International Journal of Accounting, Management, Economics and Social Sciences (IJAMESC)
Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026): June

PROFESSIONAL SKEPTICISM, INTEGRITY, AND AUDIT QUALITY: TIME BUDGET PRESSURE AS A MODERATOR

Fariz Zulham (Unknown)
Amrie Firmansyah (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study examines the influence of professional skepticism and integrity on audit quality, with time budget pressure as a moderating variable, among external auditors working at Public Accounting Firms in Greater Jakarta. The research employs a quantitative approach with primary data collected through questionnaires distributed to 59 auditors. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 software. The results indicate that professional skepticism does not significantly affect audit quality, suggesting that skeptical attitudes in this study reflect a more defensive orientation toward audit risk rather than contributing to quality improvement. Integrity has a significant positive effect on audit quality, confirming that auditors who uphold high integrity standards produce more reliable and credible audits. Time budget pressure does not moderate the relationship between professional skepticism and audit quality, nor between integrity and audit quality, indicating that internal auditor characteristics operate independently of time constraints. These findings highlight that integrity is a critical determinant of audit quality, while professional skepticism and time budget pressure play limited roles in the Indonesian audit context. The study contributes to the auditing literature by extending attribution theory to audit quality formation and provides practical implications for Public Accounting Firms in developing auditor integrity through ethics training and professional development programs.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

go

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Economics, Econometrics & Finance Education Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

International Journal of Accounting, Management, Economics and Social Sciences (IJAMESC) is an open access, peer-reviewed, and refereed journal published by PT. ZILLZELL MEDIA PRIMA. The main objective of IJAMESC is to provide an intellectual platform for the international scholars. IJAMESC aims to ...