Through a wide variety of interdisciplinary and inter-university research projects, both in the UK and overseas, CRAAG members engage with a range of stakeholders in the academic, professional and industrial spheres.
Auditor reporting: a review of current practice
A £45,000 research funding to work with the Financial Reporting Council (UK) on reviewing the current practices of extended auditor reporting in the UK. This study was conducted by researchers from the Universities of Southampton, Portsmouth and Brunel and examined 396 auditor reports from FTSE 350 and large AIM-listed companies issued in 2021. The study aimed to assess reporting practices on key audit matters (KAMs), materiality, fraud detection, going concern, and other emerging risks, providing insights into how audit firms communicate financial statement risks and their responses. The findings were published in six infographic snapshots, summarising key patterns and trends in audit reporting.
Auditor’s reports are the principal channel of communication between auditors and users of financial statements. As well as providing the traditional opinion on the truth and fairness of the financial statements, they include a description of the risks of material misstatement which had the greatest effect on the overall strategy, allocation of resources, and direction of effort by the audit.
The research team from Southampton University:
Mohamed Elmahgoub (PI)
Collins Ntim (CoI)
Nunung Nurul Hidayah (CoI)
The research outputs can be found through this link.
Championing Sustainability Reporting: Prof Taurigana and Dr Chen Lead Panel at IEMA Conference
Professor Ven Taurigana and Dr Zhifeng Chen delivered the presentation and panel discussion at the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) Conference on 15th October 2024. The panel also included two of our students and representatives from two SMEs we have worked with. Below is some positive feedback from the participating SMEs:
‘It was inspiring to hear about all you’ve been doing across the world to champion Sustainability Reporting; and hopefully your foreign students will take the message back to their home countries to encourage others to do them and extol the benefits that we are seeing.’
‘It’s always a pleasure to support you and the University and to hear about how the scheme is evolving! I truly believe this is a really worthy endeavour.’
Consultation on International Standard on Sustainability Assurance Engagements
Dr Yusuf Ag , Dr Faizul Haque and Professor Collins Ntim from the Centre for Research in Accounting, Accountability and Governance (CRAAG), Southampton Business School, submitted comments to the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) on the proposed International Standard on Sustainability Assurance Engagements (ISSA) 5000 General Requirements’.
National Stock Exchange Visits in Middle East and Africa
Professor Bruce Hearn has visited almost all the national stock exchanges across the Middle Eastern and African emerging economies over the last 10 to 15 years. He has interviewed and worked closely with senior personnel in identifying the major challenges facing these nascent financial markets with these deeper practitioner insights underpinning his extensive research published. This underscores the publication of his work in top international (4/4*) journals as well as the considerable impact related from his research in these markets and regions.
Discussion on Sustainability Reporting at FRC Roundtable
Dr Yusuf Ag, Teaching fellow, Department of Accounting, Southampton Business School, was invited by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and presented scientific evidence at the ‘FRC Roundtable: Assurance of Sustainability Reporting Market Study’ on 27 June 2024. Further consultation meeting has been scheduled on 14 October 2024. The comment letter has been published on the FRC's website.
Consultation on IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Taxonomy
Dr Faizul Haque, Professor Collins Ntim and Dr Yusuf Ag from the Centre for Research in Accounting, Accountability and Governance (CRAAG), Southampton Business School, submitted comments to the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) on the proposed IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Taxonomy. They reflected on disclosure requirements arising from
- IFRS S1- General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information, issued in June 2023
- IFRS S2- Climate-related Disclosures, issued in June 2023.
Read the Proposed Taxonomy and comment letters: IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Taxonomy
Engagement with the International Accounting Standard Board’s (IASB) Standard Setting Process
Dr. Ahmed Alshehabi, Dr. Kamran Malikove and Professor Alaa Zalata from the Centre for Research in Accounting, Accountability and Governance (CRAAG) have been awarded a competitive research grant provided by the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER), in collaboration with KPMG International.
The team is currently working with the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) in the standard setting process in the area of unrecognized goodwill, thereby contributing to fulfilling the UoS’s and Southampton Business School’s mission of ‘transforming business and society for the better’.
International Collaborative Projects on Gender Diversity, Role of Philanthropical Organization and Social Housing
Dr Nunung Nurul Hidayah has been working on several funded projects in collaboration with colleagues from different countries and institutions with potential impact case studies. These include:
- Women at the Board and their role in leading organizations – with a Board Member of Bukit Asam an Energy State-Owned Enterprise in Indonesia – plan for papers and a white paper to the Ministry of Women Affairs in Indonesia
- The role of Philanthropical Organization in Indonesia during Covid-19 Pandemic - in collaboration with University of Gadjah Mada Indonesia and Islamic Development Bank - funded by RISPRO DIKTI (£150000)
- Review of the Quality of Audit Reports in the UK, The Financial Reporting Council Funded project (£45000), in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Portsmouth University, Brunel University, and the University of Southampton
- The Governance of Social Housing, Tenant Welfare and Activism, and Housing on Boat in the UK, with Carlene Wynter (Aston University), Sarah Lauwo (University of Sheffiled/Robert Gordon University), Melina Manochin (University of Birmingham, funded by Chartered Institute of Taxation (£8000) - Report published in CIOT website: Property tax management and its impact on social housing and governance: a case study of the stamp duty land tax exemption for registered social landlords, Chartered Institute of Taxation United Kingdom.
Consultation on Mandatory Climate-related Financial Disclosures
Professor Collins Ntim, Professor Venancio Tauringana and Dr Faizul Haque from the Centre for Research in Accounting, Accountability and Governance (CRAAG), Southampton Business School submitted a response to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy inquiry into Mandatory climate-related financial disclosures by publicly quoted companies, large private companies and LLPs.
Read the Mandatory climate-related financial disclosures.
Consultation on R&D Tax Reliefs
Dr Hosam Al Kaddour, Professor Collins Ntim and Professor Ven Tauringana from the Southampton Business School have responded to the HMRC consultation on R&D Tax Reliefs.
Read the R&D Tax Reliefs consultation.
Consultation on Preventing abuse of the R&D tax relief for SMEs
Written evidence from Dr. Mohamed Hosam Al Kaddour, Senior Academic and Tax Expert, and Professor Collins Ntim, Professor of Accounting, Department of Accounting, Southampton Business School.
Read the Preventing abuse of the R&D tax relief for SMEs: second consultation
Regulatory reforms on corporate governance and audit quality in the UK and EU
Dr Oliver Marnet has long been engaging with the policymakers and professional accounting bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and ICAEW on regulatory reforms on corporate governance and audit quality in the UK and EU.
Dr Marnet was also invited as keynote speaker and panel participant to a high-level policy event on joint audit in Paris. This was organised by the Haut Conseil du Commissariat aux Comptes (H3C), the audit regulator of France. The event was attended by senior EU national audit regulators, central bank representatives, stock market authorities, listed company representatives, members of parliament, institutional investors and the audit professionals.
Sustainability reporting
Over the past twelve months Southampton Business School has been running a pilot, working with local small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) to help them prepare sustainability reports.
The service is free and it involves our students getting some practical experience under the supervision of academic staff.
We are now at the next stage of the project and we are looking for a number of additional SME’s interested in sustainability to take part in the project.
If you would like more information, or would like to get involved please reach out to either Prof Alaa Zalata or Prof Ven Tauringana.
Developing a National Corporate Governance Code for Ghana
Southampton Business School academics – Dr Renata Konadu, Dr Pingli Li and Professor Collins Ntim – working in close collaboration with the Institute of Directors-Ghana (IoD-Gh), several major Ghanaian stakeholders, such as the Association of Ghana Industries, Bank of Ghana, Ghana Stock Exchange, Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Securities and Exchange Commission, Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Ghana Bar Association, and academics from local (e.g., Universities of Ghana and Professional Studies, etc), and international (e.g., Universities of Auckland, Essex, Mauritius, Loughborough and Nottingham, etc) universities have developed a national corporate governance code for Ghana.
Tax reliefs
Dr. Hosam was invited and provided expert witness evidence as part of the panel of experts to the Parliamentary Treasury Select Committee on tax relief, sitting on Monday, 19 December 2022, in London. You can watch the proceedings on parliamentlive.tv
Exporting the DEFRA environmental reporting guidance to Africa to save our planet
Scientific evidence suggesting that the threats to human life, such as flooding and drought, are caused by global warming as a result of accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is mounting. At the Conference of the Parties (COP, 21) meeting held in France in 2016, many countries agreed to binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The UK was the first country in the world to set a legally binding target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from the 1990 levels by 2050 when it passed the 2009 Climate Change Act. To achieve this ambitious target, the Act committed the UK government to publishing guidance on how companies should measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions. The guidance was published by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in 2009 and revised in 2013.