Please note that because there are  public holidays on Monday March 9th and Monday April 6th the lectures abd tutorials  that would have been provided on those days will be re-scheduled. Dates and locations TBA on MyUni.

Tutorials commence in the second week of lectures.

Knowledge and Understanding
This course introduces students to the field of auditing and assurance. It provides students with a sound understanding of fundamental auditing concepts and procedures, and the application of auditing standards. Consequently, the course provides a foundation for students who intend pursuing a specialised pathway in the auditing profession, as well as those who will pursue careers in accounting and other disciplines where principles of risk assessment, systems control and evaluation, and transaction testing are important. While the course focuses mainly on the practical application of an external financial audit that is regulated under Australian legislation, it also explores the wider audit and assurance framework; including the internal audit function, and some environmental auditing issues. In addition the course seeks to stimulate a critical appreciation of contemporary auditing and assurance issues.

Specific Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
1) Demonstrate an understanding of fundamental audit concepts
2) Apply a range of  audit procedures.
3) Apply auditing standards
4) Demonstrate an understanding of the legal context in which auditing occurs
5) Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of professional ethics and apply the profession's code of ethics
6) Undertake research  on significant auditing issus
7) Apply critical thinking skills and solve auditing problems through the use of case studies
8) Understand how to stay abreats of developments  in  auditing theory  and practice
9) Demonstrate an understanding of the role of audits in society
10) Work in a collegiate manner.

Communication Skills
The continuing development of good written, oral and inter-personal communication skills is widely recognised as important for commerce graduates. This course specifically seeks to develop students’ abilities to prepare and present succinct arguments, and to use appropriate academic referencing conventions.

Students require the textbook, handbook and certain materials prepared by the Lecturer in Charge.

Textbook
Title: Auditing and Assurance Services  in Australia (5th Edition).
Authors: Gay, G. and Simnett, R.
Date of Publication: 2013
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Australia
ISBN: 9780071013109

Handbook
Title: Auditing and Assurance and Ethics Handbook 2015 Australia
Date of Publication: 2015
Publisher: Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia / Wiley
ISBN: 978-0-7303-2169-9

Materials prepared by the Lecturer in Charge.
The following materials will be posted to MyUni. It is the responsibility of each student to print a copy of the materials in advance of lectures and tutorials at which they are required.

Weekly Lecture and Tutorial Outline. Each week a lecture and Tutorial Outline is provided. This document contains a brief overview of the topics to be covered and how they relate to other topics dealt with in the course. They also contain the tutorial questions, and may also contain lecture exercises, definitions of key terms and illustrative examples.

Lecture slide handouts. These should be printed three frames to an A4 page in order to leave enough room to make notes.

Guidance notes. Provide extensive guidance and illustrative examples on selected issues.
Readings as advised by the Lecturer.

Newspaper articles and other papers as advised by the Lecturer.

Students may find the following sources helpful in attempting to master the course material. All books listed below can be borrowed from the library.

Books
Title: Modern Auditing and Assurance Services (5th Edition).
Authors: P. Leung, P.Coram, B.J. Cooper, and P Richardson
Date of Publication: 2011.
Publisher: Wiley
Place of Publication: Milton, Qld.

Title: Auditing, Assurance Services and Ethics in Australia (9Edition).
Authors: Arens,  Best, Schailler, Fiedler, Elder and Beasley
Date of Publication: 2013
Publisher: Pearson

Title: Auditing and Assurance Services A systematic Approach (4th Edition)
Authors: W F Messier Jr, S M Glover, and D F Prawitt 2006.
McGraw Hill Irwin
Place of Publication:New York

Title: Understanding the New Auditing Standards Related to Risk Assessment
Author and Publisher: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Date of Publication: 2006.
Place of Publication:New York

Other resources in the Barr Smith Library
Australian Financial Review
Business Review Weekly
Charter (Journal of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia)
In The Black (Journal of CPA Australia)
The business sections of daily newspapers

Web sites
www.cpaaustralia.com.au ( CPA Australia - Some public information, more for CPA Australia Passport members)
www.icaa.org.au (Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia -some public information, more for CASS members)
www.pearson.com.au (Companion site to the textbook)
www.aasb.org.au (Australian Accounting Standards Board)
www.auasb.gov.au ( Auditing and Assurance Standards Board)
www.frc.gov.au (Financial Reporting Council)
www.asic.gov.au (Australian Securities and Investments Commission)

See also websites of other professional organisations, public companies, accounting firms and government

This course uses MyUni extensively. The following material will be posted prior to and during the semester:

• MyMedia recordings of lectures;
• Handouts of lecture slides;
• Weekly lecture and tutorial outlines (which, include tutorial questions);
• Lecture exercises;
• Addional guidance notes;
• Newspaper articles;
• Readings;
• Assessment information;
• Links to useful websites;
• Short films;
• Selected tutorial answers;
• Announcements; and
• Marks for in-course assessments

The prime delivery mode is through one lecture and one tutorial per week. Lectures are of one hour and fifty minutes duration. Lectures are recorded, and recordings are posted on MyUni as soon as they are available, which is generally within one hour. The recording of lectures is offered as a back-up only. Students are strongly advised to attend all lectures.

Tutorial classes of one hour and fifty minutes duration commence in the week of Monday March 3rd. Tutorials are an important component of this course. Membership of tutorial classes is to be finalised by the end of the second week of semester. Students wishing to swap between tutorial classes after this time are required to present their case to the Lecturer-in-Charge, but should be aware that such a request may not be approved. Students are strongly advised to attend all tutorials.

Students are required to complete the assigned tutorial questions each week and be prepared to discuss questions in the tutorials. Solutions to selected questions will be provided.

In addition to the tutorial questions, workshop question/questions will be discussed at each tutorial. The workshop question will provide students with an opportunity to further consolidate their understandings of key concepts and to apply them in a collegiate environment. While tutors will be available to provide assistance to students as they discuss the workshop questions, model answers to workshop questions will not be provided.

The communication skills developed in tutorials by regularly participating in discussions are considered to be most important by the School, and are highly regarded by employers and professional bodies.

The University expects full-time students to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that for this course students are expected to commit approximately nine hours of private study, that is, study outside classes. Students in this course are expected to attend all lectures and tutorials through the term.

The following topics are covered in this course. For a more detailed outline of what is covered each week, please see the document titled, " Overview of Topics", which can be found under "Lecture and Tutorial Outlines" on the MyUni site for this course. 

Week  1: Introduction to auditing, and an overview of the auditing process

---

Week 2: Management's responsibility for the preparation of financial reports

---

 Week 3: Fundamental audit concepts

---

Week  Week 4: Fundamental audit concepts

---

Week  5:  The audit engagement
                     Client acceptance
                     Planning the audit

---

 Lecture 6: The audit engagement
                       Planning the audit

---

 Week 7: The audit engagement
                        Testing controls 

---

 Week 8: The audit engagement 
                          Substantive tests of transactions and balances

---

 Week  9: The audit engagement
                          Completion and review

---

Week 10: The audit engagement
                         The audit report

---

Week 11: The professional and regulatory environment 
                          Ethics

---

Lecture 12:The professional and regulatory environment
                          Regulation of auditing
                          Legal liability of auditors

              Other Assurance Services

---

Revision Lecture:  Time and Location TBA

ASSESSABLE ITEMS
There are six assessment items in this course. The weighting ascribed to each is as follows: 

Item	Due Date and Time	Weighting %	Related Learning Outcomes
Test 1	Monday March 30th at 4:10pm in Ligertwood 333	10	Weeks 1, 2 and 3
Test 2	Monday May 4th at 4.10 pm in Ligertwood 333	10	Weeks 4, 5 and 6
Test 2	Monday May 25th at 4:10pm in  Ligertwood 333	10	Weeks 7, 8 and 9
Weekly Questions	9.00 am on the Monday* of each teaching week.	10	See weekly learning outcomes
Reflective Journal	12.00am Friday June 5th	10	All
Final Exam		50	All

 * There are  public holidays on Monday March 9th and Moinday April 6th . Consequently, the due date for submitting answers to tutorial questions  in those weeks will be 9.00am  on Tuesday March 10th and Tuesday April 7th.


ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS
To pass this course, students must achieve an overall grade of 50% and also achieve at least 50% in the final exam. Students who fail to meet both criteria will be awarded a mark of no more than 49.

None of the assessment in this course is redeemable. Failure to complete any assessment item in accordance with the requirements will result in forfeiture of the marks allocated to that assessment item.

Legible handwriting and the quality of English expression are considered to be integral parts of the assessment process. Marks may be deducted for poor presentation of written, in–course assessable items. In addition, marks may also be deducted in the final examination because of poor handwriting and the inability, therefore, for a marker to read that text. No dictionaries whatsoever are permitted in the mid-semester test or final exam.

Students may take into the final exam a copy of the 2015 Auditing Assurance and Ethics Handbook (Institute of Chartered Accountants edition). This handbook may have highlighting or underlining but there shall be no writing or any other forms of communication including (but not limited to) notes, pictures, graphics, tabs, ciphers or the like whatsoever. Page corners cannot be folded. Handbooks may be covered with clear plastic only. No other material may be used. Handbooks will be inspected by examiners and invigilators during the exam for compliance with the above. If a copy of a Handbook is discovered which breaches these conditions then that copy will be confiscated and that student will be subject to examination misconduct provisions and sanctions.

Calculators will not be allowed into the final exam.

Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.

The weekly tutorial questiobs are to be submitted though turnitin.

For the reflective journal, please attach an ‘Assignment Cover Sheet’, which is signed and dated by you before submission.  As well as submitting a hard copy through the Hub, students are required to lodge a soft copy through turnitin.

Lecturers will refuse to accept assignments, which do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s policy on plagiarism.

Extensions to the due date for assignments will only be given in exceptional circumstances. Only the Lecturer in Charge can grant an extension. Students who hand in assignments after the due date, for which an extension has not been granted by the Lecturer in Charge, will be subject to the following late penalty: 10% of available marks per day (or part day).