Varied Knowledge Journal
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026): Varied Knowledge Journal, August 2026 - In Press

The Moderating Role of Top Management Commitment in the Relationship Between Auditor Competence, Professional Skepticism, Risk-Based Internal Audit, and Audit Quality

Siti Maleha (Program Studi Akuntansi, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi (STIESIA) Surabaya, Indonesia)
Lilis Ardini (Program Studi Akuntansi, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi (STIESIA) Surabaya, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study investigates and analyzes the effect of internal auditor competence, professional skepticism, and the implementation of Risk-Based Internal Audit   (RBIA) on the internal audit quality. Also it examines and analyzes the role of the top management commitment as a moderating variable. Furthermore, the study applies quantitatively, with explanatory approach. The data were collected using a purposive sampling. In line with that, 117 cross sector internal auditors in Indonesia were chosen as samples, based on inclusion criteria given. Moreover, a closed-questionnaire and a Likert scale were used to support the data collection. Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) with SPSS was used to examine direct effect among variables. It was also implemented to investigate effect significance of moderation interaction statistically. As a result, the study shows that internal auditor competence, professional skepticism, and the implementation of RBIA have a positive and significant effect on the internal audit quality. Additionally, the moderation testing indicates that the top management commitment strengthens the effect of internal auditor competence as well as the implementation of RBIA. Unfortunately, it does not moderate professional skepticism. Therefore, the increase of internal audit quality forces the optimization of auditor capability and the  empowerment  of management support  structurally, including  sustainable consistency of audit recommendation within the organization.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

vkj

Publisher

Subject

Religion Arts Humanities Computer Science & IT Economics, Econometrics & Finance Education Engineering Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Medicine & Pharmacology Social Sciences

Description

Varied Knowledge Journal (VKJ) is a multidisciplinary journal publish 4 issues a year with online version of E-ISSN 3026-5371 and can be accessed openly. This journal is a peer reviewed, open access, scientific and scholarly journal which publishes research papers, review papers, case reports, case ...