SUMMARY: The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (hereafter, PCAOB) to oversee audits of public companies. When violations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or PCAOB rules are found, the PCAOB may impose sanctions as severe as revoking a firm’s registration or barring a person from participating in audits of public companies. This paper describes the PCAOB enforcement actions issued through 2008. We examine characteristics of the disciplined firms, their PCAOB inspections, the related issuer clients, and the circumstances that resulted in the disciplinary proceedings. Consistent with prior research, we find that firms with issues rising to the level of disciplinary action generally have longer inspections and more audit deficiencies than firms with inspection deficiencies not resulting in sanctions. Disciplined firms also tend to have fewer partners, audit more SEC issuers, and have clients that are smaller and less financially sound.

SUMMARY: We present a timely practice-oriented case related to the inspection process of registered firms by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). This case allows auditing students an opportunity to explore the unique challenges that public accounting firms auditing U.S. public companies face with respect to the PCAOB inspection process. The case focuses on large and small registered firms (inspected annually and triennially, respectively) receiving an inspection report where the PCAOB identified certain matters considered to be audit deficiencies of such significance that the inspection team believed the audit firm did not obtain sufficient competent evidential matter to support the auditor’s opinion. The case exposes students to the PCAOB inspection process, highlights many deficiencies noted to date by the PCAOB inspectors, and emphasizes the importance of sufficient and appropriately documented audit evidence to support audit opinions. By reviewing ‘deficient’ inspection reports, students gain an appreciation for common audit deficiencies as well as the subjective nature of portions of the authoritative literature and the inspection process itself. The case reinforces students’ understanding of the practical matters involved in appropriately obtaining, evaluating, and documenting audit evidence, as well as educates students on the PCAOB inspection process in order to address important competencies required of Sarbanes-Oxley era audit professionals.

SYNOPSIS: This paper addresses human capital (HC) challenges facing the public company auditing profession. In my opinion, the HC challenges facing the profession make it less likely that the profession can effectively serve the interests of the investing public in the future, and I believe that we must consider fundamental changes to our educational model if these challenges are to be adequately addressed.In the sections below, I consider the quantity and quality of accounting graduates, the quantity and quality of new accounting and auditing faculty, and a potential educational solution to the HC challenges facing the profession. To the extent possible, I cross-reference my identification of HC challenges to the Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession’s discussion outline (see http://www.treas.gov/offices/domestic-finance/acap/agendas/outline-10-15-07.pdf). I hope that these comments will provide useful input to the Advisory Committee’s deliberations and will promote additional analysis and debate regarding the future of the auditing profession.

SUMMARY: After several high-profile frauds involving related-party transactions, regulators have raised questions as to whether current auditing standards remain appropriate. In this study, we examine 43 SEC enforcement actions against auditors related to the examination of related-party transactions. We conclude that the audit failures in these fraud cases were more the result of a lack of auditor professional skepticism and due professional care than any deficiency in current auditing standards. In other words, revised auditing standards would likely not have prevented these auditing failures, raising questions about the need for auditing standard revision for related-party transactions at this time. Despite this finding, we conclude with some suggestions to improve the auditing of related-party transactions, such as including the discussion of related-party transaction abuse during SAS No. 99 mandated fraud awareness “brainstorming” sessions.

SYNOPSIS: Professions such as law, medicine, and engineering have long used faculty internships as a means for educators in these professions to remain current on developments and practices in their respective areas of expertise. Changes in the auditing profession in the last decade have been significant. It is imperative that auditing faculty personally engage in the profession to whatever extent possible to understand how these changes have impacted practice. The purpose of this paper is to describe a faculty internship in auditing and to discuss the benefits of the internship for the academy and the firm.