Suchergebnisse

AbstractThis paper provides a normative framework for how external auditors should evaluate internal audit (IA) work, with a view to assessing the risk of material misstatement. The central issue facing the external auditor when evaluating IA work is the reliability of IA work. Reliability assessments are structured using the cascaded inference framework from behavioral decision theory, in which attributes of source reliability are explicitly modeled and combined using Bayes' rule in order to determine the inferential value of IA work. Results suggest that the inferential value of an IA report is highly sensitive to internal auditor reporting bias, but relatively insensitive to reporting veracity. Veracity refers to internal auditors' propensity to report truthfully, whereas bias refers to the propensity to misreport findings. Results also indicate that this sensitivity to reporting bias is conditional on the level of internal auditor competence, thus suggesting significant interaction effects between the objectivity and competence factors. Collectively, these findings suggest that the impact of source reliability attributes may be more complex than portrayed in the auditing standards and that recognizing these subtleties may lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Corporate governance issues have grown more salient in light of alleged corporate accounting scandals and the subsequent enactment of the landmark Sarbanes-Oxley Act (U.S. House of Representatives 2002). However, even in cases where no fraud has occurred and management is completely aboveboard, the role of various players in the corporate governance framework in maintaining a high-quality financial reporting process cannot be overlooked. This case presents facts surrounding the valuation of inventory at Dynamic Data, a high-tech firm. You will be asked to consider, from an auditor's perspective, whether inventory should be carried at cost in light of changing market conditions. Further, you will be asked to consider the role, if any, that the Audit Committee and Board of Directors might play in the financial reporting process. Special consideration will also be given to examining the implications of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the audit process.