Manuscript type: Research paper. Research aim: This paper aims to investigate the external factors that influence tax auditors' conciliatory style when dealing with tax disputes. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: A self-administered questionnaire which serves as the research instrument was used in this study. Respondents were tax auditors attached to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM) in Peninsular Malaysia. Research findings: Findings show that the external factors of tax complexity and managerial control significantly influence tax auditors' conciliatory style. However, taxpayers' cooperation carries no impact. Theoretical contribution/ Originality: This study provides empirical evidence which demonstrates the influence of external factors (such as taxpayers' cooperation, tax complexity and managerial control) on tax auditors' conciliatory style. Practitioner/ Policy implications: The findings are relevant to the IRBM who can use the outcome to improve its dispute resolution process as well as to gain a better understanding of tax auditors' behaviour. Research limitation/ Implication: The findings of this study can only be generalised to the population in Peninsular Malaysia. Thus, future studies may be conducted in East Malaysia and other Asian countries so as to examine if tax auditors' behaviour differs across cultures.

The purpose of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of the questionnaire which serve as a research instrument. The validity of the instrument can be viewed by using the content validity that is conducted during pre-test which involves evaluation by experts in the subject area of study While, the reliability of the instrument can be seen through pilot study. Pilot study involved with a small scale of respondents where it is used to determine whether the instrument are reliable, whether the respondent has a clear understanding on questions in the questionnaire and it is conducted prior to real study. A total of 50 sets of questionnaire had been distributed to investigators from Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM) in Jalan Duta branch. Out of these, only 21 completed questionnaires were returned. The data then was keyed in and analysed using SPSS software version 21. The results from reliability analysis revealed that Cronbach's alpha value for all variables (attitudes towards achieving goals, experience, ethical ideologies, managerial control and tax auditors' conciliatory style) are more than cut-off point that is 0.70. This can be concluded that the instrument is reliable and none of the items have to be deleted.

The way a tax auditor deals with taxpayers can give an impact on audit settlement outcomes. Qualitative studies show that tax auditors often use the conciliatory style as a strategy to resolve disputes because it expedites audit settlement and promotes long-term compliance. However, there is no study that has empirically examined the factors that influence tax auditors' conciliatory style. This study aims to examine the influence of personal characteristics i.e. attitude towards achieving goals, experience and ethical ideology on tax auditors' conciliatory style in resolving audit settlement disputes. Six hundred and thirty-six questionnaires (63.6% of response rate) were usable for data analysis. The results revealed that all the personal characteristics surveyed significantly influenced tax auditors' conciliatory style. This study can extend the literature on tax auditors' behaviour and facilitate the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia in better understanding their auditors.