Impact of an official accountability audit on industrial structure adjustment:a case study of environmental regulation in China

As a unique environmental regulation in China,the official accountability audit was piloted in 2014.With a focus on prioritizing the ecological environment,officials in pilot districts have implemented economic construction,adjusted industrial structures,and promoted coordinated development between the economy and environment.The effects of implementation have garnered widespread attention from society.However,there is limited research on the impact of an accountability audit on industrial structure adjustments.Using the“Accountability Audit of Officials for Natural Resource Assets(Trial)”released in 2015 as a quasi-natural experiment,this study collected panel data from 279 cities between 2013 and 2017.It then empirically analyzed the impact mechanism and effects of the accountability audit on industrial structure adjustment using the Propensity Score Matching and Difference-in-Differences model.The research findings indicate that the accountability audit directly impacted industrial structure adjustment,promoting the upgrading of the primary industry to the secondary industry and restricting the development of the tertiary industry.In addition,the audit is beneficial for enterprise entry,but not conducive to technological innovation,and has no significant impact on foreign direct investment.This conclusion fills a gap in the existing research and provides valuable insights for policymakers.

Performance on the 2011 Certified Public Accountant （CPA） Examination for Large, Middle, and Small Historically Black Colleges and Universities （HBCUs）

There are over 100 historically black colleges and universities （HBCUs） in the United States. The majority of these HBCUs are located in the southeast section of the United States. HBCUs are a major supplier of certified public accountants （CPAs） to the profession. Therefore, the performance of candidates from HBCUs should be of interest to various constituents including educators, employers, parents, students, and other stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to provide statistical performance on the 2011 CPA examination for large, middle, and small HBCUs based upon the number of testing events taken. Taking a testing event is not the same as passing a testing event. This was the dichotomy between quantity and quality of HBCUs＇ performances. For large HBCUs, Morehouse University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University （NC A＆T）, and Tennessee State University （TSU） were cited. For middle HBCUs, Albany State University, Norfolk State University （NSU）, and North Carolina Central University （NCCU） were cited. For small HBCUs, Alcorn State University, Fisk University, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore （UMES） were cited. The dichotomy between quantity and quality is real.

Quality of Accounting Information and Internal Audit Characteristics in Nigeria

The basic goal of accounting is to provide quality accounting information that will aid reliable decision-making. The quality level of this accounting information comes from the company＇s governance practices, thereby emphasizing the importance of corporate governance in companies. Recently, following the financial crises resulting in accounting scandals, attention has been moving towards internal audit function as an important factor in the structure of corporate governance. This paper therefore examined the extent of the relationship between internal audit function and the quality of accounting information of companies. The study adopted the survey research design. The research instrument employed was questionnaire which was administered to internal auditors of the ＂Big Four＂. Linear regression analysis was employed in the analysis of the data collected with the use of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences （SPSS）. The results revealed that there is a significant relationship between the internal audit characteristics and the quality of accounting information. It was recommended that in order to provide credibility to the financial statement, there should be a law in place mandating attachment of internal auditors report to the financial statement.

Environmental Accounting Audit Decision and Firm Performance： An Empirical Investigation

The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between environmental accounting audit decision and firm＇s profitability in Nigeria. Specifically, the authors hypothesize that profitability is a determinant of company＇s decision to disclose quantitative environmental information for external audits. The population of this research is made up of both quoted and non-quoted companies. The sample size for this study was selected using the simple random sampling technique. The selected companies included companies from the following sectors： agriculture, automobile and tyre, breweries, building materials, chemical and paints, conglomerates companies, food/beverages and tobacco, construction, healthcare, industrial/domestic products, packaging, printing and publishing, textiles, petroleum marketing companies, banking, insurance, and others. A sample of 160 companies with audited final accounts for 2009 financial year was eventually selected. The binary logit regression technique was utilized as the data analysis method. The finding reveals that profitability is a positive and significant determinant in evaluating the probability that a firm includes environmental information for external audits. The study concludes that finn-specific factors may provide incentives for corporate environmentalism in Nigeria.

The Benefit of State Audit and Significance to Enhancing the Validity of Vietnamese State Budget Accounting

For achievement of common goals, state accounting is used and applied by the government for adjusting the activities of public organizations that are in compliance with the social-economic policies in the country. Indeed, public sector has been playing a pivotal role in supporting the government＇s aspirations in the development in any countries. To conduct these responsibilities, public entities have to provide valuable financial information for making the decisions. These figures will be extracted from accounting documents and reports, because accounting is a financial resources measurement of any firms. As a result, public sector accounting, also known as budget accounting, is an important tool for reflecting the governmental transactions to general statements. However, there are some limitations or errors in the public sector accounting reports. Therefore, state audit is established for checking, monitoring, and inspecting figures made from pubic accounting. Moreover, from the past to the present, very little research has been conducted to define the usefulness of public auditing to general accounting. With causes necessary for examining economic activities of any organizations, the main purpose of this paper is to identify the theory of state budget accounting, the activities, characteristics, and tasks of state audit for improving the value of accounting data in the Vietnamese public sector. This article has given five points of view as well as five solutions for enhancing the state audit.

Game analysis on the regulation of listed companies＇ accounting information-gaming between Internal Audit Department and Audit Office

Through the establishment of game model, this article formulates the intuitive and experiential understanding of regulation on listed companies＇ accounting information by using game analysis method, and from an economic point of view, it analyzes how various parameters affect Internal Audit Department＇s nonfeasance probability and Auditing Office＇s supervision probability. Hope that this article can provide a reference for regulation on accounting information.

Linking Accounting/Auditing Environment and the Remittances of Africans in Diaspora

This paper investigates empirically the link between the inflow of Diasporas remittances and the environment of accounting/auditing in 10 African countries. The result using Spearman＇s rank correlation indicates the existence of a positive relationship （correlation coefficient rs is 0.36）, but the strength of the relationship is weak （significant level of 0.05）. The quality of accounting and auditing as represented by their environment is a stimulus that could enhance the inflow of Diasporas remittances. The study therefore recommends that African countries should strategically and proactively refocus attention on developing accounting/auditing environment in order to attract reasonable volume of remittances.

The discussion on audit risk and prevention of accounting firm

This paper analyses audit quality control, brain gain, time pressure of CPA, follow-up education of auditors by firms. The reasons of audit risk rising of CPA are discussed. Based on the foregoing analysis, the author puts forward some measures about self-construction, processes and others of firms and CPA to reduce audit risk of CPA.

Analysis of the Impact of the New Financial Accounting System on the Internal Audit of Colleges and Universities

The new financial accounting system is the reorganization and refinement of the contents of the old financial accounting system, which not only maintains the basic contents of the original system, but also has its new characteristics. As far as the applications of the new accounting system are concerned, its practicability is very strong, and especially the application of the accounting in colleges and universities is very convenient. Moreover, the levels of the financial management under the new financial and accounting system are gradually improving. The purpose of this article is to explore the impact of the new financial accounting system on the internal auditing work in colleges and universities, hoping that this research will be helpful to the related auditing work in colleges and universities in the future.

从“Audit”的误译重新审视审计本质和审计分类——由审计署审计报告和五年规划想到的

2003年年中,审计署以前所未有的广度和深度披露了审计报告并公布了五年规划,在全国范围内掀起了一场审计风暴,触发了人们对审计本质与审计分类的重新定位和深入思考。本文正是以此为契机,从对Audit的误译入手,追本溯源,探因究理,以期对审计定位和发展趋势进行一种崭新的理论探索。

Accounting Scandals:Beyond Corporate Governance

Accounting scandals are becoming perpetual in nature.They range from the ancient Mesopotamia,to the South Sea Bubble of 1720,to the famous Enron of 2001,down to Parmalat,Tesco,and Toshiba of today.The series of accounting scandals that have occurred in the last two decades calls for a greater concern by the accounting profession.The accounting scandals that have occurred in this 21st century alone have shown that there is a need to look beyond corporate governance in the fight against financial deception.In this paper,we argue that even in the face of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act(SOA)of 2002 and other regulations around the world that are targeted towards effective corporate governance,accounting scandals have never ceased to occur.Most of the legislations that have been passed in recent times were targeted at corporate governance,forgetting the crucial role that audit plays within the agency relationship.And whenever there is any revelation of fraudulent financial reporting,investors do not ask who are the directors,but the first question they ask is who are the auditors?Hence,there is a need to improve audit quality by approaching it from a forensic accounting perspective in order to reduce the incidence of financial statement frauds in this era of information revolution,thus restoring investors’confidence back in the financial reporting process and corporate governance.In this paper,we propose a forensic accounting paradigm as a viable option for reducing accounting scandals,since this will compliment corporate governance systems.

Palmer&Harvey:A Case of Governance and Audit Failure

Palmer&Harvey(P&H)is a recent example of a UK corporate failure which raises questions about current corporate governance practice,the quality and integrity of audit reporting,and the“sugar coating”of Annual Reports.P&H is but one example of UK firms currently struggling to survive,or failing.The paper presents some details about the P&H case,and then considers questions about corporate governance practice,and whether it is designed to truly safeguard the interests of stakeholders;it raises questions about conventional audit reporting,and whether it is too limited in its analysis and reporting.The paper recommends a strengthening of corporate governance guidelines and practice within the terms of the current Financial Reporting Council(FRC)review,and a wider adoption of forensic accounting practice and reporting,in part taking account of the impact of behavioural factors in management practice.A wider study is proposed to take this analysis and discussion further.

Big Data, Data Analytics and External Auditing

Big Data and Data Analytics affect almost all aspects of modern organisations’decision-making and business strategies.Big Data and Data Analytics create opportunities,challenges,and implications for the external auditing procedure.The purpose of this article is to reveal essential aspects of the impact of Big Data and Data Analytics on external auditing.It seems that Big Data Analytics is a critical tool for organisations,as well as auditors,that contributes to the enhancement of the auditing process.Also,legislative implications must be taken under consideration,since existing standards may need to change.Last,auditors need to develop new skills and competence,and educational organisations need to change their educational programs in order to be able to correspond to new market needs.

Lessons from ＂Audit Storm＂ in China

The phenomenon of ＂Audit Storm＂ in China shows that transparency in government audit has been improved and increasing attention from the public has been paid to it, as government auditing and the mass media in China make joint effort to become a powerful source of supervision of government financial administration. Lessons drawn from Audit Storm show that more need to be done to systematically ensure public accountability in China, including improving the independence of China National Audit Office （CANO）, strengthening the manning of Chinese National People＇s Congress （NPC） and Ministry of Finance （MoF）, improving NPC and MoF joint cooperation with CNAO, insisting on more transparency in public funds allocation and management, the introduction of an effective responsibility system, and so on.

An Investigation into the Reorganization of the Big Four and the Consolidation of the Accounting Industry

The Big Four is the name given to the top four professional consultancy firms of the world namely Pw C(Price Waterhouse Coopers), KPMG, Ernst and Young and Deloitte. These firms provide audit, accounting, taxation, financial and other professional consultancy to the clients(being businesses and companies). The paper discusses the reasons for the formation of the Big Four and the future aspects of the big four. It was found that the current market structure and the existing status of the Big Four will not change in the near future and there is near to impossible chances of new entrants in the auditing and accounting markets because of barriers to entry established by the Big Four in the existing market.

从auditability的法理涵义看审计如何把权力关进制度的笼子

首先从"rule"的转型带来社会对政府权力需求的变换出发,认为政府当前要建设服务型、法治型、回应型三种权力;再通过剖析新"rule"形势下accounting到accountability的变化,阐述针对三种权力建设而引致的三种制约权力需求理论,即权力寻租需求、信息不对称需求和规模经济需求;最后创造性地提出auditability的概念,站在auditability角度分析如何满足制约权力的三种需求,并提出发挥以上作用的思路。

Forensic Accounting： A Checkmate for Corporate Fraud

Forensic accounting gained importance due to increasing number of financial frauds and scams. This new area in accounting encompasses accounting, auditing, and investigative skills, thus emerged to detect frauds. They involve themselves in different areas like employee-related frauds, settlement and arbitrations, etc.. A forensic accountant has a financial sixth sense. Despite the fact that forensic accounting can bridge the gap between conventional accounting and auditing, this profession has not been able to gain the needed momentum due to some hassles. This paper tries to shed light on the theoretical concept, nature, practice, need, role of forensic accounting in preventing fraud, and the practical difficulties faced by forensic accountants. The study is based on information collected from interviewing practicing forensic accounting in India during 2011-12. The paper was able to assess the importance and rising scope of forensic accounting as a job. It also understood the practical difficulties they faced like lack of organized databases in Indian scenario which makes it difficult to access all needed information. Expectation level of the clients is very high and at times even unreasonable. This paper fulfills an identified need to study the important rising field of forensic accounting in India.

AUDITOR'S ROLE IN AN EVER CHANGING BANKING INDUSTRY WITH REFERENCE TO BANK OF CREDIT AND COMMERCE INTERNATIONAL (BCCI)AND BANK OF CREDIT AND COMMERCE HONG KONG(BCCHK)CASES

Over the past decade the world banking industry has grown significantly and this has led to increasing sophistication and complexity in its practices.The industry has been affected by changes in the way in which it is regulated and supervised,by changes in the nature of its products,by the way in which individual bank manages its own affairs and controls its assets and by the way in which it accounts to the outside world for its activities.These changes have probably been of more significance than those experienced in any other industry over the past few years.Hong Kong which is one of the foremost financial centres of the world,has experienced all of these changes,probably to a greater extent than most other parts of the world.Hong Kong is one of the world’s major international banking centres and has a thriving domestic banking community.There is a need to review our banking practices and their accounting and auditing implications.The BCCI and BCCHK events happened in mid—1991 should trigger us to further reassess the role of auditor(both external and internal)in this ever changing and fast moving industry in co—operation with local authorities such as the Banking Commission,Department of Monetary Affairs and Security Commission.A number of investigations and articles on the role of bank auditors have been done and written,these include the study of challenges faced by bank auditors in today’s environment (Seidman,1987),the examination of the changing role of the bank audit committee(Haugh and Bradley,1987)and new risks faced by bank auditors (Clark,1987).In this paper,we will try to identify some of the common problems which might have caused the banking crisis.We will examine the role of auditor and try to establish the responsibilities of auditor when performing an audit task in a banking environment with the view to reducing the chance of the crisis happening again,if not eliminated completely.The regulatory body will still be the Banking Commission,while auditor will assume a supporting role in the banking monitoring and reguatory functions.

Accounting and Corporate Governance Literature Review in Hellas 1991-2017

The purpose of this paper is to examine and review the literature regarding Corporate Governance and Delisting in Hellas – Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), Hellas has different characteristics from other Continental Europe countries (such as Italy, Spain) and that is why is an interesting case to investigate, This literature review gathers all relevant, reliable and timely information and could help researchers in order to exploit gaps in the empirical literature and focus there their research, In addition, this report is beneficial to market participants (i,e, individual and potential investors, both foreign and domestic) in order to reach more reliable conclusions and market decisions.

Forensic Accounting and Fraud： Capability and Competence Requirements in Malaysia

The 2011 Global Economic Crime Survey instituted by PricewaterhouseCoopers （PwC） confirms the economic crime in Malaysia to be on the increase and, therefore, requires immediate attention to stem the tides. In anticipation of the challenges occasioned due to a shift from the modified cash basis to the accrual basis of accounting, the Malaysian State＇s determination to move from a developing nation to a developed nation, and to be ranked among the first 10 in 2020, this paper presents the need for forensic accountant and auditor capability （i.e., mindset and skills） on forensic accountant and auditor competence （i.e., task performance fraud risk assessment （TPFRA）） in the Malaysian public sector. It also draws the attention of the users of public sector accountants and auditors to the understanding of fraud mechanisms and how to deal with fraudsters. The population of this study comprised the accountants and auditors in the office of the Accountant General and Auditor General of Malaysia. The objective of this paper is to investigate the competence requirements of accountants and auditors in the effective and efficient utilization of capability requirements, which have the potentials to usher in the best global practices in fighting fraud in the Malaysian public sector.