Can we meet the needs? Auditor views on assurance and management commentary: Summary Report

Abstract

This short publication provides an accessible and non-technical summary of the second stage of a major research project supported by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) on the future of external assurance. Those interested can obtain a fuller account of the research from the ICAS monograph (Fraser and Pierpoint, 2011) which is published concurrently with this summary (download at www.icas.org. uk/fraser-auditors). The major concerns of the research are to investigate, first, the desirability and feasibility of providing external assurance on management commentary and, second, the usefulness of current audit reporting and ways of enhancing that reporting. The first research stage covered the views of professional and private investors, and other users, on the issues and the complete results may be accessed in the published research monograph (Fraser et al., 2010). A short summary report is also available (Fraser and Henry, 2010). This second stage investigates the views of auditors, and to a lesser extent, those of regulators.