CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Redefining Internal Audit Performance: Impact on Governance
1.1. Introduction
This thesis examines the effectiveness of the internal audit function (IAF), the
involvement of audit committee (AC) with the internal audit activities and the impact of
internal audit on corporate governance in the Malaysian context. This chapter presents
the background to the research, followed by the significance of the study, research
questions and objectives and the research methods. The chapter concludes with the
structure of the thesis and the chapter summary.
1.2. Background to the Study
The role of an internal auditor varies from providing independent assurance to acting as
management advisor (Deloitte, 2010). In the early 1980s in the Asia Pacific, internal
auditors were perceived to be doing traditional financial auditing work (Cooper, Leung,
& Wong, 2006). By the 1990s, more than 50% of chief executive officers in Malaysia
and Hong Kong perceived that the role of internal auditors was to provide independent
evaluation on the effectiveness of management (Cooper, Leung, & Mathews, 1996).
From 2000 onwards, the role is focused more towards monitoring compliance, internal
controls and the performance of management programs (Zakaria, Selvaraj, & Zakaria,
2006). Another area gaining importance in the business community is the support given
by internal auditors to ACs in the assessment of risk management and risk processes
(Soh & Martinov-Bennie, 2011). Elsewhere, such as in the US, the evaluation has
extended to environmental management systems (Tucker & Kasper, 1998). Based on
the roles outlined above, internal auditing has had some impact on good governance,
which is the particular interest of this study.
When Adam Smith (1776) raised the issue of conflicting interests of agents such as
managers and general workers in managing firms, he was elucidating on the owners’
motivation to realise the greatest possible value on capital employed. As a counter
measure, and to instil confidence in agents, Jensen and Meckling (1976) reasoned that
self-monitoring – internal audit – is undertaken. It is assumed that in self-monitoring,
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
2
the purposeful placement of internal audit in the corporate structure, which is mandatory
for Malaysian public listed companies, contributes to the quality of good governance.
In the global economy of the twenty-first century, good governance has become a
central issue. One of the most important events of the 1980s was the emergence of
corporate failures, which later escalated to global financial crisis. The consequences of
corporate failure were demonstrated in Australia by the collapse of the National Safety
Council of Australia in the 1980s and the Pyramid Building Society in Victoria in 1990
(Somerville, 2006). These were followed by the fall of the HIH group, with a deficiency
of AUD5.3 billion, in 2001 (George & Malane, 2003). In America, Enron Corporation
filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after incurring losses of US$62 billion through
manipulation of financial statements by the company executives, including the
undertaking of risky business activities. Then in 2002, telecommunications company
WorldCom collapsed, with losses of approximately US$11 billion (Somerville, 2006).
Malaysia is not an exception to corporate failures. The first highly publicised corporate
scandal began with the Bumiputera Malaysia Finance case in Hong Kong, called the
BMF scandal, in the 1980s. The irregular loans of almost RM2.5 billion to the Carrian
Group were irrecoverable (Mohamad & Muhamad Sori, 2011; The Malaysian Bar,
2008). Later, several corporate turmoils, starting from 2004, dubbed as mini-Enrons,
involving Media Holdings Bhd, Southern Bank Bhd. and Transmile Group Bhd.
(Associated Press, 2007; T. H. Lee, Ali, & Kandasamy, 2008; Shah, 2007) were
exposed. Prior to the shake-ups in Malaysia, the Asian financial crisis in 1997/98 started
with the devaluation of the Thai currency immediately after the fall of Finance One, the
biggest finance company in Thailand (Garay, 2003). These financial debacles created
the impetus for better governance in Malaysia and the South East Asian region; this
impetus continues to be a lively topic (Liew, 2007; Mohamad Ariff, Othman, &
Ibrahim, 2007).
In the context of preventing corporate failure, questions have been raised about the
performance of internal audit and other forms of auditing (Imhoff, 2003; Mohamad &
Muhamad Sori, 2011). It is worldwide practice for the internal auditors to report to the
AC, not to management (except for administrative interface), in order to maintain their
independence (The Institute of Internal Auditors [IIA], 2012b; Verschoor, Barrier, &
Rittenberg, 2002). The effective relationship between internal auditors and the AC is
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
3
crucial in ensuring good governance (MIA Professional Standards & Practices [MIA],
2012). There is, therefore, potential for better functioning of business in Malaysia to
optimise the internal audit function and audit committee interaction. Presumably, an
effective internal audit would depend on the understanding of the internal audit process
and, importantly, of the impact of internal audit on corporate governance.
The complexities in internal audit relate to the objective and scope of the audit. There
are various internal audits such as management audit, operational audit, systems audit,
compliance audit, computer audit, probity audit, value-for-money audit, and quality
audit (Pickett, 2003; Whittington & Pany, 2004). These various types of audits create
pressure for management and employees, giving them the perception that they are
constantly being audited. This poses the question of effectiveness of the audits and how
such audits would aid the organisation in its corporate governance and risk assessment
framework. Questions surrounding the effectiveness of internal audits need to be
addressed in the light of reliance placed on the IAF as one of the mechanisms of
corporate governance.