Conflict of Interest and Ethical Dilemmas of Independent Auditors; Situations and Strategies

Background: Conflicts of interest and the resulting ethical dilemmas play a decisive role in the unethical behavior of independent auditors. The main objectives of this study are to identify different situations of conflict of interest of independent auditors and the resulting ethical dilemmas and also to find strategies for managing and controlling each of these situations. Method: In this paper, the exploratory approach of the mixed research method (qualitative-quantitative) has been applied. The statistical population in the qualitative stage is the experts in the field of independent auditing. Accordingly theoretical sampling and after conducting semi-structured interviews, theoretical saturation was obtained and qualitative content analysis method analyzed the data. In the quantitative stage, a questionnaire is designed based on the results of the qualitative stage and distributed among a random sample of members of the statistical community who are certificated public accountants working in audit firms and the structural equation modeling method used to analyze the data. Results: Findings showed that independent auditors become involved in conflicts of interest and ethical issues when disagreeing with a client they fear of losing, when facing with inappropriate job opportunities, when conducting the review process, and when facing with challenges in performing tasks. Also, managing the conflict of interest of independent auditors require the collective efforts of owners, the community of certified public accountants and independent auditors at the individual level and at the level of the audit firm. Conclusion: The results of this study are important because they can provide a good framework for promoting ethics in the auditing profession.

Keywords:

Conflict of Interest , Ethical dilemmas , Strategies for Managing Conflicts of Interest of Independent Auditors , Iranian Society of Certified Public Accountants , Mixed Research