...Abstract This paper discusses the role and function of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and Auditing Standard 5 (AS 5). Due to the increased demand for oversight in auditing standards, this paper also examines the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and the reasons for the creation of the PCAOB, as well as the implementation of the rules and regulations. Additionally, this paper examines the impact of AS 5. Keywords: audit, AS 5, financial statements, PCAOB, SEC, SOX Table of Contents Introduction ………….……………………………………………………..……………………4 Scandals ...…..……………………………………...……………………………………………4 PCAOB Mission and Vision …………………… ……………………………………………….5 Structure ………………………….……………..……………………………………………5, 6 PCAOB's Objective….…….……..…………………………………………………………….6, 7 Duties ………………………….…..………………………………………………….……… 7, 8 Standard Setting………..………………………………………………………………..……..…8 Inspection ………………………………………………………………………………………..8 Enforcement…………..………………………………………………………………..……...8, 9 AS5 .…………………….…………………………………………………...…………….…9, 10 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….....……. 10 References …………………………………………………………………………………….. 11 History of PCAOB …………………………………………………………………… 13-19 Introduction Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) was passed in 2002 and as a result brought numerous changes to auditing. The Sarbanes-Oxley was passed in direct response to business failures, allegations of corporate improprieties and financial statement restatements. Prior to the SOX passage, auditors used a...
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...1. Who is the author of this paper and what is his position (give description of responsibilities) with the PCAOB at the time of this article? The author of the article titled, “The PCAOB and the Social Responsibility of the Independent Auditor” is Douglas R. Carmichael. At the time of this article Douglas Carmichael was the Chief Auditor of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. His responsibility as Chief Auditor was to advise the Board and the head of the PCAOB’s professional standard-setting division on matters of policy and technical issues relating to the auditing of public companies as well as what the auditor’s role was. His role of advisor helped keep the PCAOB from being influenced by the accounting industry and their standards. 2. What does Carmichael see as the underlying mission of the PCAOB? Carmichael sees the underlying mission of the PCOAB is to restore the confidence of investors in the independent auditors of public companies by registering public accounting firms that prepare the financial statements of public companies, inspecting the audit practices of the registered accounting firms, enforcement of compliance with professional standards and securities laws by the registered accounting firms, investigation, discipline and imposition of sanctions on firms and associated persons, as well as establishing or adopting auditing, quality control, ethics, independence, and other standards related to the preparation of financial statements of public...
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...http://thecaq.aicpa.org/Resources/Sarbanes+Oxley/Sarbanes-Oxley+–+The+Basics.htm. II. Recommended Technical Knowledge The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Section 103 Section 203 III. Classroom Hints This case provides students with an opportunity to understand what is meant by quality control in the financial statement audit process and to understand why a quality control mechanism is an important internal control procedure for an audit firm. Further, the case provides a terrific example for students to see what can actually happen when quality control breaks down at an audit firm. In the case of Arthur Andersen, the breakdown in quality control ultimately led to the demise of the firm. To meet these objectives, this case illuminates the role of the professional standards group (PSG) at Arthur Andersen and the dialogue that occurred for several technical issues between Andersen’s PSG and the lead partner on the Enron engagement, David Duncan. We believe it is essential for students to carefully read over the recommended technical knowledge, along with this case reading. The educational psychology literature suggests that the acquisition of technical/factual type knowledge increases dramatically when such knowledge can be applied in a realistic context. Thus, we urge instructors to use this case as a mechanism to impart the relevant post-Sarbanes technical audit knowledge, outlined above. This case assignment will work best if...
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...Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) resulted from the consequences of the financial disasters perpetuated by financial institutions such as Enron, Worldcom, and even the Savings and Loan debacles that served to fool and cripple the financial markets. As a result of their deceptive accounting practices, many investors lost millions of dollars. SOX was signed into law by President George Bush on the 30th day of July in the year 2002. The Act was lawmakers and legislators reaction to highly publicized financial reporting scandals like the ones involving Enron and WorldCom that had shaken investors' confidence in financial reporting and auditing and negatively influenced the quality of earnings from improper recognition of different items such as operational expenses on the income statement or liabilities on the balance sheet. The intended purpose of the SOX Act is to protect investors by improving the accuracy, and reliability of corporate financial reporting disclosures made pursuant to the securities laws, and for other purposes (James, 2006). The provisions of the SOX directly or indirectly affects several business professionals, including CPAs, managers and executives, financial statement analysts, and even lawyers. The provisions of the SOX are described in eleven titles, each one including numbers of subsections. SOX also offers harsh penalties for SOX violations, which constitute violations of the Securities Act of 1934 (James, 2006). The...
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...1. Justify how the reporting requirements of the PCAOB reduce the chance of financial fraud. Basically, the goal of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is to improve quality of audited financial statements, reduce the risk of auditing failures, and increase public trust in financial reporting processes and of the auditing profession. In order for this to happen PCAOB must refocus and remind auditors of the standards required of them regarding fraud and for them to be diligent about their responsibilities relating to fraud. The purpose of auditing a financial statement is to detect material misstatements and false or missing information caused by fraud. The PCAOB reporting requirements place a lot of emphasis on disclosure in financial reporting however the board provides guidance and information that are relevant which should be disclosed within the financial statements. PCAOB also dictates to management and to the auditor their roles and responsibilities in financial reporting. PCAOB requires these standards and duties to be followed reinforces the accounting professionals to be able to reduce fraud in financial reporting at the same time ensuring investors receive accurate financial information. According to Rischall, PCAOB has established auditing, quality control, ethics, and independence standards to be used by registered public accounting firms in the preparation of audited financial statements for publicly traded companies, as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley...
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...Auditing Standards Accounting 491 November 16, 2015 Dwayne Thompson Auditing Standards The art of auditing has evolved over several decades. The use of technology has changed the procedure significantly. Along with the evolution of standards and procedure are necessary to ensure economic growth and financial stability. Before 2002, it seems as though auditing took a reactive approach to questionable circumstances and dealings. Today the powers in control are producing a proactive approach. That is to say, standards and regulations are set in place to ensure users of financial data are getting timely and accurate reports. Elements of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards Information and history regarding Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) are set in place for auditing private companies. Like other auditing procedures, these same rules are used for publicly traded companies (Loughran, 2015). Before the process of audit begins, there are certain particulars that are examined to ensure creditability of the reports' outcome. Audits are relied upon heavily to encourage an upward moving economy. The elements involved are, general standards, standards of fieldwork and standards of reporting. General standards refer to the competency of the auditor, his or her independence and the due professional care that is rendered. Standards of fieldwork encompass how the auditor performs his or her work. This guidance entails the gathering and organization of data that will ensure...
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...Abstract This research paper explores the creation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and the role Enron played in its enactment. Specifically, this paper will explore and discuss the Enron crisis, emphasizing the legal and ethical accounting breaches committed by the company. The purpose of SOX and the methods used to address those breaches. A discussion of the major provisions of the act including: (1) Establishment of the Oversight Board commonly referred to as the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) (2) Restrictions on non-audit services (3) Rotation of audit partners (4) Auditor reports to audit committees (5) conflicts of interests (6) CEO and CFO certification of annual and quarterly reports and (7) Internal control report and auditor attestation. The necessary requirements concerning internal control for public companies. A discussion of the types of services considered unlawful if provided to a publicly held company by its auditor. A discussion of the broader impact of the act on auditors. Lastly, a discussion from the legal and ethical viewpoint of the level of success the act has had in preventing cases such as Enron. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Enron In any contemporary discussion of corporate governance and the erosion of trust in business, one name is unavoidable: Enron. Enron has become an icon for corporate fraud on a massive scale going to the top of the corporate hierarchy. In any attempt to restore trust, two points will have to be acknowledged...
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...With the complexity of accounting today there is a need for someone to oversee the auditors and the publicly help companies. The auditors must prove their independence when attesting to the financial statements of publicly held companies. The public companies must be honest and open when they file their financial statements. In recent years there have been auditors who were bias towards some companies and also companies have not been disclosing all the facts about their financial position. These problems are the reasons why there is a need for an overseeing, unbiased board of professionals. The board can help stop most of the problems with auditing and filing of financial statements. The board can do so by establishing and enforcing rules and standards for public companies and auditors. The two recent boards that have attempted to solve the problems are the Independence Standards Board and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The Independence Standards Board was established in May of 1997 as a result of discussions between the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The biggest issue was the integrity of the financial statements of public companies. In order to have confidence and credibility of the financial statements the auditors must be independent of the public companies. “The operating policies of the Independence Standards Board are designed to permit timely, thorough, and open study of issue involving...
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...Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board or PCAOB requires auditors of U.S. public companies be subject to external and independent oversight. As well as a “provision requiring auditors to evaluate the effectiveness of companies’ audit committees” (Sharp Paine & Eric Bettcher, 2006). On October 2002 there were four appointed members and two of them were Goelzer and Charles D. Niemeier who were both accountants that had served at the SEC (Sharp Paine & Eric Bettcher, 2006). Other two were Bill Gradison who was a former congressman, mayor, and businessman; and Gillan who was general counsel at California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). All four of these new members have had extensive law experience. Identify Strengths and Weaknesses and Alternatives: The first thing that the board needed to do was set up offices and recruiting staff. Since there was no staff at first the board members took it among themselves to identify, interview, and hire new staff. A few of these new staff members included a director of registration and inspection as well as a director of human resources. In April of 2003 PCAOB received an official certification from SEC at which time there were about 30 employees with this organization. PCAOB was established by Congress in order to protect investors and the public interest by promoting accurate, informative, and independent audit reports. The PCAOB aims to improve audit quality, reduce the risks of auditing failures...
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...Kirsten Hill ACCT 5557 April 11, 2015 (original) May 5, 2015 (revised) Independence Certified Public Accountants (CPA) perform many important services for individuals and companies, public or private. One essential assurance engagement a CPA performs is an audit of financial statements. Audits of financial statements play a vital role in the business industry. An auditor can reasonably assure investors, lenders, management, and stakeholders that the financial statements are free from material misstatement and accurately reflect the accounting of the entity for that period of time. However, an auditor cannot provide an absolute assurance due to the inherent limitations of an audit. Generally, an audit includes the following steps: overall audit planning, assess control risk, perform tests of controls, perform substantive tests of account balances, and finally complete the audit (Kerr, Elder and Arens). In the overall audit planning stage, the CPA has to obtain an understanding of the potential client’s business and establish if the CPA Firm and its associates are independent. These two steps must be done before the CPA Firm can decide to accept the audit engagement. There are many important factors, steps, issues, knowledge, just to name a few that go into an audit but this paper will focus on the issue of independence. One of the principles listed in the AICPA Professional Code of Conduct states that an auditor in public practice must be independent in appearance...
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...were designed to restore that confidence in the investor. The 1933 act sets accounting and disclosure requirements for initial stocks and bonds, while the 1934 act applies to secondary transactions and mandates reporting requirements for companies whose securities are publicly traded. The 1934 act also created the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The 1934 act gave the SEC both the power and responsibility for setting accounting and reporting standards for companies whose securities are publicly traded by Congress. (highered.mcgraw-hill.com) However, the SEC, has delegated the primary responsibility for setting accounting standards to the private sector. The standards for publicly traded companies are now being written by the PCAOB. The SEC delegated the responsibility, but...
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...Case Study Frank Bruno Auditing 1:00-2:15 Enron Case 2 Due: 04/28/05 1. Please explain why an accounting and auditing research function (like Andersen's PSG) is important in the operations of a CPA firm. What role does the function play in completing the audit? Due to new regulations, NYSE listed companies are required to have internal audit departments. The purpose and importance of an internal audit team are very obvious. The internal audit team is responsible for determining the scope of the work and having the personnel and budget to complete it. This internal entity is very important ever since such accounting scandals as Enron and WorldCom. They are required to provide management and the audit committee with ongoing assessments of the company's risk management processes and system of internal control. In terms of these groups in association with CPA firms it is also important to have. As seen in the Enron case, the PSG group voiced its nonapproval to the companies formation of a new entity. These groups usually have the companies general goal in mind during the decision making process. In the case of Enron, it did not see any benefit in the creation of a new group. A member of the group cited several reasons including conflict of interests by having the CFO manage the venture equity group. Internal auditing functions play large role in the scope and budget of an audit. 2. Please consult Section 103 of SOX. Do you believe that the Engagement Leader of an Audit (like...
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...company restated earnings for the previous five years and erased $600 million in profits. It turned out that the October report began to reveal Enron’s gross abuse of special-purpose entities (SPEs) and the mark-to-market accounting method. The company used SPEs to keep enormous amounts of losses off its books while inflating earnings from supply contracts by booking all profits from a contract in the quarter the deal was made. What also became clear was that Enron did not accomplish their gross manipulations without the help from their accountant’s at Arthur Andersen. Enron shareholders and executives were not the only groups negatively affected by Enron’s aggressive accounting practices. Arthur Andersen was also unraveled because of the role it played in Enron’s materially misstated financial statements. In a letter to Kenneth Lay (, Enron’s CEO before and after Jeffrey Skilling’s short term) shortly after Jeffrey Skilling resigned, Sherron Watkins, a VP at Enron, expressed her concern with the state of the company and expressed stated concerns about Enron’s accounting practices even though they were “blessed” by Arthur Andersen. Because of these “blessings” Arthur Andersen (AA) personnel was deemed to be...
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...Comprehensive Case A.1 – Enron I. Technical Audit Guidance To maximize the knowledge acquired by students, this book has been designed to be read in conjunction with the post-Sarbanes-Oxley technical audit guidance. All of the post-Sarbanes-Oxley technical guidance is available for free at http://www.pcaobus.org/Standards/index.aspx. In addition, a summary of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is also available for free at http://thecaq.aicpa.org/Resources/Sarbanes+Oxley/Sarbanes-Oxley+–+The+Basics.htm. II. Recommended Technical Knowledge The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Section 103 Section 201 Section 203 Section 204 Section 206 Section 301 Section 302 Section 305 Section 401 Title IX PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 5 Paragraph #2 Paragraph #9 Paragraph #11 Paragraph #21-22 Paragraph #25 Paragraph #28-30 Paragraph #69 Paragraph #A5 (in Appendix A) Paragraph #A8 (in Appendix A) III. Case Questions – Answer Key 1. Refer to the second general standard of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS). What is auditor independence and what is its significance to the audit profession? What is the difference between independence in appearance and independence in fact? The second general standard of generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) is, “In all matters relating to the assignment, an independence in mental attitude is to be maintained by the auditor or auditors.” If the auditor is not independent, the financial statements are considered unaudited...
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...CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 1 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE We can attribute societies demand for improved corporate governance on the number of recent financial scandals that have occurred in both the United States and abroad in the past decade. For many organizations, the way to rebuild shareholder confidence was to implement a fundamental framework of procedures that would ensure scandals like Enron, WorldCom and Tyco would not occur in the future. It is precisely these scandals that made corporate governance the focus of organizations worldwide. Corporate governance is defined as the principles and processes that provide the strategies on how an organization directs and obtains its goals, the oversight process for implementing effective accountability from its directors and managers (Rittenberg, Johnstone, & Gramling, 2012). What are two of the principles that surround corporate governance? How do they tie into the recent legislation that was put into place to resolve ethical challenges and changes within the last decade? Two principles that surround corporate governance include “successful management and ethical corporate culture and independence and objectivity” (Creel, 2013). It is management’s responsibility to create a culture of “integrity and ethical behavior” (Rittenberg, Johnstone, & Gramling, 2012). In addition, it is imperative for board members to maintain their objectivity and their judgment must remain independent and in the best interest of its stakeholders. Corporate...
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