Explaining the Non-Adoption of Post-Completion Auditing

This field study examines reasons for the non-adoption of post-completion auditing (PCA) of capital investments. The empirical evidence is based primarily on interviews conducted in the 30 largest Finnish manufacturing companies. PCA can be briefly described as a formal process that checks the outcomes of individual investment projects after the initial investment is completed and the project is operational. Management Control Systems and PCA literatures suggest that different control systems can act as alternatives for each other. This paper specifically analyzes and maps alternate capital investment controls (ACICs) that enable the achievement of benefits suggested for PCA and draws upon the equifinality concept to discuss the role of ACICs in discouraging PCA adoption. The findings suggest that ACICs do exist, and, therefore, PCA non-adopters do not necessarily jeopardize successful capital investments. The ACICs identified in this study included formal and informal systems and procedures for performance measurement (e.g. following up production key figures, sales and profit centers) and organizational learning (e.g. utilizing central expertise and experienced internal resources). Furthermore, the empirical evidence from this study suggests that smaller companies with fewer major strategic, complex and repetitive capital investments can perceive ACICs to be sufficient, and discourage the adoption of formal PCA.