Advanced Digital Auditing

This open access book discusses the most modern approach to auditing complex digital systems and technologies. It combines proven auditing approaches, advanced programming techniques and complex application areas, and covers the latest findings on theory and practice in this rapidly developing field. Especially for those who want to learn more about novel approaches to testing complex information systems and related technologies, such as blockchain and self-learning systems, the book will be a valuable resource. It is aimed at students and practitioners who are interested in contemporary technology and managerial implications.

There is growing recognition of the need to address the fragility of digital information, on which our society heavily depends for smooth operation in all aspects of daily life. This has been discussed in many books and articles on digital preservation, so why is there a need for yet one more? Because, for the most part, those other publications focus on documents, images and webpages – objects that are normally rendered to be simply displayed by software to a human viewer. Yet there are clearly many more types of digital objects that may need to be preserved, such as databases, scientific data and software itself. David Giaretta, Director of the Alliance for Permanent Access, and his contributors explain why the tools and techniques used for preserving rendered objects are inadequate for all these other types of digital objects, and they provide the concepts, techniques and tools that are needed. The book is structured in three parts. The first part is on theory, i.e., the concepts and techniques that are essential for preserving digitally encoded information. The second part then shows practice, i.e., the use and validation of these tools and techniques. Finally, the third part concludes by addressing how to judge whether money is being well spent, in terms of effectiveness and cost sharing. Various examples of digital objects from many sources are used to explain the tools and techniques presented. The presentation style mainly aims at practitioners in libraries, archives and industry who are either directly responsible for preservation or who need to prepare for audits of their archives. Researchers in digital preservation and developers of preservation tools and techniques will also find valuable practical information here. Researchers creating digitally encoded information of all kinds will also need to be aware of these topics so that they can help to ensure that their data is usable and can be valued by others now and in the future. To further assist the reader, the book is supported by many hours of videos and presentations from the CASPAR project and by a set of open source software.

This book identifies drivers of transformation of auditing, including regulation, digitalisation, sustainability, and individual auditor characteristics, and discusses how the drivers affect auditing. It provides a holistic perspective, discussing these current and highly relevant themes in depth and ‘one by one’ and also stresses the importance of the temporal dimension, i.e., offering a historical and a present-day perspective. The book covers several different theoretical perspectives when analysing and discussing how the various drivers affect auditors, the audit process, accounting firms, stakeholders and so on. Sweden is used as a setting to study the effects of these drivers of transition. The Swedish experience is generalisable to other European countries, with a Germanic origin currently influenced by Anglo-American ideas of auditing. In addition, Sweden provides a research setting with unique access to empirical data. The monograph is unique in its broad coverage of drivers of transformation, combined with its clear focus on financial auditing. It is informed by a wide range of research approaches, from qualitative interview studies to recently developed machine learning methods. Readers, therefore, benefit from a comprehensive understanding of current changes in the audit industry. This will be a useful reference work for students of accounting and auditing, as well as for audit practitioners, including both auditors and regulators, and for researchers.

In the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, corporate collapses, accounting scandals, and concerns around competition and auditor choice, the European Commission (EC) promoted the preparation of various reports on audit policy to support a harmonisation process of European auditing regulation. Consequently, the European Union (EU) Audit Regulation and Directive was implemented from 2016. This book provides a timely picture of the audit sector and how it responds to regulatory and technological challenges. It analyses the impact of EU reforms on audit practices by comparing the UK and Italy, which, representing two very different regulatory and cultural contexts, will offer insight into how the efforts at standardising audit regulation may lead to very different organisational firm responses within Europe. It addresses issues relating to public policy work and the concerns faced by the market for audit and assurance services, in promoting audit quality, better communication about the role of the auditor, capital market stability and confidence, and auditor independence. Moreover, it highlights what the future of auditing might look like in the EU particularly now that the UK has left, and how meeting public expectations will continue to be a struggle for the accounting profession given the many problems ahead. The book encourages a deeper awareness of the challenges faced by those that monitor and certify the financial statements of the world’s largest public companies and contributes to the general understanding of this controversial industry. It will serve as a useful guide to the recent EU audit reforms, not only for academics, and research students but also to regulators, policymakers, standard setters, industry professionals, and business executives worldwide.

The purpose of this book is to provide hands-on guidelines for using electronic communication tools as part of the auditing process. The pros and cons of conducting e-audits and their consequences will be reviewed. There are situations when e-auditing techniques are more efficient, and other times they may be less efficient and even lead to questionable audit report conclusions. In this book we provide proven techniques for conducting remote audits (eAudits) and explore eAuditing practices to help organizations make informed decisions regarding their use. A ten point eAudit program implementation checklist is included with the book. Combined, the two authors have over 20 years’ experience conducting remote audits and using virtual communication technologies.

This book explores how digital transformation is reshaping the manner in which higher education sectors emerge, work, and evolve and how auditors should respond to this challenging and risky digital audit universe in transforming the higher education system. It serves to help professionals to understand the reality of performing the Chief Audit Executive (CAE) role in today’s evolving business economy, specifically in the higher education sector. It compares and contrasts the stated IIA standards with the challenges and realities auditors may face and provides alternative scenarios to gaining a "seat at the table." This book also provides insight into critical lessons learned when executing the CAE role relevant for digitally transforming universities. The main purpose of this study is to rethink the audit culture in the digital era and reveal the key characteristics that are open for improvement so that digitally transforming universities can be audited according to the higher education standards with a digitally supported value-added audit approach. Based on this approach, the audit culture is reassessed considering the digital university conceptual framework and business model. There are two main points to consider for the digital university work environment: traceability and auditability. In this respect, policy recommendations are made for best practices to achieve value-added digital audits in transforming universities. The book has been written from both the reality and academic perspectives of two experienced authors. Sezer is a past CAE, CEO, and long-term senior internal auditor who has worked in the internal audit role for various listed companies, financial institutions, and government entities. Erman has extensive information technology and university accreditation knowledge in the global higher education sector. This brings a blend of value-added approaches to the readers and speaks to issues about understanding and dealing with audit culture and business evolution in digitally transforming organizations along with the requirements for upholding IIA standards. Geared toward the experienced or new CAE, University Auditing in the Digital Era: Challenges and Lessons for Higher Education Professionals and CAEs can be a tool for all auditors to understand some of the challenges, issues, and potential alternative solutions when executing the role of university auditing. In addition, it can be a valuable reference for university administrators and CIOs, as well as academics and all stakeholders related to the higher education sector.

Essentials of Forensic Accounting Essentials of Forensic Accounting is an authoritative resource covering a comprehensive range of forensic accounting topics. As a foundation review, a reference book, or as preparation for the Certification in Financial Forensics (CFF®) Exam, this publication will provide thoughtful and insightful examination of the key themes in this field, including: Professional responsibilities and practice management Fundamental forensic knowledge including laws, courts, and dispute resolution Specialized forensic knowledge such as bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, and valuation Through illustrative examples, cases, and explanations, this book makes abstract concepts come to life to help you understand and successfully navigate this complex area.