فصلنامه مطالعات تجربی حسابداری مالی
پیاپی 78 (تابستان 1402)

The main goal of this research is to identify and rank factors affecting innovation in accounting. In this research, firstly, accounting specialists were selected by purposeful sampling methods, and then qualitative data were collected using open questionnaires. After analyzing the collected data using the phenomenology method, 11 factors were identified. Subsequently, a survey involving 17 faculty members from the accounting departments of Iranian public universities was conducted, and the Bayesian best-worst method was employed to rank these identified factors. Based on the results, the top 3 factors affecting innovation in accounting, in order of importance, include advances in information technology, changes in the business environment, and the level of financial knowledge and analytical skills of accountants. In order to improve the context of innovation in accounting, the results of this research suggest accountants should have general information about business and advances in information technology. They also, as the human capital of the innovation process in accounting, should continuously improve their level of financial knowledge and analytical skills.IntroductionIn recent years, the information technologies, such as cloud service models, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain are rapidly transforming the business environments and have raised concerns about the future of the accounting profession. Although these emerging technologies are still designed for the day-to-day work of accountants, they can significantly change the future work of accountants (Moll & Yigitbasioglu, 2019). It seems that in the face of the said technologies, the provision of accounting services, such as bookkeeping, preparing financial statements, preparing tax returns, and auditing, have all been subject to radical innovations (Bowles et al., 2020). According to the accounting literature, a new set of skills is necessary for accountants due to these emerging technologies. This is while job advertisements of Iranian companies (https://www.irantalent.com), still demand traditional job roles for accountants and instead, new job titles, such as fraud investigation specialist and senior data analyst have been emerging that can cover the newly defined job roles of accountants by literature. It seems that to reinforce the position of accountants in organizations, a change in accounting and in other words, the search for innovation in accounting is necessary.To address the lack of accounting literature in the field of innovation, the primary objective of this study is to identify and rank the factors that impact innovation in accounting by using qualitative methods, to initiate the expansion of innovative thinking and the creation of innovative ideas in accounting.MethodologyThis study used the phenomenology method to identify the factors affecting innovation in accounting. The accounting specialists were chosen as an informant using purposeful and snowball sampling methods. The twelve accounting specialists who participated in the research offered a wide range of services, including auditing, consulting, financial statement preparation, and tax accounting. Data collection was carried out mainly by means of an unstructured questionnaire supported by a telephone interview. Finally, by the use of Colaizzi’s method of data analysis, the factors affecting innovation in accounting were identified (Wirihana et al., 2018, p. 31).The Bayesian best-worst method was selected to rank the factors affecting innovation in accounting. The decision-makers were seventeen faculty members in the accounting department of Iranian public universities who had publications that transfer the concept of some sort of innovation in accounting. Bayesian best-worst method is based on pairwise comparison (Mohammadi & Rezaei, 2020). Pairwise comparison data from the decision-makers who participated in the research was collected through a standard questionnaire. Finally, using Python code for the chosen method, the factors affecting innovation in accounting were ranked.Results and DiscussionAccording to the results of Colaizzi’s method of data analysis, eleven factors were identified, and using the Bayesian best-worst method, the optimal weight of all factors was calculated. Table 1 presents the overall optimal weight and rank of factors affecting innovation in accounting. The findings indicate that the factors of advances in information technology (0.127806), changes in the business environment (0.12760311), and the level of financial knowledge and analytical skills of accountants (0.10951763) are respectively the most important factors. According to the optimal weight of all factors, it can be seen that none of the factors are irrelevant to innovation in accounting, because the weight of the least important factor is equal to 0.06665689. In fact, neither factor has an optimal weight lower than 0.065.ConclusionThe field of research into innovation in accounting is new, therefore this research generates new insight into the area. Among the practical implications, the study suggests that accountants consider environmental factors, such as advances in information technology and constantly update their knowledge and skills. It also suggests that they should improve their overall business knowledge by familiarizing themselves with different companies' operations and financial processes. Moreover, it suggests that they develop their analytical skills to be able to clarify the implications of decision-making results. Lastly, this study suggests that to achieve innovation in accounting, the conduct of research related to innovation and the cooperation of accountants can generate ideas to improve innovation in accounting.The study was qualitative in nature, as a result, this study cannot argue that the nature of innovation in accounting and the factors affecting it remain unchanged over time. Therefore, this study recommends more research in this field to contribute to a better understanding of innovation in accounting.

This study aims to conduct a literature review on internal audit quality literature using bibliometrics methods, including time-trend and impact analysis of studies, journals, authors, institutions, and countries. We also identified Conceptual, Intellectual, and Social structure of this line of research. To fulfill our purpose, we applied a bibliometrics approach to 92 research papers from 1993-2023, which we acquired from Web of Science (WoS) database.IntroductionA review of the literature in the field of internal audit quality shows the variety of topics in the research conducted in the past years. Therefore, a systematic review of the research is conducted in this field with the intention of creating a deeper understanding of the research on internal audit quality for researchers who intend to study in this field, and drawing some potential future research paths for this field.The main research questions are as follows:1) What is the trend of studies conducted in the field of internal audit quality? (Trend analysis)2) Which are the most influential articles, authors, journals, research institutions, and countries in the field of internal audit quality research? (Impact analysis)3) Which topics form the body of knowledge of internal audit quality research? (Conceptual structure)4) Which topics in the field of internal audit quality have been sufficiently developed and which are still developing and need further investigation? (Conceptual structure)5) What are the cooperation networks between authors, research institutions, and countries in conducting internal audit quality research? (Intellectual and social structure)Literature Review2.1. Determinants of internal audit qualityBased on previous research, the personal characteristics of the internal auditors (Erasmus and Coetzee, 2018), the support and power of senior management (Jiang et al., 2018), Organizational independence and commitment, the time pressure imposed on the internal auditor (Samagaio and Felício, 2022), the use of information technology by internal auditors (Deribe and Regasa, 2014), the quality of the audit committee's performance and its participation in internal audit planning and reporting (Abdullah, 2018), the size of the internal audit (Erasmus and Coetzee, 2018), and the uncertainty and complexity of the company's environment (Jiang et al., 2018) affect the internal audit quality.2.1. Concequences of internal audit qualityAccording to previous research, the high-quality internal audit can affect the quality of corporate governance (Lenz and Hahn, 2015), internal controls quality (IIA, 2015), earnings management and financial reporting quality (Prawitt et al., 2009), external audit fee (Mat Zail et al., 2015), and external audit delay (Abbott et al., 2012b).MethodologyIn this paper, the bibliometric analysis is used in order to examine the trend and impact analysis, as well as analyze the conceptual, intellectual, and social structure of the internal audit quality research field. Also, in order to implement bibliometric methods, the Bibliometrix package is used in R.ResultsOur findings indicate an increasing trend in the number of research studies on internal audit quality literature. We also document that Prawitt et al. (2009) is the most cited paper; David A. Wood from Brigham Young University is the most influential author; Accounting Review is the most influential journal; Managerial Auditing Journal is the most productive journal; Brigham Young University is the most prolific institution; and the USA is the most influential country in this research field. "Corporate Governance", "Internal Controls", "Audit Effectiveness", and "Audit Competency" are among the dynamic topics that are well-developed in internal audit quality literature. "Earnings Management" and "Risk Management" are emerging topics, and we predict an increase in the number of studies on them in the years to come. We also argue that although "Accountability" is a critical topic in internal audit quality literature, it can still be developed further in future research.DiscussionThe results indicate the concepts of "corporate governance", "audit committees", "earnings management", "internal controls", and "financial reporting quality" are the most frequent keywords in this field. Repetition of these concepts in the articles of this field can emphasize the role of high-quality internal audit in a suitable structure of corporate governance, indicating its role in strengthening internal controls and preventing managers’ misconduct, and ultimately increasing the transparency and quality of financial reporting. Also, "earnings management" and "risk management" are hot topics and of particular interest to researchers and academics. It is expected that future research will focus on these two topics. Also, the analysis of the thematic map of keywords in the research field of internal audit quality shows the important role of "accountability" in improving the quality of internal audit and its potential for development and growth in future research. The global map of countries' cooperation in the field of internal audit quality shows that the most scientific cooperation of countries in the field of internal audit quality research is dedicated to some developing countries. It seems that the quality of internal audit in these countries has a double importance in the eyes of researchers and professionals.ConclusionThe findings of this paper can provide researchers with an insight to conduct studies on the quality of internal audit in the future. This research has several contributions. This research is the first attempt to use bibliometric methods in order to review the internal audit quality literature. The results of this research not only provide a comprehensive picture of the research in this field but also help in the direction of future studies by introducing the hot topics in the field. Also, researchers can refer to the results of this research in choosing co-authors or research institutions to conduct joint research in the field of internal audit quality.The professionals can use our results to improve the quality of internal audits by knowing the related key issues and the researchers and sources who have produced more reliable documents.

Accounting is a reflection of the performance of economic entities, influenced by numerous factors. Culture is one of the most important factors influencing the development of accounting. This study explores how gender and social identity moderate the relationship between Islamic cultural values and the performance and attitudes within the auditing profession .This research follows an applied approach and employs a descriptive survey methodology. The study's population included all employees of the Audit Organization of Iran and doctoral students in accounting. A statistical sample of 384 individuals, composed of employees from the Iran Auditing Organization and accounting PhD students, was randomly selected based on Cochran’s formula for the year 1400. Data analysis was performed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach with the Smart PLS software. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between Islamic cultural values and employees' job performance and attitude. The study revealed that gender influences the relationship between Islamic cultural values and performance and attitudes within the auditing profession. However, social identity was found to have no significant impact on this relationship. Social identity has no effect on the relationship between cultural values of Islam and the function and attitude of the auditing profession. In conclusion, it is advisable to promote Islamic cultural values within the auditing profession to enhance ethical standards and professional competence.IntroductionThe increasing development and diversification of economic activities have led to the expansion of the capital market and the scope of activities of joint stock companies. Therefore, the duty and responsibility of professional auditors toward society and capital owners necessitates their adherence to a well-defined and consistent professional code of conduct, fostering acceptance, credibility, trust, and social respect (Turner, 2006).Career attitude is essentially an assessment of an individual's job, encapsulating their feelings, beliefs, and attachment to their occupation. Several variables influence the improvement of job attitudes, including age, education level, gender, work environment, years of service, competition, individual skills, job-specific skills, as well as the education and management approaches employed by audit supervisors (Kabir & Parvin, 2011).One of the most important factors influencing the development of accounting in any country is culture.Literature Review2.1. The effect of Islamic cultural values on the function and attitude of the auditing profession.Based on this discussion, the following hypotheses are presented:Hypothesis 1: There is a significant relationship between Islamic cultural values and the employees’ performance.Hypothesis 2: There is a significant relationship between Islamic cultural values and auditing staff’s job attitudeHypothesis 3: There is a significant relationship between the job attitude and performance of audit staff2.2 The effect of gender on the relationship between Islamic cultural values and the function and attitude of the auditing profession.Hypothesis 4: Gender affects the relationship between cultural values of Islam and auditing staff’s performance.Hypothesis 5: Gender affects the relationship between Islamic cultural values and auditing staff’s job attitude.Hypothesis 6: Gender affects the relationship between job attitude and audit staff performance.2.3. The effect of social identity on the relationship between Islamic cultural values and the function and attitude of the auditing profession.Hypothesis 7: Social identity affects the relationship between Islamic cultural values and auditing staff’s workHypothesis 8: Social identity affects the relationship between Islamic cultural values and auditing staff’s job attitude.Hypothesis 9: Social identity affects the relationship between job attitude and performance of audit staff.MethodologyThe research is applied and descriptive in nature, aiming to describe the effect of research variables during their implementation stages. The research population comprised employees of the Iran Auditing Organization and PhD students in auditing. We randomly selected a sample of 384 individuals based on Cochran's formula.To assess the fit of the measurement models, we employed criteria such as reliability and convergent validity. We evaluated questionnaire reliability using factor loading coefficients, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and composite reliability. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics.ResultsThe purpose of this research was to examine the moderating role of gender and social identity in the relationship between Islamic cultural values and the function and attitude of the auditing profession. The results support the presence of a significant relationship between Islamic cultural values and auditor function, which aligns with the findings of Sayadi and Azizi (2016) and Hosseini and Babaei (2017). Additionally, the results reveal a significant connection between Islamic cultural values and auditor job attitudes, consistent with the findings of Sayadi and Azizi (2016) and Hosseini and Babaei (2017). Furthermore, the third hypothesis, suggesting a significant relationship between job attitude and audit staff performance, was confirmed, in accordance with Ali Fari et al.'s (2016) findings.The results indicate that gender significantly influences both Islamic cultural values and the performance of audit staff. Furthermore, gender has an effect on the relationship between Islamic cultural values and auditing staff’s job attitude. This result is inconsistent with the findings of Bani Mahd and Darvish (2015).The results also show that gender has an effect on the relationship between job attitude and performance of audit staff. This is consistent with the findings of Christensen et al. (2016), Sajjadi et al. (1401).Additionally, the results reveal that social identity does not affect the relationship between Islamic cultural values and auditing staff’s work. This is inconsistent with the findings of Badpa (2019).The results also show that social identity has no effect on the relationship between Islamic cultural values and auditing staff’s job attitude. This is in line with the findings of Ali Fari et al. (2016).Lastly, the results show that social identity has no effect on the relationship between job attitude and performance of audit staff. This is in line with the findings of Ali Fari et al. (2016). However, it is in contrast with the findings of Ebrahimzadeh et al. (1400) and Haqbin et al. (1401).AcknowledgmentsThe authors of the article express their appreciation and gratitude to the Islamic Azad University of Kerman branch.

A significant part of capital market research is stock price synchronicity and its influencing factors. When considering these factors, financial report readability and CEO media exposure emerge as critical elements in fostering a conducive environment for conveying understandable information to the market. Therefore, this study examines how CEO media exposure influences the relationship between financial report readability and stock price synchronicity. In this context, we analyzed data from 99 firms spanning the years 2014 to 2021. Our findings are rooted in the components of the information environment, encompassing both information supply and demand. To address the endogeneity of financial report readability, we employed the 2SLS method. Findings showed that the financial report readability led to a decrease in stock price synchronicity. This relation was more pronounced in firms whose managers had greater media exposure. Additional tests revealed that, on the information supply side, low institutional ownership, and on the information demand side, companies characterized by higher information asymmetry imply greater growth opportunities and more significant agency problems. Furthermore, the effect of CEO media exposure on the relationship between financial report readability and stock price synchronicity was found to be strengthening. These findings underscore the valuable roles played by financial report readability and CEO media exposure in enhancing information quality and reducing the impact of unsystematic factors on stock price movements.IntroductionOne area that has exacerbated the financial crisis on the capital market is the heightened sensitivity of stock prices to market and industry news relative to firm-specific information. In this regard, the phenomenon of stock price synchronicity has become a challenging keyword in economic, financial and accounting literature, especially in emerging markets.Wang (2014) considered it to have informativeness in the pricing process and compared it to a type of noise affecting both financial and non-financial decisions. Loughran and McDonald (2014) believe that the information environment plays a decisive role in creating and shaping stock price synchronicity. Therefore, this research aims to study the impact of financial reporting readability and CEO media exposure as components of the information environment and information communication tools on stock price synchronicity.Research QuestionsDoes the CEO media exposure influence the relationship between financial reporting readability and stock price synchronicity?Do components of an information environment (including information supply and demand) change the effect of CEO media exposure and financial reporting readability on stock price synchronicity?Literature Review2.1. Financial Report Readability and Stock Price SynchronicityBai et al. (2018) argued that when the cost of collecting and processing information is high, inexperienced investors may gather incomplete firm-specific information from stock price volatility and movements. They tend to rely on market or industry information, resulting in information inefficiency and risk within the market. On the other hand, when the financial reporting readability is high, the cost of processing and gathering information for investors is reduced by facilitating access, and stock returns synchronicity decreases.2.1. CEO Media Exposure, Financial Report Readability, Stock Price SynchronicityLiu and McConnell (2013) have stated that managers are more likely to abandon devaluation-based efforts after media criticism. They have argued that this effect can be attributed to negative media coverage regarding the imputation of shareholder value. Additionally, Cahan et al. (2020) have shown that CEO media exposure leads to an improvement in the quality of financial reporting because it exposes managers to the risk of lawsuits.MethodologyThe necessary data and information were gathered from the annual financial reports of firms listed on the stock exchange between 2014 and 2021, as well as from the Codal and RDIS databases. Additionally, the data related to stock price synchronicity was extracted from the database of the Financial Information Processing Center (Fipiran.com) at Tehran Securities Exchange Technology Management Co. Finally, 99 firms and 792 observations (year-firm) were screened and analyzed.ResultsThe findings showed that financial report readability led to a decrease in stock price synchronicity. This relationship was more pronounced in firms whose managers had greater media exposure. Additional tests revealed that on the information supply side, low institutional ownership, and on the information demand side, companies with higher information asymmetry represent more growth opportunities and greater agency problems. Additionally, the effect of CEO media exposure on the relationship between financial reporting readability and stock price synchronicity was strengthened.DiscussionThe findings showed that the improvement of the readability index causes the weight of firm-specific information on the stock price to exceed that of market and industrial information, leading to a reduction in the phenomenon of stock price synchronicity. Additionally, CEO media exposure has strengthened the relationship between financial report readability and stock price synchronicity. In other words, the readability of financial reporting in firms with higher media coverage has intensified the stock price synchronicity. The interpretation of these results is that managers use media tools to mark the quality of financial reporting and take steps towards reliable and useful information due to the risks that the media may create for them. Therefore, the CEO media exposure can be considered as one of the new tools and mechanisms of information sources in the emerging market of Iran, which has informational content. Robust tests also demonstrated that, in terms of information supply, firms with a low percentage of institutional shareholders, and in terms of information demand, firms with higher growth opportunities and greater agency problems observed a more pronounced effect of CEO media exposure on the relationship between readability and stock price synchronicity. Based on these results, institutional shareholders can be considered as a tool for supplying and transmitting information to the market. Also, the growth opportunities and representation problems can also be counted among the factors that affect the demand for information.ConclusionThese findings reiterate the beneficial role of financial report readability and CEO media exposure as examples of information quality, reducing the influence of unsystematic factors on stock price movements.

Investors' decision-making processes are influenced by a combination of rational behavior and emotions, particularly during special circumstances where emotional behaviors may overshadow rationality. This study aims to examine the influence of investor sentiments on their expectations of future earnings. A sample of 163 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the period from 2011 to 2020 was selected to achieve the research objective. Multiple linear regression was used to test the research hypotheses. The results indicate that investors' sentiments do not have a significant relationship with the stability of losses, suggesting that emotional behaviors do not lead to substantial changes in loss stability. Similarly, there is no significant relationship between investors' sentiments and the stability of earnings. Consequently, investors lack a proper understanding of future earnings and losses, which impacts their decision-making processes. Addressing this issue requires relevant officials to take measures to enhance investors' awareness of the overall market and the fundamentals of listed companies, thereby fostering a more informed investment environment.   1- IntroductionBehavioral finance theories underscore the pivotal role of investors' emotional behaviors in determining asset values, challenging the conventional notion that changes in security values are solely driven by fundamental factors (Kim & Ha, 2010). This study aims to investigate the influence of investors' emotions on their expectations of future earnings and to examine how emotions at the capital market level lead to misjudgments in stock valuations. To achieve these objectives, we explore the relationship between investors' emotions and their expectations of future earnings. Specifically, we anticipate that investors may perceive losses as more stable during periods of diminished sentiment and less stable during periods characterized by heightened sentiment. This difference is expected to be more pronounced for companies operating at a loss compared to profitable companies. Literature Review2-1. Investor sentimentThe emergence of behavioral financial sciences has sparked significant interest among researchers, leading to a plethora of studies investigating the emotional behaviors of investors. Noteworthy contributions in this domain include the works of Baker and Wurgler (2007), Cornell (2017), Hua (2020), and Bilel (2020). In recent years, the field of behavioral finance has witnessed efforts to elucidate the mechanisms through which investors' emotions influence stock values and overall stock market performance. 2-1. Investors' Expectations of Future EarningsInvestors' expectations of future earnings encompass the prevailing sentiments and attitudes held by investors regarding the prospective performance of a company, which can range from optimism to pessimism (Aboody, 2018). It is worth noting that researchers often approach survey-based data with a certain degree of caution due to the potential disparity between survey responses and actual behavioral patterns. Consequently, gauging expectations through trading activities provides a means to discern irrational investor behavior. Statement No. 1 issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board underscores the significance of profit as a metric employed by investors to assess profitability, dividend-paying capability, forecast future earnings, and extend credit to other firms (Sinha, 2016). Therefore, it is evident that a company's profit margin can exert a notable influence on the stock market. 3-2. Investor Sentiment and Their Expectations of Future EarningsThe present research endeavors to explore the impact of investors' sentiments at the capital market level on the misvaluation of stocks. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between these sentiments and investors' expectations concerning future earnings. In this study, we anticipate that investors may perceive losses as more stable during periods characterized by reduced emotional intensity and less stable during periods marked by heightened emotional sentiment. Furthermore, it is posited that the stability of earnings is lower (higher) during periods of low (high) sentiment, with this disparity being particularly pronounced for loss-making companies as compared to profitable ones.The research hypotheses are articulated as follows:H1: There is a negative and significant relationship between investors' sentiments and the sustainability of losses.H2: There is a positive and significant relationship between investors' sentiments and the stability of earnings.MethodologyThis research falls under the category of post-event analysis, utilizing historical information extracted from companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. The statistical population for this study comprises companies admitted to the Tehran Stock Exchange between 2010 and 2019. A carefully selected sample of 1630 company-year observations, was employed for analysis. To test the research hypotheses, composite data were utilized, and multivariate regression models were employed for estimation.ResultsThe first research hypothesis posited that there exists an inverse and statistically significant relationship between investors' sentiments and the sustainability of losses. However, based on the results presented in Table 1, the significance level of the variable representing investors' sentiments surpasses the 5% threshold, indicating that there is no substantial relationship between investors' sentiments and the sustainability of losses. This suggests that investors' emotions do not exert a significant impact on the persistence of losses.Similarly, the second research hypothesis postulated a direct and meaningful relationship between investors' sentiments and the stability of earnings. Yet, the findings in Table 2 reveal that the significance level of the variable related to investors' sentiments exceeds the 5% significance level, signifying that there is no substantial relationship between investors' sentiments and the stability of earnings. In essence, it implies that the sentiments of investors do not wield a significant influence on earnings stability.DiscussionIn the current research, it was initially hypothesized that investors in loss-making companies would perceive losses as more stable during periods characterized by reduced emotional intensity and less stable during emotionally charged periods. These results underscore the complexity of investor behavior and the challenges in accurately predicting how emotions influence investment decisions and expectations. The findings imply that other factors or variables not considered in the current research may play a more substantial role in shaping investors' expectations of future earnings in both loss-making and profitable companies.ConclusionThe research outcomes indicate that in both loss-making and profitable companies, investors' sentiments do not wield a statistically significant influence on their expectations of future earnings. This suggests that investors' expectations regarding future earnings may not be accurately formed. Even in the case of profitable companies, investors' emotions do not appear to significantly impact their profit expectations. These results may be attributed to investors' potentially inadequate understanding of future earnings, which could give rise to emotional behaviors. Addressing this issue calls for intervention by capital market analysts and relevant institutions, with a focus on enhancing investor awareness. Initiatives should be developed to raise investors' knowledge levels, thereby contributing to the normalization of the broader market and the fundamentals of listed companies.It's worth noting that these findings appear to contradict those of Riedl (2021). In the Iranian economic context, these results apply similarly to both loss-making and profitable companies, indicating that emotions may not be a significant factor influencing profit expectations on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Moreover, these findings align partially with the results of BashiriManesh and Oradi (2018).

Integrated financial reporting provides crucial information about an organization's strategy, direction, performance, and future outlook encompassing business, social, and environmental performance within its operational context. It also promotes a coherent and effective approach to corporate reporting. This research aims to compare the expectations of integrated financial reporting producers and users. Data analysis using SPSS software and statistical tests, including "Kolmogrove-smirnov", "Yoman-whitney" and "Friedman" has shown significant differences between the opinions of users and financial report preparers regarding report components, innovative practices, targeted investments, rewards and benefits, risk management, governance structure, and balanced scorecard. However, the comparison of expectations has shown no significant difference between the expectations of report providers and users regarding providing reports on mutual communication, compliance with legal and ethical standards, user’s engagement, and the reporting of financial status and sustainability of financial services.IntroductionAn integrated report should provide insight into the nature and quality of an organization's relationships with its key stakeholders. According to the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), one of the guiding principles which underpin the preparation of integrated reports is the formation of effective stakeholder relationships. However, several challenges are also identified. These challenges include difficulties in determining what information is material and should, therefore, be included in an integrated report. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the quality and utility of integrated reporting by exploring the possibility that a perception gap has emerged, which affects the perceived relevance of integrated reporting. this paper makes an important contribution to the prior literature on integrated reporting by introducing the idea of a perception gap and offering one of the initial accounts of stakeholders’ perspectives on companies’ integrated reports. This will shed light on where companies can improve their integrated reports and inform the development of additional guidance by standard-setters and regulators.MethodologyThe study's statistical population comprises two groups: report producers and users. This includes auditors from the audit organizations and audit institutions, members of the Society of Official Accountants of Iran, as well as board directors and managers of companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the year 2022. The sampling method employed in this research is available sampling. This research is classified as a descriptive-survey study with an applied approach. The identified themes are incorporated into a Likert scale questionnaire. Lastly, the collected data were analyzed using SPSS software and relevant statistical tests.FindingsBased on the findings, there is a gap between auditors' and users' perspectives in terms of reporting and identifying innovative perspectives, targeted investments, rewards and benefits, risk management, governance structure, and balanced scorecard. Conversely, no significant gap is anticipated between the perspectives of producers and users in terms of mutual communication, compliance with legal and ethical standards, streamlining financial operations, user communication, as well as reporting financial status and corporate sustainability.Conclusion and discussionIn line with the examination of expectations between providers and stakeholders concerning the disclosure of integrated reporting components, the results of hypothesis testing indicate that, except for reporting and identifying innovative perspectives, targeted investments, rewards and benefits, risk management, governance structure, and balanced evaluation card, there is no significant expectation gap between beneficiaries and providers. In fact, the results indicate that users of integrated reports seek additional information on matters such as the competence and performance of those responsible for governance and how management has handled risk to ensure financial sustainability and prevent financial crises. They prioritize these aspects over the disclosure of information about social and environmental issues.Finally, the results of this study highlight several areas for future research. It would be valuable to investigate whether a perception gap exists in other industries and to identify the factors contributing to changes in the perception gap. More work also needs to be done to understand the determinants of the perception gap. This paper is based on the assumption that user sophistication affects the perceived importance of disclosures found in integrated reports. Cultural variables, the nature of the corporate governance system and the extent to which companies are able to manage perceptions are additional variables which need to be taken into account in order to define the dimensions of the perception gap in an integrated reporting context more accurately and inform policymakers and standard setters.

Changing the nature of behavioral knowledge in the auditing profession from purely classical processes in the development of auditors' functions to philosophical and cognitive processes has increased the quality of work life in this field. The purpose of this study is to present a model of auditors' psychological well-being and evaluate identified themes in the auditing profession. This study employs an exploratory methodology with analytical elements. Because of the lack of an integrated framework regarding the recognition of auditors' psychological well-being dimensions, we identified the study's themes through 12 interviews and coded them using thematic analysis. Then, using two processes of fuzzy Delphi analysis and classic Delphi, we analyzed the reliability of the organizing and basic themes. In the quantitative part, to explain the themes confirmed from the Delphi analysis stage in the audit professional functions, we applied the fuzzy network analysis. In this study, according to the theoretical saturation point in thematic analysis, 12 accounting experts participated, and in the quantitative part, 30 auditors with more than five years of experience in the auditing profession who had work experience and technical knowledge participated. The results of the study in the qualitative part indicate the existence of three overarching themes, six organizing themes, and 38 basic themes. Also, based on the result of the Delphi analysis, it was determined that from the total of 38 basic themes, 17 final themes were entered into the fuzzy network analysis in the form of six organizing themes, and the findings showed that the most effective organizing theme of psychological well-being in the context of professional auditing functions is the theme of perception stimulation of auditors. Findings also revealed that strengthening the internal locus of control is the most effective aspect of psychological well-being in auditing.  1- IntroductionExpanding behavioral sciences' influence on auditing in recent decades has transformed auditors' traditional approaches and professional roles, enhancing the quality of auditing reports. This is due to the interplay between professional judgment and auditing standards within the auditors' behavioral and cognitive domains. (Zhao et al,2023). A significant development in auditing knowledge is the concept of psychological well-being. Psychological well-being encompasses auditors' emotional and mental states, their overall life and career satisfaction, as well as their mental efficiency and functionality (Broberg et.al, 2020). According to Chen et al. (2022), well-being is closely tied to an individual's perception of their experiences, leading to higher mental satisfaction and more qualified roles in professional responsibilities. In essence, psychological well-being results in positive emotions, a sense of purpose, autonomy, and the ability to form meaningful relationships with others (Mahmoudi and Sajadi Nejad, 2022). Literature ReviewWhen investigating the findings of a study in the field of Disease Psychology, a group of psychologists, guided by Seligman et al. (1999), concluded that despite significant achievements in developing effective therapies, focusing on the causes of diseases, especially mental ones, can lead to a reduction in fatal diseases in society. They aimed to explore the factors contributing to increased productivity in people's lives and embarked on a new cycle of studies to assess individual capabilities. This effort ultimately led to the development of a gradual psychological well-being approach within the domain of positive psychology. Therefore, one prominent focus in recent years has been on psychological well-being, which seeks to redefine the professional life of individuals through the lens of positive psychology (Haghayeghi and Moghaddam Zadeh, 2022). O’Driscoll et al. (2004) were pioneers in formalizing the concept of psychological well-being within the framework of positive psychology. They emphasized the infusion of happiness and satisfaction into personal performance as a fundamental achievement of this concept.On the other hand, Gurel (2009) emphasizes active participation in the professional environment as key to defining psychological well-being. It involves individuals striving to experience positive self-efficacy and creating a balanced career while attributing meaning to their work relationships. Furthermore, Clark et al. (2007) view psychological well-being as an affective state. They assert that motivation in one's job is driven by the happiness and vitality derived from personal performance, which in turn fosters emotional attachment to one's job. Despite varying definitions of psychological well-being, it is evident that a deeper understanding of this concept is essential for greater effectiveness in the profession. MethodologyThe current study serves a developmental purpose and has an exploratory nature in its results. Furthermore, it adopts a combined approach in data collection. Given the lack of a coherent framework in previous studies for the phenomenon under investigation within the auditing profession, our study aims to present a multi-dimensional model using thematic analysis and the approach outlined by Attride-Stirling (2001) across three coding stages and interviews. In other words, in the first stage, it is attempted to present the themes of the auditors’ psychological well-being model in the form of a multi-dimensional model via analyzing the qualitative part and relying on thematic analysis process. The underlying philosophy of our study combines elements of volunteerism in the universe philosophy with structuralism in the philosophy of science. ResultsGiven the inductive and comparative nature of this study, the basic themes of auditors' psychological well-being are identified in the qualitative phase through thematic analysis. The reliability of these themes is then assessed using both Delphi Fuzzy and Delphi Classic analyses. The study proceeds to identify the most influential themes within the auditors' psychological well-being model through network analysis, specifically employing Fuzzy Analytic Network in the field of auditing. Therefore, thematic analysis was used in the first step to determine the themes related to the auditors’ psychological well-being. Thematic analysis serves as an administrative process that examines the foundations and concepts of the current issue through concurrent content analysis in related studies and interviews to define its dimensions. Typology of thematic analysis according to Attride-stirling (2001) is applied in the present study. The results indicated that strengthening the internal locus of control within the auditing profession (C13) is considered the most critical theme in enhancing psychological well-being in the auditing profession. This theme draws attention to bolstering the professional functions of independent auditors. This basic theme is considered among the organizing themes which stimulate the auditors’ perception and pervasive theme of individual mechanisms in reinforcing psychological well-being. DiscussionThe aim of this study is to conduct a network analysis within the auditors' psychological well-being model to define key factors in the auditing profession. Thematic analysis was chosen to present the model since there was no existing theoretical framework for developing the dimensions of psychological well-being in auditors' professional roles in this study. In total, a hexagonal model was constructed, consisting of three overarching themes, six organizing themes, and 38 basic themes. These themes were developed through 12 interviews with experts and three coding stages, guided by the theoretical saturation point, and were introduced as contributing factors to the development of auditors' psychological well-being. Confirming reliability of the organizing and basic themes was required as two important constructs in the presented model in the qualitative part with the purpose of determining the most effective theme in the auditors’ psychological well-being. Through two separate Delphi Fuzzy and Delphi Classic processes, it was initially found that the six organizing themes displayed high generalizability within recognized categories as pervasive themes. Secondly, out of the 38 primary themes, 21 basic themes were eliminated during two rounds of Delphi Classic analysis based on two criteria: mean and agreement coefficient. As a result, 17 basic themes were confirmed and incorporated into the Fuzzy Analytic Network process. ConclusionTwo key results emerged from the prioritization of organizing and basic themes in the analytical process. Prioritizing organizing themes revealed that the most impactful theme on psychological well-being in the field of professional auditing is 'stimulating the auditors’ perception' (C1), with a relative weight of 0.286, placing it at the top of the matrix. Conversely, 'reinforcing internal locus of control' (C13) was identified as the most crucial basic theme for enhancing psychological well-being in the auditing profession, highlighting its potential significance in strengthening the professional functions of independent auditors.