The Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Internal Auditors’ Independence: A PEST Analysis of Nigeria
James O. Abiola *
Department of Accounting and Finance Lagos State University, Ojo Lagos, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The spread of electronic and mobile business transactions across the globe has transformed e-commerce a great deal as it has impacted the macro environment as well as the human actors. This paper presents an exploratory study of the impact of Information and Communication Technology on Internal Auditors and their immediate external environments. The study adopted a survey method questionnaire to collect data and analysed based on political, economic, social and technological (PEST) analysis. The findings revealed that the spread in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has brought new opportunities to many professionals including Accountants and internal auditors especially in breaking the old cultural debacle by enhancing their reporting and operational independence.
Keywords: PEST analysis, reporting and operational independence, e-commerce, internal auditor, internal contro, structuration process.