Abstract   

Background:   The world is constantly changing and so is the audit profession because of societal events such as covid-19 and advancements in technologies. New factors from these events have forced auditors to use technology in new ways to deliver value to clients. Even though the audit profession experience changes, the societal and the professional role of the audit profession remains the same. Therefore, one may ask how the tension between these forces is portrayed and from what perspectives the portrayal can be understood. Moreover, it is important to understand how the audit profession is portrayed through the lens of digital transformation, since the portrayal creates expectations and attitudes among the public, which is crucial for the reputation and existence of the profession.     

Purpose:   The purpose of this thesis is to study the intersection of the portrayal and the evolution of the portrayal of the audit profession. Specifically, this thesis will delve deeper into how the audit profession is portrayed through the lens of digital transformation within the audit industry. ASRs from the big 4 has been examined through a content analysis and complemented with deeper insights from interviews together with previous literature within the field to get a better understanding of the issue.    

Methodology:   This thesis lies in between the positivistic and the interpretivist paradigm, with an abductive approach and a mixed method. A content analysis was performed to study the portrayal of the audit profession through the lens of digital transformation. This was done on 20 ASRs of the big 4 in a Swedish context. A total of ten dimensions and seven keywords created the base for the content analysis. The findings from the content analysis were later complemented with deeper insights from two semi-structured interviews with big 4 auditors.   

Conclusion:  This thesis suggests that auditors are becoming hybrid auditors who specialises in both auditing and technology. The main driver of this evolution is commercialism rather than professionalism since this was found to be the most portrayed concept in the ASRs. This further suggests that auditors are prioritising clients over formal institutions as stakeholders in regards of digital transformation. Additionally, it is suggested that the evolution of the audit profession is held back by institutional inertia. Thus, auditors desire to evolve faster than formal institutions make it possible.