Some empirical evidence on the relationship between Quarterly GPPA earnings, historical cost earnings, and cash flow data

Bibliography: p.[17]

Preliminary evidence on the descriptive and predictive properties of GPPA earnings data in the airlines industry / BEBR no. 711

Title page includes summary.Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-30)

A study of the Illinois requirements for practicing public accounting and analysis of proposed changes of the law

Includes bibliographical references.The primary purpose of legislation to control the function of public accounting is to preserve and enhance the public health and welfare. In 1903, Illinois sought to do this by enacting its first law regulating public accounting. This first law has since been amended, supplemented, and supplanted by succeeding legislation so that now a fairly comprehensive set of requirements exists. In an attempt to alter these requirements, the Independent Accountants Association of Illinois has offered several proposals for change to the Illinois Legislature. Illinois House Bill 1137 represents the latest and most ambitious attempt to date. This study (1) traced the history of the requirements to practice public accounting in Illinois, (2) presented and analyzed the current law regulating public accounting, and (3) outlined and examined the ideas set forth in Illinois House Bill 1137. With these observations in mind, one purpose of this paper was to determine whether or not the present law adequately provides for the public welfare. Another purpose was to evaluate the proposals presented in House Bill 1137 to determine their value concerning society's well-being. The main sources of secondary research consisted of library readings and current literature. Primary research included consultation of persons knowledgeable in the area of past and current public accounting legislation. From the research conducted in this study, the following observations concerning the current law were drawn: 1. The definition of the function of public accounting as contained in the present law does not include many of the functions that a public accountant performs. 2. The law does not provide for a minimum set of educational and experience requirements for other than the attest function of public accounting. 3. The present law does not require continuing education on the part of the public accountant. 4. The present legislation lacks consistency with the laws of other states. Legislation similar to Illinois House Bill 1137 would not be in the public interest for the following reasons: 1. Legislation of this type would create confusion in the public's mind because persons with different levels of proven competence and different titles would offer the same services to the public. 2. It would allow persons to provide services which they were formerly prohibited from performing without demanding increased skill, knowledge, or experience. 3. The definition of the function of public accounting does not encompass all the functions of public accounting. 4. The examination provided for by the Bill would be a meaningless test for competence. In addition the study resulted in the submission of these following recommendations: 1. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Society of Public Accountants should work together to draft model legislation. 2. The legislation should define all functions of public accounting thus providing regulatory safeguards for all of the services offered to the public by such accountants. 3. Requirements for auditors performing the attest function should be similar to the Illinois requirements. Control over other functions of public accounting should be provided for by a set of less stringent educational and experience requirements.M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration

A Guide for CFOs for Dealing with Fraud

“…the Auditing Standards Board adopted Statement on Auditing Standard (SAS) No. 82, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit…But who is really responsible for detecting and preventing fraud? … We submit that those inside the firm—including the CFO—should take primary responsibility for protecting the entity’s assets. These insiders’ goals are more focused on the entity’s success, and they are in a better position to evaluate the risks of fraud and to take steps to prevent it. In this article, we identify the fraud risks and signals that management should recognize, and the actions they should take to prevent and deter fraud.” (p.45

Three\u27s a crowd: An examination of state statutes and court decisions that narrow accountant liability to third parties for negligence

The last 30 years have witnessed a surge in litigation against public accounting firms. Accounting firms and the profession itself have taken a proactive stance to mitigate the effects of litigation. One step taken has been to mount a campaign aimed at legal reform that would level the playing field upon which liability claims are resolved. Despite the passage of recent federal reform legislation, however, accountants have continued to confront significant liability from cases based on state tort theories, especially negligence. The positive signal for accountants, however, is that a trend has emerged at the state level, both legislatively and judicially, toward a narrower scope of accountant liability to nonclients for negligence. This article outlines and analyzes state court decisions and statutes that have slowed or reversed the expansion of accountant liability to third parties for negligence. Also, this trend is examined in light of the varying legal standards used by the states in determining which third parties have a right to sue accountants for negligent misrepresentation

The internal auditor as fraud-buster

External auditors are often not positioned to detect and report the occurrence of employee fraud. Internal auditors, however, can be an entity\u27s main line of defence against fraud. In this article, the authors identify: the fraud risks and signals that internal auditors should recognize, the assistance that internal auditors can provide external auditors in implementing SAS No. 82 and complying with Title III of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, and the affirmative steps internal auditors can take to prevent, deter, detect, and report fraud. The future is not promising, however. All three aspects of the fraud model - pressure, opportunity, and rationalization - appear to be moving in the direction of increasing the risk of fraud. The potential for increased fraud demands a sharpened focus by the internal auditor