Audit Standard Setting and Inspection for U.S. Public Companies: A Critical Assessment and Recommendations for Fundamental Change
32 Pages Posted: 23 Nov 2008 Last revised: 3 Apr 2012
Date Written: January 28, 2009
Abstract
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) established the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to oversee the public accounting firms that audit publicly traded companies in the U.S. In this commentary we outline why we believe the PCAOB's audit standard setting and inspection models are inefficient and dysfunctional. We assert that the Board's ability to achieve its mission is limited by its early choices, together with its incentives, organizational composition, and structure. We support our assertions with a number of indicators of serious problems and flaws in the current approach. We also present high-level recommendations for change for policy makers, regulators, and leaders in the profession to consider in developing better approaches to audit standard setting, inspection, and enforcement.
Keywords: Auditing Standards Setting, Audit Inspection, PCAOB, Accounting Profession
JEL Classification: M41
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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