The Effects of Auditor Certification, Professional Skepticism, and the Presence of Fraud on Fraud Risk Assessment Performance

Cindy Vance, Department of Accounting

Thursday, Marsh 24, 2016 at 12:30 pm
Byrd Center for Legislative Studies Auditorium

Cindy Vance will present her research plan from her doctoral dissertation proposal,“The Effects of Auditor Certification, Professional Skepticism, and the Presence of Fraud on Fraud Risk Assessment Performance,” which will examine the effect of auditor attributes on fraud risk assessments that are required as part of U.S. publically traded company financial statement audits to detect material financial misstatements.The occurrence of financial statement fraud has a significant impact on economies and stakeholders including employees, investors, creditors, auditors, regulators, and communities. Her research will be conducted using the theoretical framework of fraud theory and attribution theory to examine the influence of auditor certification, professional skepticism, and the presence of fraud risk on fraud risk assessment performance by answering the questions:

(a) Does the presence of fraud risk have an effect on fraud risk assessment performance?
(b) Does professional skepticism have an effect on fraud risk assessment performance?
(c) Does a certification in fraud knowledge have an effect on fraud risk assessment performance?

Cindy Vance is an assistant professor of accounting at Shepherd University. She serves as a member of the Shepherd University Alumni Association Board of Directors and the advisor for the Shepherd University Accounting Club and maintains membership in the AICPA,VSCPA, and ACFE. She is a licensed certified public accountant in Virginia and serves as a consultant in the accounting field. She is pursuing a doctoral degree in business administration with a specialization in advanced accounting at Northcentral University.