Given the growing interest in the topic, both in practice and academia, it is timely and important to examine the concept of continuous assurance (CA) and the possible paths along which such services will evolve. There has been a tendency to see CA purely from the point of view of its technological enablers. As such, it has virtually been taken for granted that CA will follow as a matter of course. What has been less thought through is the business architecture that must underlie CA. In particular, we show that the key driver of CA is the demand for it. While there may be many economic transactions between the company and its stakeholders that could benefit from the provision of CA, there is no guarantee that CA is either cost effective—the only way of enhancing efficiency—or actually has to be continuous. Other factors that will affect the development of CA are the need for a new infrastructure to pay for it, as well as concerns about the independence of the assurors. We also identify some important research issues.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 March 2002
Research Article|
March 01 2002
Feasibility and Economics of Continuous Assurance
Michael G. Alles, Associate Professor;
Michael G. Alles, Associate Professor
Rutgers University.
Search for other works by this author on:
Alexander Kogan, Professor;
Alexander Kogan, Professor
Rutgers University.
Search for other works by this author on:
Miklos A. Vasarhelyi, Professor
Miklos A. Vasarhelyi, Professor
Rutgers University.
Search for other works by this author on:
Online ISSN: 1558-7991
Print ISSN: 0278-0380
American Accounting Association
2002
AUDITING: A Journal of Practice & Theory (2002) 21 (1): 125–138.
Citation
Michael G. Alles, Alexander Kogan, Miklos A. Vasarhelyi; Feasibility and Economics of Continuous Assurance. AUDITING: A Journal of Practice & Theory 1 March 2002; 21 (1): 125–138. https://doi.org/10.2308/aud.2002.21.1.125
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$25.00