Focus: Leadership Focus: When your feelings conflict with your leadership role

There are unwritten rules about the emotions you’re expected to show at work. These implicit ’feeling rules’ are so embedded in an organisation’s social fabric that we rarely notice them. However, there are times when there’s a conflict between how you feel and the emotions you’re expected to display. So how do you decide when…

Focus: Leadership Focus: AI here, there, in your strategy and everywhere

Forbes has identified ‘AI everywhere’ as a top technology trend for 2023 and beyond. As you may have witnessed in the past few months, developments by OpenAI’s ChatGPT are bringing this to reality, with generative AI set to change the way people and business do things. ‘AI everywhere’ refers to the integration of artificial intelligence…

Focus: The impact of technology on the audit practice

The advent of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies has presented both clients and auditors with massive opportunities and challenges which, if fully embraced, can completely change the face of the audit experience for both client and auditor. Much has been said about the 4IR and its disruptive impact on many industries, including the accountancy sector.…

Focus: Auditing SMEs The costs involved

In the current economic environment, there are various reasons why small and medium enterprises (SMEs) would require an audit of their annual financial statements. An audit could be required by law in terms of the Companies Act of South Africa, the company’s memorandum of incorporation, the bank during an application for funding, potential investors, or…

Focus: To split or not to split, that is the question

The idea of splitting the auditing and non-auditing (consulting/advisory) businesses of firms was mentioned in a report by a United Kingdom Parliamentary Committee following the collapse of Carillion in January 2020. The UK regulator (the Financial Reporting Council, FRC) later asked the largest UK firms to operationally split up their auditing and non-auditing businesses by…

Focus: Defining the future of auditing through intelligent automation and real-time opinions

Does the current model of the traditional regulatory and statutory audit still make sense in the changing business context? These audits performed by independent and external auditors in line with relevant laws and regulations, require the auditee to submit a set of reporting information, and the auditor to produce their report annually in line with…