IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/acctfi/v64y2024i1p1221-1239.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Comments on Exposure Draft for Proposed ISSA 5000, sustainability assurance engagements by the Auditing and Assurance Standards Committee of AFAANZ

Author

Listed:
  • David Hay
  • Noel Harding
  • Pallab Biswas
  • Chris Gan
  • Irene Qingling Ge
  • Linh Ho
  • Dinithi Ranasinghe
  • Harj Singh
  • Nigar Sultana
  • Shan Zhou

Abstract

The Exposure Draft for Proposed International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000 has been issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) because there is increasing demand by stakeholders for assurance of sustainability information. Our recommendations include: (i) a more flexible approach to ethics and quality management instead of the requirements for standards that are at least as demanding as the accounting profession's standards; (ii) more differentiation between the requirements for limited as opposed to reasonable assurance and (iii) more cautious use of the term materiality and clearer definitions of the different materiality concepts to avoid potential confusion.

Suggested Citation

  • David Hay & Noel Harding & Pallab Biswas & Chris Gan & Irene Qingling Ge & Linh Ho & Dinithi Ranasinghe & Harj Singh & Nigar Sultana & Shan Zhou, 2024. "Comments on Exposure Draft for Proposed ISSA 5000, sustainability assurance engagements by the Auditing and Assurance Standards Committee of AFAANZ," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 64(1), pages 1221-1239, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:64:y:2024:i:1:p:1221-1239
    DOI: 10.1111/acfi.13235
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.13235
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/acfi.13235?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Olivier Boiral & Iñaki Heras-Saizarbitoria & Marie-Christine Brotherton, 2019. "Assessing and Improving the Quality of Sustainability Reports: The Auditors’ Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(3), pages 703-721, March.
    2. John Smith & Ros Haniffa & Jenny Fairbrass, 2011. "A Conceptual Framework for Investigating ‘Capture’ in Corporate Sustainability Reporting Assurance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 99(3), pages 425-439, March.
    3. J. Gregory Jenkins & Eric M. Negangard & Mitchell J. Oler, 2018. "Getting Comfortable on Audits: Understanding Firms’ Usage of Forensic Specialists," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 35(4), pages 1766-1797, December.
    4. Veronika Eyring & Vimal Mishra & Gary P. Griffith & Lei Chen & Trevor Keenan & Merritt R. Turetsky & Sally Brown & Frank Jotzo & Frances C. Moore & Sander Linden, 2021. "Publisher Correction: Reflections and projections on a decade of climate science," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(8), pages 716-716, August.
    5. Giovanna Michelon & Dennis M. Patten & Andrea M. Romi, 2019. "Creating Legitimacy for Sustainability Assurance Practices: Evidence from Sustainability Restatements," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 395-422, March.
    6. Maria Steinmeier & Michael Stich, 2019. "Does Sustainability Assurance Improve Managerial Investment Decisions?," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 177-209, January.
    7. Veronika Eyring & Vimal Mishra & Gary P. Griffith & Lei Chen & Trevor Keenan & Merritt R. Turetsky & Sally Brown & Frank Jotzo & Frances C. Moore & Sander Linden, 2021. "Reflections and projections on a decade of climate science," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(4), pages 279-285, April.
    8. Smith-Lacroix, Jean-Hubert & Durocher, Sylvain & Gendron, Yves, 2012. "The erosion of jurisdiction: Auditing in a market value accounting regime," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 36-53.
    9. Thomas P. Lyon & John W. Maxwell, 2011. "Greenwash: Corporate Environmental Disclosure under Threat of Audit," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(1), pages 3-41, March.
    10. Robyn Moroney & Ken T. Trotman, 2016. "Differences in Auditors' Materiality Assessments When Auditing Financial Statements and Sustainability Reports," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(2), pages 551-575, June.
    11. O'Dwyer, Brendan & Owen, David & Unerman, Jeffrey, 2011. "Seeking legitimacy for new assurance forms: The case of assurance on sustainability reporting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 31-52, January.
    12. Fan, Hanlu & Tang, Qingliang & Pan, Lipeng, 2021. "An international study of carbon information asymmetry and independent carbon assurance," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    13. Channuntapipat, Charika & Samsonova-Taddei, Anna & Turley, Stuart, 2020. "Variation in sustainability assurance practice: An analysis of accounting versus non-accounting providers," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    14. Robyn Moroney & Soon-Yeow Phang & Xinning Xiao, 2021. "When Do Investors Value Key Audit Matters?," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 63-82, January.
    15. Van Landuyt, Ben W., 2021. "Does emphasizing management bias decrease auditors’ sensitivity to measurement imprecision?," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    16. Emily E. Griffith & Jacqueline S. Hammersley & Kathryn Kadous, 2015. "Audits of Complex Estimates as Verification of Management Numbers: How Institutional Pressures Shape Practice," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(3), pages 833-863, September.
    17. Peter Schelluch & Grant Gay, 2006. "Assurance provided by auditors’ reports on prospective financial information: implications for the expectation gap," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 46(4), pages 653-676, December.
    18. Timothy A. Seidel & Chad A. Simon & Nathaniel M. Stephens, 2020. "Management bias across multiple accounting estimates," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 1-53, March.
    19. Paul J. Coram & Noel Harding & David C. Hay & Jahanzeb Khan & Ashna Prasad, 2021. "Comments of the AFAANZ Auditing and Assurance Standards Committee on Proposed International Standard on Auditing 600 (ED 600)," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5879-5890, December.
    20. Charika Channuntapipat, 2021. "Can sustainability report assurance be a collaborative process and practice beyond the ritual of verification?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 775-786, February.
    21. Candice T. Hux, 2017. "Use of specialists on audit engagements: A research synthesis and directions for future research," Journal of Accounting Literature, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 39(1), pages 23-51, August.
    22. Katrin Hummel & Christian Schlick & Matthias Fifka, 2019. "The Role of Sustainability Performance and Accounting Assurors in Sustainability Assurance Engagements," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(3), pages 733-757, February.
    23. Tim D. Bauer & Cassandra Estep & Bertrand Malsch, 2019. "One Team or Two? Investigating Relationship Quality between Auditors and IT Specialists: Implications for Audit Team Identity and the Audit Process†," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(4), pages 2142-2177, December.
    24. Kristy Hodge & Nava Subramaniam & Jenny Stewart, 2009. "Assurance of Sustainability Reports: Impact on Report Users' Confidence and Perceptions of Information Credibility," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 19(3), pages 178-194, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rashid Zaman & Muhammad Bilal Farooq & Fahad Khalid & Zeeshan Mahmood, 2021. "Examining the extent of and determinants for sustainability assurance quality: The role of audit committees," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 2887-2906, November.
    2. Habiba Al‐Shaer & Mahbub Zaman, 2018. "Credibility of sustainability reports: The contribution of audit committees," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 973-986, November.
    3. Quick, Reiner & Gauch, Kevin, 2021. "Is assurance on risk management systems relevant for bankers’ decisions?," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    4. Bradbury, Michael & Jia, Jing & Li, Zhongtian, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility committees and the use of corporate social responsibility assurance services," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2).
    5. Lopin Kuo & Po-Wen Kuo & Chun-Chih Chen, 2021. "Mandatory CSR Disclosure, CSR Assurance, and the Cost of Debt Capital: Evidence from Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, February.
    6. Carolin Baier & Max Göttsche & Andreas Hellmann & Frank Schiemann, 2022. "Too Good To Be True: Influencing Credibility Perceptions with Signaling Reference Explicitness and Assurance Depth," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(3), pages 695-714, July.
    7. Martínez-Ferrero, Jennifer & García-Sánchez, Isabel-María, 2017. "Coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphism as determinants of the voluntary assurance of sustainability reports," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 102-118.
    8. Teresa Eugénio & Sónia Gomes & Manuel Castelo Branco & Ana Isabel Morais, 2022. "Non-Financial Reporting and Assurance: A New Opportunity for Auditors? Evidence from Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-15, October.
    9. Patrick Velte & Martin Stawinoga, 2017. "Empirical research on corporate social responsibility assurance (CSRA): A literature review," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(8), pages 1017-1066, November.
    10. Carmelo Reverte, 2021. "Do investors value the voluntary assurance of sustainability information? Evidence from the Spanish stock market," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(5), pages 793-809, September.
    11. Xiao, Xinning & Shailer, Greg, 2022. "Stakeholders’ perceptions of factors affecting the credibility of sustainability reports," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(1).
    12. Kılıç, Merve & Kuzey, Cemil & Uyar, Ali, 2021. "An international investigation on assurance of integrated reports: Institutions, assurance quality, and assurers," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    13. Geert Braam & Roy Peeters, 2018. "Corporate Sustainability Performance and Assurance on Sustainability Reports: Diffusion of Accounting Practices in the Realm of Sustainable Development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(2), pages 164-181, March.
    14. Emily E. Griffith, 2020. "Auditors, Specialists, and Professional Jurisdiction in Audits of Fair Values†," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 245-276, March.
    15. Olivier Boiral & Iñaki Heras-Saizarbitoria & Marie-Christine Brotherton & Julie Bernard, 2019. "Ethical Issues in the Assurance of Sustainability Reports: Perspectives from Assurance Providers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 1111-1125, November.
    16. Carlos Larrinaga & Adriana Rossi & Mercedes Luque-Vilchez & Manuel Núñez-Nickel, 2020. "Institutionalization of the Contents of Sustainability Assurance Services: A Comparison Between Italy and United States," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 67-83, April.
    17. Cuadrado-Ballesteros, Beatriz & Martínez-Ferrero, Jennifer & García-Sánchez, Isabel María, 2017. "Mitigating information asymmetry through sustainability assurance: The role of accountants and levels of assurance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 1141-1156.
    18. Li‐Chun Kuo & Chia‐Lin Lee & Yun‐Ting Lee, 2022. "The impact of voluntary assurance of CSR reports on firms' operating performance: Evidence from Taiwan," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(8), pages 4041-4054, December.
    19. Josh Wei-Jun Hsueh, 2018. "Governance Structure and the Credibility Gap: Experimental Evidence on Family Businesses’ Sustainability Reporting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 547-568, December.
    20. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2020. "Drivers of the CSR report assurance quality: Credibility and consistency for stakeholder engagement," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2530-2547, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:64:y:2024:i:1:p:1221-1239. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aaanzea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.