Assurance Expectations Extending from the Check Lists to the Strategy and Internal Control Performance

Business activities that are getting more and more complicated with the influence of many factors increase the importance and quality of internal control systems. Meanwhile, internal control systems need to be developed according to current assurance expectations. Traditional checklists have significantly met the assurance that managers need in simple structures. However, historical developments have increased the assurance expectations of external stakeholders to a strategic level. This study aims to examine the multi-dimensional evolution of internal control in line with changing assurance expectations and to establish a framework for measuring internal control performance. A case study examining the performance of internal control in Turkey from the paradigm of new institutional theory was conducted. In the study, interviews were granted to ten people who are competent in internal control in sectors where coercive, mimetic, and normative mechanisms are dominant. The data were analyzed within the scope of content analysis and with QDA Miner 5 Qualitative Data Analysis Software. In conclusion, it is seen that a strong institutional area has been formed in the context of internal control in Turkey. Besides, it is found that there is uniformity in macro-level carried by coercive mechanisms, but there are areas open to improvement in internal control practices and performance measurement.