Abstract
The project examines the evaluation of total quality management and service delivery of small audit firms in Nigeria. It emphasizes on the development of team success through the implementation of total quality management practice resulting to credible output to satisfy the various users of the financial statement upon which, the auditor’s opinion is relied on. The primary source of data collection was employed in this study in which questionnaire and personal interview were used.
The findings revealed that total quality management practice is a continuous work process starting with customer/client requirement and expectations and ending with their satisfaction. It is concluded that continuous improvement process toward predictable degree of uniformity and dependability which must involve all firms personnel. The study recommends that teamwork establishment and improvement on process planning that focuses attention on customer’s relationship.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Total Quality Management (TQM) practices and small audit firm’s services delivery have had accounting antecedence. However, the concept can be traced back to the early 1920 production control ideal notably, the concept developed in the 1940s and 1950s by some Americans gurus in the likes of Deming, Juran and Feigenbaum.
The concept, has many definitions worked upon by quality management discipline such as Deming, Juran, Crosby, Ishikawa and Feigenbaum who defined the concept in various ways but the essence and spirit remained unchanged. Furthermore, the definition of quality have changed with the passage of time, with changing customer/client’s need nad requirements but the essence has more or less been able to develop an approach to problem solving and conformation to standard for customer’s satisfaction (Vindu & Himanshu, 2007).An audit consists of a methodical review and objective examination of an enterprise financial statement which includes the process of verification of specific information as determined by the auditor of or established practice.
The purpose of an audit is to express an opinion as to whether or not the statement of account presents a true and fair view whatever it purports to report and to report accordingly (Conviser & Duffy, 2006).Distinctively, total quality management (TQM) practices and small audit firms services delivery are crucial in the economy in the sense that, shareholder requires the services of audit firms by appointing auditors to lend credibility to the financial statement.
A lot of people are interested in the financial statements of companies for one reason or the other.The users are refer to as stakeholders and they include shareholders (actual and potential), lenders (e.g. banks), employees, suppliers, customers government etc (Odion & Lawani, 2009). These users and indeed the general public sees the financial disclosures as the end result. Nevertheless, this has agitated both the managers and employees with increased responsibilities to ensure increased quality management and services delivery in small audit firms.The focus of this study is to determine total quality management practice and services delivery in small audit firms in Nigeria.