A Historical Assessment of a Key Auditor Independence Policy: Auditing Your Own Work

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
John D. Keyser
Keyword(s):  
Financial Statements ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Securities And Exchange Commission ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Accounting Profession ◽  
The Subject

ABSTRACT In 1973, the AAA's Committee on Basic Auditing Concepts distinguished the respective roles of management and auditors (AAA 1973). Management is responsible to record, summarize, and communicate financial information to financial statement users. Auditors are responsible to communicate to users an opinion regarding the reliability of the financial information provided by management. The view of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding bookkeeping services, held since June 1940, is consistent with this division of responsibility. In contrast, the accounting profession took the position in 1949 that auditors can objectively audit financial statements with which they assisted in the preparation, and continues to hold that position to the present day. The evolution of these divergent positions regarding the respective roles of management and auditors is the subject of this paper.

Auditor Independence: A Focus on the SEC Independence Rules

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey A. Gramling ◽  
Vassilios Karapanos
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Securities And Exchange Commission ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Instructional Resources ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Public Company ◽  
Securities Laws

Auditor independence is an important underpinning of the federal securities laws. These laws require that registrants' financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) be audited by independent public accountants. The focus on independence for public company auditors was increased in light of the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to strengthen auditor independence. These instructional resources provide background information on the current SEC auditor independence rules. After becoming familiar with these rules, you will have the opportunity to complete several case scenarios that address: (1) hypothetical settings that may represent violations of the SEC independence rules, (2) possible actions that an audit committee might take when it determines that the SEC independence rules may have been violated, and (3) possible alternatives to the current SEC independence rules that could achieve the desired public policy goals of objective audits and investor confidence.

Market Reactions to XBRL-Formatted Financial Information: Empirical Evidence from China

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Y. Peng ◽  
John Shon ◽  
Christine Tan
Keyword(s):  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Average Volume ◽  
Market Reactions ◽  
Event Window ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Efficient Processing

XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) facilitates the efficient processing/interpreting of corporate financial information by investors. This paper examines market reactions to financial statement filings in China in the period before and after the XBRL mandate in China to assess the extent to which XBRL may impact the processing of financial information. It finds that absolute price reactions of financial statement filings are larger (smaller) in the post-XBRL (pre-XBRL) period. This result holds for the cumulative 3-day window surrounding filings, as well as for each individual day during the event window. This paper also finds similar results for the average volume of trading around these event windows. Consistent with its expectations, its findings suggest XBRL financial statements play a significant role in investors' decision making process.

SEC XBRL Filing Requirements: An Instructional Case on Tagging Financial Statement Disclosures

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest Capozzoli ◽  
Stephanie Farewell
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Securities And Exchange Commission ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Item Level ◽  
Interactive Data ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT: On January 20, 2009, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released Rule 33-9002 for the phase-in of interactive data (SEC 2009a). An important component of this rule is the phase-in of detailed tagging of financial statement note disclosures. Tagging is the process of associating a taxonomy element with a financial statement concept for a particular context. While some of the filers have participated in the SEC Voluntary Filing Project and prepared instance documents tagged at the line item level most have not prepared detail-tagged notes to accompany the financial statements (SEC 2005; Choi et al. 2008). This case discusses the structure of disclosures, as they exist in the 2009 U.S. GAAP Taxonomy, followed by a discussion of dimensional extensions and concludes with an example of block and detailed disclosure tagging using Rivet Software’s Dragon Tag (Rivet 2009). The example uses the capitalized costs disclosure for Anadarko Petroleum, a publicly traded company. Following the example, the case requires students to block and detail tag the capitalized costs disclosure for Dig Deep, a hypothetical oil and gas company. By completing the case, students develop an understanding of the current U.S. GAAP taxonomy, skills relating to mapping and tagging processes, and make use of a commonly used XBRL taxonomy and instance document creation program.

scholarly journals Dilema Auditor: Faktor Internal dan Eksternal Independensi

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-155
Author(s):  
Martdian Ratna Sari ◽  
Alhamdi Zuhri ◽  
Paulina Millennia Natalia Wijaya
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Method ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Audit Period ◽  
Internal And External Factors

The need for financial information is an important component of economic development. The auditor is the party that guarantees that the financial statements are maintained credibility. However, many cases show the misuse of financial statements. This study aims to determine the effect of internal and external factors on auditor independence. This study used a Purposive Sampling as the sampling method, which is by taking a sample from the population-based on certain criteria (Sugiyono, 2013). This study used a sample of the auditor who has experience working in the KAP for at least 1 year. The type of data used is primary data in the form of a questionnaire. This study proves that the length of the auditor's relationship influences auditor independence. While this study does not prove that the provision of non-audit services, Competition among KAP, Large size of KAP, Audit period, and Relativism influence the independence of auditors.

The Improvement of Governance Decision Making Using XBRL

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Ahmadpour
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Simultaneous Presentation ◽  
Stock Option ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Extensible Markup ◽  
Technology Users ◽  
Option Compensation

eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) has the potential to influence users’ processing of financial information and their judgments and decisions. XBRL is an eXtensible Markup Language (XML)-based language, developed specifically for financial reporting. XBRL, as a search-facilitating technology, contributes to direct searches and simultaneous presentation of related financial statement, and facilitates processing footnote information which could help financial statements’ users. XBRL is more than a distribution mechanism for data or facilitating technology. XBRL has the potential to significantly improve corporate governance. Putting that potential into practice requires an XBRL taxonomy model that is data based instead of document based. This paper hypothesizes that in the presence of search-facilitating technology, users’ judgments of financial statement reliability will be influenced by the choice of recognition versus disclosure of stock option compensation than in the absence of search-facilitating technology. When the stock option accounting varies between two firms, the search technology helps in both acquiring and integrating relevant information. The paper suggests the implementation of XBRL improves transparency of financial information and managers’ choices for reporting that information.

scholarly journals Comments by the Auditing Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association on PCAOB Release No. 2016-003, Proposed Auditing Standard—The Auditor's Report on an Audit of Financial Statements when the Auditor Expresses an Unqualified Opinion and Related Amendments to PCAOB Standards

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. C26-C40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus M. Doxey ◽  
Stephen H. Fuller ◽  
Marshall A. Geiger ◽  
Willie E. Gist ◽  
Karl E. Hackenbrack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Statements ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Reporting Standard ◽  
The Public ◽  
Auditor Tenure ◽  
Public Company ◽  
Auditor Reporting

SUMMARY On May 11, 2016 the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) issued a request for comment on Proposed Auditing Standard—The Auditor's Report on an Audit of Financial Statements when the Auditor Expresses an Unqualified Opinion and Related Amendments to PCAOB Standards, a reproposal of its August 2013 proposed auditor reporting standard. The reproposal retains the pass/fail model of the existing auditor's report while seeking to enhance the form and content of the report. The reproposal solicited public comment on the following significant changes to the existing auditor's report: (1) add a description of “critical audit matters” that provides audit-specific information about especially challenging, subjective, or complex aspects of the audit as they relate to the relevant financial statement accounts and disclosures, (2) add a statement about auditor independence and the phrase “whether due to error or fraud” when describing the auditor's responsibilities to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatements, (3) add a statement related to auditor tenure, and (4) standardize the form of the auditor's report, requiring the opinion be the first section of the auditor's report and requiring section titles to guide the reader. The comment period ended on August 15, 2016. This commentary summarizes the participating committee members' views on the alternatives presented in the request for comment. Data Availability: The concept release, proposed and reproposed rules, and supplemental information are available at: http://pcaobus.org/Rules/Rulemaking/Pages/Docket034.aspx

Monitoring by Auditors: The Case of Public Housing Authorities

2011 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 1289-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Murray Grein ◽  
Stefanie L. Tate
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Public Housing ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Financial Data ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Litigation Risk ◽  
Management Incentives ◽  
Reporting Requirements ◽  
Big 4

ABSTRACT We take advantage of the unique reporting requirements of nonprofit public housing authorities (PHAs) to study the effect of audits on financial information both generally and when there are management incentives to misreport financial data. There is little prior research on the effect of audit adjustments in nonprofit settings and conflicting research on how auditors react to management's incentives to misreport. We identify potential financial statement areas at risk of manipulation based on incentives specific to public housing authorities. Using pre- and post-audit financial data for almost 3,600 PHAs across seven years, we find that auditors make economically and statistically significant adjustments to PHA financial statements. In addition, we find evidence that audits appear to reduce potential management bias, particularly to reduce risks of overstatement. Overall, audits appear to matter in this nonprofit, low-litigation risk setting where there is a large concentration of non-Big 4 auditors.

scholarly journals Unpacking the IFRS Implications of COVID-19 for Travel and Leisure Companies Listed on the JSE

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7942
Author(s):  
Diana da Silva ◽  
Danie Schutte ◽  
Jhalukpreya Surujlal
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Information Design ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Going Concern ◽  
Utmost Care ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: The main purpose of this article is to study the IFRS implications of COVID-19 for selected travel and leisure companies listed on the JSE. The article investigates how these selected companies disclose financial information regarding the going concern, or in other words; the sustainability of the company, revenue of the company, how the companies made estimations, and more, to account for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their financial information. Design/methodology/approach: content analysis was used to analyse the financial statements of ten travel and leisure companies listed on the JSE. This analysis indicated what additional disclosures these companies have in the light of COVID-19. Findings: even though there is no specific IFRS standard providing guidance on the impact of COVID-19, the findings reveal that the companies took utmost care in disclosing information and the impact of COVID-19 in the financial statements. Companies cautiously considered the impact of the coronavirus on their financial results and provided the users of these financial statements with transparent financial information, regarding going concern and sustainability of the company, revenue, estimations, and more. Originality/value: a new economic crisis, different from any other economic crises, emerged as a result of COVID-19 and the IFRS implications such as, the effect on sustainability and going concern, impact on revenue of companies, financial estimations during the coronavirus pandemic, the effect of COVID-19 on the financial subsequent events and other financial statement disclosures is still unclear. This study is deemed of vital importance as the users of financial statements require all the necessary information about how COVID-19 has affected these companies, and whether or not these companies will be sustainable in the foreseeable future, as to enable the financial statement users to make informed financial decisions.

scholarly journals Auditor Independence Threats and Factors Affecting Independence

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3S2) ◽  
pp. 917-923
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Accounting Profession ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Client Relationship ◽  
Standards And Regulations ◽  
Specific Interests

In various professional standards and regulations, the accounting profession has generally described independence as a lack of specific interests and relationships that are presumed to affect auditor objectivity. An auditor must be watchful to any harmful impacts on his planning, investigation, or reporting to preserve independence under the numerous pressures from clients. This article reviews auditor independence literature and factors affecting independence in order to determine the effects of the factors on independence. The method employed for the research is a desk system of research design, in which data were collected through secondary sources such as journals, books and internet materials. The finding of the review indicates that the most mentioned threats to auditor independence are non-audit services, audit tenure, auditor-client relationship and client importance. Independence continues to be a problem when it comes to finding out how accurate and credible investor financial statements are. The leading factor of the independence of the auditor was not evident, but other researchers ranked them based on importance because of their belief that they chose to experiment.

scholarly journals Accounting processes and their impact on the profitability of companies

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Vanessa Mariuxi Quezada-Pacheco ◽  
María Magdalena Soto-Aguilar ◽  
Milca Naara Orellana-Ulloa
Keyword(s):  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Correct Execution ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
The Impact

The objective of the following study is to analyze the importance of accounting processes and the impact that financial statements have on the profitability of companies through a qualitative and descriptive approach, in which it is described how important it is for companies the carrying out an efficient accounting process that leads to the correct execution of the financial statements, so that it allows the managers to make better decisions, through the different criteria of authors on the subject of study it was possible to have as the Accounting processes are of great importance for every company, since by means of the efficiency that is had, the quality of the information that will be presented in the financial statements will be given, which leaves us as a conclusion that both the accounting processes and the financial statements allow to detail the financial information that is obtained by transactional operations in this way to know in a real way the company situation.

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