Proceedings of 30th International Business Research Conference
20 - 22 April 2015, Flora Grand Hotel, Dubai, UAE, ISBN: 978-1-922069-74-0
Antecedents of Perceived Auditors’ Power Deterioration VisA-Vis Pressure Groups’: Dar-Es-Salaam Case Study
Victor M. Bahati1
The purpose of this paper was to test the usefulness of auditors versus
pressure groups power in enforcing accountability in public sector. It
explored potential reasons that make pressure groups seemingly more
powerful compared to auditors.It draws much knowledge from
mobilization and lobbying model while using key literatures in the
expectation gap. The paper demonstrates mobilization and lobbying
model and uses data, collected from Dar es Salaam, to test significance
of difference in perception between accountants and non-accountants
towards pressure groups. Many-Whitney U-test has been used as a
technique of testing similarity between the two groups and factor analysis
as a method of finding underlying factors for pressure groups popularity
over auditors. The outcomes of this study have verified that both
accounting and non-accounting professionals have trust to auditors for
power to influence accountability of public sector. Further, the study finds
out three factors that make pressure groups more popular in the eyes of
people. These factors have been identified as; first, kind of evidence that
auditors seek, second, execution outcome and types of actors involved
and third exposure of reports and ethical issues. Measures like educating
the public on the expected role of auditors and provide for expanded
audit reports by means of changing standards could best be used to
reduce such perceptions. The study focuses on a single case and
therefore it may not be appropriate to generalize findings in different
political and cultural settings.
Key Words: Pressure groups, Activism, Auditors, Accountability, Expectation gap
1
Victor Michael Bahati, Department of Accounting, University of Dar es Business School (UDBS) and a
Certified Public Accountant [CPA (T)]. P.O. Box 35046, Dar es Salaam , Mob. +255 715 208 060, E-mail:
victormichael83@gmail.com