WJEMSD · Vol 21, No 4 · 2025Research

The impact of cultural dimensions of Hofstede’s model on the credibility and objectivity of the opinions of supreme audit institutions: the case of Libyan accounting bureau

Faculty of Economics
Al-Jafara University
Accounting Department
Libyan Open University
Received: 30 December 2024Revised: 22 December 2025Accepted: 24 December 2025Published: 31 December 2025
Purpose

The paper aims to examine the impact of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, namely: power distance, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, long-term versus short-term orientation, and indulgence versus restraint, on the credibility and objectivity of the opinions of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) at the Libyan Accounting Bureau (LAB).

Design/Methodology/Approach

Deductive approach was used to investigate how cultural dimensions (independent variables) influence the credibility and objectivity of the opinions issued by SAIs (dependent variable). A questionnaire, which included scenarios based on Hofstede's six dimensions, was distributed to a sample of 202 auditors from the LAB across all of its branches in Libya.

Findings

The findings indicated a statistically relationship between the cultural dimensions and the credibility and objectivity of the SAI Members' opinions. This demonstrates the influence of national culture on government auditing outcomes. Contribution: This study makes three significant contributions to the existing body of international auditing research. Firstly, it provides additional evidence from a different context that either supports or challenges Hofstede's theory. Secondly, it addresses the gap in the literature on Governmental Auditing and Cultural Dimensions, an area that has received very little attention. Lastly, it focuses on the sixth dimension, Indulgence versus Restraint, which has been previously overlooked.

Keywords
Cultural DimensionsCredibility and Objectivity of OpinionLibyan Accounting BureauHofstede's ModelSupreme Audit Institutions
Citation

Al-Majdoub, I. A. and Ahmad, N. S. M. (2025): The impact of cultural dimensions of Hofstede's model on the credibility and objectivity of the opinions of supreme audit institutions: the case of Libyan accounting bureau. World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development (WJEMSD), Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 355-379.