The effect of managerial ethical practices in independent audit firms on auditor's level of independence

The aim of this thesis is to determine the experiences and thoughts of independent audit managers operating within independent audit firms regarding managerial ethics and to reveal to what extent the managerial ethical practices within the firm are related to the level of independence of independent auditors. In this context, perceptions, experiences and practices regarding managerial ethics in independent audit activities were examined with the data obtained from independent audit managers. In this thesis study, qualitative research method was applied and phenomenology design was utilized. The data were collected from 8 participants who are independent audit managers with a semi-structured interview form and evaluated by content analysis. As a result of the analysis, three themes were obtained. As a result of this thesis, it is concluded that threats to independence such as internal irregularities, intimacy and intimidation threats pose a threat to the efficiency of managerial ethical practices in independent audit activities, and that regulators, manager's ethical attitudes, internal disclosures and training are the most important factors that strengthen managerial ethics in the independent audit sector, It is concluded that the most important contribution of managerial ethical principles and practices to the independent audit activity is to ensure independence, auditor objectivity, proper conduct of the audit and compliance with the principle of confidentiality, and therefore, there is a positive relationship between managerial ethical practices and auditor independence.