There is a notable lack of research in developed as well a developing nations regarding the
direct association of internal audits functions and firm performance. More specifically, among these
few studies is the one conducted by Al-Matari et al. (2012) who investigated the association between
the board characteristics and performance of Kuwaiti firms. They called for future researchers to
examine the relation between internal audit and firm performance, both directly and indirectly, or in
light of a moderating effect.
This study has many recommendations. First, the future researchers to empirically examine
the effect of factors of internal audit on firm performance. Second, the future authors should employ
this study in the developing countries considering the necessity of this type of research in this
environment. More importantly, future studies could compare between two or more countries in the
same economy and culture; for example in the Middle East or exactly in the gulf countries. Third, with
respect to the importance of audit quality, the present research considers audit quality as a moderator
between the association of audit characteristics and firm performance. This study reviews internal
audit studies and found that only a few studies investigated the relationship between internal audit,
firm performance and earning management. Last but not least, in consistent to the value of the
integration between accounting-based measure and market-based measure together to enhance
performance of firms to provide a clearer picture to investors, future studies should look into the how
this integration should take place.