Proefschrift Universiteit Maastricht. / Met lit. opg. - Met samenvatting in het Nederlands.

The changing accounting environment and the innovation of computer technology have altered audit techniques. Currently, more than thirty packages are used by auditors. In view of the similarities, the "Audit Command Language" (ACL), aimed at combining and extending the features of present packages, was developed. The M.B.A. thesis research presented here focuses on a feasibility study of auditing with audit package systems and on the implications for ACL. An empirical approach was used and sets of questionnaires were distributed to three hundred and one firms of various sizes and industries throughout Canada and the United States of America. The thesis presents a discussion of the costs that should be considered and the benefits that could be gained from the use of audit packages (AP's). Other benefits are discussed as well. It can be concluded from the study that there are many advantages in the adoption of the systems. AP's are more efficient than other techniques in auditing EDP records. It is desirable and feasible to develop ACL provided that the actual cost of developing and implementing it does not exceed the expected benefits and returns. The optimum cost of ACL cannot be determined here because the average cost of developing a similar package cannot be determined from this study due to insufficient data. Finally, some practical problems may be encountered. Nonetheless, these are solvable in one way or another. In conclusion, it should be feasible to develop ACL as the professional audit command language of the future. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

This study sets out to investigate the relationship between the stated and inherent auditing course objectives of selected South African universities. The need for congruence between the two is assumed. Stated auditing course objectives were established by means of a survey questionnaire to 17 South African universities. A panel of judges was used to perform an inferential analysis of 3 of these universities' related examination papers to determine their inherent course objectives. In addition, auditing practitioners were surveyed to establish what they considered desirable auditing course objectives at South African universities.

Bibliography: pages 189-203. / The pricing of audit services is a complex function of many variables. Prior research has proposed various approaches and models to identify some of these factors. This paper provides a description of one such model. Studies based on this model, or modifications of it, have been performed in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. This thesis reports the findings of a similar study of 104 companies over the period 1991- 1992 conducted in South Africa. The analysis indicates that there is an approximately linear relationship between audit fee and a company's total assets or sales. In addition, management advisory services, number of reports in addition to those required by the Companies' Act, the level of inventory and. debtors in relation to total assets and audit delay, are significant determinants of audit fees. Unlike overseas studies, audit firm size, auditor specialisation, the number of consolidated subsidiaries and audit risk as measured by gearing, liquidity and profitability do not affect the level of audit fees. Whilst the influence of auditee size and complexity have been found to be the most consistent predictors of audit fees, there is an apparent lack of consistency in other variables. These findings are largely consistent with international research and indicate a growing influence of the internationalisation of auditing practice.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Also available online.

Thesis (D.Com. .(Rekeningkundige wetenskappe))--Universiteit van Pretoria, 2005. / Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references.

This study reports the results of experiments using laboratory markets designed to test several predictions of economic behavior generated by DeAngelo's (1980, 1981) characterization of the auditor-client contractual relationship. These predictions address (1) auditor pricing behavior in the face of start-up costs and transactions costs incurred by the client when switching auditors and (2) the effect of start-up costs and transactions costs on auditor independence. The research was motivated by the recent concern expressed by policy-makers regarding the link between auditor pricing behavior and independence and the unobservability of auditor prices and independence in the naturally-occurring market. It was reasoned that, given the difficulty of obtaining data in the real world, laboratory market research would be a good "first step" in evaluating theories linking auditor pricing behavior to independence. The laboratory markets used to test the predictions were run in two stages. In the first stage, which used a sealed offer auction, subjects offered to sell an imaginary service to a computerized buyer in a series of five-auction markets, with certain payoffs. The contract prices in the first phase of the experiment were used to measure equilibrium predictions in conditions of certain payoffs. The second stage of the experiment, which tested predictions concerning independence and equilibrium prices in a world of uncertain payoffs, was identical to the first stage, except that payments were conditional on outcomes which depended on a decision rule specified by the sellers after each auction. The results of the experiments show significant decreases in independence as theoretical quasi-rents available to the incumbent seller increased. Furthermore, evidence on the relationship between lowballing and independence was inconclusive, due to the inequality of quasi-rents observed in cells where lowballing was allowed or restricted. With respect to pricing behavior, lowballing was observed in all markets where it was permitted, and increased as the theoretical quasi-rent stream increased. In addition, theoretical equilibrium price predictions under conditions of certain payoffs are weakly predictive of winning offers made by sellers. However, in settings with conditional payoffs, equilibrium predictions were not achieved in the experiment, perhaps due to design artifacts, or to the existence of an unspecified, alternative equilibrium.

M.Com. (Accounting) / Please refer to full text to view abstract