Stakeholder perceptions of performance audit credibility

This paper examines the credibility of performance audit at the micro-level of practice using the general framework of Birnbaum and Stegner's theory of source credibility in which credibility is dependent upon perceptions of the independence of the auditors, their technical competence and the usefulness of audit findings. It reports the results of a field study of a performance audit by the Australian National Audit Office conducted in a major government department. The paper establishes that problems of auditor independence, technical competence and perceived audit usefulness continue to limit the credibility of performance auditing.     

The perceived credibility of forward-looking performance disclosures

We investigate the credibility of forward-looking performance disclosures (FLPDs) in the narrative sections of annual reports, as perceived by investors. Our proxy for these disclosures is an index of statements about future performance. We find that companies issue more FLPDs when raising debt or conveying bad news in the financial statements. In the presence of these managerial incentives, investor reliance on FLPDs increases with the quality of earnings reported in the audited financial statements. Our results suggest that firms derive a benefit in terms of higher credibility for their narrative disclosures from having a reputation for high quality earnings.     

论上市公司的粉饰行为及其审计风险

我国证券市场上市公司日益出现粉饰行为.这些粉饰行为具有欺骗性和隐藏性,给会计信息使用者造成严重的后果.上市公司的粉饰行为与审计风险有直接的关系,必须引起注册会计师在执业过程中对此种行为的严正关注.     

Using corporate social responsibility performance to evaluate financial disclosure credibility

Due to the paucity of immediate and direct information about financial disclosure credibility, it is often difficult for investors to assess the credibility of financial disclosures (e.g. whether reported earnings are biased). Given this situation, the present study proposes and finds that investors use additional cues, such as information about corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance, to form overall impressions about management's honesty, credibility, and trustworthiness. Similar to other findings in the halo effect literature, we find that these overall impressions subsequently influence both investors' assessments of financial disclosure credibility and the prices they are willing to pay for a company's stock. The findings support the theoretical framework on financial disclosure credibility by (1) showing that management credibility is an important tool that investors use to assess disclosure credibility and (2) suggesting that management credibility is a multidimensional latent construct for which CSR performance can be one of several relevant indicators.     

The antecedents of the use of continuous auditing in the internal auditing context

The concept of continuous auditing originated over two decades ago. Yet despite its much touted benefits, its acceptance and use in practice has been slow. To gain insight into the state of affairs, we surveyed 210 internal auditors worldwide on the status of their use of continuous auditing. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) we explore the antecedents of internal auditors' intentions to use continuous auditing technology. Employing the Partial Least Squares method, we find strong support for the model with an R² of 44.3%. Specifically, we find that internal auditors' perceptions of effort expectancy and social influence are significant predictors of their intentions to use continuous auditing. We also find that annual sales volume of the company and voluntariness of use significantly moderate the relationship between performance expectancy and social influence respectively. Additionally, we find regional differences in the significance of key UTAUT antecedents. Specifically, we find that the North American internal auditors are more likely to use continuous auditing due to soft social coercion pressures of Social Influence through peers and higher authorities. On the other hand, Middle Eastern auditors are more likely to use the technology if it is mandated by the higher authorities.     

Abstract credibility

Abstract

This paper falls into three parts. The first part (Sections 1 to 4) consists of an attempt to consolidate the existing credibility models, which are rapidly becoming more numerous, by constructing one large all-embracing model. In order to do this, it is necessary to abstract from the usual setting of Credibility Theory, the insurance world, and work in more abstract Hilbert spaces. This increases the complexity of the theory, but the results appear nevertheless in a form familiar to credibility theorists.

The second part (Section 5) shows that, in the so-called inhomogeneous case of credibility estimation, best estimates are obtained if one uses sufficient statistics, a result which has previously been known under much more restricted circumstances. In the same section it is pointed out that the validity of the analogous result in the homogeneous case is by no means obvious.

The third part (Section 6) demonstrates that a number of existing credibility models can be derived as special cases of the model developed here, and goes on to deal briefly with a couple of new models which arise naturally out of the abstract credibility formulation.     

突出内审优势 推进审计转型积极搭建内部审计和外部审计监督的科学平台

今年初,中国农业银行股份制有限公司一成立,总行党委就确立了董事会领导下的内部审计监督模式,在分离了原有部分操作层面的审计职能后,赋予了农行内部审计更高的独立性、权威性与超脱性,以确保内部审计职能的充分有效发挥,这是完善公司治理机制的重要举措。这种建立在董事会领导下的内部审计模式,是以系统化、规范化、制度化的方法对风险管理、控制及治理程序进行监督评价,为农行股改后提高运作效率,增加价值,促进各项业务健康有序、持续发展提供监督保障。     

Negotiating the spirit of the deal

Most experienced negotiators are comfortable working out the terms of an economic contract--they bargain for the best price, haggle over equity splits, and finesse detailed exit clauses. Yet these same seasoned professionals spend so much time ironing out the letter of the deal that they often pay little attention to the spirit of the deal--the social contract. And that can lead to major problems, say the authors, because even though the parties agree to the same terms on paper, they may have very different expectations about how to meet them. Those on one side, for instance, might think they're entering into a long-term partnership, while those on the other believe they're simply making a series of discrete transactions. Because the parties have failed to have a true meeting of the minds, they sign a deal that is likely to fall apart. To avoid such a disastrous outcome, negotiators should explicitly discuss the details of their social contract before inking the deal. They should talk about the underlying social contract, which answers the question, What? For instance, what is the real nature, extent, and duration of the agreement? And they should discuss the ongoing social contract, which answers the question, How? For instance, in practice, how will we make decisions, handle unforeseen events, communicate with one another, and resolve disputes? Drawing on real-life examples, the authors explore the problems that arise when the letter and spirit of the deal are at odds and suggest ways to dovetail them so they are both independently strong and mutually reinforcing. They also highlight risk factors that can lead to misunderstandings and expose common misperceptions about the social contract.     

Empirical Bayes credibility

Abstract

A credibility estimator is Bayes in the restricted class of linear estimators and may be viewed as a linear approximation to the (unrestricted) Bayes estimator. When the structural parameters occurring in a credibility formula are replaced by consistent estimators based on data from a collective of similar risks,we obtain an empirical credibility estimator, which is a credibility counterpart of empirical Bayes estimators. Empirical credibility estimators are proposed under various model assumptions, and sufficient conditions for asymptotic optimality are established.     

经济责任审计的几点体会

经济责任审计已成为对领导干部进行有效管理和监督的重要措施,随着经济责任审计的覆盖面越来越大,对该项审计工作的要求越来越高,而会计师事务所受各级政府监管机关及企业集团的委托,也越来越多地参与到经济责任审计工作中。经济责任审计属于专项审计的范畴,与会计报表审计业务相比有其特殊性。以下是笔者从事经济责任审计的一些粗浅认识。     

审计计划实践心得

自2007年1月1日起生效的《中国注册会计师审计准则第1201号——计划审计工作》,已被广大注册会计师运用于对2006年年度会计报表的审计实践中,笔者在执行该项新准则时,有一得之愚,与同行切磋。     

试论现代风险导向审计在农行高管责任审计中的应用

现代风险导向审计是在账项导向审计和内控导向审计等传统审计模式基础上发展起来的,通过对被审计单位全面风险评估,量化风险,把审计资源集中于高风险领域,使剩余风险降低到可接受水平的一种审计方法。本文介绍了现代风险导向审计的特征,就在农业银行高管人员责任审计中引入现代风险导向审计技术的迫切性展开分析,着重探讨了现代风险导向审计在高管责任审计中的应用方法,并提出了为引入现代风险导向审计创造条件的措施。     

Model-based auditing using REA

The recent financial crisis has renewed interest in the value of the owner-ordered auditing tradition that starts from society's long-term interest rather than management interest. This tradition uses a model-based auditing approach in which control requirements are derived in a principled way. A problem with this approach is that it has been proven hard to apply it in modern complex organizations. Making it feasible requires at least an adequate enterprise modeling approach. In this paper, it is shown that the REA ontology fulfills most of the requirements for such a model-based approach. The analysis also suggests some directions in which REA can be extended.     

Imperfect credibility and the zero lower bound

As the nominal interest rate cannot fall below zero, a central bank with imperfect credibility faces a significant challenge to stabilize the economy in a New Keynesian model during a large recession. We characterize the optimal monetary policy at the zero lower bound for the nominal interest rate if credibility is imperfect. Confronting monetary policy communication of the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Swedish Riksbank with such a framework, the credibility of both institutions is shown to have been low in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis.     

On time-heterogeneous credibility estimation

Abstract

Let χ_i be the total claim amount of an insurance policy in calendar year i. We assume that the χ_i's are conditionally independent given an unknown random parameter ø, and that for all i. In the present paper it is under these assumptions shown how to calculate the credibility estimator of m(ø) by recursive updating. We also give estimators for the unknown parameters α_i, β_i, and ?_i based on portfolio data. Finally we mention some related models.     

保持职业谨慎应贯穿审计全过程

一、案情介绍A水保站是B市水利局下属事业单位,因性质特殊而拥有一部分政府无偿划拨的土地。2004年6月,B市水利局与某集团公司签订土地合作开发意向:     

Increasing the role of auditing in corporate governance

While critical accounting research has long been vitally interested in relationships between accounting, auditing and control of business organizations, mainstream research in accounting, finance and management has only recently displayed an increased interest in questions of corporate governance. The notion of corporate governance typically employed in mainstream research focus on enhancing benefits to shareholders. The structure and the functioning of boards of directors, and audit committees of such boards, are primary concerns within this line of research. This paper presents an alternative view of corporate governance and the role of auditing within corporate governance. We argue that the role of auditing should be increased in order to enhance the control of corporations for the benefit of all stakeholders and society generally.     

现代风险导向审计应用探析

一、现代风险导向审计的内容与应用分析(一)内容现代风险导向审计以战略观和系统观思想指导重大错报风险评估和整个审计流程,因此又称为风险基础战略系统审计方法。其核心思想可以概括