UNSW Handbook Course - Auditing and Assurance Services

Auditing and Assurance Services - ATAX0060


	Faculty: Faculty of Law
	School: Australian School of Taxation
	Course Outline: See below
	Campus: ATAX Campus
	Career: Undergraduate
	Units of Credit: 6
	EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)
	Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 0
	Enrolment Requirements:
	Prerequisite: ATAX0015
	Fee Band: 3 (more info)
	Further Information: See Class Timetable

Description

This course examines the practice of auditing and the concepts which underlie the practice. It examines the shift from the traditional auditing services where a high level of assurance is provided to the demand for lower levels of assurance for products other than the financial report. The focus of attention is on the financial report audit carried out under the provisions of the Australian Corporations Securities Legislation. New audit methodologies are also examined. The course provides an overview of the audit process as it exists in Australia. It is broken into a number of modules, each forming part of the audit process.

Recommended Prior Knowledge

ATAX0015 Intermediate Financial Accounting is the prerequisite for this course.

Course Objectives

The main objectives of this course are to:

Develop students' understanding of the audit function and of the reasons for an audit
Familiarise students with the professional, legal, commercial and regulatory constraints within which audits are carried out
Examine techniques used by auditors including risk analysis, evidence collection and evaluation, and audit reporting
Familiarise students with current developments in audit practice and research
Explain the nature and importance of professional ethics
Familiarise students with the requirements of the professional code of conduct

Main Topics

The auditing and assurance framework
The audit process, risk and planning
Risk assessment and internal controls
Evidence collection
IT and the auditor
Completion and reporting
Ethics, auditors and the law
The public sector and current issues

Assessment

Assignment 1 - 25%
Assignment 2 - 10%
My eLearning Vista MCQ Quizzes, 3 quizzes (5% each) - 15%
Final Exam, Closed book, 2 hours duration - 50%

Course Texts

Prescribed
Information regarding the Atax Textbook Lists for Semester 1 will be available on the UNSW Bookshop website from 1 February.

Information regarding the Atax Textbook Lists for Semester 2 will be available on the UNSW Bookshop website from 1 July.

Order from UNSW Bookshop:
http://www.bookshop.unsw.edu.au/atax.html

Citation and Style Guides

The following is a selection of acceptable citation and style guides, which you may use as the basis for your written work. You must purchase or have access to one of the following publications:

Rozenberg P, Australian guide to uniform legal citation (Sydney: Lawbook Co, 2nd ed, 2003)
Stuhmcke A, Legal referencing (Sydney: Butterworths, 3rd ed, 2005)
Australian guide to legal citation (Melbourne University Law Review Association, 2nd ed, 2002) - Available from http://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/aglc.asp

Note that in disciplines other than Law (ie, Accounting and Economics) the literature in these courses has, for the most part, been written in the Harvard style and in these courses you may prefer to use the Harvard style of referencing. Guides to using the Harvard style can be accessed at the following websites:

http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/ref.html
http://www.usq.edu.au/library/infoabout/ref_guides/default.htm

In this course, it is acceptable to use either one of the prescribed legal styles, or the Harvard style. However, whatever style you adopt must be used consistently and correctly - you must not mix one style with another.

Recommended
Refer to Course Profile supplied by Lecturer.