A Meta Analysis of Materiality Studies

The Supreme Court and the Public Company Accounting Oversite Board (PCAOB) has said that an amount is material if there is a substantial likelihood it will influence a reasonable investor’s judgment. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has said that an amount is material if there is a substantial likelihood it will influence a reasonable user’s judgment. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has refused to define materiality. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said that qualitative factors can make even small amounts material. Reasonable implies a consensus of opinion. This article is a meta-analysis of 31,155 materiality decisions made by 335 cohorts in 48 studies with the objective of defining what is reasonable. A cohort is a group of like individuals faced with a common materiality decision. Materiality in this study is measured as a percentage of net income. The mean threshold of materiality is 7.84% and the median is 6.81%. Both thresholds are substantially higher than the often-discussed threshold of 5.0%. A quarter of the participants in these studies set the threshold of materiality at 11.90% and the threshold for a statistically significant difference from the consensus is 17.51%. Ultimately, materiality will be decided through civil and criminal litigation. Finders of fact, usually jurors, will be asked to determine what a reasonable investor would conclude. Few jurors have the training and experience of investors, so without context, they can only guess what a reasonable investor would conclude. This study provides that context.

Auditor Evaluation and Reporting on Cybersecurity Risks

Tremendous improvements in information networking capabilities have brought with them increased security risks resulting from the deterioration of the ability of a physical layer of computer security to protect an organization's information system. As a result, audit committees have had to deal with new security issues as well as the need to understand the cyber perpetrator and ensure the proper training of employees to consider cybersecurity risks. Standard setters including the Institute of Internal Auditors and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants have issued guidance about lines of defense and reporting on an entity's cybersecurity risk management program and controls, respectively. Each of these topics is considered along with how cybersecurity guidance from COBIT, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Center for Internet Security can be mapped into five cyber infrastructure domains to provide an approach to evaluate a system of cybersecurity.

Application of Artificial Intelligence Model to Identify the Distorted Financial Statements

Distortion of financial statements is recognized as one of the most important issues in the field of accounting and auditing, which is also one of the most common issues today. In this regard, the present research was conducted, in which stock exchange information was used to investigate, predict, and model accounting distortions. For this purpose, financial performance, non-financial metrics, market-based metrics and commitment, or selection items were reviewed over a 6-year period. For collecting data of distorting companies, database of the Society of Certified Public Accountants in Iran was used and the information was analyzed using data mining methods (decision tree, neural networks, and Bayesian method). The results showed that analysis of financial statements҆ information has a high accuracy in determining and identifying the distorted financial statements. Using this information, it is possible to get better acquainted with the methods of document distortion and to take necessary measures in order to control and prevent administrative violations at national and international levels. Given frequent occurrence of these violations, artificial intelligence models can be used to identify these papers.

Motivasi Memoderasi Pengaruh Pertimbangan Pasar Kerja, Lingkungan Kerja, Personalitas terhadap Minat Mahasiswa Menjadi Akuntan Publik

The current phenomenon in Indonesia in the accounting sector is the lack of public accountants based on a statement from the Indonesian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (IAPI). The lack of interest in accounting students towards the public accounting profession is one of the results of the lack of accounting graduates becoming public accountants. Considerations of the labor market, work environment, personality and motivation are factors that influence student interest. This study will take a population, namely accounting students class 2017, Faculty of Economics, Udayana University. The samples obtained after using the Slovin method were 168 students. Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) was used as the analysis technique for this study. The results of this study prove that considerations of the job market, work environment, personality and motivation affect the interest of accounting students to become public accountants. Keywords: Considerations Labor Market; Work Environment; Personality, Motivation; Interests.

The Role of Public Accountants in Fraud Prevention and Detection in the Taxation Sector during Covid-19

Until now, there have been many cases of tax evasion that have occurred in Indonesia. Fraud is an act of deviation or omission that is intentionally carried out to deceive, or other parties suffering losses or fraud perpetrators obtaining financial benefits, either directly or indirectly. The design of this research based on literature review. Tax policy in the majority of countries was oriented towards mitigating health impacts and preventing economic pressure. Recently we have also seen other motives that various countries in the world want to achieve as Secretary-General Tax Report to G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. Quick responses through various tax relaxations came through twenty-two legal products. One of the things that is being studied is changes to VAT policy scheme. Currently, the Indonesian Institute of Certified Public Accountants is submitting an exposure draft related to the SJI. Tax incentives provided during the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to be misused. The role of Public Accountants in preventing and detecting fraud in the taxation sector can be maximized if the public accountant carries out adequate procedures in accordance with applicable auditing standards. Public accountants need to increase the independence of each individual e.g., Continuing Education Program (PPL).

Knowledge and Skills Required in Accounting Education: A Comparative Study

Accounting education should continually evolve in order to better prepare future professionals for the ever-changing needs. This study aims to ascertain the knowledge, skills and teaching methods considered to be the most important for the successful practice of Certified Public Accountants (CPA). For this purpose, we conducted a survey of 306 CPA and CPA trainees in Tunisia, focuses on four dimensions: knowledge (19 items), professional skills (22 items), technological skills (18 items), and teaching methods (12 items). Results indicated that there are significant differences among the tow subgroups responses regarding the perceived importance of such knowledge and skills. This research presents what the respondents agreed upon as being the most important in terms of knowledge, skills, and teaching methods for the accounting profession. The findings also revealed that there are a similarities and differences between the perceptions of Tunisian professionals and those of Americans and Chinese professionals.

A STUDY ON OPTIMIZATION BASED ON A FIRM LETTER CERTIFICATION CENTER

In the present work, it's difficult to meet the high quality requirement of complex and strict audit procedures for paper-based confirmations. Found on the case of Certified Public Accountants Co. Ltd of A, this thesis analyzes the structure optimization of letter and certificate center and discusses the feasibility of studying electronization of confirmation, which provides a reference clew for improving the quality of confirmation and maintaining the reliability of confirmation's program.

Management’s Undue Influence over Audit Committee Members: Evidence from Auditor Reporting and Opinion Shopping

Audit committee members must be independent of management to protect shareholder interests. While current regulations restrict audit committee members from holding management positions (i.e., affiliations), studies find that management’s preferences continue to impact audit committee decisions. This motivates analysis of independence threats beyond affiliations. We apply the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ conceptual approach to independence and examine the threat of management’s undue influence over audit committee members. Examining the relative tenure of executives and audit committee members, we find that greater management influence is associated with a lower propensity of the auditor to issue a modified going concern opinion to a distressed client. We also find that greater management influence is associated with increased opinion shopping behavior. These findings are consistent with an undue influence threat to audit committee independence. Our results extend the academic literature and inform regulatory concerns on audit committee independence.

Unearthing the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the Accounting Curriculum in Saudi Arabia - An Empirical Study

International Financial Reporting Standards, commonly known as IFRSs, are uniform accounting standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in 2001. The Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA) from 1st Jan 2016 has announced its decision to converge their National Accounting Standard with IFRS. The standards will surely be going to influence the financial system of the country. Every country has its own Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). However, an understanding is needed to evaluate the adoption and awareness of IFRS among students and academicians in Saudi Arabia. The present study attempted to examine the awareness and interest of students concerning IFRS. This study has brought some hard facts regarding IFRS convergence in Saudi Arabia. The IFRS will only be able to yield fruitful results when all stakeholders are fully aware, interested, taken into confidence, and ready to cooperate with the directives of the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA) for IFRS adaption.