An Internal Audit Expectation Gap in Poland

Theoretical background: One of the factors influencing internal audit effectiveness is the expectation gap understood as the extent to which the function does not meet the expectations of auditees, managers, executives, and audit committee members.Purpose of the article: The purpose of the article was to determine why they perceive internal audit in their organisations as not fulfiling their expectations and how their awareness of this affects internal audit effectiveness.Research methods: This article is a pilot study that uses the results of a critical review of the literature and the findings of the survey of internal audit stakeholders in Poland.Main findings: The article shows that internal audit stakeholders have limited knowledge of the role and responsibilities of internal auditors and the purpose of their work. According to their views, the raison d’être of the internal audit function is fraud detection. This perception of internal audit that emerged in its early years still determines the majority of opinions about its effectiveness.