Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Accountants
Kinds of Accountants Selected AbstractsThe Ontario Securities Commission on Accounting and Auditing from the 1960s to 2008,Part 2: The First Four Chief Accountants, 1986,1996,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2010STEPHEN A. ZEFF audit; Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario; information financière; réglementation Abstract This article, Part 2 of a historical review and analysis of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), describes the role played by the first four Chief Accountants in the regulation of accounting and auditing from 1986 to 1996. Part 1 dealt with the period from the 1960s to 1985. Part 3 will treat the role played by the fifth Chief Accountant, from 1996 to 2008. As the principal Canadian stock exchange in recent times has been the Toronto Stock Exchange, the OSC has been the most important securities market regulator in Canada. Prior to this article, the academic and professional accounting literature has been largely barren on the OSC's evolving role on accounting and auditing issues. Le rôle de la Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario en matière de comptabilité et d'audit des années 1960 à 2008 , Partie 2 : Les quatre premiers Chefs comptables, 1986 à 1996 Résumé Dans la deuxième partie de leur revue historique et de leur analyse de la Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario (CVMO), les auteurs décrivent le rôle joué par les quatre premiers Chefs comptables de la CVMO dans la réglementation de la comptabilité et de l'audit, de 1986 à 1996. La première partie de leur étude portait sur la période s'échelonnant des années 1960 à 1985. La troisième partie portera sur le rôle joué par le cinquième Chef comptable, de 1996 à 2008. La Bourse de Toronto ayant été la principale bourse canadienne au cours des dernières années, la CVMO a aussi été première en importance parmi les autorités de réglementation du marché des valeurs mobilières au Canada. Jusqu'à maintenant, les écrits sur la théorie et la profession comptables étaient demeurés à peu près silencieux sur l'évolution du rôle de la CVMO au chapitre de la comptabilité et de l'audit. [source] CKO wanted , evangelical skills necessary: a review of the Chief Knowledge Officer positionKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 1 2001Nick Bontis One of the key challenges for business executives in the knowledge era is to manage intellectual capital. Drawing upon: (1) the author's personal experience as CKO of Knexa.com , the world's first knowledge exchange auction; and (2) the relatively nascent literature on the roles and responsibilities of CKOs, this paper highlights five perspectives that a CKO must embrace to be successful: (1) CKO as Knowledge Sharing Icon; (2) CKO as Trust Steward; (3) CKO as Total Trainer; (4) CKO as Techno Nerd; and (5) CKO as Number-crunching Accountant. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Independence in Appearance and in Fact: An Experimental Investigation,CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 1 2003Nicholas Dopuch Abstract In this study, we use experimental markets to assess the effect of the Security and Exchange Commission's (SEC's) new independence rule on investors' perceptions of independence, investors' payoff distributions, and market prices. The new rule requires client firms to disclose in their annual proxy statements the amount of nonaudit fees paid to their auditors. The new disclosure is intended to inform investors of auditors' incentives to compromise their independence. Our experimental design is a 2 3 between-subjects design, where we control the presence (unbiased reports) or absence of auditor independence in fact (biased reports). While independence in fact was not immediately observable to investors, we controlled for independence in appearance by varying the public disclosure of the extent of nonaudit services provided by the auditor to the client. In one market setting, investors were not given any information about whether the auditor provided such nonaudit services; in a second setting, investors were explicitly informed that the auditor did not provide any non-audit services; and in a third setting, investors were told that the auditor provided nonaudit services that could be perceived to have an adverse effect on independence in fact. We found that disclosures of nonaudit services reduced the accuracy of investors' beliefs of auditors' independence in fact when independence in appearance was inconsistent with independence in fact. This then caused prices of assets to deviate more from their economic predictions (lower market efficiency) in the inconsistent settings relative to the no-disclosure and consistent settings. Thus, disclosures of fees for nonaudit services could reduce the efficiency of capital markets if such disclosures result in investors forming inaccurate beliefs of auditor independence in fact - that is, auditors appear independent but they are not independent in fact, or vice versa. The latter is the maintained position of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), which argued against the new rule. Further research is needed to assess the degree of correspondence between independence in fact and independence in appearance. [source] Culture Matters: How Our Culture Affects the Audit,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 3 2010PHILIP COWPERTHWAITE audit; culture; normes internationales Abstract If the influence of national cultures on the implementation of global standards is not taken into account, the result will be inconsistent implementation at best and outright failure at worst. The experiences in fields such as medicine, peacekeeping, aviation, and environmental protection offer insight into possible difficulties with the implementation, beginning in 2010, of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) by members of the International Federation of Accountants. Some countries may have difficulty with implementation because of the differences between their cultural assumptions and those embodied in the standards to be adopted. It is too soon to know if and where that will happen, especially because the data on first experiences will not begin to be available until 2013. However, cultural-comparison data can be used to foresee which countries may have difficulty with implementation. But if unintended consequences do become evident, it will be important not to assume that the standards and the standard-setting process are defective; it is more likely that practitioners will need help in interpreting the ISAs in light of their local culture. A useful first step would be for standard-setting bodies to identify explicitly the cultural assumptions inherent in the standards they produce. The standard setters can then give that information to those responsible for standards implementation at the practitioner level to help promote consistent application of the standards globally. Question de culture : en quoi la culture influe sur l'audit Résumé Si l'on ne tient pas compte de l'influence des cultures nationales sur la mise en ,uvre de normes internationales, les résultatsde l'exercice seront incohérents, au mieux, ouse solderont par un échec pur et simple, au pire. Les expériences dans des domaines comme la médecine, le maintien de la paix, l'aviation et la protection de l'environnement nous livrent des indications quant aux problèmes que pourrait présenter la conversion, à compter de 2010, aux normes internationales d'audit et de certification établies par les membres de l'International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). Certains pays pourraient éprouver de la difficultéà instaurer ces normes en raison des différences entre leurs a priori culturels et ceux que véhiculent les normes devant être adoptées. Il est trop tôt pour dire si ces difficultés se manifesteront et à quel moment, notamment du fait que les données relatives aux premières expériences ne seront accessibles qu'à compter de 2013. Toutefois, des donnéesculturelles comparatives peuvent être utilisées pour prévoir quels pays risquent defaire face à des embûches dans la mise en ,uvre de ces normes. Toutefois, s'il émergedu processus des conséquences non souhaitées évidentes, il importera de ne pas en conclure que les normes et les processus de normalisation sont défectueux, mais plutôt que les professionnels en exerciceont besoin d'assistance pour interpréter les normes internationales à la lumière de leur culture nationale. Les organismes de normalisation pourraient faire un premier pas dans ce sens en définissant explicitement les a priori culturels inhérents aux normes qu'ils produisent. Les normalisateurs pourraient ensuite communiquer cette information aux responsables de la mise en ,uvre des normes chez lesprofessionnels en exercice et contribuer ainsi à promouvoir la cohérence dans l'application des normes à l'échelle mondiale. [source] The Ontario Securities Commission on Accounting and Auditing from the 1960s to 2008,Part 2: The First Four Chief Accountants, 1986,1996,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2010STEPHEN A. ZEFF audit; Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario; information financière; réglementation Abstract This article, Part 2 of a historical review and analysis of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), describes the role played by the first four Chief Accountants in the regulation of accounting and auditing from 1986 to 1996. Part 1 dealt with the period from the 1960s to 1985. Part 3 will treat the role played by the fifth Chief Accountant, from 1996 to 2008. As the principal Canadian stock exchange in recent times has been the Toronto Stock Exchange, the OSC has been the most important securities market regulator in Canada. Prior to this article, the academic and professional accounting literature has been largely barren on the OSC's evolving role on accounting and auditing issues. Le rôle de la Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario en matière de comptabilité et d'audit des années 1960 à 2008 , Partie 2 : Les quatre premiers Chefs comptables, 1986 à 1996 Résumé Dans la deuxième partie de leur revue historique et de leur analyse de la Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario (CVMO), les auteurs décrivent le rôle joué par les quatre premiers Chefs comptables de la CVMO dans la réglementation de la comptabilité et de l'audit, de 1986 à 1996. La première partie de leur étude portait sur la période s'échelonnant des années 1960 à 1985. La troisième partie portera sur le rôle joué par le cinquième Chef comptable, de 1996 à 2008. La Bourse de Toronto ayant été la principale bourse canadienne au cours des dernières années, la CVMO a aussi été première en importance parmi les autorités de réglementation du marché des valeurs mobilières au Canada. Jusqu'à maintenant, les écrits sur la théorie et la profession comptables étaient demeurés à peu près silencieux sur l'évolution du rôle de la CVMO au chapitre de la comptabilité et de l'audit. [source] The Ontario Securities Commission on Accounting and Auditing from the 1960s to 2008 , Part 1: 1960s to 1985,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2010STEPHEN A. ZEFF Audit; Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario; information financière; réglementation Abstract We present Part 1 of a historical review and analysis of the role played by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) in accounting and auditing from the 1960s onwards. Part 1 deals with the period from the 1960s to 1985. Parts 2 and 3 will treat the roles played by the first five Chief Accountants, from 1986 to 2008. As the principal Canadian stock exchange in recent times has been the Toronto Stock Exchange, the OSC has been the most important securities market regulator in Canada. Prior to this article, the academic and professional accounting literature has been largely barren on the OSC's evolving role on accounting and auditing issues. Le rôle de la Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario en matière de comptabilité et d'audit des années 1960 à 2008 , Partie 1 : Années 1960 à 1985 Résumé Les auteurs présentent la première partie de leur revue historique et de leur analyse du rôle joué par la Commission des valeurs mobilières de l'Ontario (CVMO) en comptabilité et en audit, à compter des années 1960. Cette première partie de leur étude porte sur la période s'échelonnant des années 1960 à 1985. Les deuxième et troisième parties porteront sur les rôles joués par les cinq premiers Chefs comptables, de 1986 à 2008. La Bourse de Toronto ayant été la principale bourse canadienne au cours des dernières années, la CVMO a aussi été première en importance parmi les autorités de réglementation du marché des valeurs mobilières au Canada. Jusqu'à maintenant, les écrits sur la théorie et la profession comptables étaient demeurés à peu près silencieux sur l'évolution du rôle de la CVMO au chapitre de la comptabilité et de l'audit. [source] Tribute to Professor Michael GibbinsACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2009Karim Jamal ABSTRACT On May 2-3, 2008, the Alberta School of Business and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) sponsored a dinner and a one-day research workshop in Professor Michael Gibbins's honor. At the dinner on May 2, three presentations were made on the contribution of Professor Gibbins to accounting education, research, and the profession. At the research workshop on May 3, three research papers were presented, a panel discussed professional judgment issues in accounting and auditing, and a CFO gave a luncheon speech on the new financial presentation project of the Financial Accounting Standards Board. The dinner and symposium attracted participants from across Canada, the United States, Australia, and Singapore, which is not surprising given Professor Gibbins's global reputation. This paper summarizes the presentations and discussion that took place during the May 2 dinner and May 3 research workshop. [source] Financial Reporting Regulation: The Case of Converging Canadian and International Accounting and Auditing Standards,/LA RÉGLEMENTATION DE L'INFORMATION FINANCIÈRE: LA CONVERGENCE DES NORMES CANADIENNES ET INTERNATIONALES DE COMPTABILITÉ ET DE VÉRIFICATIONACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2008Kathryn Bewley ABSTRACT This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the differences between existing Canadian accounting and auditing standards and the corresponding international standards that Canadian standard-setters have decided to converge them with, at the time of the decisions to converge. The descriptive analysis is based on two reconciliation documents published by the standard-setting boards of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. The main contributions of the paper are to outline and analyze the differences systematically in the context of prior research on financial reporting regulation and the impact of internationalization of accounting and auditing standards, and to identify key areas of difference that are likely to have the greatest impact on preparers, auditors, and users of Canadian financial statements. The results do not indicate that Canada is moving to a significantly more or less restrictive accounting measurement regime, but it appears that there will be greater disclosure detail required under international accounting standards than under existing Canadian standards. The key accounting difference relates to appraisal values for tangible and intangible assets that are permitted in international standards but not currently in their Canadian counterparts. The findings for auditing standards suggest that international and Canadian auditing standards impose a similar set of requirements on the audit function, and provide a similar degree of detailed application guidance. Differences in standards for the auditor's report and for management's written representations to the auditor are the most significant changes for audit practice in Canada. RÉSUMÉ L'auteure présente une analyse descriptive des éléments qui différencient les normes canadiennes de comptabilité et de vérification existantes et les normes internationales correspondantes vers lesquelles les normes canadiennes devraient converger, selon la position adoptée par les normalisateurs canadiens au moment de trancher la question. L'analyse descriptive se fonde sur deux documents de conciliation publiés par les conseils de normalisation de l'Institut Canadien des Comptables Agréés. Le principal apport de la présente étude est double: elle propose une description et une analyse systématiques des différences entre les normes dans le contexte des recherches précédentes sur la réglementation de l'information financière et l'incidence de l'internationalisation des normes de comptabilité et de vérification, et elle recense les principales sphères dans lesquelles les normes présentent des différences susceptibles d'avoir les conséquences les plus importantes pour les auteurs de l'information, les vérificateurs et les utilisateurs des états financiers canadiens. Selon les résultats de l'étude, le régime de mesure comptable vers lequel s'oriente le Canada ne présente pas un caractère qui serait plus ou moins restrictif, mais tout indique que les exigences en ce qui a trait au détail de l'information à fournir seront plus grandes sous le régime des normes comptables internationales que sous celui des normes canadiennes existantes. La principale différence relevée au chapitre de la comptabilité se rapporte aux valeurs d'expertise des actifs corporels et incorporels qui sont permises dans les normes internationales mais ne le sont pas dans les normes canadiennes actuelles. Quant à la vérification, il semble que les normes internationales et canadiennes imposent à la fonction de vérification un ensemble d'exigences similaires et contiennent des directives d'application d'une précision analogue. Les différences dans les normes relatives au rapport du vérificateur et aux déclarations écrites de la direction sont les changements les plus importants pour l'exercice de la vérification au Canada. [source] Simulation of the Impact of the Recognition of Stock Options on the Earnings: The case of Canadian Companies,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2005SILVA BODJOVA ABSTRACT One of the most controversial accounting issues pertains to stock compensation. In Canada, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) approved section 3870, Stock-based Compensation and Other Stock-Based Payments, on November 13, 2001, to take effect in January 2002. Section 3870 forces companies to "take a look at the real economic cost of most of the stock-based compensation mechanisms" (AcSB Bulletin, October 2001, 1). The adoption of section 3870 was aimed at harmonizing Canadian accounting practice with U.S. standards. The new standard, which was initially based on two American accounting standards - APB Opinion No. 25 and SFAS No. 123 - gave companies the choice of using either the fair value method or the pro forma disclosure of net income and adjusted earnings per share to account for stock-based compensation. The Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) nevertheless recommended that Canadian companies use the fair value method, which consists in estimating and recognizing the value of the stock options at the grant date. [source] Market Valuation of Research and Development Spending under Canadian GAAP,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2004ANTONELLO CALLIMACI ABSTRACT Section 3450 of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) Handbook requires Canadian firms to capitalize development costs that meet certain criteria and to expense those that relate to research. International Accounting Standard (IAS) No. 38 favours a similar approach. In the United States, Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (SFAS) No. 2 recommends the immediate expensing of all research and development (R&D) spending. The only exception is SFAS No. 86, which requires software development costs to be capitalized when a product successfully passes a technological feasibility test. Consequently, the Canadian financial disclosure regime provides a rich setting for testing the market valuation of capitalized R&D. Our primary research question asks whether capitalized R&D provides useful information to market participants investing in Canadian firms. We use price-level and return models to assess the value relevance of capitalized R&D disclosed in the financial statements under Canadian GAAP. In line with expectations, using a price-level model, we find that capitalized R&D and R&D expense as disclosed in the financial statements provide information that is value relevant to market participants. However, we find that R&D capitalized during the year helps explain returns while R&D expense does not. Thus we conclude that the application of section 3450 of the CICA Handbook produces value-relevant information. [source] The Demand Attributes of Assurance Services Providers and the Role of Independent AccountantsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 2 2006W. Robert Knechel This study reports on desirable attributes of assurance services providers for assurance services based on responses from a sample of Dutch senior accounting and financial officers. In general, overall expertise and objectivity are perceived as the most important attributes for selecting an assurance service provider. Cost is perceived as the least important attribute. In general, accountants are perceived as more likely to be the preferred service provider for assurance over information systems and/or when professional reputation and integrity is important for providing a service. These attributes are in line with the projected image of the profession. An accountant is less likely to be the preferred provider when cost and independence are not important. We interpret this result as an indication that independence in the audit is important and, thus, other services are acceptable only when independence is not an issue. [source] Auditor Independence: A Comparative Descriptive Study of the UK, France and ItalyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 2 2002Joanna E. Stevenson The independence of the external auditor has long been a subject of great debate, particularly by UK and US interested parties. With the growth and globalisation of the large multi-disciplinary firms, it has again been pushed to the fore: new ethical guidance issued by international bodies such as La Fédération des Experts- Comptables Européens (FEE) and The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the activities of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Independence Standards Board in the US have encouraged a wider consideration of the issue. In Europe, the European Commission has issued a Consultative Paper containing fundamental principles for adoption into Member States' own regulation on statutory auditor independence. Increasing pressure for the removal of obstacles to a single European audit market have resulted in safeguards of auditor independence in some countries being described as undesirable barriers. This paper considers the issue of statutory auditor independence across three EU Member States: the UK, France and Italy, by comparing the ethical guides and the legal and professional regulations in place, highlighting and discussing areas of divergence, and contrasting them with the EC's Consultative Paper. It takes into account factors such as culture and the historical development of auditing in order to explore the differences found. The paper demonstrates that positions taken in France and Italy on the issue of auditor independence differ markedly from that taken by the UK profession. Of the three countries reviewed, the UK viewpoint has most obviously influenced the drafting of the EC Paper. The implications of these variances for EU harmonisation are discussed, and the paper concludes that there is a clear need for empirical study of this important issue in Europe to better understand the reasons for differing perceptions and attitudes, and the repercussions of these differences on the process of European audit harmonisation. [source] Current issues challenging the professionJOURNAL OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 4 2010Jack T. Ciesielski The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants held its annual Current Securities and Exchange Commission and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Conference on December 7,9, 2009. As auditors deal with various client accounting issues, and serve as gatekeepers in the whole financial reporting process, the topics presented at the conference serve as reminders for smart auditors,who incorporate them into their audit plans. The authors provide an overview of the issues and challenges discussed at the conference. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Strategy for Implementation of IFAC International Education Guideline No. 9: "Prequalification Education, Tests of Professional Competence and Practical Experience of Professional Accountants": A Task Force Report of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER)JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & ACCOUNTING, Issue 3 2001Belverd E. Needles This paper provides strategies for implementing the recommendations of the International Education Guideline No. 9 (hereafter referred to as Guideline), issued by the International Federation of Accountants. The three principal implementation issues addressed in this paper are as follows. (1) How to instill the characteristics of lifelong learning in future professional accountants through accounting education. (2) How to design and implement a program of accounting education that achieves the objectives of the Guideline. (3) How to develop awareness and encourage adoption of the recommendations of the Guideline by communicating and disseminating information through a series of projects within IFAC's constraints and policies. [source] THE AICPA IN CRISIS AND HOW IT IMPACTS THE BUSINESS LAW DISPUTEJOURNAL OF LEGAL STUDIES EDUCATION, Issue 2 2002Sally Gunz The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) continues to strengthen the profession's reputation for integrity, objectivity and independence; reinforce core services such as tax, accounting, audit and attestation; and carve out new market space for virtually unlimited business opportunities for CPAs. [source] The contribution of international accounting standards to implementing NPM in developing and developed countriesPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2007Andrés Navarro Galera Abstract In recent years, numerous countries have undertaken administrative reforms to implement New Public Management (NPM) postulates. The implementation of NPM involves new information needs for decision taking by public managers. In this context, public sector accounting plays a key role as an information system for the successful implementation of NPM. The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) is undertaking an international accounting harmonisation project to establish high-quality public sector standards to meet the new information requirements under NPM worldwide. This article examines the capability of IFAC accounting measurement bases to meet information needs under NPM postulates, in both developing and developed countries, analysing the differences between these types of countries. The National Accounting Standard Setters (NASS) of 47 countries were asked about the usefulness and viability of Fair Value Accounting (FVA) to implement NPM postulates, especially those concerning improved efficiency, enhanced information transparency and benchmarking analysis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Latin,American public financial reporting: recent and future developmentPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2007Carmen Caba Pérez Abstract In recent years, numerous Latin,American countries have carried out reforms in their public accounting systems, with technical cooperation provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Taking into account the lack of international accounting standards for the public sector, USAID has designed a model termed Integrated Financial Management System for Latin America and the Caribbean (IFMS or SIMAFAL). This model is intended to provide better financial information for governmental decision-taking as regards the allocation of resources; a further goal is to achieve greater transparency and for a higher degree of responsibility to be accepted for the commitments made and the results of activities undertaken. Important changes are currently taking place on the international public accounting scene and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) is pressing for the adoption of a set of international public accounting standards by Latin,American countries. In this article, we compare the level of information included in the year-end governmental public report in Latin,American countries which have carried out their reforms outside SIMAFAL with that of others which have followed this model. Second, we examine the extent to which the public financial reporting practices recommended by IFAC coincide with those adopted by the above countries. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Professional,Organisational Commitment: A Study of Canadian Professional AccountantsAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 3 2009Yves Gendron This paper extends the literature on professional and organisational commitment through an online survey of professional accountants that examines the influence of several contextual features; namely, workplace diversification, occupational stress, professional involvement and culture. The survey was carried out around the end of 2002 with Canadian chartered accountants (CAs) from four Canadian provincial institutes. Three of these provincial institutes are located in English-speaking provinces (Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia), while the fourth CA association is in Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking province. In contrast to prior research carried out more than two decades ago, our results indicate that respondents in public practice do not differ from respondents in non-public accounting settings in their level of professional commitment and in their level of organisational commitment. Our results also suggest that occupational stress and professional involvement are both significantly related to professional commitment. Finally, our survey data indicate that accountants working in Quebec had a lower professional commitment than their peers working in English-speaking provinces, thereby suggesting that culture exerts significant influence on professional commitment. [source] Interpreting the Public Interest: A Survey of Professional AccountantsAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Laura Davenport The accounting profession, like all professions, has a commitment to advance the interests of the general community, as well as those they are contractually bound to serve. Providing services altruistically, at times without compensation, is a salient feature of the public interest ideal. A review of the literature indicates that the profession has abandoned its public interest role so that serving self-interest now appears to have primacy (Bédard 2001;Canning and O'Dwyer 2001;Parker 1994;Saravanamuthu 2004). The aim of this paper is to examine members' interpretation of the public interest ideal and to elicit their perceptions on issues arising from the literature. The results of a survey to members of CPA Australia indicate that members can iterate the formal definition of the public interest, but their application of the public interest in conflict of interest situations is inconsistent with this definition. [source] IES 4 , Ethics Education RevisitedAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 38 2006STEVEN DELLAPORTAS In 2003, the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) issued a set of International Education Standards (IES). IES 4 Professional Values, Ethics and Attitudes aims to equip candidates for membership of an IFAC member body with the appropriate professional values, ethics and attitudes to function as professional accountants. This paper explores the implications of IES 4 and analyses some of the challenges arising from an international professional accounting body prescribing ethics education. It concludes with an overview of considerations to be addressed to ensure that the implementation of IES 4 is successful. [source] Trade in Services: Wider Implications for Accounting Standard-Setters and AccountantsAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 33 2004Susan Newberry This article identifies a source of influence in the international development of biased rules that systematically privilege engagement in PPPs, noting that the use of PPPs was one of several projects. The full set of projects is consistent with a larger agenda, trade liberalisation of services through enforceable rules. Members of an international web of relationships promoting PPPs and, in effect, the rules-based trade liberalisation agenda, include the accounting profession. The profession's active involvement in this web of relationships compromises its legitimacy as a standard-setting body. [source] The Ramsay Report and the Regulation of Auditor Independence in AustraliaAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 27 2002Colleen Hayes This paper provides an overview of key recommendations contained in the Ramsay Report (2001), "Independence of Australian Company Auditors", vis-à-vis current Australian requirements and the overseas developments on which they are based. Specific reference is made to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission "Rules on Audit Independence", released in November 2000, and the proposals contained in the International Federation of Accountants Ethics Committee's re-exposure draft, "Independence,Proposed Changes to the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants", released in April 2001. [source] Frontiers of Non-Financial Performance Reporting in New ZealandAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 25 2001Ann Neale In 1989, legislation in New Zealand introduced requirements for non-financial performance information in the public sector to be reported and audited. This paper describes the initial responses of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand and the Audit Office to this challenge and examines their further development following a decade of experience. [source] A new look at IT governanceJOURNAL OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 5 2008Leslee N. Higgins IT governance has been named the number two technology issue in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' 2008 Top Ten Technology Initiatives list. And IT governance affects managers and IT users throughout a company. So what is the current state of IT governance, especially regarding risk management and compliance requirements? © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Do students' perceptions matter?ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 2 2008A study of the effect of students' perceptions on academic performance M41; I20 Abstract Prior accounting education literature documents that students typically associate accounting subjects with negative perceptions, but there are also recent suggestions that the stereotype of the accountant has positive associations. These perceptions of accounting are likely to affect students' attitudes towards learning and, consequently, influence their performance. We examine the relationship between students' perceptions and students' performance. The present study involved undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in management accounting subjects. Our findings indicate that students' performance is negatively affected by the negative perceptions of accounting that students bring to the subject. Our findings also suggest that positive perceptions of accounting held by students at the end of the semester have a positive impact on students' performance. [source] CMA Candidate Attributes and Performance: Some Implications,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2005MANMOHAN RAI KAPOOR ABSTRACT A university degree or equivalent is one of the criteria for eligibility to write the entrance examination for qualification as a certified management accountant (CMA). This study assessed various attributes, including exposure to liberal or general education, that candidates acquired during their university studies and examined the impact of these attributes on candidates' performance in the examination. The data included academic transcripts of 270 candidates who wrote the examination. Results indicated a positive, statistically significant correlation between the examination score and the candidate's exposure to liberal or general education, credit hours passed in accounting, grade point average in accounting, and grade point average in the overall course work. Credit hours failed in accounting showed a negative correlation. These findings are relevant to accounting educators, student counsellors, students, and the accountancy profession in general. [source] The Demand Attributes of Assurance Services Providers and the Role of Independent AccountantsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 2 2006W. Robert Knechel This study reports on desirable attributes of assurance services providers for assurance services based on responses from a sample of Dutch senior accounting and financial officers. In general, overall expertise and objectivity are perceived as the most important attributes for selecting an assurance service provider. Cost is perceived as the least important attribute. In general, accountants are perceived as more likely to be the preferred service provider for assurance over information systems and/or when professional reputation and integrity is important for providing a service. These attributes are in line with the projected image of the profession. An accountant is less likely to be the preferred provider when cost and independence are not important. We interpret this result as an indication that independence in the audit is important and, thus, other services are acceptable only when independence is not an issue. [source] The role of accounting and the accountant in the environmental management systemBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 3 2001Trevor D. Wilmshurst This paper explores the role of accounting and the accountant in the Environmental Management System (EMS). This study was founded on a postal survey of chief executive officers (CEOs) and chief financial officers (CFOs) from the top 500 listed Australian companies. From responses to the surveys, this paper firstly documents the adoption of environmental accounting processes by respondent companies and secondly management attitudes as to the role of environmental accounting in these companies. The senior executives responding to the survey suggest that they believe the environment is an important issue, and recognize the need for a business response. However, there appeared to be limited participation of the accountant in the EMS, which suggests there is a gap between the aggregate observations of this sample and literature support with respect to the role of environmental accounting. It is suggested that this might reflect a lack of understanding of the potential role accounting and the accountant could (and arguably should) play as a member of the EMS team. It is the intention of this paper to provide some input to enhance an understanding of the potential and important role accounting and the accountant could play in the EMS. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment [source] Outsourcing and Audit Risk for Internal Audit Services,CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 3 2000DENNIS H. CAPLAN Abstract Some companies now outsource their internal audit function to public accountants. Internal auditors and accounting firms disagree about the merits of outsourcing. Each type of auditor claims to provide more cost-effective services and appears to claim superior expertise. This paper uses agency theory to examine outsourcing and reconciles the outsourcing debate without resorting to differential auditor expertise. Under the assumptions that public accountants' "deep pockets" provide incentives to outsource and their higher opportunity cost provides a disincentive, we characterize the optimal employment contract with each auditor. We find that public accountants provide higher levels of testing, but possibly for a higher expected fee. This result supports both the internal auditor's claim as the lower cost provider, and the public accountant's claim of higher quality. We also find that incentives to outsource generally increase in various measures of risk, including the risk that a control weakness exists and the size of the loss that can result from an undetected control weakness. [source] Ethical evaluations and behavioural intentions of early career accountants: the impact of mentors, peers and individual attributesACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 3 2009Lisa McManus I20; M40; M41 Abstract This study examined how mentoring support, peer influence and individual attributes of early career accountants (ECA) influence their ethical evaluations and behavioural intentions. Respondents indicate that their evaluation of the seriousness of the ethical conflict is affected by the perceived standard of ethical conduct of their peers, their personal ethical orientation, the extent of ethics education at university, and gender. ECAs' evaluation of a senior colleague's unethical behaviour is affected by mentoring support and the perceived standard of ethical conduct of peers. In terms of ECAs' willingness to contact accounting professional bodies for ethical advice, the size of the accounting firm and the extent of their ethics education at university are significant factors. Furthermore, the likelihood of respondents choosing a more ethical decision is correlated with his or her individual ethical orientation and the extent of ethics education at university. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||