澳大利亞審計理論與實務課程作業寫作手冊
澳大利亞審計理論與實務課程essay寫作手冊
AUDITING THEORY AND PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT BOOKLET
(OPEN UNIVERSITIES AUSTRALIA 澳大利亞公開大學)
CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS 案例分析essay
ASSIGNMENT 1
Word Limit – 1,000 words
(Penalties will be applied if the assignment exceeds 1,100 words)
ASSIGNMENT 2
Due Friday 26th October 2012 (Week 9)
11pm Adelaide (Central Standard Time)
Word Limit – 2,500 words
(Penalties will be applied if the assignment exceeds 2,750 words)
(WORD COUNT EXCLUDES REFERENCE LIST AND APPENDICES)
BHP BILLITON – ASSIGNMENT (AUDIT PLANNING CASE STUDY)
DUE 11:00PM (ADELAIDE TIME) FRIDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2012
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 背景信息
必和必拓（BHP Billiton）（BHP）是澳大利亞最大的上市公司之一。該公司已在媒體上屢屢成為關注的焦點，最近，由于運營問題，確保財務資料真實性和公開的披露凸顯重要性。
BHP Billiton (BHP) is one of the largest publicly listed companies in Australia. The company has been in the media spotlight recently due to operational issues, highlighting the importance of ensuring financial information is presented in a true and fair manner. BHP provides an excellent case study for illustrating the importance of planning an audit and in particular, assessing inherent risks in the planning stage. (Further information relating to BHP is available from their
Additional Information 額外信息
有關essay的詳細信息可以在文中找到。 Details relating to the requirements of the major assignment can be found over the page. You will be required to assess and analyse BHP from an auditing perspective, in the period leading up to the reporting period ended 30th June 2012.
The Internet is a valuable source of information for obtaining background information on a client, as well as the UniSA Library databases (eg EBSCO) available on the UniSA library link on the Unit Homepage. You are encouraged to use the Internet and other media to assist you in collecting further information relating to BHP. To do well in the assignment, it is reasonably expected that you will undertake research on the entity beyond merely the BHP homepage and their annual reports.
Important Note to Students:
The focus of this assignment is to illustrate the importance of assessing inherent risks when planning the audit of a company. Although BHP is a successful and “healthy” reporting entity during the period in question, the company provides students with an excellent study tool in understanding the nature of inherent risks.
That is, you will focus on collecting information relating to assessing the inherent risks of BHP, in the period leading up to June 30th 2012 (as a general guide, you should focus your identification of inherent risks in the calendar period 1/7/2011 onward).
The objective of this assignment is to illustrate the nature of auditing – topics are not mutually exclusive in auditing. The identification of relevant events in assignment 1 is relevant to the identification of inherent risks in assignment 2. It is this integration of the topics that make auditing unique.
IMPORTANT: You are not the auditor for BHP – the company is only being used to illustrate the importance of planning an external audit. As such, you are to assume that you are using the BHP case like an auditing training tool rather than undertaking the audit of BHP. (That is, this is not an initial audit of BHP).
ASSIGNMENT 1 (1,000 words)
REQUIREMENTS/QUESTIONS
Required:
(a) Identify four (4) issues (accounting or otherwise) in the above case that may
have an impact on the planning of the audit of BHP for the year ending 30th June 2012.
(HINT: Students should use initiative in answering this question. Remember auditors are trying to find conditions or events that might give rise to material misstatement. Whilst not necessarily related to BHP, ASA 315 provides some examples of common conditions and events that may indicate the existence of ‘risks of material misstatement’. Please go to pages 301 and 302 of your Auditing Handbook for a list of possible events or conditions that might apply to BHP. Please be warned however that you MUST demonstrate clearly (with substantive research evidence) that an identified issue relates to BHP and the planning of its audit.
Inclusion of evidence of research is important. Be sure to use in-text referencing.
(30 Marks)
(b) State what audit evidence you would gather in assessing the issues identified in
part (a) above, for inclusion in the planning strategies for the audit of BHP.
(HINT: When auditors identify conditions or events that give rise to the risk of
material misstatement, they design information (evidence) gathering procedures in
order to establish whether or not the identified risk exists and may result in material
misstatement in the financial reports. This question is asking you to use your ‘best
judgement’ to identify relevant audit evidence you might seek in the audit of BHP.
The different types of audit evidence that might be referred to, is shown in paras A10
to A 25 of ASA 315. The challenge for students is to make the evidence gathering
activities in ASA 315 SPECIFIC to the risks you identified in part (a) above. Generic
answers (eg look at sales documents for evidence of unusual sales) will not be
sufficient. Once again Inclusion of evidence of research is important. Be sure to use
in-text referencing.
(20 Marks)
PRESENTATION, USE OF APPROPRIATE REFERENCING CONVENTIONS, GRAMMAR AND SPELLING – 10 MARKS
TOTAL MARKS FOR ASSIGNMENT 1 – 60
(IMPORTANT NOTE FOR STUDENTS: Please see appendices for guidance on the requirements for this assignment)
ASSIGNMENT 2 (2,500 words)
REQUIREMENTS/QUESTIONS
Required
1. Identify what you consider to be the ‘key’ inherent risk factors that could have an impact on the audit of BHP for the year ended 30th June 2012.
For each of the inherent risk factors identified, state how and why you consider the issue may create the risk of potential misstatement in the financial statements of BHP for the year ended 30th June 2012.
[HINT: To score well in this assignment you will be required to research BHP’s financial results, the financial press, and other business media to obtain a better understanding of the inherent risks. You may use the issues you identified in assignment 1 to discuss the nature of the apparent risks]. You are expected to identify six (6) critical inherent risks.
(6 x10 = 60 Marks)
2. Using the information you have collected to assist you in answering question 1 (above), explain and justify your overall assessment of inherent risk for BHP. Using the audit risk model and the risk factors discussed above, discuss how your assessment of inherent risk will impact on the evidence mix for the planning of the audit of BHP in the identified areas of risk.
(HINT: With regard to the evidence mix component of this question you must apply your understanding of the elements of the audit risk model and use your best judgement and initiative to discuss the impact on the evidence mix in the identified area of risk. Refer to Chapter 12 of the textbook for assistance with this concept).
(Overall assessment 8 marks, evidence mix 12 marks = 20 Marks)
PRESENTATION, USE OF APPROPRIATE REFERENCING CONVENTIONS, GRAMMAR AND SPELLING – 10 MARKS
Refer to the marking guide contained in appendix five and guidance notes in Appendix 2.
(10 Marks)
TOTAL MARKS FOR MAJOR ASSIGNMENT
(Representing 30% of the overall grade for the unit)
(90 Marks)
The above should be read in conjunction with the guidance notes, in the appendices at the back of this assignment booklet.
APPENDIX ONE: 附錄1
GROUP WORK ASSIGNMENTS: GUIDANCE
In relation to the both assignments, students will be permitted to either:
• Submit the assignment individually, or
• Work in groups comprising NO MORE THAN THREE people. Each person will receive the same grade for the assignment. Three is the maximum group size – this is not negotiable. An assignment submitted by more than three people in a group will not be marked and graded as zero.
Please note in relation to Group Work:
In the event it can be clearly demonstrated that one member of a group has not contributed equitably to the composition of the assignment, that person may be asked to complete a separate assignment on a topic to be decided by the unit coordinator. The decision of the unit coordinator in such matters will be final. A request must be made to the coordinator within 2 calendar days of the lodgement date of the assignment.
Students working in a group are jointly and individually responsible for the material handed in to be assessed. By signing the plagiarism declaration:
• you are deemed to have full knowledge of the contents of the whole assignment and the sources from which the contents were derived;
• you have referenced all material taken from other sources.
APPENDIX TWO 附錄2: ASSIGNMENT GUIDANCE NOTES essay指導備注
Guidance notes for Assignment
Word limits
Assignments should be presented in a succinct business-like writing style and you should avoid repetition and irrelevant information. As a broad guide, assignments 1 and 2 should absorb no more than 1,000 and 2,500 words respectively, though the assignments can be completed in less words. Quality of the information presented will, however, be the important factor rather than quantity. Penalties will be applied if you exceed the word limits; the application of penalties is at the discretion of the unit co-ordinators and will reflect the amount of the word limit exceeded – eg if you exceed the word limit by 10% you will receive a penalty of 10% of your mark.
Late lodgement Penalties
Late lodgement penalties of 10% of the maximum mark per day will
apply if an assignment is lodged at any time after the due date and
time. This is applied rigidly to ensure that ALL students are treated
equally and equitably and that no-one receives an unfair advantage.
Objectives of the assignments
Having completed the assignments, students should be able to:
• Identify inherent (or otherwise) risk factors facing the auditor and understand the impact on audit procedures and the collection of audit evidence;
• Apply accounting knowledge (lifelong learning skills) in identifying the risk of errors in financial reports;
• Use the skills they have learned in previous units to think critically about the quality of information.
• Exercise judgment and learn about the investigative nature of audit tasks.
• Apply theory to a simulated real world case.
Further—the assignments are designed to contribute to your development of following graduate qualities, though the emphasis is on GQ’s 1. 3, 4, and 6.
#1 – Operating effectively with and upon a body of knowledge….
This is a simulated real world case that requires the application of your prior learning to test your ability to apply principles to the case at an appropriate depth of understanding.
#2 – Is prepared for life-long learning…..
Once again, the solution to this case will not necessarily appear in the texts for this unit. It is expected that you will be able to think creatively and practically, realising that each audit client will be unique, requiring different approaches to solving business issues or planning an audit. In other words, a lifelong learning skill is that there is no ‘cook-book’ that gives the right answer, and the real skill is examining the information, applying general principles, undertaking research and developing practical solutions.
#3 – Is an effective problem solver, capable of applying logical, critical, and creative thinking….
Once again, the answers to the case will not necessarily be found in a text book. You need to take on the role of business analyst so that you can identify, from an audit point of view, the critical areas for focus in the gathering of evidence. This takes creative thought, and logical but critical thinking.
#4 Can work both autonomously and collaboratively…
Group work can be rewarding, as you will learn from other people’s ideas and experience. Working as an individual is also rewarding as you are responsible for the assignment input, and will reap the benefit of having covered all areas. People in groups will be required to make a technical contribution and work strategically in their groups in terms of direction and balance. We encourage you to discuss the issues with your colleagues, whether or not you are working in a group.
#5 Is committed to ethical action and social responsibility…
We have included this real world case so that you may gain an appreciation of the work undertaken by an auditor in planning an audit. As the next generation of professional accountants, it is our aim that you will have a better appreciation of what is required in planning an audit and gain an understanding of the theory in a practical environment.
#6 Communicates effectively….
Your report will be assessed for structure, professional presentation, language and content. Case analysis assists in developing logical thought processes which should translate to written and oral communication skills.
#7 Demonstrates an international perspective
Specifically addressed in this assignment; the entity under consideration has international exposure.
Students are provided with information relating to a real world entity. The issues raised are from real-world situations and require application of accounting knowledge and auditing theory & practice.
Many students find assignments based on the real world difficult because many of the issues confronting them are practical and, therefore, unfamiliar. The following notes are intended to help students structure their responses and also indicate how marks will be awarded.
The following notes are intended to help you structure your responses and also indicate how marks will be awarded.
ASSIGNMENT 1 GUIDANCE NOTES
Question (a)
You are required to identify four (4) issues, accounting or otherwise which may impact on the planning of the audit of BHP. They may, for example, relate to the ability of the entity to continue as a going concern; the risk of misstatements in the financial reports; impacts of industrial economic or international markets; the possibility of incentives or the like existing for management to misstate information contained in the financial reports. . ASA 315 Appendix 2 will provide some further insight into the types of generic issues that may raise the risk of misstatement.
The issues can relate to any aspect of the planning of an audit – ie they can relate to assessment of inherent risk, business risk, control risk, the ability to collect sufficient evidence to form an audit opinion and the assessment of business risk to name a few. This list is not exhaustive – focus on any issues you believe to be relevant to the planning of the audit of BHP and/or the collection of sufficient evidence to form an opinion in relation to the financial reports of BHP. Remember BHP is a real world entity. Therefore, INDEPENDENT research is required on the entity to complete this assignment. You must also use in-text referencing as evidence of the research.
You are therefore required to use research to identify or clarify specific issues relevant to the industry relevant to the entity. You are required to research outside of the BHP website – for example, online newspaper sites. External and independent websites are a rich source of information because they provide an independent assessment of the entity. Focusing on BHP’s website may mean you do not identify the key issues impacting on BHP for the period in question. This is the library link shown also on the Unit Homepage http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/services/oua/
You need to be as specific as possible to BHP in the identification and explanation of the issues – the more detail you provide the easier it is to see how the issue directly relates to the planning of the audit. Broad general statements and discussion will not accrue many (if any) marks.
For example, you might find an article which says that 100 staff had their jobs terminated because they were stealing from the company. This would help you with your inherent risk assessment in that it appears that certain assets are susceptible to fraud and theft, and there may be some concerns about the company’s control environment. Events identified in this assignment can relate to any aspect of the planning of the audit. Therefore you can discuss issues related to control risk, materiality, acceptable audit risk, evidence mix, and planned detection risk. The key thing is that you need to provide a brief explanation as to how the information will impact on the planning of the audit.
A simplified example of how to set out your answer to this question is provided in this appendix (see below).
Please note that this question will take some time to complete. It is therefore advisable that you do not leave this to Week 4 to begin. As always, you are welcome to post questions on the discussion forums before submitting. If you leave it to the last minute, it is unlikely you will receive the assistance that you require to complete the assignment.
IMPORTANT: The announcement of profits/losses or dividends and payment of dividends by BHP (irrespective of magnitude) does not constitute an event of significance and WILL NOT ACCRUE ANY MARKS. We require students to research the company and identify specific events (other than the announcement of financial results) which will assist in the planning of the audit. This part of the assignment will prove to be time consuming – do not underestimate the time needed to complete this question. Once again, don’t start researching BHP on the weekend before the assignment is due as you will run out of time to complete the assignment!
A common mistake made by students (especially if they are running out of time to complete the assignment) is to simply use the annual reports and the entity’s website to identify key events. This will likely only identify events which have a positive impact on the entity. It is unlikely an event which has a negative impact on the entity, will be highlighted in their own annual report. It is therefore important to go beyond the annual report and the entity’s website to identify events of significance that impact on the planning of the audit.
As a general guide, students are expected to identify and discuss four (4) major events that impact on the planning of the audit of BHP. A number of events that have occurred recently are considered central to the planning of the audit of BHP. It is reasonably expected that students will identify these events to score well in this assignment (this is assessing students’ ability to research the entity).
THIS IS A BROAD AND SIMPLIFIED EXAMPLE OF HOW TO ANSWER ASSIGNMENT 1:
EVENT 1: November 15th 2011 – Deterioration of the mining industry and overall economy – the mining industry has suffered a significant fall in output for the current financial period (this has been made up for illustrative purposes only). The data attached show the statistical evidence of the state of the mining industry and trends in relation to the national economy (append data in a table).
Discussion
BHP’s plans to expand their business will be severely affected by the slowdown of the mining sector as a result of the deteriorating economy (again, this has been assumed for illustrative purposes only). The financial position (and hence the assessment of going concern) will be affected by the downturn in the economy and hence the mining industry (Provide relevant data and references here from your research).
Impact on the Audit
The audit emphasis will be on collecting evidence (ASA500) on the assessment of going concern (ASA570) and gaining an understanding of the industry (ASA315). [Please refer to specific paras. of standards also]
The auditors will need to focus on the potential for management selecting an aggressive approach to financial reporting decisions, engaging in income smoothing techniques, and manipulation of subjective areas in the accounting system to compensate for falling profits due to the slowdown of the economy. Therefore, the auditor will increase testing of income streams in the following areas…………, and undertake closer examination of the following subjective or complex accounting areas to ensure proper accounting and recording…………..:
(Student would list relevant accounting areas here, and provide appropriate reference(s)………. .)
IMPORTANT: Please ensure your work is referenced using the Harvard referencing system. The events identified in assignment one must be referenced in accordance with the University of South Australia referencing guidelines.
Question (b)
Having identified 4 issues in part (a), you are now required to identify evidence that the auditor would collect to assess the issue that has been identified. For example, if an issue identified was that 200 staff had just lost their jobs with BHP, examples of the evidence to be collected might be the to collect details of the amount of employee entitlements paid to those who had lost their jobs; a review of redundancy liabilities outstanding at balance date; a closer review of leave provisions and payments during the year; and the issue of a solicitor’s letter to determine if there is any litigation from disgruntled employees for wrongful dismissal. Evidence is easier to identify if you focus on documentary evidence specifically related to the issue identified in part (a). The more specific you are in your discussion in part (a), the easier it will be to answer part (b). Conversely, general discussion in part (a) will make it very hard to answer part (b).
Evidence: While you are not required to design specific audit tests you are required to explain what actions you would take and information (evidence) you would obtain about the areas of concern you have identified so you can plan detailed audit procedures. Ensure that the factors identified relate directly to the entity. ASA 500 contains the different types of evidence that can be gathered by an auditor.
PRESENTATION 演示
10% of the overall mark for both assignments has been allocated to assessing your presentation skills. This will be based on the following:
• Effective compliance with research conventions- Correct In-text referencing/properly formatted reference list/appropriate citations etc
• Expression and grammar
• Organisation and layout
• Ability to identify and present KEY issues.
A significant aspect of the presentation mark is allocated to the referencing of your work. We cannot understate the importance of correct referencing. Any ideas which are those of someone else, or any direct quotes from another source must be adequately referenced to avoid potential problems with academic misconduct.
Once again, we refer you to the Course Outline in relation to the submission guidelines for the assignment. Students who do not follow the submission guidelines will be required to re-submit their assignment to the Unit coordinators. Your assignment may not be marked if you do not follow the guidelines.
ASSIGNMENT 2 GUIDANCE NOTES
Question 1
Identify what you consider are the inherent risk factors which would impact on the audit of BHP. You are encouraged to use financial information relating to BHP and the industry in which it operates for the period in question. Once again, simply discussing the announcement of profits or dividends or revised financial forecasts, of themselves, is not considered a major event nor an inherent risk. Financial information can be a goldmine of information which can assist you in identifying potential inherent risks by giving you clues as to what to research.
Be careful to answer the question – that is, it asks what are the “inherent risk factors”. You should be clear about what “inherent risk factors” mean. Another term often used is “areas of concern”. Overall these terms mean what areas of the financial statements are there likely to be risks of material misstatements (which might ultimately impact on the auditor’s opinion and report). Specifically, the information may lead you to think that some areas may have an error (mistake) or fraud in them as a direct result of certain events or issues that the company has experienced or may experience. Your task is to identify that information and how and why it may present a possible risk of material misstatement in the financial reports.
Further, you will need to clearly explain why and how you have arrived at each risk factor. Simply stating information without applying it to a risk factor will not attract any marks.
How you set out the answer to question 1 is up to you, but you must clearly address all three aspects of the question:
1. What is the inherent risk? (A simple explanation will suffice for this part of the question).
2. Why is it an inherent risk? (To do this, you need to explain and give an example of a specific misstatement that could occur if this risk is present in BHP). Do not simply state “this will cause potential misstatement” or ‘this may result in fraud’ or ‘the directors will misstate the financial statements’. You must provide a specific example of a potential misstatement that could occur. This is not as easy as it sounds. The potential misstatement must be specifically related to BHP and be both reasonable and plausible.
An example of how to answer this question has been made available on the unit website. Students are encouraged to download this document prior to attempting question 1 of the assignment. Please do NOT use this example in your assignment as this will be deemed not to be your own work (even if it is referenced properly).
There has been ample discussion of BHP (and the events impacting on BHP) in the financial press in the last 12 months. This should provide you with a wealth of information to use to answer the questions in the assignment. Identify what you consider to be relevant (and specific) inherent risk factors that will impact on the planning of the audit for the reporting period ended 30th June 2012. Please note the year. You may find that some of the information could be relevant for more than one reporting period. The UniSA library has an excellent serials database within EBSCO Host http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/services/oua/ .
You may use ‘bullet points’ or a table format in answering this question, but please do not abbreviate too much.
Students are not expected to explain the theory applicable for this assignment. For example, the definition of inherent risk does not need to be explained. Likewise, a discussion of why it is important to identify major events in the planning of an audit is not required. Students should focus on applying the theory to a practical environment.
Definitions and explanations of theoretical concepts eat up the word count and do not accrue any marks. Please assume the marker understands the definitions of the key topics being assessed by this assignment.
The best way of approaching this question is to research BHP and identify articles discussing events that have impacted on BHP. This will allow you to identify inherent risks from the information in the articles.
As a simplified example, you might find an article which says that 1000 staff had their jobs terminated due to a restructure of the entity. This may be an inherent risk because terminations normally involve the calculation of employee entitlements which are complex in nature and the need to crate provisions for employee redundancy. Hence, there is a greater chance that there will be calculation errors due to things such as eligible termination payments, and leave entitlements. You must provide specific examples of potential misstatements that could occur in the financial reports.
Please note that this question will take you a bit of time to complete. It is therefore advisable that you do not leave this to the last minute to begin. As always, you are welcome to post questions on the discussion forum before submitting. If you leave it to the last minute, it is unlikely you will receive the assistance that you require to complete the assignment. It is reasonably expected that students will have good research skills so we will not be providing research hints for you.
IMPORTANT: The announcement (or subsequent payment) of profits/losses or dividends and information about profit forecasts by BHP (irrespective of magnitude) does not constitute an inherent risk of significance and will not accrue any marks. We require students to research the company and identify specific BHP inherent risks (other than those that may be linked to the announcement of financial results) which will assist in the planning of the audit. We expect students to research the entity by going beyond the annual report for BHP and the homepage for BHP.
As in the first assignment, a common mistake made by students (especially if they are running out of time) is to simply use the annual reports and the entity’s website to identify key inherent risks. It is easy for us to see that you have not made the effort to undertake independent research to support your work and your marks for the assignment will reflect this.
Students are expected to identify and discuss six (6) inherent risks that impact on the planning of the audit of BHP.
Question 2
The auditor is required to form an opinion as to the overall inherent risk applicable to the company chosen. You are required to assess inherent risk and apply the audit risk model to identify the evidence mix when planning the audit of the entity in the areas where you have identified the risk. Have a look at the material covering the audit risk model and the steps involved in determining the evidence mix and apply this to the area of BHP where you think the risk exists. Remember, the inherent and control risk is assessed to determine the acceptable audit risk which then allows the auditor to determine the planned detection risk.
IMPORTANT: While independent research is required you may still wish to reference information from the BHP annual report. Specifically, you will need to reference the information back to the relevant pages in those annual reports. Failure to do so could result in problems with plagiarism and charges of academic misconduct.
Do not discount the importance of non-financial information in assessing inherent risk. You may find information identified in question 1 may be relevant to this question. As a very simple example, you may have identified in question 1 that your company has just missed out on a contract to provide travel for a large client (this has been made up and is used for illustrative purposes only) and the potential is for lost income worth $3 million a year to BHP for the next 10 years.
This may be relevant to assessment of inherent risk because it indicates future income streams will be much weaker and there is an incentive for management to manipulate the financial reports to compensate for the loss of income in the next 10 years. Management may engage in misleading conduct to placate investors as a result of the loss of the major contract. This example is very general and is used only as a broad indicator of strategy in answering the question.
Ultimately, we are looking at your ability to link information obtained to the assessment of inherent risk. Refer to the textbook for further information regarding evidence mix – you will need to discuss all aspects of the evidence mix relevant to each main area of risk. Think about the different types of evidence available – tests of transactions (control/substantive), tests of details of balances etc). Again, the textbook is an excellent resource to assist in answering this question.
You are expected to assess control risk when assessing the evidence mix and the approach to the audit. Although you do not have access to internal documents to assess the internal control structure, try to find articles which may indicate that there were problems with the accounting system of the company you have chosen. For example, you might find an article that shows that your company had problems with customers stealing inventory during the year. This indicates the controls are not working properly and hence control risk will increase. Once you have identified the inherent risk and control risk, you are then in a position to offer an overall summary of the evidence mix required for your company. Remember, Chapter 12 of the textbook is very useful to help you answer this question (especially the seminar questions!!).
PRESENTATION
10% of the overall mark for the assignment has been allocated to assessing your presentation skills. This will be based on the following:
• Effective compliance with research conventions- Correct In-text referencing/properly formatted reference list/appropriate citations etc
• Expression and grammar
• Organisation and layout
• Ability to identify and present KEY issues.
A significant aspect of the presentation mark is allocated to the referencing of your work where you have used other sources. We cannot understate the importance of correct referencing. Any ideas which are those of someone else, or any direct quotes from another source must be adequately referenced to avoid potential problems with academic misconduct.
Once again, we refer you to the Course Outline in relation to the submission guidelines for the assignment. Students who do not follow the submission guidelines will be required to re-submit their assignment to the Unit coordinators. Your assignment may not be marked if you do not follow the guidelines.
APPENDIX THREE: ASSIGNMENT GENERAL HINTS
General comments on answering the questions in the assignment
There are distinct questions being asked in the assignments. We therefore require students to answer each question SEPARATELY. Do not combine any of the questions together in your assignment submission. Please answer each question separately. Further, you do not need to have an executive summary, an introduction or conclusion. Although presentation is important, we are more concerned with ensuring that students have addressed the requirements of each question. This means you do not need to present the assignment as a report or in an essay format.
Once again, we remind you of the importance of referencing. Any information gained from a source must be referenced in the body of the assignment and the source needs to be included in your reference list. If you are not sure about your referencing, it pays to ask the unit co-ordinators before submitting.
APPENDIX FOUR: ASSIGNMENT FEEDBACK SHEET/MARKING SCHEDULE
To assist students in answering the assignments, a marking schedule has been included in this assignment booklet. Please take some time to read through the marksheet as this will give you a good idea of what the markers are looking for when marking the assignment. Please take note of the focus on requiring students to provide specific answers in the assignment. The more explanation you can provide which is specific to the entity, the more likely you will score well in the assignment. We are looking for an application of the theory to a simulated real world case study – broad discussion does not indicate that the theory has been applied in a practical situation. The effect (by way of potential misstatement) MUST be specific to the entity – examples of potential misstatements should be identified when answering questions. Broad, generic answers will not be rewarded with any marks.
IMPORTANT NOTE RELATING TO SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
If you do not follow the submission requirements you will be required to amend and resubmit your assignment to have it eligible for assessment. Plagiarism issues will be immediately directed to the Academic Integrity Officer
APPENDIX FIVE: ASSIGNMENT MARKING SCHEDULE
University of South Australia
School of Commerce
Auditing Theory and Practice Assignment 1 Marking Guide
a. Identifying 4 issues (30 Marks)
Issues specific to BHP and relate to the planning of the audit or accounting issues.
Discussion of the issues:
- Clear identification of the issue(s) identified
- Issue(s) too general?
- Linking of the discussion to specific comments about the audit significance of the issues?
- Four relevant issues covered?
- Has independent research been used effectively?
b. Identifying of evidence (20 marks)
Evidence is specific and detailed explanation provided
Evidence too broad?
(broad discussion will not accrue any marks)
c. Presentation (10 Marks)*
--Compliance with Harvard referencing guidelines
--Reference list compliant?
--In-text referencing compliant?
——Grammar and English satisfactory?
--Good presentation?
--Adherence to submission guidelines as outlined in the Unit Outline and Assignment Booklet.
d. Word Limit Penalty
e. Late Penalty
ASSIGNMENT MARKING SCHEDULE
University of South Australia
School of Commerce
APPENDIX SIX: IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE USE OF THE WEBSITE WIKIPEDIA AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION
The website, Wikipedia (http://www.mythingswp7.com) has become a common tool for students to use in researching assignments. It is important to note that the Wikipedia website contains information which has not been verified by an independent third party. Contributions to the website can be made by anyone without the need to verify this information. To this end, information contained on the Wikipedia website may not necessarily be accurate. Therefore, we discourage the use of Wikipedia as a reliable reference resource. It can be used as a starting point for researching an entity. However, it is recommended that if you use Wikipedia to find information related to the assignment, that you use a secondary website to verify the information obtained through Wikipedia.
APPENDIX SEVEN: PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO OTHER STUDENTS IN THE UNIT
Whilst we understand that pressures from fellow students are sometimes difficult to resist, and it is acceptable (and indeed generous) to assist other students by discussing issues relating to assignments, it is not acceptable to provide access to, or copies of, your own assignment (or part of your assignment) to other students; nor is it acceptable to use another student’s work (or from a group) as the basis for submission of an individual (or part of) assignment, whether quoting, paraphrasing or simply using their ideas.
FACEBOOK GROUPS: Whilst we encourage students to discuss assignments we would like to warn students that there are real dangers in participating in Facebook study groups and sharing information through social media. Such groups are NOT supervised by an academic and information shared may be wrong. If you share information about your assignments and someone else uses it in their own assignment then ALL members of the FACEBOOK group who have provided, misused or had access to the information may be deemed to have committed an academic integrity offence.
Note that it is intended that assignments in this Unit will be checked, using text comparison software, for instances of plagiarism or collusion.
REFERENCE LIST
1. Arens A. A., Best, P. J., Shailer, G. E. P., Fiedler, B. A., Elder, R. and Beasley, M., 2011. Auditing, Assurance Services & Ethics in Australia – An Integrated Approach, Clarity Update 8th edition, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.
2. Fiedler B A, ‘Student Guide to accompany Auditing, Assurance Services & Ethics in Australia – An Integrated Approach, 8th edition, 2010. Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.
3. Accounting Handbook 2012, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.
4. Auditing Assurance & Ethics Handbook 2012, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.
5. Corporations Act. Butterworths or Australian Government Printer. Available online at: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/
