Auditing and Decision-Making in the Context of Industry 5.0: An Exploratory Study in Costa Rica

Abstract

This research looks at how auditing affects strategic decision-making during Costa Rica's shift to Industry 5.0. It uses a mixed methods approach that includes a systematic literature analysis and survey data from 50 certified audit professionals. The study finds major problems with the use of audits: 90% of companies don't have formal audit procedures, and only 10% use audit data strategically. Demographic analysis shows that older (50% aged 45+) and more experienced (65% with 10+ years) decision-makers may be less likely to adopt new technology. Comparative regional study shows that Costa Rica has the same problems as other Latin American countries, such as regulatory fragmentation and lack of resources. However, it also shows that organized frameworks like COBIT may help improve compliance rates. The report suggests three evidence-based actions: (1) harmonizing regulations to cut compliance costs by 37%, (2) targeted upskilling initiatives to close gaps in digital literacy, and (3) blockchain and AI solutions focusing on small and medium-sized businesses to improve transparency and efficiency. These results help us understand how to modernize audits in developing countries by measuring the “experience-technology paradox” and setting standards for how ready each industry is for Industry 5.0. The study gives politicians and business executives useful information that shows how important it is to find a balance between technological progress and workforce development. Some useful suggestions are to start pilot projects for continuous auditing technologies and policy efforts to make compliance frameworks more uniform.

Received: 28 April 2025 | Revised: 18 August 2025 | Accepted: 11 September 2025

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares that he has no conflict of interest in this work.

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Author Contribution Statement

Gabriel Silva Atencio: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration.