Research into the postaudit of capital projects in UK SME organizations

Abstract The main research objectives are to ascertain the state of the art of the postauditing practices of UK small/medium enterprises (SMEs) to fill a gap in the literature and to offer a sound empirical base for future discussion. We show that the reality of those that undertake postaudits differs from the perceptions of those that do not and may therefore present a learning opportunity. The level of importance of the three key objectives (control, learning, and evaluation) of a postaudit appears to be influenced by organizational structure. The reasons for not undertaking a postaudit and difficulties encountered are clearly evidenced.