...Assurance often creates the question on practice of ethics in professional activities. The purpose of this report is to review Threats to Compliance with the Code of Conduct by Professional Accountants. With the expanding business in the modern world, issues arise on professionalism of Independent and Internal Auditors. Is it whether the Professional Accountants follows the ethical code provided by the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants in order to provide true and effective financial reports to the internal and external users? Professionals are expected to conduct themselves at a higher level than most others members in the organization. The International Accounting Bodies has emphasized the conceptual...
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...Module 1: Conceptual issues in assurance Overview This module builds on the fundamental concepts of auditing and other assurance services introduced in your prerequisite auditing course. It begins with an overview of the key drivers in the demand for audits, and then surveys current challenges and issues such as the audit and regulatory environment and the expectation gap. You will also study issues related to the economics of auditing and their impact on auditor motivation and standard-setting; in the process, you will consider different perspectives on protecting the public interest and the public accountant’s role in helping to advance the profession. The various topics integrate information sources related to research in the field and readings from the Ethics Readings Handbook (ERH) , drawing on concepts from your prerequisite accounting theory course. In AU2 , you will study a wide variety of technical, practical, and theoretical material. This module lays the foundation for exploring some of the more difficult areas of professional judgment you will encounter as you progress through the course. When faced with issues that challenge your professional judgment, you are encouraged to think back to the concepts studied in this module to help frame your decision making. Please be sure that you have purchased the CPA Canada Handbook, CGA Student Edition mentioned in the course introduction, as it is required for AU2 . You are responsible for reading the paragraphs from the CPA Canada...
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...Module 1: Conceptual issues in assurance Overview This module builds on the fundamental concepts of auditing and other assurance services introduced in your prerequisite auditing course. It begins with an overview of the key drivers in the demand for audits, and then surveys current challenges and issues such as the audit and regulatory environment and the expectation gap. You will also study issues related to the economics of auditing and their impact on auditor motivation and standard-setting; in the process, you will consider different perspectives on protecting the public interest and the public accountant’s role in helping to advance the profession. The various topics integrate information sources related to research in the field and readings from the Ethics Readings Handbook (ERH) , drawing on concepts from your prerequisite accounting theory course. In AU2 , you will study a wide variety of technical, practical, and theoretical material. This module lays the foundation for exploring some of the more difficult areas of professional judgment you will encounter as you progress through the course. When faced with issues that challenge your professional judgment, you are encouraged to think back to the concepts studied in this module to help frame your decision making. Please be sure that you have purchased the CPA Canada Handbook, CGA Student Edition mentioned in the course introduction, as it is required for AU2 . You are responsible for reading the paragraphs from the CPA Canada...
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...Department of Law, Economics, Accountancy and Risk AUDITOR INDEPENDENCE Introduction The concept of independence is strongly associated with professionally standard auditing (Olagunju, 2011, pp.85). In other to maintain the utmost standard for the accounting profession, independence is seen as being free from control or pressure and not allowing situations which would tend to weaken objectivity or create personal preconceived notions (Porter and Simon et al., 1996). Audit improves the trustworthiness of the financial statements giving it sensible assertion from an independent source that the financial statements is true and fair in agreement with accounting standards (Olagunju, 2011, pp.85-86). The next section of this essay provides detailed information on how value is added to the financial statement when the auditors’ audit with independence whilst appraising how the accounting profession has or is reacting to auditor independence. While the last section will evaluate the risks or threats to independence and explain ways of mitigating identified risks. Value of Independent Auditing on Financial Statements The significance of audit services will be impaired when independence is absent (Sweeney, 1992); therefore, an uncompromised independence gives a better quality audit to the financial statements (Baber et al., 1995). In addition, if an auditor is independent, the motivation to do a better audit is not undermined as the auditor will report misstatements (Pike, 2003)...
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...Corporation. Instead of becoming the nation’s greatest company, Enron instead laid claim to being the largest corporate bankruptcy in the history. The greediness and egotism wiped out the honesty and integrity that should instill on the persons who were involved in this case. Arthur Edward Andersen built his firm, Arthur Andersen & Company, into one of the largest and most respected accounting firms in the world through his reputation for honesty and integrity. His motto was “Think straight, talk straight” and he insisted that his clients adopt that same attitude when preparing and issuing their periodic financial statements. Arthur Andersen’s auditing philosophy was not rule-based; instead he invoked a substance-over-form approach to auditing and accounting issues. He avidly believed that the primary role of the auditor was to ensure that clients reported fully and honestly to the public, regardless of the consequences for those clients. Ironically, Arthur Andersen & Co.’s dramatic fall from eminence resulted from its association with a client known for aggressive and innovative uses of “accounting gimmicks” to window dress its financial statements. Enron Corporation was the second largest client of the firm and was involved in large, complex transactions with hundreds of special purpose entities (SPEs) that it used to obscure its true financial condition and operating results. Among other uses, these SPEs allowed Enron to download underperforming assets from its balance...
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...Chapter Four Professional Accounting in the Public Interest, Post-Enron Purpose of the Chapter When the Enron, Arthur Andersen, and WorldCom debacles triggered the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), a new era of stakeholder expectations was crystallized for the business world and particularly for the professional accountants that serve in it. The drift away from the professional accountant’s role as a fiduciary to that of a businessperson was called into question and reversed. The principles that the new expectations spawned and renewed resulted in changes in how the professional accountants are to behave, what services are to be offered, and what performance standards are to be met. These standards have been embedded in a new governance structure and in guidance mechanisms, which have domestic and international components. The influence of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) will be as important as that of SOX in the long run. This chapter examines each of these developments and provides insights into important areas of current and future practice. Building upon the understanding of the new stakeholder accountability framework facing clients and employers developed in earlier chapters, this chapter explores public expectations for the role of the professional accountant and the principles that should be observed in discharging that role. This leads to consideration of the implications for services to be...
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...in private practice. True False 2. The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct derives its authority from the Bylaws of the AICPA. True False 3. An immaterial loan from the CPA to an officer of a client impairs the independence of the CPA. True False 4. Financial interests of a CPA's nondependent children are attributed directly to the CPA. True False 5. Statements on Accounting and Review Services are enforceable under the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. True False 6. CPAs may not advertise as to any special expertise other than in accounting, auditing, and tax. True False 7. A CPA may receive a commission for recommending a particular computer system to an audit client. True False 8. The communications between CPAs and their clients are privileged under federal law. True False 9. CPAs can advertise the fees only for their nonattest services. True False 10. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has been the primary source for ethical rules for internal auditors. True False Multiple Choice Questions 11. ABC Company is audited by the Phoenix office of Willingham CPAs. Which of the following individuals would be least likely to be considered a "covered member" by the independence standard? A. Staff assistant on the audit. B. An audit partner in the Eloi office. C. A tax partner in Phoenix who performs no attest services for...
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...in private practice. True False 2. The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct derives its authority from the Bylaws of the AICPA. True False 3. An immaterial loan from the CPA to an officer of a client impairs the independence of the CPA. True False 4. Financial interests of a CPA's nondependent children are attributed directly to the CPA. True False 5. Statements on Accounting and Review Services are enforceable under the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. True False 6. CPAs may not advertise as to any special expertise other than in accounting, auditing, and tax. True False 7. A CPA may receive a commission for recommending a particular computer system to an audit client. True False 8. The communications between CPAs and their clients are privileged under federal law. True False 9. CPAs can advertise the fees only for their nonattest services. True False 10. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has been the primary source for ethical rules for internal auditors. True False Multiple Choice Questions 11. ABC Company is audited by the Phoenix office of Willingham CPAs. Which of the following individuals would be least likely to be considered a "covered member" by the independence standard? A. Staff assistant on the audit. B. An audit partner in the Eloi office. C. A tax partner in Phoenix who performs no attest services for...
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...SAS 99 AND ITS CHALLENGES TO THE ACCOUNTING PROFESSION Submitted by: Ronneil I. Capones Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit, also known as Statement on Auditing Standard 99 was issued in November 2002. It is a revision to improve the deficiencies of SAS 82 with regards to audit process and quality (Marczewski and Akers, 2005, p. 38). The revision of SAS 82 was started prior to the huge accounting scandals that shook public confidence in the reliability of audits. Nevertheless, it gave the accounting profession more focus on tackling the issues of fraud detection on audits Three key fraud risk factors are classified and described in SAS 99; incentive/pressure to perpetrate fraud, opportunity to carry out the fraud, and attitude/ability to rationalize the fraudulent action. Incentives or pressure to perpetrate fraud may arise from the threat of losing profitability as a result of failures in the industry, declining product demand, frequent negative cash flows from operations, threat of losing job because of pressure from management to meet analysts’ expectations are a few examples (Casabona and Grego, 2003, p. 17). Opportunities to carry out fraud are characterized by the following conditions; abundance of transactions with related parties not within the normal course of business, unusual complex transactions coupled with subjective judgments, ineffective monitoring by management, board of directors, and audit committee (Casabona and Grego, 2003, p.17)...
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...SEMESTER 2 2011 CPA 118 ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE CPA - ETHNIC SEMESTER 2 2011 MODULE 1 ACCOUNTING AND SOCIETY 1.05 1.05 Part A: Ineraction with society Depictions of A/cting Depiction Defeating depictions defeat Fig 1.1 new bean counter How to become professional? 3 aspects 1.06 Recruiting the best Beard(1994),Smith and Briggs(1999) and Simnik and Felton(2006) Friedman& Lyne(2001);Albrecht and Sack(2000);Coate et al.(2003) Jeacle: colourful accountant linked to corporate collapses 1.07 Moral agency Biddle(2006) Value creation - key to maintain high standards Moral agent - refer to individual making moral judgement for others Moral agent theory based on concept " act appropriotely and professionally" 1.08 Technical functions and social impact Understanding A/cting A/cting defination - Macquarie Dictionary - Technical practice - bookkeeping Not Prefect def - AAA(American A/cting Association) -communication skill… 1.09 Social impact of A/cting + impact - based on historic A/cting info professional capabilities - technical knowledge,soft skill & experience 1.10 Social impact example - A/cting and the GFC "mark-to market" Lonergan (2009) - if A/cting causative factor in GFC 2008/2009 1.11 Q 1.1 Logergan 'standard setters'slow reaction only cause GFC ? NO How wisdom come out? - experience /knowledge Distinguishing feature - building relevant wisdom over time Parker et al. (1989) - induce other behaviour Miller(1994) - intrinsically and inredeemable social impact IMPACT Macro level:...
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...WORKING PAPER Auditor Independence: An Examination Independence Risk Factors and Mitigating Factors on Auditor Judgment Barbara M. Vinciguerra Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies Auditor Independence: An Examination Independence Risk Factors and Mitigating Factors on Auditor Judgment Abstract Professional standards require auditors to be independent in the performance of attestation services. Critics of the accounting profession have expressed concern that pressure to maintain and develop business opportunities may erode an auditor’s objectivity and independence when making audit judgments. The profession contends that aspects of the auditing environment such as peer review, consultation review, and auditor professionalism serve to mitigate this risk. This study examines the impact of financial dependence, consultation review requirement, and moral development on a judgment based audit decision. Fifty-four experienced auditors were asked to assess the appropriateness of an audit client’s proposed change in accounting estimate for warranties. Two levels of financial dependence (Large client with potential for additional consulting revenues / Small client) and two levels of consultation review requirement (Required / Not required) were manipulated in the case materials. Moral development was measured using the Defining Issues Test (DIT) p-score. Results of the tests indicate that the presence of a consultation review...
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...SEMESTER 2 2011 CPA 118 ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE MODULE 1 ACCOUNTING AND SOCIETY 1.05 1.05 Part A: Ineraction with society Depictions of A/cting Depiction=描述 Defeating depictions defeat =挫败 Fig 1.1 new bean counter How to become professional? 3 aspects 1.06 Recruiting the best Beard(1994),Smith and Briggs(1999) and Simnik and Felton(2006) Friedman& Lyne(2001);Albrecht and Sack(2000);Coate et al.(2003) Jeacle: colourful accountant linked to corporate collapses 1.07 Moral agency Biddle(2006) Value creation - key to maintain high standards Moral agent - refer to individual making moral judgement for others Moral agent theory based on concept " act appropriotely and professionally" 1.08 Technical functions and social impact Understanding A/cting A/cting defination - Macquarie Dictionary - Technical practice - bookkeeping Not Prefect def - AAA(American A/cting Association) -communication skill… 1.09 Social impact of A/cting + impact - based on historic A/cting info professional capabilities - technical knowledge,soft skill & experience 1.10 Social impact example - A/cting and the GFC "mark-to market" Lonergan (2009) - if A/cting causative factor in GFC 2008/2009 1.11 Q 1.1 Logergan 'standard setters'slow reaction only cause GFC ? NO How wisdom come out? - experience /knowledge Distinguishing feature - building relevant wisdom over time Parker et al. (1989) - induce other behaviour Miller(1994) - intrinsically and inredeemable social impact IMPACT Macro level: all types of business...
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...Advanced External Auditing [AU2] Examination Blueprint 2013/2014 Purpose The Advanced External Auditing [AU2] examination has been constructed using an examination blueprint. The blueprint, also referred to as the test specifications, outlines the content areas covered on the examination and the weighting allotted to each content area. This document also lists the topics, the level of competence for each topic, and the related learning objectives and competencies. The learning objectives have been designed to ensure that the competencies are met. In addition, information is provided on the proportion of each question type presented in the examination (that is, multiple choice, quantitative problems, and so on). Use Candidates should use the examination blueprint to prepare for the course examination. The blueprint may not include all the topics listed in the course materials; however, candidates are still responsible for acquiring a broad-based knowledge of all topics not listed in the blueprint since these topics will be tested in assignment and review questions. The topics not listed in the blueprint will also provide candidates with a greater depth of understanding of auditing concepts. Examination Objectives The objective of the 4-hour comprehensive examination is to test CGA candidates on the prerequisite knowledge required for advancement into PA1 and PA2, so as to ensure that the candidates have the broad-based knowledge in assurance needed to function properly in the association’s...
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...Se OpenTuition.com Free resources for accountancy students ACCA Paper P1 pt em 20 be 15 r/D ex ec am em s be Governance, Risk & Ethics Please spread the word about OpenTuition, so that all ACCA students can benefit. ONLY with your support can the site exist and continue to provide free study materials! Visit opentuition.com for the latest updates watch the free lectures that accompany these notes; attempt free tests online; get free tutor support, and much more. OpenTuition Lecture Notes can be downloaded FREE from http://opentuition.com Copyright belongs to OpenTuition.com - please do not support piracy by downloading from other websites. r The best things in life are free IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY To benefit from these notes you must watch the free lectures on the OpenTuition website in which we explain and expand on the topics covered In addition question practice is vital!! You must obtain a current edition of a Revision / Exam Kit from one of the ACCA approved content providers they contain a great number of exam standard questions (and answers) to practice on. You should also use the free “Online Multiple Choice Tests” and the “Flashcards” which you can find on on the OpenTuition website. http://opentuition.com/acca/ December 2015 Examinations ACCA P1 1 Content 1. Corporate Governance 2. Approaches to Corporate Governance 11 3. The Board of Directors 19 4. Board committees ...
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...Advanced External Auditing [AU2] Examination Blueprint 2013/2014 Purpose The Advanced External Auditing [AU2] examination has been constructed using an examination blueprint. The blueprint, also referred to as the test specifications, outlines the content areas covered on the examination and the weighting allotted to each content area. This document also lists the topics, the level of competence for each topic, and the related learning objectives and competencies. The learning objectives have been designed to ensure that the competencies are met. In addition, information is provided on the proportion of each question type presented in the examination (that is, multiple choice, quantitative problems, and so on). Use Candidates should use the examination blueprint to prepare for the course examination. The blueprint may not include all the topics listed in the course materials; however, candidates are still responsible for acquiring a broad-based knowledge of all topics not listed in the blueprint since these topics will be tested in assignment and review questions. The topics not listed in the blueprint will also provide candidates with a greater depth of understanding of auditing concepts. Examination Objectives The objective of the 4-hour comprehensive examination is to test CGA candidates on the prerequisite knowledge required for advancement into PA1 and PA2, so as to ensure that the candidates have the broad-based knowledge in assurance needed to function properly in the association’s...
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