Southern African Accounting Association
Webinar Invitation
External Assurance and Artificial Intelligence
External Assurance and Artificial Intelligence
Date: February 24, 2026
Time: 2 to 3 pm
Webinar Link
24 February 2026
14:00 to 15:00
14:00 to 15:00
Facilitator: International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER)
About the webinar: This webinar presents key findings from a recent study examining the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the external audit profession. Drawing on a 2025 expert roundtable and in-depth interviews with Big Four practitioners and leading academics, the seminar explores how AI is reshaping audit practice, professional roles, and education. The discussion is structured around three overarching themes. First, it considers reporting, technology, and commercial dynamics, including AI-enabled audit tools, changes in financial reporting, and implications for audit fees. Second, it examines human AI interaction, focusing on how auditors currently use AI, the risks of overreliance, required levels of AI understanding, and evolving job characteristics. Third, it addresses education and training, highlighting implications for auditor competencies, firm-level training, university curricula, and the profession's attractiveness. Overall, the seminar provides timely, post-ChatGPT evidence on AI's impact and offers insights relevant to practitioners, educators, standard-setters, and regulators.
Host: Southern African Accounting Association (SAAA)
Contacts: Joseph Akande and Tarish Jagwanth
(Posted here 2026-01-28)
Webinar Invitation
Getting Started with Research: From Idea to Proposal
Getting Started with Research: From Idea to Proposal
Time: 2 to 3 pm
Webinar Link
25 November 2025
14:00 to 15:00
14:00 to 15:00
Facilitator: Prof Janine Krüger
About the facilitator: Janine Krüger is a Full Professor in the Department of Business Management at Nelson Mandela University. With more than 30 years of lecturing experience, she has been actively involved with postgraduate supervision at both Master's (since 2010) and Doctoral (since 2013) levels. She holds a PhD in Business Management from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (now Nelson Mandela University). Her research interests focus on finance and investment from a management perspective. She has successfully supervised 15 postgraduate studies (Doctoral and Master's studies) and is currently supervising four PhD and one Master's candidate. In addition, she has presented numerous papers at national and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed national and international journals.
About the webinar: This webinar is designed to equip emerging researchers with the foundational skills necessary to develop a sound and compelling research proposal. The session will guide participants through the key stages of the research process, beginning with identifying possible research gaps and finding relevant journal articles to support and justify these gaps. It will further explore how to formulate a clear problem statement, alongside well-defined research objectives and questions that align with the intended study. Attendees will learn how to develop a hypothesised model or conceptual framework, emphasising the importance of conducting an in-depth literature review and identifying the underlying theories that provide a strong theoretical foundation for their research. The seminar will also address how to link research design and methodology to the proposed study, ensuring trustworthiness, validity, and reliability in research findings. Additional discussions will cover essential aspects such as ethical considerations, realistic timelines, and budgeting issues, helping participants understand the practical dimensions of executing a research project from conception to the proposal stage.
Host: Southern African Accounting Association (SAAA)
Contacts: Joseph Akande and Tarish Jagwanth
(Posted here 2025-11-06)