Continuous auditing and data mining for strategic risk control and anticorruption: Creating “fair” value in the digital age

Business Strategy and the Environment. 2020. Vol. 29. No. 8. P. 3072–3085.

Cardoni A., Evgeniia K., De Luca F.

This paper aims to bridge a gap in the literature by investigating a continuous audit case for anticorruption. The evolution of technology can offer valuable opportunities to integrate legality checks and business processes that are consistent with the growing call to fight corruption at the institutional level. Since the last decade, researchers have proposed conceptual frameworks demonstrating the visible advantages of continuous auditing and data mining, but significant difficulties still exist in practice. This process has been implemented in only a few cases, and the lack of empirical studies implies a need for additional research on this topic.

To fill this gap, we adopt the framework proposed by Chan and Vasarhelyi (2011) and identify success factors for the implementation of continuous auditing. For the analysis, we use the research methodology of a single case study and focus on the Italian company Acciai Speciali Terni Spa (AST), the only steelwork company in Europe that has been ISO 37001 certified. This study demonstrates the practical impact of continuous auditing and data mining on strategic risk control by empirically testing the Chan and Vasarhelyi (2011) framework for the specific issue of anticorruption. The results show that effective continuous auditing is centered on an integrative and change management approach and that strategic vision, risk mapping, and a no-corruption culture are among the most influential factors. The AST case demonstrates that technology is currently essential for supporting strategic risk control but only if it is integrated with consistent growth in organizational and managerial capabilities.

Keywords: audit, ESG