Determinants and consequences of internal control in firms: a contingency theory based analysis

摘要

In order to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of activities, reliability of information and compliance with applicable laws, firms demand adequate internal control. However, several frameworks (COSO, CoCo etc.) assume that the need for internal control varies according to a firm's characteristics. This concurs with contingency theory, which claims that each organization has to choose the most suitable control system by taking into account contingency characteristics. This study examines which contingency characteristics firms choose to adapt their internal control structure and whether it results in a more favorable assessment of the effectiveness of control by the management. While the components of internal control have been examined individually in the control literature, this paper attempts to shed light on internal control and place it in a broader context. The results, derived from a web-based survey of 741 Finnish firms, indicate that firms adapt their internal control structure to deal with environmental uncertainty and to achieve observed control effectiveness. Also the strategy has statistically significant effects on internal control structure.