مقاله انگلیسی انتخاب حسابرس با استفاده از شاخص های کیفیت حسابرسی (2018 الزویر)

In this activity, you are introduced to the auditor selection process and how indicators of an auditor’s audit quality may influence that process. You will gain an understanding of factors that can affect audit quality and apply that knowledge in a decision-making task – selecting an auditor for Bradco. The CAQ, PCAOB, IAASB, and other entities classify indicators according to how they impact audit quality. By completing the activity, you will learn to delineate how certain inputs (e.g., auditor training) may influence how an audit is conducted and certain outputs (e.g., PCAOB inspection findings) may measure or indicate whether an audit was conducted with an appropriate level of quality. The activity also demonstrates how indicators of audit quality may be used by audit committee members and company management to evaluate and select an auditor.

Introduction

Bradco, Inc. is a publicly-traded builder of custom, single-family homes in Illinois. Home builders like Bradco design and build homes to customers’ specifications.1 Every part of the construction process from pouring the concrete foundation, to cutting and attaching shingles on the roof, is performed at the building site.2 In the current year, Bradco reported revenues of $100 million and had a market value of $125 million. Two years ago, Bradco’s revenues were $35 million and its market value was $40 million. Most of this growth is the result of Bradco’s merger with one of its competitors, consistent with its strategy of increasing market share through acquisitions. To a lesser extent, growth in revenues stems from an increase in demand for homes to replace those that were destroyed or damaged during tornados that hit the Midwest about 27 months ago. Bradco plans to continue its strategy of acquiring other competitor home builders to accelerate its growth. Companies in the residential construction industry face unique accounting issues, such as cost capitalization, accounting for predevelopment costs, estimating projects’ costs-to-complete, and accruals for explicit and implied warranties. Downturns in the economy tend to negatively impact homebuilders ahead of companies in other industries.3 Bradco is not immune to these types of cyclical operating trends. While natural disasters, like the recent tornados, may increase demand for Bradco’s services, they also make it difficult to find building materials at reasonable prices. These issues, and Bradco’s strategy of acquiring competitor businesses, complicate its operations and may have an impact on the quality of its financial statements. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires financial statements of publicly-traded companies (also known as issuers), like Bradco, be audited annually by an independent auditor registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Bradco’s long-time auditor, a small public accounting firm with an audit staff of ten CPAs, recently ceased business due to the owner’s retirement. As a result, a new auditor must be hired to conduct Bradco’s annual audit. As required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), engaging an external auditor is the responsibility of Bradco’s audit committee, but input from management is not prohibited. Beyond being registered with the PCAOB, the audit committee has established several criteria for engaging the new auditor.