Auditor Attributes, Professional and Commercial Orientations, and the Implications for Audit Quality

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between auditors' characteristics and their business and professional orientations. The impact of these professional and business orientations is also examined on actions that lead to lower quality of audit services. Using the questionnaire, the required data were collected from 283 certified accountants. The results show that among the characteristics of auditors, the level of knowledge and awareness, degree of adaptation and communication skills of auditors have a positive and significant relationship with their professional orientation, but marketing skills has a negative relationship with professional orientation. While creativity and innovation had no significant relationship with professional orientation. On the other hand, the auditors' marketing and communication skills have a positive and significant relationship with their business orientation. However, the level of knowledge and awareness, compatibility and creativity of auditors has no significant relationship with business orientation. Finally, professional orientation was found to decrease actions to reduce audit quality, whereas the business orientation exacerbated it. Therefore, it should be noted that auditors' business orientation may adversely affect the quality of their audits, so adopting appropriate mechanisms in this regard seems necessary.

Keywords

• professional orientation
• commercial orientation
• auditor attributes
• audit quality