Audit of less-complex entities: challenges and opportunities in increasing good corporate governance in Indonesian SMEs

This study aims to explore the readiness of public accountants' resources, especially in terms of micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) audits, on the adoption of international standard on auditing for less complex entities (ISA for LCEs). This research was conducted at public accounting firms (PAFs) throughout Indonesia, which consisted of 85 auditors registered as members of the public accounting firms. These findings provide a new research direction regarding the opportunities and challenges in preparing for the adoption of ISAs for LCE through empirical evidence and documentary studies. The regression results show that the availability of intellectual capital resources, financial resources, and organisational resources simultaneously affect the governance of SMEs in Indonesia and the implementation of the ISA for LCEs. This is important because the complexity of the industry can affect the process of adopting new audit standards, both theoretically and empirically. This paper is, to the best of the authors' knowledge, the first to examine the readiness of auditors in developing countries in implementing new auditing standards.