Comments by the Auditing Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association onFramework for Audit Quality, Consultation Paper by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board

Abstract

SUMMARYOn January 15, 2013, the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) solicited public comments on the exposure draft of its consultation paper entitled A Framework for Audit Quality (the Framework). The four-month comment period ended on May 15, 2013. This commentary summarizes the contributors' views on this exposure draft (the exposure draft and related information are available at: http://www.ifac.org/publications-resources/framework-audit-quality).This consultation paper makes great strides toward meeting the IAASB's strategy of “enhancing the quality of assurance” and “supporting global financial stability.” The three-by-three design (attributes of audit quality coupled with engagement, firm, and national levels; see page 24 of the Framework) and detailed outline of inputs, outputs, context, and interactions provides practitioners, regulators, and other stakeholders with a common audit-quality roadmap for implementation, communication, and research agendas. As financial systems continue to become more integrated, the Framework supports the global financial system and economic stability by providing worldwide coordination of the expectations of auditors, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders. We also believe that the Framework should be of great use to auditing academics and doctoral students, both as a teaching and research tool. Summarized below are our specific comments on specific issues raised in the consultation paper.