ABSTRACT
This chapter reveals how the widely assumed notion of objectivity affects the practice of auditing. It explores how recourse to being objective is no longer useful in a search for legitimacy (or validity) and corporate accountability. The chapter suggests that, instead of looking for a technical solution to this problem, a more appropriate, just and sustainable option would be attempts to develop 'critical subjectivity' in the auditing process. It starts by describing view of the roles that auditing plays in the process of late capitalism. The chapter suggests that primary roles relate to the signification of truthfulness and the demonstration of legitimacy. The chapter explores implications for the practice of auditing by discussing the similarities between the assumptions made by auditors with those made by positivist scientists, with particular reference to the desire for demonstrating objectivity in their respective practices.
