Faculty of Business & Enterprise
Accounting, Economics, Finance and Law
ACC 80003
Major Assignment
© Swinburne University of Technology, 2014
Except as provided in the Copyright Act 1968, this document may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the University.
ACC 80003 Company Auditing
S2, 2014 Essay (to be done IN PAIRS)
Essay Topic:
“…the lack of appropriate application of professional skepticism appears to have occurred in some instances because auditors allowed their confidence or trust in management to cause them to accept representations rather than sufficiently test them…” (PCAOB 2012, p.37).
Professional scepticism is an attitude that includes a questioning mind, being alert to conditions which may indicate possible misstatement due to error or fraud, and a critical assessment of audit evidence. Using one real world case write an essay on: (i) the role of the auditor relates to extent of trust (and distrust) that should be place on management and (ii) any deficiencies the auditor exhibited (in your chosen sample company/business) in the service provided.
Essay Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is twofold:
• to use a real world case to demonstrate an understanding of the auditing concepts covered in the unit; and
• to demonstrate capability in academic essay writing.
Essay requirements:
• The essay is to be written in the style of a formal (ie. academic) essay. For further information on formal essay writing please refer to: o Fleet, W., Summer, J. & Smith, B. 2006, Communication Skills Handbook for Accounting, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Milton, Queensland.
• You MUST ONLY refer to quality/credible references – that is research published in: scholarly accounting and business journals; government and accounting/auditor firm websites &/or textbooks. The quality of journals can be assessed by reference to the Australian Council of Business Deans (ABDC)
2010 journal rankings (A*, A, B, C in order of declining quality) in the Assessment folder in Blackboard. o Examples of UNacceptable references include:
? Wikipedia; Investopedia; Webpages; Lecture notes…
• You MUST use the Harvard system of referencing. For further information on the Harvard system of referencing please refer to: o Fleet, W., Summer, J. & Smith, B. 2006, Communication Skills Handbook for Accounting, John
Wiley & Sons Australia, Milton, Queensland.
o Swinburne University of Technology, 2013, Harvard Style Guide: In-text references, Reference lists and Bibliographies [online], accessed 4 August 2014, available: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/lib/studyhelp/harvard-quick-guide.pdf.
• You must not use any direct quotes.
• Essay must be formatted as follows: o 1.5 line spacing; o Font: Times New Roman 12 point
o Margins: Top, Bottom, Left & Right all 2.54cm.
• You are required to submit both an electronic copy of your essay (using Turnitin) and a hardcopy of your essay: o Unless both the electronic copy and the hardcopy are received, your essay will not be marked and you will receive a score of zero (0).
o Clearly indicate which tutorial group you are from (Tutor’s name and tute day/time).
• Word Limit: 2,000 (+/- 10%) – excluding appendices (if used) and reference list.
• Due Date: Please refer to your unit outline.
• Weighting: 20% towards your final grade in this unit.
• A good guide to academic essay writing can be found at:
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/general/academic/index.xml
Things to note about academic essay writing:
• Academic writing should be dispassionate.
• Determine whether the parameters of the assignment require an opinion – opinions aren’t appropriate in this essay.
• The language used should be academic.
o Do not use casual language (eg. that said; having said that; in saying so; the fact is; it is obvious);
o Do not use emotive language (eg. engaged in reckless spending); o Do not include judgemental comments (eg. greed had taken over); o Do not use hyperboles (eg. in most cases; it is obvious; we all know).
• Do not ask questions (eg. Why are auditors to blame?) • If formatting specifications are provided, use them:
o Times New Roman 12pt font;
o 1.5 line spacing; o 2.54cm margins.
• If told to use quality academic references, do so:
o Not everything in EBSCOhost is an acceptable academic source; o Not all journals are equally credible – that’s why there are journal rankings; o Journal access is freely available through the Swinburne library website.
• If told to submit both an electronic copy and a hardcopy, do so.
• An essay does not have a Table of Contents, an Executive Summary or Recommendations.
• Full stops go at the end of a sentence (after the citation’s parentheses).
• One sentence does not constitute a paragraph.
• Putting one citation at the end of a paragraph is inadequate:
o Restructure your paragraphs so that the reference is cited early, and it is clear if the remainder of the paragraph is sourced from the same reference.
• A reference list is not the same as a bibliography.
• Reference lists must be presented in alphabetical order – not the order you have referred to them in your essay.
• Proofread your essay prior to submission:
o Check in-text citations against reference list entries; o Do a spell check (check firm names: Andersen not Anderson);
o Have someone who is proficient in English read your essay (family member, friend, flat mate, fellow student, Swinburne Academic Skills Advisor etc.).
• Complete your essay in time to generate a Turnitin report:
o First reports can take 24 hours; subsequent reports can take up to 48 hours; o Matched content must be specifically assessed by you to determine whether it has been appropriately cited in your essay;
o If the matched content is not appropriately cited in your text, the matched content represents plagiarised content;
o Please be aware that plagiarism constitutes academic misconduct, punishable under Swinburne’s Student Academic Misconduct Regulations 2012.
Marking Rubric for the Major Assignment:
MARKING
Criteria: Not Pass Pass
50-59%
Credit
60-69% Distinction 70-79% High Distinction 80-100% Mark
Professional
presentation
Did not meet
criteria.
Essay not proofread. (0– 9.5) Minimum
req’ments are met for:
• Spelling
• Grammar & expression
• Essay structure.
(10 – 12.5) A number of errors
in:
• Spelling
• Grammar & expression
• Essay structure.
(13 – 14.5) Minor errors in: • Spelling
• Grammar & expression
• Essay structure
(15 - 17) Professional standard for: • Spelling
• Grammar & expression
• Essay structure
(17.5 – 20)
Quality of
Introduction Did not meet
criteria. Doesn’t make
sense. (0 – 2) Introduction doesn’t set a clear context for the body
of the essay.
(2.5 - 3) Introduction sets a clear context for the body of the essay.
(3.5) Introduction sets a very clear context for the body of the essay.
(4 – 4.5) Introduction provides a clear context and structure for the body of the essay.
There is clear evidence
the essay is planned.
(5)
Quality of response to essay task Did not meet
criteria.
Poor grasp of unit content
(0-17) Response indicates a low level grasp of the unit. Use of
case is minimal. (17.5 – 22.5) Response indicates a good grasp of the unit. Case is well used. (23-26) Response indicates a very good grasp of the
unit. Case is well chosen and used.
(26.5– 29.5) Response indicates an excellent grasp of the unit. Case is well
chosen and used.
(30 – 35)
Quality of
Conclusion Did not meet
criteria.
Unclear
(0 – 2) Conclusion is vague and not
tied back to what was discussed. (2.5 – 3) Conclusion vaguely alludes to the topic being addressed, without
elaboration.
(3.5) Conclusion restates topic and indicates generally how this
has been
answered.
(4 – 4.5) Conclusion links the case with the topic. The topic is specifically referred to, and the reader is in no doubt the topic has been addressed. (5)
Quality of referencing Did not meet
criteria.
No journal articles from
the ABDC
list
cited in
essay.
(0 – 17) Maximum of 3 academic references cited (incl. 1 journal
article);
AND…
There is evidence the student has a base-level understanding of the Harvard referencing standard - but in application
several errors still exist.
(17.5 – 22.5) Between 4 - 5 academic references cited (including 2 journal
articles);
AND…
There is evidence the student has a good understanding of the Harvard referencing standard – but in application a
number of errors still exist.
(23 – 26) Between 6 - 7 academic references cited (including 3 journal
articles);
AND…
There is evidence the student has a very good understanding of the Harvard referencing standard – but in application minor errors still exist.
(26.5 – 29.5) Minimum of 8 academic references cited (including 4 or more
journal articles);
AND…
There is clear evidence the student has a very thorough understanding of the Harvard referencing standard – and has demonstrated this through application to the in-text citations
and reference list.
(30 – 35)
TOTAL SCORE (n/100):