A multi‐attribute model for internal auditor selection

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of the paper is to help organizations more effectively select and evaluate internal auditors by introducing a multi-criteria decision model, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) that has been applied to many areas of managerial decision-making. Design/methodology/approach -The paper structures the decision hierarchy in entering level internal auditor selection based on the competency framework for internal auditing (CFIA) and provides an illustrative application example as part of a decision support system. Findings -Recruiting and hiring qualified employees is one of the critical issues facing any organization. The selection of internal auditors is not an exception. Making the wrong choice can prove to be very costly as organizations try to uncover candidates' potential for success. Recently, there have been increasing numbers of research papers regarding the employee selection process. Originality/value -Investigates an area that has not seen much progress in the auditing and auditor management field. Contributes to internal auditing research and practice.

A Model for Internal Auditor Selection: The Case of a Trading Company in Hong Kong

“…Recently Seol & Sarkis (2005) introduced a multiattribute decision model, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP), for the internal auditor selection process. Based on the recommended AHP process, Seol & Sarkis introduced a hierarchy of skills and attributes internal auditors must possess to perform their tasks competently.…”

“…Recently Seol & Sarkis (2005) introduced a multiattribute technique called the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to provide insight into how the technique can be applied to internal auditor selection. One of the major advantages of AHP is allowing users to decompose and categorize factors that can be ranked within groups and among factors of all groups.…”

“…Even though the skills are identified, one of the remaining questions includes the investigation of the relative importance of these skills, their usefulness, comprehensiveness, and the application of them in an actual selection process of internal auditors. The purpose of the paper is to investigate, by extending the proposed model by Seol & Sarkis (2005), how AHP can be applied in an actual entry level internal auditor selection situation and to help validate the model and process. This approach is consistent with previous research findings showing the importance of criteria relating to desirable employee characteristics in the selection process, which include the skills and knowledge to perform their tasks (Taylor, 1993;Ripley & Ripley, 1994).…”

“…Further implications of the method are also discussed in the paper.Even though the skills are identified, one of the remaining questions includes the investigation of the relative importance of these skills, their usefulness, comprehensiveness, and the application of them in an actual selection process of internal auditors. By extending the proposed model by Seol & Sarkis (2005), this paper investigates how AHP can be applied in an actual entry level internal auditor selection situation and helps validate the model and process.Real case information from a trading company in Hong Kong that has gone through a recent experience in hiring entry level internal auditors was used for the study. Data were collected using an intensive survey of the importance of each attribute/skill provided by CFIA, followed by an actual application of such skills in a recent hiring experience.Results show the effectiveness of AHP and the comprehensive characteristics of the factors involved in the decision.…”

“…Even though the skills are identified, one of the remaining questions includes the investigation of the relative importance of these skills, their usefulness, comprehensiveness, and the application of them in an actual selection process of internal auditors. By extending the proposed model by Seol & Sarkis (2005), this paper investigates how AHP can be applied in an actual entry level internal auditor selection situation and helps validate the model and process.…”