<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between non-audited and audited sustainability reports and in that way indicate the significance of auditing to the contents of a sustainability report. The study was delimited to include three companies that create sustainability reports according to GRI guidelines, and also have changed from non-audited to audited reports.</p><p>The study is an exploratory study where we started from companies that follow GRI's standard and who have changed from being non-assured to assured and certified. In order to examine any differences we have started out from corporate sustainability reports and with the basis of these latter gather those changes which may have occurred during the changeover. We therefore chose to conduct a literature review on each company's non-audited sustainability reports and compare them with each company's audited and certified sustainability reports. Furthermore our study has been made on the basis of an assessment model based on the concepts of materiality, completeness and comparability.</p><p>The study showed that the audited sustainability reports in all companies were more focused and more detailed about the aspects GRI established for the performance indicators. The study also revealed that the audited sustainability report in one of the studied companies had more neutral image on managing and supporting the positive qualities that exist in the waste products and wastes. The study also showed that the audited sustainability report of another of the studied companies, unlike the non-audited, contained information about problems and indirect effects of the business. In further another company appeared to increase the comparability of the audited sustainability report. The summary conclusion of the study was that the differences that emerged between the non-audited and the audited sustainability reports showed that the audit had significance for the contents in the sustainability report regarding to materiality and partly for the completeness and comparability.</p>

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between non-audited and audited sustainability reports and in that way indicate the significance of auditing to the contents of a sustainability report. The study was delimited to include three companies that create sustainability reports according to GRI guidelines, and also have changed from non-audited to audited reports. The study is an exploratory study where we started from companies that follow GRI's standard and who have changed from being non-assured to assured and certified. In order to examine any differences we have started out from corporate sustainability reports and with the basis of these latter gather those changes which may have occurred during the changeover. We therefore chose to conduct a literature review on each company's non-audited sustainability reports and compare them with each company's audited and certified sustainability reports. Furthermore our study has been made on the basis of an assessment model based on the concepts of materiality, completeness and comparability. The study showed that the audited sustainability reports in all companies were more focused and more detailed about the aspects GRI established for the performance indicators. The study also revealed that the audited sustainability report in one of the studied companies had more neutral image on managing and supporting the positive qualities that exist in the waste products and wastes. The study also showed that the audited sustainability report of another of the studied companies, unlike the non-audited, contained information about problems and indirect effects of the business. In further another company appeared to increase the comparability of the audited sustainability report. The summary conclusion of the study was that the differences that emerged between the non-audited and the audited sustainability reports showed that the audit had significance for the contents in the sustainability report regarding to materiality and partly for the completeness and comparability.

Business organizations disclose financial Information to a wide range of audiences through the medium of audited financial statements. Distinct classes of readers come in contact with these statements—each reader possessing varying degrees of financial expertise. Readers as "semantic reactors" develop their own expectations and interpretations of the messages management and the auditor are attempting to convey. In the process, many readers look upon the auditor's report as a "symbol" or seal of approval. The purposes of this study were to assess the role that communication theory plays In the auditor's attestation, to examine the perceived communication effects of the expanded auditor's certificate versus the current auditor's certificate, and to recommend ways in which communication problems can be dealt with more effectively. It was concluded that a communication problem does exist in relation to the auditor's report, and communication theory can play a distinctive role in reducing the magnitude of this problem. The profession should continue to seek answers as to the proper role of the auditor and management in relation to audited financial statements, as well as to settle the question concerning whom the statements are intended to serve.

This paper investigates whether the audited financial statements of US independent school districts affect the districts' public provision of education services. Exploiting an increase in the regulatory threshold that exempts the school districts from preparing audited financial statements after 2015, I compare the newly exempted school districts with those that have never been exempted and those that have always been exempted. I find that the newly exempted school districts experience deteriorating financial and academic performance, population outflows, housing price decreases, and shrinking local tax revenues after the threshold increase. The evidence suggests that audited financial statements enhance the functioning of school districts.

證期會於民國九十一年十一月十四日公布「公開發行公司公開財務預測資訊處理準則」，該準則中規定已公開財務預測之公開發行公司，於年度終了後一個月內須公告申報預計損益表之達成情形並說明差異原因。而且若與嗣後經會計師查核之稅前損益間之差異超過一定門檻時，亦須一併公告差異金額及原因。 本研究預期，公司為了聲譽、股價、融資受阻及溝通成本等原因，可能不希望自結損益與查核損益差異過大。另外，公司管理當局為了避免上述差異超過門檻，在公告自結損益前可能洽請審計人員進行財務報表初查或過目自結損益表；而審計人員也可能為了避免查核時調整事項過多，造成與客戶間的衝突，亦可能希望客戶在公告自結損益前能先洽請審計人員進行初查或過目自結損益表。因此，實施自結損益規定可能造成審計人員先前涉入公司之自結損益。 本研究以四大會計師事務所之合夥會計師九名及資深審計經理六十六名為對象，採取實驗的方式，探討實施自結損益規定對審計人員審計判斷的影響。並進一步探討審計人員先前涉入公司自結損益的普遍程度，及此一情形對審計人員審計判斷的影響 實驗結果顯示實施自結損益的規定的確會使得審計人員普遍先前涉入公司自結損益；審計人員調整應計損失的幅度比實施前小，尤其在其有先前涉入公司自結損益的情形下，更為明顯；且發現因設有重大差異標準而造成的門檻效果。換言之，依本研究結果推論，實施公告自結損益規定會影響審計人員的專業判斷，壓縮審計人員調整損益的空間。 / This thesis experimentally examines the effects of a regulation on audit judgments. In November 2002, the Securities and Futures Commission announced a new measure requiring listed companies that have made their financial forecast to the public to release within a month after the year end their income statements (hereafter called “pre-announced earnings”) and explain the discrepancy from the forecasted earnings. This new measure requires that the above listed companies release their earnings information earlier than the deadline for filing audited financial statements (hereafter called “audited earnings”) by three months, aiming to ask the listed companies to provide more timely information to investors. It also sets some threshold beyond which the companies and auditors are required to explain the discrepancy. The threshold dictates, among others, that the differences between the pre-announced earnings and audited earnings cannot exceed 20 percent of pre-announced earnings. The current study predicts that due to the consideration of reputation, communication costs, and stock price reaction, companies will have incentives to keep the difference, if any, between the pre-announced earnings and audited earnings within the limit. The auditors will also have similar incentives to do so to avoid the loss of clients, and communication costs. In doing so, the companies will ask auditors to involve in the process prior to pre-announcing earnings (hereafter called “pre-announcement process”), which will help narrow down the difference between pre-announced earnings and audited earnings. This study recruits 66 senior managers and nine partners from Big 4 firms to participate in an experiment in which they make audit judgment as to the adjustment required for a client’s allowance for bad debts. They are also required to generalize the client’s case to the listed companies as a whole and make similar judgments. Their perception on the extent to which auditors’ involvement in the pre-announcement process is also solicited. The data based on the experiment are used to examine the following hypotheses: H1: The adjustments required by auditors will be smaller after this new regulation than before the new regulation. H2: The degree to which auditors are involved in the pre-announcement process will be high. H3: The adjustment required by auditors will be smaller when auditors are involved in the pre-announcement process than when they are not. The results show that the adjustment required by auditors is smaller after the new regulation than before the new regulation. But the difference is not statistically significant (p = 0.133). When generalizing the client’s case to the listed companies as a whole, the difference becomes marginally significant (p = 0.074). Thus, H1 is not supported. The auditors perceive that the extent to which auditors will be involved in the process prior to pre-announcement is significantly higher than 7 on a 1-9 scale (p = 0.002), supporting H2. The results also indicate that auditor’s prior involvement in the pre-announcement process has a significant effect on the required adjustment no matter it is a specific or general case (p < 0.001). Thus H3 is supported. Combining these findings suggests that the new regulation has an effect on constraining auditors in requiring adjustments to their client’s accounting estimates to the extent that the threshold permits. This new regulation therefore poses a trade off between relevance (timeliness) and reliability (representational faithfulness) of accounting information. Meanwhile, the role of auditors in attesting financial statements may also be adversely affected.

This article presents the perception of audited on internal audit practices in a credit union. The aim of this study was to analyze the perception of audited on the practices of internal audit in a credit union and check through the perceptions of the audited personal characteristics and aspects of internal audit of the organization sectors. The methodology used for the development of the research was exploratory followed by a case study with use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Data collection took place through a semi-structured interview applied to the organization’s employees in the study. According to the survey results, was obtained different perceptions of internal audit in accordance with each aspect analyzed, this is also justified by the fact of being applied in different parts of the organization. Thus the expansion of knowledge in the practice of internal audit serves as support for planning and improvement in organizational processes as well as the feedback from this survey that was presented to their managers. / Este artículo presenta la percepción de los auditados con respecto a las prácticas de auditoría interna en una Cooperativa de crédito. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la percepción de las personas auditadas sobre las prácticas de la auditoría interna en una cooperativa de crédito y verificar, a través de las percepciones de los auditados, sus características personales y los aspectos de la auditoría interna en los sectores de la organización. La metodología utilizada fue la investigación exploratoria seguida de un estudio de caso, usando métodos cualitativos y cuantitativos. La recolección de datos se hizo a través de una entrevista semi-estructurada aplicada a los colaboradores de la organización en estudio. De acuerdo con los resultados de la investigación, se obtuvieron diferentes percepciones según cada aspecto analizado, esto también se justifica por el hecho de ser aplicado en diferentes sectores de la organización. De esta manera, se amplía el conocimiento de las prácticas de auditoría interna, lo cual sirve de apoyo para la planificación y mejora de los procesos organizacionales, así como de feedback para esta investigación que fue presentada para los directivos. / Este artigo apresenta a percepção dos auditados sobre as práticas de auditoria interna em uma Cooperativa de Crédito. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a percepção dos auditados sobre as práticas da auditoria interna em uma cooperativa de crédito e verificar através das percepções dos auditados suas características pessoais e os aspectos da auditoria interna entre setores da organização. A metodologia utilizada para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa foi exploratória seguida de um estudo de caso, com uso dos métodos qualitativo e quantitativo. A coleta de dados deu-se por meio de uma entrevista semiestruturada aplicada aos colaboradores da organização em estudo. De acordo com os resultados da pesquisa, obteve-se diferentes percepções de auditoria interna de acordo com cada aspecto analisado, isto também se justifica pelo fato de ser aplicado em diferentes setores da organização. Desta maneira a ampliação do conhecimento sob as práticas da auditoria interna serve de apoio para o planejamento e melhoria nos processos organizacionais assim como o feedback desta pesquisa que foi apresentado para seus gestores.