IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ON AUDIT OPINION

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the effect of international code of corporate governance on auditors’ opinion. The study used the primary research instrument through the administration of questionnaire to source data needed for the study. The study targeted a sample of three hundred and sixteen (316) respondents, in which a total of 316 questionnaires were distributed and only three hundred (300) was filled, retrieved, cleaned and used for this study. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and descriptive statistics was used to present the results while regression test was employed to make findings on the research hypotheses. It was revealed that: information disclosure and financial transparency significantly influence auditors' opinions; shareholder rights do not have a significant impact on auditors' opinions; ethical conduct and compliance does not significantly shape auditors' opinions; risk management practices significantly affect auditors' opinions; and stakeholder engagement does not significantly influence auditors' opinions. Based on these findings, it was recommended that: organizations should prioritize improving their disclosure practices which involve regularly updating financial reports, providing clear explanations of financial data, and ensuring transparency in all corporate communications; it is essential for companies to regularly review their shareholder rights policies; organizations should not overlook their ethical responsibilities as maintaining a strong ethical culture and compliance framework is vital for long-term sustainability and public trust; organizations should focus on improving their risk xi management processes, including identifying and mitigating risks effectively, regularly reviewing risk management strategies, and ensuring that auditors have access to all relevant information to assess risk; and organizations should not underestimate the importance of engaging with stakeholders as effective stakeholder engagement fosters trust and can have broader benefits for an organization's reputation and sustainability.