...Auditing Auditing has been around since the mid-1800's, which originated in British. Some of firms today have been around since the 1800's, such as Deloitte & Co. Price Waterhouse & Co. In this paper, I will state the functions of auditing, the nature of auditing, how the standards apply to financial, operational, and compliance audits, and some other items that pertain to auditing in general. Nature of Auditing The nature of auditing is that auditors are placed with a special purpose, which is to provide credibility to the information that is reported on the financial statements, along with any other audits that are done by them.... [tags: Accounting Audit]1104 words (3.2 pages)FREE Essays[view]The History of Auditing - The History of Auditing Abstract The evolution of auditing is a complicated history that has always been changing through historical events. Auditing always changed to meet the needs of the business environment of that day. Auditing has been around since the beginning of human civilization, focusing mainly, at first, on finding efraud. As the United States grew, the business world grew, and auditing began to play more important roles. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, people began to invest money into large corporations.... [tags: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework] :: 6 Works Cited3399 words (9.7 pages)$39.95[preview]Auditing Percedure - The factor of client relationship that creates a power imbalance in favor of the client is money. When partners...
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...history of auditing The evolution of auditing is a complicated history that has always been changing through historical events. Auditing always changed to meet the needs of the business environment of that day. Auditing has been around since the beginning of human civilization, focusing mainly, at first, on finding fraud. As the United States grew, the business world grew, and auditing began to play more important roles. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, people began to invest money into large corporations. The Stock Market crash of 1929 and various scandals made auditors realize that their roles in society were very important. Scandals and stock market crashes made auditors aware of deficiencies in auditing, and the auditing community was always quick to fix those deficiencies. The auditors’ job became more difficult as the accounting principles changed, and became easier with the use of internal controls. These controls introduced the need for testing; not an in-depth detailed audit. Auditing jobs would have to change to meet the changing business world. The invention of computers impacted the auditors’ world by making their job at times easier and at times making their job more difficult. Finally, the auditors’ job of certifying and testing companies’ financial statements is the backbone of the business world. Introduction Auditing has been the backbone of the complicated business world and has always changed with the times. As the business world grew strong, auditors’...
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...1 Session 4 Audit Planning; Materiality and the audit risk model Auditing: Principles and Methods 2 After studying this session you should be able to: 1. Discuss why adequate audit planning is essential 2. Make client acceptance decisions and perform initial audit planning 3. Gain an understanding of the client’s business and industry 4. Assess client business risk 5. Perform preliminary analytical procedures 6. Apply the concept of materiality to the audit 7. Define risk in auditing and the audit risk model Auditing: Principles and Methods 3 8. Consider the impact of engagement risk on acceptable audit risk 9. Discuss the relationship of risks to audit evidence 10. Answer the Review Questions Auditing: Principles and Methods 1. Audit Planning 4 Why is adequate audit planning essential? “The auditor must adequately plan the work and must properly supervise any assistants”. There are three main reasons why the auditor should properly plan engagements: to enable himself to obtain sufficient appropriate evidence, to keep audit cost reasonable and to avoid misunderstanding with the client. Auditing: Principles and Methods 1. Audit Planning 5 An important part of audit planning is assessing acceptable audit risk and inherent risk because it helps determine the amount of evidence that will need to be accumulated and staff assigned to the engagement. Acceptable audit risk is a measure of how willing the auditor is to accept that the FSs...
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...filed cases. There are many parties involved when it concern to Enron debacle, which was accorded to accounting instability and the compromising factor of accounting profession itself. Out of the many parties in the league and the major force behind the debacle of Enron concern Andersen's, the accounting and auditing firm that once deserved name in the industry for its conscience in accounting professional services and auditing. As the case relates to, accounting audit for Enron is attended by Andersen's since long enough. However, the interesting feature is that some compromise in the profession of accounting services by Andersen's was notable, given that there are noteworthy feature of stock manipulation, especially in financial statements of Enron attended and audited by Andersen's. The statement and restatement of Enron also gives some probable indication for manipulation of accounting, where debate and counter debate in that regard from the prying eye of the media was a common feature. Thus, the involvement of Andersen's in Enron consultancy and professional auditing makes it rather more imploded for the direct involvement of Andersen's that also successively ushered the debacle and bankruptcy of Enron for the entire sheer element attached to it. Moreover, the accounting scandal involving Enron have been subject to criticism from many quarters. However, insiders who testify against the auditing firm make it the biggest party of the fall out and bankruptcy of Enron...
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...Arthur Anderson 1. Environment, strategic, organizational changes * High quality accounting, promoting integrity and sound audit opinions over short run profits * 1930’s- government adopted laws that require public companies to submit financial statements to independent auditor each year * mantra- good service, quality audits, well managed staff, profits for firm * auditors rewarded for making sound auditing decisions * decision rights to Professional Standards Group * firm did not become wealthy in the early years, partners were well respected in communities * 1950’s- Joseph Glickauf- computers to automate bookkeeping * 1979-42% of $645m fees came from consulting * 1989- split to AC and AA * accounting business grew slowly in 1990 due to increased competition and mergers * AA adopted new strategy of generating profits, “it was a matter of pride” * New rules- partners retired at 56, less experienced auditors and fewer partners overseeing audits * New breeds of partners- Samek, Allgyer, signing off on inaccurate financial statements * 1997- AC split completely and became Accenture, AA underwent setback when they didn't receive the $14b expected payment from AC * AA- 2X performance evaluation, relaxed dress code, wooden doors removed * New service- take over entire internal bookkeeping for clients- impaired quality of audits * Enron-1986, wholesale energy trading * Anderson hired Enron in 1990 * Speed...
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...reviewed to identify potential factors leading to unethical practices and behavior. The article analyzed is called “Becoming a More Relational Firm in the Post-Sarbans-Oxley Era”. As expressed by the article, the effects of SOX has been considered by companies in which use auditing services as their main source of business (Jelinek, Jelinek, 2010). SOX has caused agencies to have a strong battle obtaining clientele. The SOX act has changed provisions in which disallow an agency to sale services directly to company personnel (Jelinek, Jelinek, 2010). This has resulted in agencies having to go an outside committee to sale services or products (Jelinek, Jelinek, 2010). The act also requires the auditor agencies to resale from services after 5 years and disallows them to seek employment with a previous client within of a year of last audit (Jelinek, Jelinek, 2010). These new rules have caused the agencies to have very strict rules of operation procedures. With the information obtained in the article, is has been relevant that auditing agencies are having difficulty rendering services. So if auditing agencies are not doing auditing then companies are use internal auditors. With internal auditors the unethical practices and behavior chances have increased. These are however situations even with an auditing agency that can lead to unethical practices and behavior. Thus misuse of funds received, is a type of unethical practice. Potential scenarios in which unethical practices and behavior...
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...on the part of the public in the accounting profession. List the parties who you believe were most responsible for that crisis. Briefly justify each of your choices. In our opinion, we believe that Enron’s top executives- Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, Andrew Fastow, and the Andersen auditing firm are mainly responsible for the “crisis of confidence.” As the top executives of the Enron Corporation, Lay, Skilling, and Fastow had obligations to their board of directors and shareholders. These three men managed to find accounting loopholes with the use of special purpose entities (SPEs) to move around assets and profits to mislead their Financial statements. Not only did these men commit illegal and unethical acts, but they also used their positions in the company to convince Enron’s shareholders, board of directors, and their independent audit firm, Andersen, that Enron was functioning excellently. Enron’s first two quarterly financial reports showed great growth, causing the public to be optimistic and trusting of the company’s future. In late 2001, when the actual truth came to light, the public’s confidence in Enron and the accounting profession was broken. Enron’s independent auditing firm, Andersen, should also be held responsible for the Enron scandal. During an SEC investigation of Enron’s financial affairs, Andersen’s Houston office was found guilty of destroying documents pertaining to the Enron case. Even though the Supreme Court overruled the ruling later, the...
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...environment of Andersen includes technology that was used effectively; structure of its markets, regulations which helped Andersen to grow along with its reputation. The second category is strategy which includes Andersen’s primary goals, choice of business, and services. Finally, the last category is organizational architecture which explains how authority is distributed among Andersen’s employees, and how rewards determined. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY | MARKETS | REGULATIONS | Company started using computers for bookkeeping.Company developed the largest technology practice. | Arthur Andersen was well respected, reputable auditing company for many customers.Early 1950s Andersen entered in computer consulting business. | The federal law in 1930’s which required companies to provide their financial statements to an independent auditor each year helped Andersen’s grow. | STRATEGY Quality audits were valued more than higher short-run firm profits.“Four cornerstones” of good service, quality audits, well managed staff and profits.Auditors were rewarded and promoted for making sound audit decisions. Mid-level partner was making average $160,000 in today’s currency.In 1990s AA formulated a new strategy that focused on generating new business and cutting costs. It included how partners should empathize with clients. | ORANIZATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AA’s both business (auditing and consulting) had significant decision rights over its business. New “2X” performance evaluation...
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...Auditing Standards Essay: Auditing Planning Broadly speaking, audit planning is specific guidelines for auditor to perform an audit. Audit planning is usually conducted at the beginning stage of audit process. AICPA (American Institute of Certificate Public Accounting), PCAOB (Public Company Oversight Board), and IFAC (The International Federation of Accountants) are organizations or non-profit corporations who contributes to developing standards and guidance in auditing area, including standards for audit planning. Thus, this essay will discuss the requirement, and compare and contrast, of standards and guidance for auditing planning that has been issued by them; as well, analyze the impact on the performance of the audit. AICPA, by its publication titled AUC Section 300, addresses guidance for auditors in planning an audit. This contains introduction, objective, requirements, and application and other explanatory material. First, the introduction part includes the scope in planning the audit, the role and timing of planning, and the effective date of this standard. The scope of planning an audit explains the responsibility of the auditor to plan an audit of financial statement. This section also mentioned to refer to section 600, Special Considerations – Audits of Group Financial Statements (Including the Work of Component Auditors) for further information related to the auditor’s responsibility. The role of planning and timing explains the adequate benefit in planning...
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...riches but this is not the case of the Enron 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...
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...Synopsis Enron was believed to be the company to take over the world in the 1990’s. The company was growing at exponential rates that were unheard of at the time. It was ranked among the 7 top corporations in the world peaking at a net worth of $70 billion. The company’s overwhelming wealth and success gave birth to some overconfident and ultimately greedy people within the company. In the end, Enron fell due to falsification of financial records, reporting profits well in excess of the actual. “On Dec. 2, 2001, Enron declared bankruptcy. Thousands of people were thrown out of work, and thousands of investors -- including most of the company's employees -- lost billions of dollars as Enron's shares shrank to penny-stock levels (http://www.npr.org/news/specials/enron/).” Enron is considered to be the largest corporate fallout in US history. The overconfidence of executive leaders, falsification and manipulation of financial statements, and Andersen’s hidings of the true audit findings, eventually led to the demise of this innovative corporation. Questions 1. The Enron debacle created what one public official reported was a “crisis of confidence” on the part of the public in the accounting profession. List the parties who you believe are the most responsible for that crisis. Briefly justify each of your choices. Executive management of Enron- When misstatements and irregularities emerged and were made clear to the public, the executives of Enron lost the confidence of the...
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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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...AUDITING: A JOURNAL OF PRACTICE & THEORY Vol. 24, No. 1 May 2005 pp. 21ñ35 Recent Changes in the Association between Bankruptcies and Prior Audit Opinions Marshall A. Geiger, K. Raghunandan, and Dasaratha V. Rama SUMMARY: The intense legislative and media scrutiny after a series of high-profile corporate failures, coupled with the paradigm shift in the regulation of the auditing profession brought forth by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, suggests that auditorsí decisions would be more conservative in the period after December 2001. Based on analyses of 226 financially stressed companies that entered bankruptcy during the period from 2000 to 2003, we find that auditors are more likely to issue going-concern modified audit opinions in the period after December 2001. Since the post-December 2001 period coincides with recovery from a recession in the U.S., we also examine prior audit opinions for 93 companies entering bankruptcy in 1991 and 1992. We find that auditors were also more likely to issue prior going-concern modified audit opinions in 2002ñ03 than in the earlier recession recovery period. Following the technique used in Francis and Krishnan (2002), we document that the increase in going-concern modification rates for bankrupt companies after December 2001 is due to changes in auditor reporting decisions and not solely due to differences in client characteristics between the time periods studied. Keywords: bankruptcy; going-concern reports. Data Availability: Contact the authors...
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...Electronic accounting began with the use of spreadsheets. Spreadsheets allowed accountants to translate the manual functions of the general ledger into a computerized accounting system. Software companies would eventually create software programs to focus on accounting, based on traditional accounting processes. E accounting is the use of online accounting applications and Internet technologies to support the business accounting function. E-accounting involves performing regular accounting functions, accounting research and the accounting training and education through various computer and internet based accounting tools such as: digital tool kits, various internet resources, international web-based materials, institute and company databases which are internet based, web links, internet based accounting software and electronic financial spreadsheet tools to provide efficient decision making. Insynq president John Gorst stated, “E-Accounting is one of the few providers in the industry with a service model that encompasses...
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...AND EXTERNAL AUDIT Professor PhD Atanasiu Pop, „Babeş-Bolyai” University of Cluj-Napoca, e-mail: apop@econ.ubblcuj.ro PhD Student Cristina Boţa-Avram, „Babeş-Bolyai” University of Cluj-Napoca, e-mail: botaavram@gmail.com PhD Student Florin Boţa-Avram, „Babeş Bolyai” University of Cluj-Napoca, e-mail: botaavramflorin@yahoo.com ABSTRACT: Analyzing the evolution process of internal audit, from its beginnings and so far, we can easily notice that internal audit function was born through detaching of some activities from external audit, the result being that there some situations when these two functions could be easily confused. The reality is that internal audit and external audit are two distinctive functions; net differenced, but which are also characterized through some complementary relationships. In this paper, we try to give our contribution at the clarification of the similarities and differences between these two functions, making a literature review that allowed us to identify some very interesting studies that permitted us to emphasize the main criterions that influenced the relationship between internal audit and external audit. Keywords: internal audit, external audit, objectivity, competence JEL Codes: M42 1. Introduction The coordination of internal audit activity with external audit activity is very important from both points of view: from external audit’s point of view is important because, in this way, external auditors have the possibility to...
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