This is the companion Discussion Guide to Auditing that Matters: Case Studies. The intent is for this pair of books to be used by internal auditors as a basis for group or individual discussions around world-class practices. Each individual should have a copy of the Case Studies and the leader of the discussion should have a copy of this Discussion Guide. Many of the principles discussed here can be found in Auditing that Matters.
Information--regular, systematic, reliable--is the life-blood of democracy and the fuel of effective management. Surely today there is no problem with information, for this is the age of information overload. It pours onto our computer screens and out of our printers. Indeed, many governments claim, often with some justification, to be more open and transparent than ever before. But what if the life-blood is contaminated, or the fuel polluted? Then the body politic sickens and the engine of public management runs rough. It is the vital issue of the quality of the information we receive that this book addresses. Quality Matters compares approaches across different jurisdictional settings and across three different types of information evaluation. The chapters describe and analyze quality assurance in a number of countries and within a variety of international organizations. These have been selected either because they are widely considered to be leaders in evaluating information or because they have experience with assuring quality information that can instruct others. Contributors are from Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, and the World Bank. This pioneering study analyzes practices for assuring the quality of evaluation, performance auditing, and reporting in the face of political, organizational, and technical obstacles. A final chapter addresses the extent to which quality assurance systems become bothersome rituals or remain meaningful mechanisms to ensure quality control. This well-structured volume will be of particular interest to policymakers and adds much to the literature on program evaluation and performance auditing.
Sarbanes-Oxley and the New Internal Auditing Rulesthoroughly and clearly explains the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, how itimpacts auditors, and how internal auditing can help with itsrequirements, such as launching an ethics and whistle-blowerprogram or performing effective internal controls reviews under theCOSO framework. With ample coverage of emerging rules that have yetto be issued and other matters subject to change, this bookoutlines fundamental blueprints of the new rules, technologicaldevelopments, and evolving trends that impact internal auditprofessionals. Order your copy today!
In Auditor Independence, Ismail Adelopo argues that the importance of auditors' independence cannot be over-emphasised. Not only do auditors provide certification of the truth and fairness of the information prepared by managers, they also have a duty to express opinions on the degree of compliance with laws and regulations guiding a firm's operations. Theirs is a socially important responsibility. In all that has been proposed to mitigate the governance crisis and restore confidence in the market system, relatively little attention has been paid to auditor independence. Examining the historical role of auditing in corporate governance and the regulatory context, this book sets the function within a theoretical framework and then provides empirical analysis of the problem issues such as the relationship between audit committees and external auditors and the probity of providing non-auditing services to audit clients. The focus on matters that are damaging to market confidence and threatening to the reputation of the auditing profession, means the conclusions and recommendations in this book are important for key stakeholders, including policy makers, regulators, those running companies, and their investors and customers. This is also a book for those responsible for training in the auditing profession and for others with a research or academic interest in the matters addressed.
Audits provide essential accountability and transparency over government programs. Given the current challenges facing governments and their programs, the oversight provided through auditing is more critical than ever. Government auditing provides the objective analysis and information needed to make the decisions necessary to help create a better future. The professional standards presented in this 2018 revision of Government Auditing Standards (known as the Yellow Book) provide a framework for performing high-quality audit work with competence, integrity, objectivity, and independence to provide accountability and to help improve government operations and services. These standards, commonly referred to as generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), provide the foundation for government auditors to lead by example in the areas of independence, transparency, accountability, and quality through the audit process. This revision contains major changes from, and supersedes, the 2011 revision.
Modern Auditing has become established as one of the leading textbooks for students taking university and professional courses in auditing. This extensively revised third edition continues to provide the reader with a comprehensive and integrated coverage of the latest developments in the environment and methodology of auditing. Aimed at introductory level courses in auditing at undergraduate, graduate and professional levels, it develops the auditing process in a logical and sequential manner enabling the reader to progressively consolidate their understanding of the concepts and process. The book contains a strong pedagogical framework including: chapter overviews, learning objectives and checks, review questions, professional application questions, case studies and a glossary of technical terms. New features include: * Updated coverage of developments in companies legislation, regulation and corporate governance * Discussion of new developments in ethical codes * Coverage of the latest audit risk standards and the impact of the IAASB's Clarity Project * Focus on changes in professional statements and structure and the increasing influence of IFAC
The approach used by Thibodeau and Freier emphasizes the substantial benefits of using real-life case examples in helping to impart knowledge related to the practice of auditing. This type of approach has long been acknowledged as a superior manner in which to teach. Since the authors present the concepts of auditing using actual corporate contexts, they seek to provided students with a real-life appreciation of these issues and clearly demonstrate the value of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the post-Sarbanes technical audit guidance. The Third Edition has been updated to reflect all of the major changes happening in today’s society with actual companies such as Enron, WorldCom, Qwest, Sunbeam, that have become synonymous with the capital markets’ crisis in confidence. With 45 different short cases, instructors can assign 8 to 9 different cases for each of four different semesters.
The explosion of data analytics in the auditing profession demands a different kind of auditor. Auditing: A Practical Approach with Data Analytics prepares students for the rapidly changing demands of the auditing profession by meeting the data-driven requirements of today's workforce. Because no two audits are alike, this course uses a practical, case-based approach to help students develop professional judgement, think critically about the auditing process, and develop the decision-making skills necessary to perform a real-world audit. To further prepare students for the profession, this course integrates seamless exam review for successful completion of the CPA Exam.
Linguistic Auditing tackles an important but overlooked dimension in the drive for quality: capability in foreign language communication, which puts the needs and sensibilities of the customer first, and eliminates loss of time, misunderstandings and bad feelings through helping to maximise staff's current language capacity and build new capability through purpose-based training and conformance at the communication level to planning objectives.
