Business Commons^™

A Survey Of The Use And Perceptions Of Analytical Procedures, Rebecca Hutchinson

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

In order to comply with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS), auditors are required to gather sufficient, competent evidence to support their opinion concerning the amounts and disclosures in the client's financial statements. Auditors have numerous ways by which to obtain such evidence, and one whose use is continually increasing--largely due to its cost-effectiveness--is analytical procedures.

Analytical procedures (APs) are defined as "evaluations of financial information made by a study of plausible relationships among both financial and non-financial data" (SAS No. 56). For non-auditors, an example of an AP is using historic gross profit percentages to determine if the gross profit …

The Impact Of Computer-Assisted Communication Techniques On The Accounting Profession, Jennifer Ellwanger

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Computers have made a tremendous impact on society in the last twenty years. They have affected practically every aspect of life; therefore, it isn't surprising that computers have impacted the accounting profession. The computer has changed the way accountants prepare tax returns and financial statements, and has influenced every other accounting process (Khani and Zarowin, 1995). Computers may also impact the way accountants communicate with clients and their coworkers. This study examines the impact of computer technology on communication in the accounting profession.

Prior research has reported what technologies are available and which ones are being used by accountants. A …

Senior Auditors' Reaction To Premature Sign-Off By A Staff Member, Amy L. Slabaugh

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The research presented in this paper is an extension of research completed by Kaplan (1995), who examined senior auditors' reporting intentions upon discovery of premature sign-off of an audit step by a staff member. His research found that audit seniors do not always formally report the discovery of premature sign-off, even though firms have formal policies requiring such reporting (McNair 1991). In Kaplan's (1995) research, an experiment was conducted in which subjects were asked to respond to a hypothetical scenario in which an audit staff member prematurely signed off on a required audit step. His study manipulated two situational variables: …