,Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some
stay awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we
are never quite the same.
Anonymous
We dedicate this book to the following educators
whose footprints we try to follow:
Professor Homer Bates
(University of North Florida)
Professor Stanley Biggs
(University of Connecticut) https://t.me/Nh1627
Professor Lewis C. Buller
(Indiana State University)
Professor Patrick Delaney
(Northern Illinois University)
Professor William Hillison
(Florida State University)
Professor John Ivancevich
(University of Houston)
Professor Richard Kochanek
(University of Connecticut)
Professor John L. “Jack” Kramer
(University of Florida)
Professor Jack Robertson
(University of Texas at Austin)
Professor Robert Strawser
(Texas A&M University)
Professor Sally Webber
(Northern Illinois University)
Professor “IBM Jim” Whitney
(The Citadel)
,Look Beneath the Surface. . .
As auditors, we are trained to investigate beyond appearances to determine the underlying
facts—in other words, to look beneath the surface. Whether evaluating the Enron and World-
Com scandals of the early 2000s, the financial crisis of 2007–2008, the Wirecard fraud in
2020 or present-day issues and challenges related to significant estimation uncertainty, under-
standing the auditor’s responsibility related to fraud, maintaining a clear perspective, probing
for details, and understanding the big picture are indispensable to effective auditing.
With the availability of greater levels of qualitative and quantitative information
(“Big Data”), the need for technical skills and challenges facing today’s auditor is greater
than ever. The Louwers, Bagley, Blay, Strawser, and Thibodeau team has dedicated
years of experience in the auditing field to this new edition of Auditing & Assurance
Services, supplying the necessary investigative tools for future auditors.
Cutting-Edge Coverage
The ninth edition of Auditing & Assurance Services continues its tradition as the most
up-to-date auditing text on the market. All chapters and modules have been revised to
incorporate
∙ The latest professional standards, recodifications, and proposals from the Interna-
tional Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, Auditing Standards Board, and
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
∙ A list of the relevant professional standards that are covered in that chapter, including
comprehensive coverage of the new PCAOB standards on auditing estimates.
Data Analytics
One trend has emerged as a potential sea change in the financial statement auditing process:
the data and analytics challenge.
We believe students should be prepared to make the best use possible of relevant data
using state-of-the-art analytical tools. In fact, the terms big data and data and analytics
are frequently being used to describe a growing movement among audit professionals.
As the AICPA moves to add data and analytics onto the Uniform CPA Examination, our
collective view is that students must be able to not only meet current requirements, but
be ahead of the game.
To prepare students, the ninth edition of Auditing & Assurance Services has been
revised deliberately to help students critically think about the use of increased data and
analytical tools in the financial statement audit. In addition to changes within the main
chapters of the book, we have added
∙ A new comprehensive example of data and analytics in auditing included in
Module G, which follows the AICPA Guide to Data Analytics and covers the entire
thought process of an auditor.
∙ Updated data to Author-Created Cases and Exercises (as part of Data Analytics
Module) that cover the majority of uses of data analytics in the financial statement
audit, along with extensive solutions to help instructors implement the materials in
their classroom.
It is our belief that students should be trained in the process of data and analytics and
learn to think critically about situations they may face in an audit. We believe that the
knowledge students attain should be software independent, particularly since software
vi
, technology changes so rapidly. However, we also believe that it is important for students
to become familiar with at least one specific data and analytic software tool, and recent
AACSB standards echo this belief. Thus, an important goal of the ninth edition is to
provide a clear and implementable method to fully integrate a leading data analysis tool,
the IDEA Data Analysis software, into the auditing class. Many of our exercises,
however, can be implemented using whatever technology an instructor chooses to
use, like Excel or Alteryx.
We believe that IDEA provides an outstanding platform to illustrate the steps that
auditors need to take related to data and data analysis while completing the financial
statement audit. Leading auditing professionals have confirmed that using IDEA is
an outstanding way for entry-level auditing professionals to begin the journey into
the world of big data and data analytics. Simply stated, big data is manifested in the
financial statement auditing process through the use of tools like IDEA.
Overall, our revisions related to the big data challenge were designed to provide
instructors a set of tools and mechanisms to bring data and analytics into the classroom
in a meaningful way. Through the use of these tools, students can be sure they are
prepared to enter practice with an appreciation for and knowledge of the increasing
importance of data and analytics in the auditing profession.
Perhaps most importantly, the ninth edition of Auditing & Assurance Services
also continues to be the most up-to-date auditing text on the market. All chapters and
modules have been revised to incorporate the latest updates from the international
standards of auditing (ISAs), the Auditing Standards Board (ASB), and the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). With Auditing & Assurance
Services, ninth edition, students are prepared to take on auditing’s latest challenges.
The Louwers author team uses a conversational, yet professional tone—hailed by
reviewers as a key strength of the book.
Flexible Organization “The format allows you to integrate the
Auditing & Assurance Services teaches students auditing con- modules into the chapter material in
cepts by emphasizing real-life contexts when describing the any way you would find useful.”
auditing process. The authors use chapters and modules to —Frank J. Beil, University of Minnesota
Chapters Modules
The 12 chapters cover the auditing pro- Modules A–I provide instructors additional
cess extensively with a multitude of material that can be used throughout the
cases designed to give students a better course. Topics such as fraud, ethics, sam-
understanding of how a best-practice pling, technology and the integrated audit
concept developed from real-world are covered in the modules, which are
situations. designed to be taught whenever instructors
want to introduce the topic in their course.
vii
stay awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we
are never quite the same.
Anonymous
We dedicate this book to the following educators
whose footprints we try to follow:
Professor Homer Bates
(University of North Florida)
Professor Stanley Biggs
(University of Connecticut) https://t.me/Nh1627
Professor Lewis C. Buller
(Indiana State University)
Professor Patrick Delaney
(Northern Illinois University)
Professor William Hillison
(Florida State University)
Professor John Ivancevich
(University of Houston)
Professor Richard Kochanek
(University of Connecticut)
Professor John L. “Jack” Kramer
(University of Florida)
Professor Jack Robertson
(University of Texas at Austin)
Professor Robert Strawser
(Texas A&M University)
Professor Sally Webber
(Northern Illinois University)
Professor “IBM Jim” Whitney
(The Citadel)
,Look Beneath the Surface. . .
As auditors, we are trained to investigate beyond appearances to determine the underlying
facts—in other words, to look beneath the surface. Whether evaluating the Enron and World-
Com scandals of the early 2000s, the financial crisis of 2007–2008, the Wirecard fraud in
2020 or present-day issues and challenges related to significant estimation uncertainty, under-
standing the auditor’s responsibility related to fraud, maintaining a clear perspective, probing
for details, and understanding the big picture are indispensable to effective auditing.
With the availability of greater levels of qualitative and quantitative information
(“Big Data”), the need for technical skills and challenges facing today’s auditor is greater
than ever. The Louwers, Bagley, Blay, Strawser, and Thibodeau team has dedicated
years of experience in the auditing field to this new edition of Auditing & Assurance
Services, supplying the necessary investigative tools for future auditors.
Cutting-Edge Coverage
The ninth edition of Auditing & Assurance Services continues its tradition as the most
up-to-date auditing text on the market. All chapters and modules have been revised to
incorporate
∙ The latest professional standards, recodifications, and proposals from the Interna-
tional Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, Auditing Standards Board, and
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
∙ A list of the relevant professional standards that are covered in that chapter, including
comprehensive coverage of the new PCAOB standards on auditing estimates.
Data Analytics
One trend has emerged as a potential sea change in the financial statement auditing process:
the data and analytics challenge.
We believe students should be prepared to make the best use possible of relevant data
using state-of-the-art analytical tools. In fact, the terms big data and data and analytics
are frequently being used to describe a growing movement among audit professionals.
As the AICPA moves to add data and analytics onto the Uniform CPA Examination, our
collective view is that students must be able to not only meet current requirements, but
be ahead of the game.
To prepare students, the ninth edition of Auditing & Assurance Services has been
revised deliberately to help students critically think about the use of increased data and
analytical tools in the financial statement audit. In addition to changes within the main
chapters of the book, we have added
∙ A new comprehensive example of data and analytics in auditing included in
Module G, which follows the AICPA Guide to Data Analytics and covers the entire
thought process of an auditor.
∙ Updated data to Author-Created Cases and Exercises (as part of Data Analytics
Module) that cover the majority of uses of data analytics in the financial statement
audit, along with extensive solutions to help instructors implement the materials in
their classroom.
It is our belief that students should be trained in the process of data and analytics and
learn to think critically about situations they may face in an audit. We believe that the
knowledge students attain should be software independent, particularly since software
vi
, technology changes so rapidly. However, we also believe that it is important for students
to become familiar with at least one specific data and analytic software tool, and recent
AACSB standards echo this belief. Thus, an important goal of the ninth edition is to
provide a clear and implementable method to fully integrate a leading data analysis tool,
the IDEA Data Analysis software, into the auditing class. Many of our exercises,
however, can be implemented using whatever technology an instructor chooses to
use, like Excel or Alteryx.
We believe that IDEA provides an outstanding platform to illustrate the steps that
auditors need to take related to data and data analysis while completing the financial
statement audit. Leading auditing professionals have confirmed that using IDEA is
an outstanding way for entry-level auditing professionals to begin the journey into
the world of big data and data analytics. Simply stated, big data is manifested in the
financial statement auditing process through the use of tools like IDEA.
Overall, our revisions related to the big data challenge were designed to provide
instructors a set of tools and mechanisms to bring data and analytics into the classroom
in a meaningful way. Through the use of these tools, students can be sure they are
prepared to enter practice with an appreciation for and knowledge of the increasing
importance of data and analytics in the auditing profession.
Perhaps most importantly, the ninth edition of Auditing & Assurance Services
also continues to be the most up-to-date auditing text on the market. All chapters and
modules have been revised to incorporate the latest updates from the international
standards of auditing (ISAs), the Auditing Standards Board (ASB), and the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). With Auditing & Assurance
Services, ninth edition, students are prepared to take on auditing’s latest challenges.
The Louwers author team uses a conversational, yet professional tone—hailed by
reviewers as a key strength of the book.
Flexible Organization “The format allows you to integrate the
Auditing & Assurance Services teaches students auditing con- modules into the chapter material in
cepts by emphasizing real-life contexts when describing the any way you would find useful.”
auditing process. The authors use chapters and modules to —Frank J. Beil, University of Minnesota
Chapters Modules
The 12 chapters cover the auditing pro- Modules A–I provide instructors additional
cess extensively with a multitude of material that can be used throughout the
cases designed to give students a better course. Topics such as fraud, ethics, sam-
understanding of how a best-practice pling, technology and the integrated audit
concept developed from real-world are covered in the modules, which are
situations. designed to be taught whenever instructors
want to introduce the topic in their course.
vii
