Auditing Case

Mission of the Department of Accountancy

The department's mission is to provide accounting knowledge to students with majors in accounting and beyond. Consistent with the Zicklin School's mission, the department seeks to provide high quality, high value, education to enhance the professional aims of its students.

The department's undergraduate program is designed to help students obtain the technical tools, general background, and high ethical standards necessary for successful careers in accounting. The program focuses on the development, measurement, analysis, validation, and communication of financial and other information. Emphasis is placed on enhancing the students' ability to understand the environment and the broad implications of the use of accounting information in decision-making. An important goal of the department is that Baruch's accounting graduates will continue to become leaders in business, not-for-profit organizations, and government.

Overview of Course Content and Description

The course uses a lecture-discussion approach with reading and exercise assignments in a current auditing textbook with a required written presentation based on a current auditing case. Students are also expected to identify current events relevant to the course and bring that information to bear on the classroom discussions.

Professional ethics is covered early in the course to emphasize the importance of an ethical framework for the exercise of an auditor's professional judgment throughout the audit process.

The course explains the audit process of planning, performance, and communication with an emphasis on real world aspects of auditing. Both an audit of financial statements alone and an integrated audit of financial statements and internal control over financial reporting are covered, but the emphasis is on the integrated audit of a public company. The topics are detailed in a separate list of reading and homework assignments.