The International Federation of Accountants stated that competence in information technology is crucial for the professional accountants due to its pervasive use in the business world. The sophistication of recent technologies not only gives strategic advantages but also introduces new challenges and risks to businesses, hence the job and responsibility of auditors. Following this, several studies have investigated the knowledge level of auditors. Based on a questionnaire survey sent to 1110 auditors, this study extends previous studies by exploring not only the knowledge level of information technologies of the auditors but also their perception toward the importance of information technologies in the specific context of audit work in Malaysia. Response rate of 8.7 percent was obtained for the survey. Similar to the results of previous studies, this study found the knowledge level of 35 information technologies among Malaysian auditors is lower than their perception towards the importance of these technologies. The results also revealed that the auditors’ perception towards the importance of advanced technologies is lower than their perception towards more common technologies. Findings from this study should be of significant interest to standards setters regulating the Malaysian audit profession, academicians designing university courses, and audit practitioners evaluating their own knowledge. The findings can also be used to gauge the relevant information technologies in the specific context of audit work in Malaysia and also the information technologies knowledge level of the auditors.

Research Team:
•  Noor Azizi Ismail
•  Azlan Zainol Abidin

Institute:
Universiti Utara Malaysia

Click here to download the full text PDF Report »