The current study investigates the specific factors associated with internal audit effectiveness in the Greek business environment. Empirical evidence was collected by means of a mailed survey. Factor Analysis and regression analysis are used in order to illustrate the gathered information. The findings indicate that the main factors affecting internal audit effectiveness are: (1) quality of internal audit, (2) competence of internal audit team, (3) independence of internal audit and (4) management support. The results also reveal that independence of internal audit is the foundation of internal audit effectiveness, as it is the most crucial factor in our model. Finally, the paper concludes that internal audit is of major importance for Greek business.

Internal audit has been acknowledged as the main driver of corporate disclosure which aims to increase the quality of financial information, to ensure the transparency in financial reporting and to increase the confidence between managers and shareholders. The need for developing strong governance structures has led many researchers to examine the new framework of corporate governance and to explore its relationship to the internal audit process. Regarding Greece, there is a lack of research evaluating the relationship between corporate governance and internal audit. This study examines the above relationship in companies listed in the Athens Stock Exchange. In the present research, internal audit is examined in terms of audit quality and the consulting role of internal audit, in order to highlight the new management-oriented and value adding scope of internal audit. Data was collected via a survey questionnaire methodology and was analyzed using regression analysis. The results show that corporate governance is positively associated to the consulting role of internal audit, to internal audit quality and to the audit committee.

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