of this field.

In the age of a large number of data that scale up on a daily basis, what becomes highly relevant is the credibility analysis and accuracy, i.e., detecting potential manipulations of the respective data. Benford's law is widely used to detect anomalies in sets of data, ranging from official population numbers, stock prices and information in scientific papers to financial reports in companies' financial statements taking the form of forensic accounting. Benford's law as a tool to analyze data in this paper focuses on the planned values expressed in the budget of the defense system in the Republic of Serbia. Research in this sphere of social life is important from the viewpoint of accurately presenting the activities and of transparency of future actions, of minimizing misuses and, henceforth, increasing trust in the operation of institutions. This paper identifies a minimal discrepancy in publicly available data in the laws on budget for the observed period, which suggests a proper distribution of assets approved for funding the defense system.

The aim of the article is to define the essence of the process of auditing the intellectual property of an organization and to study its features in the context of business development. It is determined that the main purpose of an intellectual property audit is to collect information about what intellectual property (IP) has been created or acquired and what steps have been taken to protect it. It is also necessary to analyze the procedures for documenting and protecting intellectual property used in the enterprise. The main tasks of the intellectual property audit are noted as follows: inventory of all issued patents and patent applications pending consideration; cataloging license agreements; analysis of the consistency of the intellectual property strategy with the corporate strategy of the enterprise; cataloging documents related to previous litigation, disputes, analysis, or research; review of intellectual objects of property (IPO) portfolio management plans and the company’s policy on intellectual property strategy. The carried out research allowed to conclude that the implementation of the IP audit allows the management of the organization to determine the existing intellectual products, submitted applications and already received IPO, their commercial potential in the context of the organization’s development strategy. In addition, in accordance with the development strategy, the audit of the organization’s IPO allows you to determine the need to obtain external IPOs, as well as to review the strategy for managing the IPO portfolio. Prospects for further research in this direction are the development and improvement of methodological instruments for the process of auditing objects of intellectual property of an organization as a component of the process of managing the IPO portfolio.

The article examines the history of the emergence of blockchain technology in order to understand its widespread implementation in many areas of modern human activity. It is defined that blockchain technology can be used to create an immutable or perpetual ledger for tracking orders, payments, invoices and other transactions. Thus, the researched technology is suitable for use in the field of finance and accounting. At its core, blockchain represents a type of distributed ledger technology, which is based on a token as an accounting object. This opens up opportunities for faster and more efficient financial transactions, as well as for the creation of new types of financial instruments. As a result of the study, the features of this innovative technology are revealed, namely: decentralization and immutability of data. The widespread use of blockchain technology in various fields has not bypassed auditing. In accounting and auditing, blockchain can serve as the basis for decentralized accounting systems, where every transaction is recorded and stored in on-chain blocks, ensuring that they are immutable and consistent. This can facilitate auditing, promote accounting accuracy, and provide greater transparency in financial operations. It is substantiated that the introduction of blockchain technology by auditing entities has a number of advantages and risks, which are described in the presented methodological study. Prospects for further research in this direction are to determine the efficiency of the use of the latest information technologies in the work of auditing entities and assess the potential risks that can arise in the auditing process.

Accounting and analytical support occupies one of the main places in the system of investment audit of enterprises, the implementation of which contributes to strengthening the investment potential, strengthening the competitiveness and social status of enterprises of public interest, improving business conditions and creating potential for increasing the profitability of manufactured products. The purpose of the article is to analyze the state of accounting and analytical support of investment audit of enterprises of public interest, as well as to establish the further vector of its development. The article summarizes the state and development strategy of the investment audit of public interest enterprises. The content of accounting and analytical support of investment audit and the directions of further development are disclosed, the views of scientists on the development of the subject area of knowledge and practical activity are systematized. The concept of "accounting and analytical support of investment audit" is substantiated, its purpose and tasks are determined. Its main elements are formulated and we offer approaches to improving the methodology according to the stages of conducting an investment audit of the activities of enterprises of public interest. Accounting and analytical support for investment audit is an information system that includes the accounting, analytical and control subsystems, the purpose of which is to provide the auditor, stakeholders and investors with high-quality and timely economic information for making informed decisions and ensuring the conduct of a high-quality investment audit.

Every company must consider the changes in a digital environment. In the era of digital transformation, the company understands the importance of information technologies, and makes adjustments in the form of structural changes. Modern technology usage provides the possibility of the analysis of previously unimaginable types and amounts of data, and introduces significant changes in the field of auditing. By simplifying the audit work, digitalization has also created new opportunities for IT auditing. The aim of this paper is to present the opportunities and challenges of key digital trends in auditing, or the usage of big data analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and robotic process automation. There is an emerging need for auditors to take advantage of digital technology usage and respond to the challenges of digitalization in a systematic and high-quality way. The progress of using digital technologies in auditing is contributing to more reliability and better quality reporting, which is leading to increased trust among stakeholders in the results of audit work.

The external public audit, plays one of the most important roles in ensuring the efficient management of public funds and contributes to the identification, combating and prevention of financial fraud, a contribution that can be evaluated by analysing deviations with financial implications on the public budgets. The objective of this paper is to highlight the existence of direct proportionality between the quality of public audits with the value of identified deviations. After reviewing the specialized literature, we used the qualitative methodology to synthesize the data contained in the Annual Public Reports on local public finances published by the Court of Accounts of Romania and we analysed factors as additional income, damages, referrals to criminal investigation bodies. The sample includes the territorial administrative units of the counties and municipality ’s of Romania. The results of the study revealed that, although through its audit actions, the Court of Accounts of Romania identified deviations like additional income or damages with a constant value for the audited years, the referrals to the criminal investigation bodies are in a decrease. At the end of the paper the conclusions, future directions and limitations of the study are presented.

This study aims to determine how much auditor rotation affect auditor independence and its implications for auditor performance. The method used in this study are descriptive and verification methods with path analysis, data processed using the SPSS program. The results of this study indicate Auditor Rotation Affect Auditor Independence and Auditor Independence Has Implications for Auditor Performance, with the reason, if the auditor rotation is carried out consistently, the level of auditor independence is high so that the auditor's performance is optimal.. The higher the independence, the better the auditor's performance. People are increasingly trusting to use the services of a public accounting firm. Independence is the backbone of the auditor's profession, auditor rotation in many countries is important to implement such as in Jordan, Libya and other developing countries. Auditor performance is a tool to measure auditor performance, which begins with instilling attitudes that are not controlled by other parties, one of which is through audit0r rotation, auditor rotation is needed as a basis to prevent a special relationship between management and the auditor as a result of long assignments.

The article is dedicated to exploring trends and prospects in the development of the international and domestic audit services markets. The authors examine key factors influencing the growth of audit firms and analyze the challenges and risks they encounter. The most common types of audit services are analyzed, including financial statement audits, tax consulting, risk management, and others, as well as various additional services provided by audit firms. Special emphasis is placed on the largest international audit companies, known as the "Big Four," and their key differentiators such as size, specialization, and technological approach. Factors influencing the prospects of the international audit services market are investigated, including increasing demand, business globalization, innovation, sustainable development, and changes in the regulatory environment. Furthermore, the authors explore trends in the growth of service volumes, expansion of client bases, and diversification of services offered by audit firms in Ukraine. Based on data from the Audit Chamber of Ukraine, figures are provided regarding market growth and differences in volumes over specific years. The article analyzes factors contributing to this growth, such as the expansion of mandatory audits and the implementation of international audit standards. Another aspect of growth is highlighted – increasing client numbers – as well as the approaches taken by audit firms to expand their service spectrum in the market. Additionally, examples of promising directions for the development of the audit services market in Ukraine are presented, such as climate and energy audits, advisory audits, IT audits, and more. The quality of auditors' professional training, the utilization of analytical tools and IT technologies for the successful development of these directions, is considered crucial.

Determining the efficiency of activity and investment potential of public interest enterprises for the purpose of further investment can be carried out in different ways, one of which is conducting an independent investment audit. The aim of the article is to present the effect of the investment audit of enterprises of public interest in ensuring their development and assessing the real efficiency of investments, as well as establishing the further vector of its development. The article summarizes the state and development strategy of the investment audit of public interest enterprises. The content of the existing investment audit procedures and the directions of further development are disclosed, the views of scientists on the development of the subject area of knowledge and practical activity are systematized. The market of auditing services for the performance of tasks for enterprises of public interest has been analyzed, the main problems characteristic of the domestic market of auditing services have been identified. The concept of "investment audit" is substantiated, its purpose and tasks are defined. Its main elements are formulated and approaches to improving the methodology are proposed according to the stages of conducting an investment audit of the activities of enterprises of public interest. Conducting an investment audit will contribute to ensuring the development and increasing the investment attractiveness of the enterprise among users who need complete, reliable, unbiased and timely information from independent experts as a basis for making investment decisions.

The study analyses 1,757 peer-reviewed publications indexed in WOS between 2015 and May 2023, with a common theme of analyzing cryptocurrencies from a financial point of view. The study was conducted using bibliometric and exploratory analytical methods, with particular attention to the dynamics of the research directions over time. The results have resulted in the creation of comprehensive maps of hot research topics and new research trends for crypto assets. Furthermore, the mapping of international cooperation between the researchers included in the analysis revealed remarkable results. The study highlights some valuable insights into the profiles of individuals and companies who own and use cryptocurrencies. The analysis indicates the recent focus of research guidelines on topics such as inefficiency, risk or uncertainty in cryptocurrency transactions. With the help of the principle of prudence for accounting and audit, empirical studies in this direction require the development and active international cooperation between researchers and researchers and the business community.

The level of audit regulation has seen an accelerating dynamic in recent years, with the issue of auditor independence increasingly highlighted in the regulations. In Romania, at the level of public institutions, there are, according to the latest reports, vulnerabilities in terms of transparency and the level of cooperation with auditors, manifested by the issuance of qualified audit reports on the basis of events such as the lack of inventory or transparency in the provision of information for audit (failure to issue the audit report). In this context, we proposed to carry out an impact study on the behavior of the statutory auditor in the context of specific regulations and to develop an auditor independence model. The used methods used consist of literature review, econometric modelling and critical impact analysis. The results of the study will highlight the vulnerabilities induced by the level of auditor turnover on the economic performance of public institutions and are useful to decision makers in order to optimize audit practices.

The audit process used by the auditor directly impacts audit quality. The auditor's attitude and cognitive abilities are crucial for finishing the Audit and play a significant part in the decision-making process. Different auditing techniques and procedures can also be adjusted to situations that are not typical. Hence, additional research needs to be done on audit quality to maintain it at a high level in the future under all circumstances. This study investigates how audit quality affects the moderating factors of audit skepticism, planning, and Risk. In this study, 265 Indonesian auditor respondents served as the sample. A quantitative strategy that is put to the test via path analysis is a research method. The SmartPLS 3 testing tool was used to conduct statistical testing. The findings indicated that professional Skepticism impacted audit quality. Moreover, Audit Planning affects the quality of the Audit. It has been demonstrated that audit risk strengthens the link between professional Skepticism and audit quality. The association between audit planning and audit quality is not strengthened because audit risk produces various outcomes. As a result, the auditor must adjust for audit risk and consider it when preparing the Audit. It tries to raise the caliber of audits. The usage of information technology, which plays a significant role in the audit process, might be considered in a future study.

The study analyzes the potential impacts of super AI on traditional auditing and investigative practices, ethical considerations, and the role of auditors and investigators in the face of increasing automation and dependence on AI systems. The study uses a deductive approach to analyze data collected from secondary sources, including academic journals, business reports, and government publications Using literature knowledge and business reports, it is tried to make analysis and assessments on the risks and benefits of usage of super AI over audit and investigating professionals. The study identifies several risks and problems associated with super AI, including automation of auditing and investigation processes, dependence on AI systems, ethical considerations, lack of technical expertise, and security concerns. The study concludes that while AI can provide significant benefits to the audit-related professions, there are also critical risks that need to be addressed to ensure ethical and effective use of AI in auditing practices. It is important for these professions to carefully assess the benefits and risks of AI and take appropriate measures to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits. With a problem-solving approach, it is aimed to produce applicable suggestions for audit authorities and professional in Türkiye to help provide reasonable mitigating of its upcoming risks to reasonable level and increase its benefits to the upmost. The study suggests various policies, strategies, and projects for improvement, requiring a concerted effort from all stakeholders.

Bu çalışma, KOBİ’lerin yatırım teşviklerinden yararlanma durumlarını, yatırım teşviklerinden ve yatırım teşviklerinin denetimine ilişkin beklentilerinin tespit edilmesi amacı taşımaktadır. Bu kapsamda Sivas ilinde yer alan KOBİ’lere yönelik bir anket çalışması uygulanmıştır. Anket sonucunda elde edilen veriler, SPSS 22.0 programında analiz edilerek yorumlanmaya çalışılmıştır. Verilerin analizi için frekans analizi, açıklayıcı faktör analizi ve regresyon analizi gibi istatistiki analizlerden yararlanılmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda, çalışmaya katılım sağlayan tüm KOBİ’lerin yatırım teşviklerinden yararlandığı, çoğunluğunun yatırım teşviklerini faydalı bulduğu ve yatırım teşvikleri konusunda daha çok sanayi ve ticaret odalarından bilgi aldıkları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Katılımcı firma çalışanlarının yatırım teşviklerinden beklentileri ve yatırım teşviklerinin denetimine ilişkin ölçekler arasında ise anlamlı bir ilişkinin olmaması araştırmada elde edilen bir diğer sonuçtur.

he digitalization era of public relations is increasingly affecting the means of presenting information about the economic activities of an enterprise, in particular financial, in the context of a global pandemic, which was caused by the global COVID-19. Increasingly, in our environment, there is a transition from paper to electronic information carriers. The financial information generated by business entities both in Ukraine and in the world as a whole is no exception. The purpose of the study is to systematize the existing digital formats for presenting financial information as a basis for analyzing and auditing the business activities of enterprises in Ukraine. The basis of the study is the methodological recommendations on the use of Taxonomy UA XBRL IFRS, instructions for the revision of the Ukrainian IFRS taxonomy, specialized software products, legislative framework of Ukraine. The following methods were used: graphical (to visualize the results of the study), and grouping (to systematize the advantages and disadvantages of software that uses tax services to conduct e-audits). /Digital formats for the presentation of financial information were analyzed. They are the basis for the analysis and audit of the enterprise's activities. The structure and characteristics of the legal framework for the disclosure of financial information in electronic XBRL format in Ukraine were given. Comparative analysis of financial information in digital format XBRL and SAF-T UA were carried out. It has been determined that XBRL can be used as a basis for analyzing financial information in electronic format using special software, for example, to assess the financial condition, calculate indicators of financial stability, liquidity, solvency, business activity, enterprise profitability, etc. It has been proved that the electronic format of financial information SAF-T UA is used when conducting an electronic audit (e-audit) of taxpayers, and can also be used to calculate the tax burden (tax return, tax efficiency ratio) used by the State Tax Service of Ukraine for the purpose of control completeness of calculation and payment of relevant taxes and fees to the state budget.

AbstractThis study aims to examine the relationship of having financial statements audited by external auditors and access to bank credit, using data from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS). Among firms having credit access, this research further analyses the impacts of auditing financial statements on loan value, loan rate, and loan term (duration) by applying the Heckman two-step models with sample selection. Results show that firms with audited financial statements have better formal credit access than their counterparts. Among these, audited firms obtain bigger loan value, have lower loan rates and shorter borrowing duration, as compared to non-audited firms. Results are robust when applying the Propensity Score Matching.

Introduction. The article examines the essence of state financial control, its role in the development of Ukraine as a state, features and elements of the control system. The purpose of the article is to deepen the fundamental principles of increasing the effectiveness of state financial control in Ukraine. Results. State financial control is considered, which is a set of purposeful law enforcement, cost-effectiveness, efficiency and effectiveness measures aimed at increasing the efficiency of the use of state financial resources and creating the basis for optimizing budget policy. In addition, financial control is a logically constructed, scientifically correct and scientifically defined function of state control for providing quality information in the management of state funds and making decisions regarding the socio-economic development of the country, which ensure the implementation of socio-economic development. Conclusion. The deficit of supply in the field of state financial control is characterized by the lack of views and principles of the main provisions, as well as the existing contradiction in individual laws. Therefore it is necessary to systematize and consolidate a single regulatory and legal document that includes the main elements of the system, including informational, organizational and methodological support and accountability of law enforcement and control organizations. World trends indicate that the State Audit Service of Ukraine plays a special role in the field of control over state funds.

The article is concerned with studying the development of marketing consulting in Ukraine and in the world, as well as its impact on the efficiency of modern business after its actual introduction. The aim of the study is to analyze the results of conduct of marketing consulting in companies, identify problems and development prospects, as well as develop ways to achieve maximum effect during the conduct. The article describes how marketing consultants add value to the brand and marketing activities, as well as how their expert vision helps prevent possible mistakes to owners and save money in the future. The necessity of this tool for adding brand value and improving marketing activities is disclosed. The impor-tance of regular updating of tactics of interaction with consumers and regular analysis of the target au-dience by segments to cover the entire category is considered. The relevance of studying the theoretical aspects of marketing consulting and the importance of these consulting services as a separate tool for improving the work of organizations and divisions are substantiated. The importance of building a mar-keting foundation for accelerating the development of a company is characterized. The main problems that the marketing consulting service solves are indicated. The results are summarized and ways to im-prove the implementation of marketing consulting in the functioning of organizations through the use of these measures are proposed. The answer to questions about what marketing consulting is, how it can help the company and how to use it to achieve maximum results is provided. So, the article helps to un-derstand how marketing consulting can be useful for the development of modern business and im-provement of marketing strategy.

The article is aimed at: disclosure of significant aspects that affect the orderliness of the process of accounting for labor resources; identification of the main vectors and objects of internal audit of remuneration calculations; generalization of possible typical violations in the audit and formation on this basis of directions for improving the use of labor resources and individual elements of accounting and audit of remuneration calculations. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study are methods of generalization, analysis, graphical method, and system approach. The information and analytical base was formed as a result of the elaboration of legislative acts of Ukraine, statistical and analytical reviews on the dynamics of changes in wages of employees of Ukrainian enterprises, other scientific papers and publications. As a result of the carried-out study, it can be concluded that the effectiveness of the accounting system on the spectrum of issues related to the accounting of remuneration calculations depends on the orderliness of the process of accounting for labor resources, labor accounting, its payment, taxation and payout, that is, it requires an integrated approach to the assessment of labor relations – from the initial accounting of labor performance by staff to the final settlements with each employee. The main vectors and objects of internal audit of remuneration calculations are determined, allowing to allocate methods for establishing typical violations identified during the audit and to define their impact on accounting as a whole. Generalization of possible typical violations during the audit allowed to form directions for improving the use of labor resources and individual elements of accounting and audit of remuneration calculations. It is substantiated that the main ways of improving the audit of remuneration calculations, which should be introduced at the enterprise, can be divided into three following directions: organizational-institutional, structural-systematic, and information-documentary. Practical significance lies in improving the integral system of labor resources management and increasing individual indicators of economic activity as a result of the introduction of effective measures to improve the accounting and audit of remuneration calculations.

Tax is a source of state revenue that plays an important role in the development and improvement of a country's economy. According to Law Number 16 of 2009 concerning the fourth amendment to Law Number 6 of 1983 concerning General Provisions and Tax Procedures in Article 1 Paragraph 1 it states that tax is a mandatory contribution to the state owed by individuals or entities that are coercive under the law, by not getting compensation directly and used for the needs of the state for the greatest prosperity of the people. Therefore, taxpayer compliance in submitting reports and paying their tax obligations is highly expected to increase state revenues from taxes. This research was conducted to determine the effect of tax sanctions, tax audits and tax amnesty on corporate tax compliance in the South Nias Regency with tax knowledge as a moderating variable. Determination of the sample in the study was carried out using the random sampling method, with the number of samples used in the study as many as 60 business entities in South Nias Regency which were registered through the Gunungsitoli KP2KP. The results of the path coefficient test show that tax sanctions and tax audits do not affect tax compliance. Tax sanctions do not have a significant effect on corporate taxpayer compliance in South Nias Regency because the level of taxpayer compliance in South Nias Regency registered at KP2KP Gunungsitoli is increasing due to public awareness of the importance of taxes to help increase state revenue and will have an impact on the improvement and development of infrastructure that will be enjoyed again by the community. Tax audits that have no effect on tax compliance are due to the better tax awareness of the community in South Nias Regency so that community compliance to fulfill their tax obligations has been carried out voluntarily. Tax amnesty has a significant effect on corporate tax compliance in South Nias Regency. The policy of implementing tax amnesty is very good to provide opportunities for taxpayers who have long hidden their assets and deliberately not reporting their tax obligations due to the fines that will be paid as a result of these violations. Tax knowledge is not able to moderate the relationship between tax sanctions, tax audits, and tax amnesty on tax compliance. The increasing level of corporate tax compliance in South Nias Regency in an action taken by taxpayers voluntarily due to awareness that arises within themselves to fulfill their tax obligations. Tax knowledge of taxpayers does not play a role or weaken the relationship between tax audits on tax compliance in South Nias Regency. Apart from being caused by ineffective tax audits carried out by tax auditors, it also caused by good tax awareness of corporate taxpayers in South Nias Regency so that taxpayers carry out their tax obligations based on the tax provisions enacted. The increased compliance of corporate taxpayers is influenced by the tax amnesty policy implemented by the Directorate General of Taxes.

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the leader's management style effect on the relationship between personal factors and role conflict in the internal audit function. It sheds light on the factors per se regarding the presence of role conflict in internal audit, addressing the effects that various management styles of the audit leader can cause in the relationship previously addressed in the literature between personal characteristics and role conflict. Evidence shows that the skills and expertise of leading internal audit executives impact the role played by internal auditors, becoming major insights to be analyzed and understood when delimiting the internal audit function. This article contributes to grasping the impact that aspects at a personal, professional, and interaction level in the management hierarchy in companies can have on the internal audit function. A survey was used involving 218 internal auditors certified by the Institute of Internal Auditors of Brazil (Instituto dos Auditores Internos do Brasil [IIA Brasil]), working in the internal audit area and with active profiles on the professional networking platform LinkedIn. Use of multiple linear regression for data analysis. Personal factors encompass the independence and expertise of internal auditors. Role conflict comprises three dimensions: demand from the organization vs. the auditor profession; auditing vs. consulting; and personal values vs. professional expectations. Management style measures the behavior of immediate superiors in the dimensions of task, relationship, and situational context. As results and contributions, it was evidenced that internal auditor’s commitment to independence and expertise have a negative influence on role conflict. A management style with behaviors aimed at relationships between individuals, carrying out tasks, or adapting to situations, on the part of immediate superiors, contributes to reducing the level of role conflict in the internal audit function.

Financial fraud poses a significant threat to the stability and integrity of financial systems around the world. The Republic of Serbia, as an economy in dynamic development, is no exception to this challenge. This research paper investigates the key role of the profession of internal auditors in the fight against financial fraud in the Republic of Serbia. By exploring the practices and challenges faced by internal auditors, this paper aims to provide valuable insights and recommendations to strengthen the effectiveness of internal audit functions in detecting and preventing financial fraud. The importance of internal audit as a vital component of corporate governance and risk management was emphasized through a review of relevant literature and consideration of various activities of internal auditors and their role in preventing financial fraud. Internal auditors play a key role in assessing and monitoring internal controls, identifying vulnerabilities and making recommendations to mitigate fraud risk. Examining the legal and regulatory framework that regulates internal audits in the Republic of Serbia, the importance of implementing a strong control environment and effective monitoring mechanisms in preventing financial fraud is highlighted. The paper's conclusions highlight the specific challenges internal auditors face in the Republic of Serbia in preventing financial fraud, such as resource limitations, limited independence and insufficient awareness of fraud. The findings and recommendations presented in the paper can serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, regulatory bodies and organizations seeking to strengthen their financial fraud defense mechanisms and their internal audit function.

The purpose of the research is to identify the specific elements of the audit carried out in educational institutions in Romania. The objectives of the research are to offer some practical suggestions for carrying out an audit process in the school and to identify the steps followed in a financial-accounting audit mission. The audit carried out in pre-university education institutions in Romania aims to improve management, by providing assurance services, which represent objective examinations of evidence, establishing whether they operate economically, effectively and efficiently, to identify deficiencies and formulate recommendations for their correction.

Purpose: The era of globalization and free markets forces universities to organize themselves by introducing internal quality assurance to guarantee the quality of education and services. In addition to internal quality assurance, universities as labor producers also require quality assurance from certification bodies outside the university. Several previous studies examined the influence of internal and external quality audits on work productivity and employee performance. In this study, the effect was seen to be different from before, namely knowing the effect of internal and external quality audits on the sustainability of the Surabaya Merchant Marine Polytechnic. The purpose of this study was to determine whether internal and external quality audits affect the sustainability of the Surabaya Merchant Marine Polytechnic. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses quantitative research with a population and the sample is a work unit at the Surabaya Merchant Marine Polytechnic which is involved with internal and external quality audits. The data collection method in this study was to use questionnaires using multiple linear regression analysis. Tests in this study used SPSS statistics version 26. Findings: The conclusion of this study is that there is a significant influence between internal and external quality audits on the sustainability of the Surabaya Merchant Marine Polytechnic either partially or simultaneously. The variable that has the dominant influence on this study is the internal quality audit. Paper type: Research Paper.

The purpose of the article is to develop a system of analytical indicators that characterize the efficiency of capital use of corporate enterprises to assess the implementation of their development strategy, which can be used by independent auditors when verifying integrated reporting. The methodological basis of the analytical procedures of the audit of integrated reporting is a comparative analysis of the actually achieved performance indicators, which best present the results of the activities of corporate enterprises in the context of the prospects of using capital components to increase value with previously established indicators or previously achieved indicators. When substantiating the system of analytical indicators that are used in the audit of integrated reporting of corporate enterprises, we proceeded from the components of capital that form the value of a corporate enterprise. For the first time, a system of analytical indicators was developed to assess the efficiency of the components of various types of capital that form the value of corporate enterprise during an independent audit of integrated reporting. To ensure the transparency of the results of the evaluation of the efficiency of the use of capital, this system should not simply act as a collection of the main evaluation coefficients but embody a vision of the strategy of increasing the value of the enterprise, confirmed by cause-and-effect relationships. The practical value of the scientific research lies in the fact that the results obtained by the authors will contribute to the assessment of the effectiveness of the use of various types of capital during the audit of the integrated reporting of corporate enterprises. The use of analytical assessment in the implementation of independent assessment of integrated reporting of corporate enterprises expands the goals and tasks of auditors, and therefore, the need to improve their competencies both directly in conducting analytical assessment and in establishing signs of reliability of data for the application of analytical procedures increases. This will be useful when applying professional judgment when deciding on the selection of alternative sources of information and identifying signs of data manipulation in the integrated reporting of a corporate enterprise.

The article substantiates that the most reliable and effective mechanism for timely detection of various violations and manipulations in the accounting system of business entities that carry out foreign trade operations is a well-established system of audit of foreign economic activity. The work is devoted to a comprehensive study of the factors influencing the audit of foreign economic activity and highlighting its principles, rules and restrictions for the development of a comprehensive program of audit of foreign economic transactions and recommendations for improving its individual areas. Based on the results of the study of the peculiarities of foreign economic activity, the article groups the factors that affect the audit of foreign trade transactions. The most important ones are: participation in foreign trade operations of non-residents; duration of foreign trade operations; foreign currency settlements; cost centers; the global COVID-19 pandemic; features of "customs audit"; the need to form a CbC report; tax risk assessment. It is proved that the basis of the methodology and organization of the audit of foreign economic activity is its defining principles. Having studied the main provisions of regulations and the basic principles of auditing, highlighted in the scientific literature, they were adapted to the peculiarities of the audit of foreign economic activity. The principles of foreign economic activity audit are grouped into 8 groups: general, ethical, regulatory, organizational, methodological, professional, economic and technical. The general principles of foreign economic activity audit are decisive for audits of any areas of accounting and financial reporting. Adherence to ethical auditing principles is a determining factor in maintaining the reputation of any audit firm. At each stage of the audit, the auditor must adhere to regulatory principles, namely: the application of standards, self-regulation of the profession, compliance with the law, the contractual basis of the relationship. It is proved that at the planning stage the organizational principles of FEA audit are of special importance. Adherence to the methodological principles of the FEA audit allows the auditor to adapt the tools of the sample survey to the specifics of foreign trade operations. Adherence to professional principles will allow you to achieve the highest standards of professionalism and the best results of the audit. Economic principles determine the financial, material and other constraints in the relationship between the subject of foreign economic activity and the audit firm. In terms of information science, the audit requires appropriate information support and compliance with technical principles. The researched conceptual principles of FEA audit should be constantly taken into account during the development of the plan, comprehensive program, tests of audit of foreign economic operations and recommendations for improving its individual areas.

The article reveals the nature and economic content of the concepts of "remuneration", "wages" and "employee benefits" from the point of view of various scholars and regulations, and identifies their main characteristics and differences. The article also states that wages are defined as monetary compensation to an employee for work performed, services rendered in accordance with labour legislation, as stipulated in the employment contract. Methodology. Given the complexity of socio-economic processes at the micro level and their impact on macroeconomic indicators, the system of control over labour remuneration transactions at the enterprise level needs to be revised. In market conditions, the need to improve the methodological and organisational aspects of control in the Ukrainian economy is growing. The article proposes a methodology of internal control of payments to employees with a theoretically substantiated ranking of control procedures at the methodological stage of control. Results. The scientific work reflects the organisation of internal control of payroll accounting and shows how responsible and important this stage is, since the correctness of its assessments and the management decisions made on its basis affect the performance of employees, the costs of the enterprise, the formation and determination of income. It should be noted that the main purpose of the controller in the verification of payroll is to determine the strength of the control, which will make it possible to ensure that there are no errors in the company or, conversely, to identify certain inaccuracies. Practical implications. In turn, it is also noted that the control is aimed at carrying out the social function in management, regardless of the socio-political system in which the organisation operates and, moreover, is an objective need for social and labour relations, on the one hand, allows to activate the mechanism of labour resources, and on the other hand, carries out a clear distribution of costs for their optimization. In accordance with the dynamics of activity of civil and economic cases on payroll accounting in Ukraine in recent years, the necessity of improvement of methodological directions of internal control of payroll accounting is considered. It has been established that the control of labour costs and accounting with personnel occupies an important place in the system of enterprise management at various levels of management. Attention is paid to such primary structural elements of internal control as purpose, objectives, subjects and objects, methodological and organisational aspects of functioning of the internal control system are reflected and their characteristics are studied. The article states that remuneration is one of the most important expenses of enterprises-organisations. As a result, salary, fulfilling its main functions, is the main incentive for activation. Value/originality. On this basis, it is important to identify remuneration risks, correct errors and prevent possible consequences. All this requires the organisation of an effective internal control system. Having studied the international experience in the organisation of internal control, the currently developed concepts, regulations, internal audit standards, etc. for companies, certain directions for improving internal financial control, in particular in the field of remuneration, are proposed. In order to improve the directions of control, some criteria for evaluating the work of the internal control service have been proposed. The basic methodical techniques used in the process of internal control of labour costs and settlements with personnel are considered.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to develop a hermeneutical proposal to read ‘confidence’ (“confianza”) and ‘trust’ (“confiar”) in rely, confidence, and trust in the International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) translation into Spanish, based on contrasting them with the scientific literature on auditing. The gap addressed by this proposal is the lack of criteria to interpret the ISAs translation of rely, confidence, and trust into Spanish, which leads to an inadequate reading of the standards, since these terms are translated into Spanish as ‘confianza’ and ‘confiar,’ a misleading terminological choice. Some keys are provided for a hermeneutical reading when dealing with the concepts ‘confidence’ and ‘trust’ in the ISAs, since they are used interchangeably. This article is a starting point for both researchers and auditors when interpreting the terms rely, confidence, and trust translated into Spanish. From the methodological field, in the first place, a search was made in the ISAs for three key concepts related to what is understood in Spanish by the concepts ‘confidence’ and ‘trust’: rely (reliance), confidence, and trust, specifically determining the place where the concepts were to try to grasp the general meaning of the text within the paragraph of the corresponding standard; second, a structured accounting literature review on the concepts rely, confidence, and trust was conducted in the scientific auditing publications. This study provides the following hermeneutical keys to read ‘confidence’ and ‘trust’ in rely, confidence, and trust in the ISAs translation: rely is more oriented to controls, confidence refers to the relationship between an auditor and the stakeholders, and trust is a threat to the auditor’s objectivity.

The primary focus of this study was to determine the effect of audit client importance on earnings management of Nigerian quoted consumer goods firms. The descriptive research design approach was adopted. From 2012 to 2019, data were obtained from 13 consumer goods firms quoted on the Nigerian Exchange Group. The discretionary accrual approach was used to evaluate earnings management. Descriptive statistics and random effects regression were the main techniques used to analyse the study’s data. The findings indicated that audit client importance (β=-0.1872) has a negative and significant effect on the earnings management of Nigerian quoted consumer goods firms. The study concluded that earnings management practices of Nigerian quoted consumer goods firms are curtailed when the firms are of important clients to their auditors. The recommendation was that management of firms should enhance approaches that will improve their performance in terms of sales to remain important clients to their auditors.

The audit of agribusiness operations is present in companies with significant agricultural potential, which can be accepted as justified in our conditions. The agricultural sector is one of the development sectors in the Republic of Serbia, which necessarily represents a significant economic resource, and therefore the object of business audit. The factors of modern audit-based processes are conditioned by the complexity and subject specificities of the object being audited, which is expressed in the conditions of the agricultural sector. This paper will present the application of a quantitative planning method that is widely used in complex processes, and which can also be applied in the auditing processes of agricultural enterprises.

Social network account audit is an independent review of social network activities to express a professional opinion on the fulfillment of objectives, business compliance, and information security of orders on social networks. It is in principle a voluntary activity and is not subject to legal obligation like some other types of audit such as the audit of financial statements. However, this does not diminish its fundamental importance, which is reflected in the fact that in situations where the other party is entrusted with the management of accounts on social networks, there is a gap in expectations that should be mitigated by performing a professional and independent review that will result in an objective and professional opinion. Therefore, the issue of contracting the social network account audit is exciting, especially given the sensitivity of the data being audited and the specific status of the parameters for logging into the account whose disposal must be subjected to strict treatment to ensure the safety of account holders. The subject of this paper is the analysis of aspects of contracting the audit of orders on social networks through the analysis of contracting parties and elements of the subject of contracting. The paper's main conclusion is that auditing is a sensitive topic that should be given additional attention and focus during preliminary social network account audit activities.

The term ,,audit” is related to the development of entities with the delimitation of the competencies and responsibilities of managers from that of owners, as well as the complexity of transactions, performed by entities and the development of the economic business environment. The emergence and development of auditing has been and is a normal necessity, as a result of international and European trends and practices in this field. The motivation that led the authors to address this topic is the timeliness and importance given to audit in the audit legislation, which was found during the doctoral research process, as well as providing readers with the opportunity to know the development of auditing over the years. Through the scientific approach, we intend to continue the existing research in the field of auditing financial statements by emphasizing the evolution of the audit both globally and in the Republic of Moldova and Romania, by expressing the opinion regarding the fundamental stages of audit development. To achieve the objectives set out in this article, the approach is a deductive one, because the starting point is theoretically necessary to study the evolution of the audit, the elements that define it, but also an inductive approach, because we relied on the method of observation and induction. The descriptive method was used to present the changes that took place in the historical development of the audit. The results of the research expressed a clear picture by highlighting the stages of development of the audit and its efficiency, as the businesses grew in complexity. The research objectives were achieved based on the study of existing bibliographic sources and the provisions of the legislation in the field.

Recently, due to the changing geopolitical situation, economic instability and vulnerability, practicing auditors are facing new challenges that affect the identification and assessment of risks of material misstatement of financial statements. The purpose of the research is to identify the main factors affecting the risk of material misstatement and specific risks (fraud, accounting estimates, and going concern) that auditors should consider when deciding on the level of the risk of material misstatement of financial statements. To achieve the goal, two tasks were set: to compile lists of factors affecting the risk of material misstatement and specific risks; conduct a questionnaire survey to confirm the compiled lists. The following research methods were used during the research: content analysis and systematization of scientific and normative literature, comparison, logical analysis, questionnaire survey and summarization. As a result of the research, lists of the main factors determining the risk of material misstatement and specific risks were compiled, the completeness of which was confirmed during a questionnaire survey of auditors and auditor assistants working in Lithuanian audit companies. The results of the research show the necessary need for a more thorough assessment of specific risks. Compiled lists of factors determining the risk of material misstatement and specific risks can be useful for auditors of audit companies to assess the risk of material misstatement of financial statements.

Audit fees are deemed as one of the factors that might influence the perceptions of public toward external auditors. The problem statement concentrated if there is a significant relationship between audit fees and audit quality through the mediators: total assets, origin of company, audit-firm size, complexity of operation in a company and auditor industry based on the perceptions of the external auditors. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the perceptions of external auditors on the relationship between audit fees and audit quality. A survey questionnaire contains 18 items distributed to 90 external auditors, 73 were returned yielding 81% responses rate. Descriptive analysis and hierarchical regression were used to analyze data and test the hypotheses. The study revealed that there is insignificant relationship between audit fees and audit quality in case there is no mediators. Moreover, results revealed that after using five mediators (total assets, origin of a company, audit firm-size, complexity of operations, auditor industry) there is a significant relationship on the relationship between audit fees and audit quality in terms of audit firm-size as a mediator. In contrast, the study found that there are insignificant relationships between audit fees and audit quality in terms of the other mediators such total assets, origin of a company, complexity of operations, auditor industry. The results showed the audited companies/clients in Jordan are affected of the halo of big-4 audit firms regardless the factors that might play a big role in enhancing the quality of audit process.

In the context of the development of the market economy and the reform of accounting in accordance with international standards, auditing activity in Ukraine is becoming widespread. The issue of the quality of audit activity is currently of high relevance. Despite the fact that today the audit regulation system seems to be fully established, there are a number of problems that complicate the process of regulating the audit market entities. Therefore, the purpose of the research is to analyze the updated requirements for regulating audit activities along with problems of audit development in Ukraine. In the course of the research, it was found that the audit serves as a reliable way to justify the financial statements data and is one of the important types of services. At the same time, it is defined that the audit activity currently has a number of contradictions and problems. The article discusses the main aspects of audit regulation in Ukraine, peculiarities of the current state of the audit market, as well as prospects for the regulation of audit activity in Ukraine. The essence of the audit, features of its methodology and organization, its importance for the development of the State economy, the need for its research and reform are determined. The current state of the market of audit services, the normative legal acts regulating the issues of auditing activity and attestation of auditors, the results of control over the quality of work of auditors and audit organizations are researched. An analysis of the market of audit services in Ukraine was carried out. The impact of current changes in the legislation regulating the audit on the state of auditing activity is examined. Other major problems that arose and arise on the way of development of audit activity during its formation in Ukraine are researched, the reasons for their occurrence are identified. The need to solve many problems and carry out significant reforms related to audit activities in Ukraine is determined.

One of the important conditions for the activities of audit firms is the control and optimization of the costs of conducting audit procedures, which allows to minimize unjustified costs. This is especially true of transport and logistics companies with their specifics of business, document flow, and internal control. Therefore, in this matter, an important role is played by reducing labor costs for the auditing. As a solution for optimizing the labor intensity of carrying out the audit, analytical procedures can be applied, which, in turn, are one of the main methods for obtaining audit evidence. The article defines the place of analytical procedures in the procedural provision of audit and examines certain methodological aspects of the application of analytical procedures in determining the principle of continuity in the preparation of financial reports by the management of the transport and logistics company. The criteria for evaluating the results of the analytical tasks and approaches to the assessment of the accounting system as an information base of audit evidence are distinguished, taking into account the specifics of the transport industry. Researching this issue has allowed to disclose the main elements of methodological support of analytical procedures for determining the risk of disruption of the continuity of the transport and logistics company, namely: definition of the main objects, distinguishing the criteria for evaluating the results of the analytical tasks and approaches to the assessment of the accounting system as an information base of audit evidence.

It is determined that the idea of control activity in the current conditions is becoming widespread in the context of the implementation of the concept of regulatory control service with an emphasis on ensuring compliance with the legislation and access of all eonomic entities to informativeness by types and time of control activities. The strengthening of control and supervision by the State Regulatory Service on entrepreneurial activity over the past three years is proved. It is argued that the introduction of an independent financial control system into the general system of control over the financial activities of enterprise provides for the creation of a comprehensive approach to ensuring an interaction between the State and independent components of the financial control system. It is substantiated and proved that since the audit of financial statements is an integral part of the business activities, especially concerning the large and medium-sized enterprises, its significance can be de classed into main areas, namely: it affects the interests of external and internal users who want to have confidence in compliance with the legislation; presence of a positive audit opinion on the financial condition increases investor confidence; certainty as to the absence of distortions in the financial statements avoids paying penalties and reduces the risks of making wrong managerial decisions. It is established that the audit of financial statements has a pronounced social nature, since it causes a significant influence on the level of trust in the published financial information declared by the business. The advantage and peculiarity of audit control is the condition that its primary task is compliance with accounting legislation and the absence of penalties. The need to audit financial statements in the management system of the enterprise is conditioned. The positive impact of the audit of financial statements, which consists in timely response of financial management to the identified deficiencies and violations that would affect the structure of the enterprise’s expenses, is substantiated.

The purpose of the research is to identify trend topics of scientific research of accounting in Ukraine and to develop a methodology for assessing the relevance of research. To assess the relevance of research topics, we undertook the study in three phases:1) comparison of research topics in Ukraine and Germany using analytical methods; 2) study of the conformity of research topics in Ukraine to the directions of the strategic development of Ukraine; 3) doing a survey among scientists on their experience in choosing research topics. In general, the findings of the study suggest that dissertation topics in Ukraine do not correspond to either the directions of European scientific research on accounting or the State Development Strategy of Ukraine. In this situation, the scientists themselves have to make a choice. First, they should undertake really useful developments for practice in Ukraine that may be of little interest to foreign scholars and practitioners, but that influence the citation of research results. Or second, they should deal with issues that may help address global needs, but in Ukraine, they may not be needed for some time, although relevant. Our conclusion is that accounting is a “service” for obtaining information and the development of a methodology for applying this tool in practice is the task for scientists. In Ukraine, we receive developments with a delay; therefore, it is important to take into account the current trends in accounting in the world. In Ukraine, the war has been going on for 8 years, but this topic is not presented at all in accounting, which requires reforming the system of scientific research on accounting, which is carried out with state funds.

Internal control is the process designed, implemented, and maintained by those charged with governance, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance as to the achievement of an entity's objectives regarding the credibility of financial reporting, the efficiency and effectiveness of operations, and compliance with laws and regulations. The applicable regulations to identify and evaluate the risks of significant distortion by understanding the entity and its environment. In this research, we will highlight the elements of a risk-based internal control system that will bring benefits to an entity: efficiency and effectiveness of operations, the credibility of financial reporting, compliance with applicable legislation and regulations.