Theoretical part writes down an audit history from the beginning till its present form, world trend and present legislation in Czech Republic. First part is also focused on definition and description of external and internal audit and their comparison. General auditing procedures for verifying financial statements are described within theoretical part too. Practical part focuses on particular auditing procedures for verifying receivables and payables which were applied by auditor for real company.

The thesis focuses on the problematic of financial statements auditing. In the first chapter historical development on auditing in highly developed countries in Europe and in the Czech Republic is characterized. The second part describes legal and ethical auditing requirements in the Czech Republic. In the third chapter auditors' procedures and techniques which are in progress from accepted contracts to issued auditors' report are explicated. The final part is focused on concrete auditors' procedures by verifying accounts receivables and inventories in a practical application in the case of two real companies.

In my thesis I evaluated and assessed the activities of auditors in relation to the ethics of behavior in terms of legislation of the Czech Republic. I focused on the published cases of misconduct of auditors and the subsequent punitive sanctions. Ethical behavior is the basis for the auditor's professionalism. In connection with the accounting scandals and falsification of accounting and audit reports, the public began to discuss - among other things - auditors' liability for fraud detection leading to distorted accounts of the entities and the principles of ethical behavior started to get into the spotlight of auditors?, which was later enshrined in legal and professional standards including Code of Ethics of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). Expectations of many users of financial statements from the auditor's report are too high and usually go up beyond what the auditor can actually verify and confirm. However, it must be acknowledged that not all auditors are sufficiently aware of their responsibilities in relation to the distortion of financial statements due to fraud or misconduct, and adequately adapt their audit procedures due to them. Certainly worth mentioning is the most visible impact of accounting scandals in the accounting and auditing profession - the fall of Arthur Andersen, one of the former "Big Five" auditing firms. Accounting profession has responded by developing and tightening ethical standards with an emphasis on the conduct of professional accountants in the public interest, not only in the interests of individual clients or employers. The role of audit in society is irreplaceable. Quality of the audits undertaken, however, ultimately depends on the auditor's discipline and education, the control of the Council Chamber and also public oversight of auditing, as well as pressure of the users of financial statements and of the representatives on the appropriateness and quality of outputs. Ethics in the auditor's work and its compliance in life are the things that determine auditor?s reputation.

Thesis is focused on comparison of two very successful professions - external and internal audit. It brings shortly view on both professions. It discusses especially review of standards, ethics rules, audit tasks and conditions for admission to profession. Primarily is thesis concentrated on conditions in Czech Republic and on ISA, because audit in Czech Republic starts abide by the International auditor's standards. Fractional part of thesis is even focused on USA standards.

The diploma thesis is being elaborated on the topic of “Marketing Audit”. The aim of this work is to implement marketing audit in the company XX. The subject of the audit is the oldest company’s product at the full- scale, i.e. general estimation of all marketing procedures. Marketing audit is a method of analysis in this diploma thesis. The results are summarized in the SWOT analysis, which was the resource for the list of recommendations for better marketing in the company. Consequently there is an estimation for a budget for further steps as well as estimated revenues. At the close I advise undergoing another audit to crosscheck accuracy of performed changes in the company.

Bakgrund: Den 1 juli år 2010 avskaffades revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag i Sverige. Diskussionerna före avskaffandet var många och det spekulerades om vilka följder detta skulle få för de små revisionsbyråerna. Efter avskaffandet finns det ingen undersökning som fastställer hur det verkligen blev, blev det som spekulanterna trodde? Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att utreda de faktiska konsekvenser som avskaffandet av revisionsplikten medfört för de små revisionsbyråerna utifrån den diskussion som föregick lagändringen. Studien ämnar kartlägga utfallet av en del av de spekulationerna som fördes fram då. Metod: För att undersöka utfallet av spekulationerna före lagändringen har en kvantitativ studie genomförts där små revisionsbyråer i hela Sverige studeras. Slutsats: Studien kommer fram till att de spekulationer som undersöktes i stor utsträckning inte infriades. De små revisionsbyråerna har inte påverkats på det sätt som de undersökta spekulationerna antydde och lagändringen har inte medfört så betydande effekter som befarades. / Background: The 1st of July 2010 the audit requirement for small business entities in Sweden was annulled. The discussions prior the annulment where many and there was speculations regarding what consequences this would have on the small audit firms. There are no studies post-annulment that establish the outcome from the amendment, did it turn out as speculated? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the actual consequences of the annulment of the audit requirement for small audit firms on basis of the discussion that preceded the amendment. The study aims to identify the outcome of some of the speculations put forward then. Method: A quantitative study has taken place to examine the outcome for small audit firms in Sweden based on the speculations prior the amendment. Conclusion: The study concludes that the speculations that where investigated largely where not fulfilled. The small audit firms have not been affected in the way that the investigated speculations suggested and the amendment have not lead to as significant effects as where feared.

There have been uncertainties to what a performance audit generates, as audit impact have an inherent causality problem. Prior studies present several factors that affect perceived audit impact, but the generalizability is low and not applicable in a Swedish context, thus this thesis contributes to the development of the existing knowledge by investigating audit impact. This thesis consists of a sample of three performance audits which are investigated through a mix methods approach with a total 23 interviews and multiple public documents, analyzed with earlier studies and theories as a benchmark. The findings indicate that audit impact is complex where several factors affect audit impact, this thesis indicated that usefulness and quality of the performance audit are the main factors that affects perceived audit impact. There are also additional effects by the performance audit that fall outside of the audit impact definition. Due to the small sample size and the fact that performance audits often are regulated by local laws one must be careful in what context these findings are solely applied in another context.

This thesis has two (2) broad objectives. The first objective is to test the impact of audit committee and internal audit (IA) function characteristics on IA contribution to the financial statement audit. The second objective is to investigate whether a negative association exists between IA contribution to the financial statement audit and audit fees. The study is conducted in a Malaysian context and focuses on the perspectives of internal auditors. There are a number of motivations for the study. In particular, previous studies have not addressed the need for a better understanding of how corporate governance mechanisms such as audit committee and IA unit attributes may affect IA contribution to the financial statement audit. Also, the results of prior studies on the link between IA contribution to the financial statement audit and audit fees are mixed and inconclusive. Furthermore, there is limited empirical evidence in this area from emerging economy countries, with relatively less developed capital markets such as Malaysia. The underlying theme throughout this thesis is that corporate governance mechanisms i.e., audit committee and IA characteristics have the potential to affect the efficiency of the IA unit thus leading to greater contribution of IA to financial statement audits. Specifically, the thesis argues that certain characteristics of audit committees such as the independence of audit committee members from the management, audit committee members' experience and knowledge in accounting, auditing and finance and their level of interactions with the chief internal auditor have the potential to increase the contribution of IA work to financial statement audits. Likewise, it is also postulated that characteristics of the IA function such as their size and prior experience of their staff in auditing are likely to improve the level of efficiency and hence, encourage greater contribution of IA to the external audit work. Finally, due to the saturation of the audit services market coupled with significant competition among public accounting firms, it is also predicted that the contribution of IA work is increasingly viewed as a potential means of improving external audit efficiency (i.e. by reducing time and effort), leading to lower audit fees. Seven (7) hypotheses are tested in this study based on Malaysian data during 2003. Data collection adopted a multi approach with three (3) key sources of data: a questionnaires survey, in-depth interviews and publicly available data from annual reports. The data collection process involved a mail survey addressed to the chief internal auditors of companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) Main Board. Five-hundred and two questionnaires (502) were mailed and a total of 101 (20.03%) responses were returned, of which 76 (17.9%) were useable. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 chief internal auditors selected from various industries which were also listed on the KLSE Main Board. Finally, publicly available data from annual reports were utilized. The study makes a number of contributions. First, it provides empirical evidence on the impact of audit committee characteristics on IA contribution to financial statement audits. In particular, the study supports a positive relationship between IA contribution to the financial statement audit and three (3) dimensions of audit committee characteristics namely the proportion of independent audit committee members, the extent of audit committee members' experience and knowledge in auditing, accounting and finance, and the frequency of meetings between the chief internal auditor and the audit committee. This suggests that a high proportion of independent audit committee members with experience and knowledge in accounting, auditing and finance is able to enhance the efficacy of the IA function and thus, encourages external auditors to rely more on the IA function. The results support the earlier predictions that more frequent meetings conducted between audit committees and the chief internal auditor leads to higher extent of IA contribution to the financial statement audit. Further, findings of this study also provides support for the positive relationship between the characteristics of the IA function, namely the size of the IA function and the proportion of staff with prior experience in auditing and IA contribution to the financial statement audit. The results suggest that internal auditors contribute more to the financial statement audit when the size of the IA function is larger and when the proportion of IA staff with prior experience in auditing is higher. Finally, the second model tests for a negative relationship between IA contribution to the financial statement audit and audit fees. However, the results did not yield a significant relationship between these two variables. Further clarifications for this result were derived from the interviews with the chief internal auditors. Specifically, it appears that any saving in time and effort due to the contribution of IA to financial statement audits may possibly be used by external auditors to expand their investigations into other more complex areas that require greater attention from them. Other findings from the interviews also suggest that audit committees play an important role as communication facilitators between the IA staff and management, especially by providing a candid forum for IA staff to express their opinions as well as supporting IA staff's recommendations based on their findings during audit investigations. Further, the leadership role of the audit committee also tends to assist the internal auditors to better communicate with management and to ensure that management will act upon the internal auditor's recommendations. In conclusion, the findings may have some implications for regulators and others concerned with establishing guidelines and listing rules pertaining to audit committee effectiveness especially in developing countries. Furthermore, this study also contributes to the literature on how an IA unit's resourcing has implications for IA contribution to the financial statement audit. While the current professional standards (i.e., ISA 610, SAS 65, and AUS 604) view IA as a substitute for external audit, such professional standards also require external auditors to evaluate the quality of IA unit before relying on the work of IA or accept the contribution of IA to the financial statement audit. As such, this study provides evidence on the potential impact that audit committees and IA units may have on such contribution of IA to the financial statement audit.

Sammanfattning Magisteruppsats i företagsekonomi, Handelshögskolan i Jönköping, VT 2012 Författare: Sigge Kleen Titel: Revisionens vara eller icke vara, Det är frågan? Bakgrund och Problem: 2010 avskaffades revisionsplikten för de minsta aktiebolagen i Sverige, syftet var att hjälpa mindre företag med kostnadsbesparingar då revisionen ansågs som betungande. För att inte förändringen skulle bli för stor för samhället valde regeringen att sätta gränsvärdena för vilka företag som fick omfattas av frivillig revision relativt lågt. Genom SoU 2008:32 kan utläsas att en trolig utveckling i EU är att gränsvärdena för vilka företag som får undantas av revisionsplikten kommer att höjas i framtiden varav frågan är hur de svenska företagen ser på denna utveckling. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att få ett klarare perspektiv på hur företagsgruppen som idag omfattas av revisionsplikt men som vid en eventuell lagändring till EUs maximala gränsvärden inte kommer att omfattas ser på revisionsplikten och revisionens roll i sin helhet. För att få en helhet i huruvida företagen kan påverkas av att bortse från revision är syftet också att undersöka hur företagets intressenter skulle ställa sig till att företaget inte längre påvisade en revision. Avgränsningar: Uppsatsen berör företag mellan dagens satta gränsvärden och EU direktivets maximala undantag. Företagen som har valts ut är belägna i en mindre stad på västkusten i Sverige. Rapporten har valt att avgränsa företagets intressenter till banker. Bankkontoren har valts ut efter samma utgångspunkt som företagen. Metod: Uppsatsens problematik har behandlats utifrån ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt, där datainsamlingen har gjorts via tio personliga intervjuer. Resultatet har sedan ställts mot referensramen med syftet att kunna besvara uppsatsens uppsatta frågeställningar. Resultat och slutsatser: Företagen var väldigt positiva till revisionsplikten och ansåg att den fyllde en viktig funktion i samhället. Företagen hyste en oro att den höga rättssäkerheten som vi idag har i Sverige skulle försämras vid ett avskaffande av revisionsplikten. Till skillnad mot den svenska utredningen SoU 2008:32 var företagen av uppfattningen att ett borttagande av revisionen skulle innebära ökade kostnader. Bland annat trodde företagen med långfristiga lån att deras upplåningskostnad skulle bli dyrare samt att deras möjligheter till utökade krediter troligen skulle försämras. Resonemanget kunde till viss del styrkas utav bankerna, men bankerna kommenterade dock att andra faktorer även hade betydelse kring fastställandet av företagens räntor. Förslag till vidare forskning: Då företagen i denna studie var betydligt positivare till revisionsplikten jämfört med studier av företag i andra EU- länder är förslag till vidare forskning att utforska varför de svenska företagen skiljer sig i sin syn på revisionspliktens betydelse. Då företagen inte är av åsikten att ett avskaffande av revisionsplikten kommer att uppfylla sitt syfte, anses det även intressant att forska kring hur man utefter svenska företag kan minska den administrativa kostnaden utan att påverka rättssäkerheten. / Abstract Master thesis in Business Administration, Jönköping International Business School, Spring 2012 Author: Sigge Kleen Title: Audit´s to be or not to be, That is the question? Background and problem: In 2010, Sweden abolished the audit requirement for smaller limited companies. The aim was to help small companies with cost savings as the audit was considered to be burdensome. In order that the change would not be too extensive for the society, the government chose to set the limits of a voluntary audit, relatively low. From SoU 2008:32 it can be deduced that a likely development in EU is that the limits on which companies may be waived by the audit´s requirement will be increased in the future. The issue is how the Swedish companies will respond to this development. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to gain a clearer perspective of how the group that today is covered by the audit requirement, but at a possible change to EU maximum limits will not be covered, looks at mandatory audit. To get a complete picture of whether companies can be affected by disregarding the audit, the aim is also to examine how the company's stakeholders would react when the company no longer shows an audit. Delimitations: The thesis refers to enterprises between today's limits for voluntary audit and the EU´s Directive for maximum exemption. The companies that have been selected are located in a small town on the west coast of Sweden. The report has chosen to limit the company's stakeholders to banks. Bank offices have been selected with the same basis as the companies. Method: The problem of the thesis has been treated from a qualitative approach, where data collection has been made by ten personal interviews. The result has then been weighed against the reference frame with the purpose to answer the questions of the thesis. Results and conclusions: The companies were very positive about the audit requirement and felt that it fulfilled an important function in the society. The companies had a concern that the high level of legal certainty that we currently have in Sweden, would be impaired by the elimination of the audit requirement. Unlike the Swedish report SoU 2008:32, companies were of the view that removal of the audit would result in increased costs. The companies with long-term loans thought that their cost of borrowing would be more expensive and that their potential for increased credit lines would likely be impaired. The reasoning was partly supported of the banks, but the banks commented that other factors also were of importance when they determined corporate interest rates. Propositions for further research: Because companies in this study were much more positive to the audit requirement in comparison with previous studies from other EU countries is a proposal for further research to examine why the Swedish companies differ in their values. As companies are not of the view that the abolition of the audit requirement will fulfill its purpose, it is considered also interesting to research how the Swedish companies can reduce the administrative costs without affecting the rule of law.

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to shed light on one part of the external auditor’s work by examining how the cooperation between external auditors and internal auditors is organized and if external auditors face a dilemma when cooperating with internal auditors. The focus will therefore be on what aspects are considered by the external auditor in the decision to cooperate with internal auditors (and to use their work), as well as how the external auditor safeguards the audit quality by maintaining an independently and professionally executed audit. Design/methodology/approach - This study was realized through a qualitative research method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with external auditors that have engagements with internal audit functions. All respondents are employed in the Big 4 and are operating in Sweden. Findings - The results of the study show that external auditors tend to use the work of internal auditors when they cooperate. To gain efficiency improvements is the main beneficial aspect the external auditors consider in the cooperation with internal auditors. The findings would suggest that some external auditors may act after self-interest more than others because if they start the cooperation and spend the time to evaluate the internal auditors’ work, they would prefer to use it. This would also indicate that the external auditors’ independence and professionalism can to some extent be compromised because there seems to be an acceptance of a certain degree of lower audit quality when using the work of internal auditors. Originality/value - The use of semi-structured interviews makes it possible to obtain deeper knowledge and complement prior studies concerning cooperation in the audit industry and how the external auditor considers different aspects in a decision-making environment.