The fourth edition of Auditing & Assurance Services is the most up-to-date auditing text on the market. All chapters and modules in the fourth edition have been revised to incorporate professional standards through SAS 116, AS7, international standards of auditing (ISAs), and unnumbered standards adopted through July 2009. New terminology from the AICPA’s Clarity Project has been incorporated throughout the book. In addition, all chapters include new problems, Kaplan CPA Review simulations, and comprehensive case questions. Fraud awareness, a thorough understanding of internal controls, and the ability to use technology effectively are the hallmarks of a successful auditor in business today. With Auditing & Assurance Services, 4th edition , students are prepared to take on auditing’s latest challenges. As a leader in fraud coverage, it is accompanied by the Apollo Shoes Case, the only standalone FRAUD audit case on the market (available online on the book’s OLC). The text is also designed to provide flexibility for instructors; the twelve chapters focus on the auditing process while the eight modules provide additional topics that can be taught at the instructor’s discretion without interrupting the flow of the text.

The fundamental values central to the Messier/Glover/Prawitt text include: student engagement, a systematic approach, and decision making. Student Engagement: The authors believe students are best served by acquiring a strong understanding of the basic concepts that underlie the audit process and how to apply those concepts to various audit and assurance services. The text is accessible to students through straightforward writing and the use of engaging, relevant real-world examples, illustrations, and analogies. The text explicitly encourages students to “stop and think” at important points in the text to help them apply principles covered and also helps students see the application of concepts in a practical setting through “practice insight” boxes. A Systematic Approach: The authors first introduce the three underlying concepts of audit risk, materiality, and evidence, then follow with a discussion of audit planning, the assessment of control risk, and a discussion of the nature, timing, and extent of evidence necessary to reach the appropriate level of detection risk. These concepts are then applied to each major business process and related account balances using a risk-based approach, (in following with the new standards adopted by the various auditing boards). Decision Making: Since much of auditing practice involves the application of auditor judgment, the authors focus on critical judgments and decision-making processes. If a student understands these basic concepts and how to apply them to an audit engagement, he or she will be more effective in today's dynamic audit environment. The new edition even includes a full advanced module on Professional Judgment.

Whittington/Pany is our market leader in the auditing discipline. While most textbooks use a cycles approach, Whittington/Pany enlists a balance sheet approach – making it particularly straightforward and user-friendly. The 19th Edition of Principles of Auditing & Other Assurance Services provides a carefully balanced presentation of auditing theory and practice. Written in a clear and understandable manner, it is particularly appropriate for students who have had limited or no audit experience. The approach is to integrate auditing material with that of previous accounting financial, managerial, and systems courses.

The fundamental values central to the Messier Jr./Glover/Prawitt text include: student engagement, a systematic approach, and decision making.Student Engagement: The authors believe students are best served by acquiring a strong understanding of the basic concepts that underlie the audit process and how to apply those concepts to various audit and assurance services. The text is accessible to students through straightforward writing and the use of engaging, relevant real-world examples, illustrations, and analogies. The text explicitly encourages students to “stop and think” at important points in the text to help them apply principles covered and also helps students see the application of concepts in a practical setting through “practice insight” boxes. A Systematic Approach: The authors first introduce the three underlying concepts of audit risk, materiality, and evidence, then follow with a discussion of audit planning, the assessment of control risk, and a discussion of the nature, timing, and extent of evidence necessary to reach the appropriate level of detection risk. These concepts are then applied to each major business process and related account balances using a risk-based approach, (in following with the new standards adopted by the various auditing boards). Decision Making: Since much of auditing practice involves the application of auditor judgment, the authors focus on critical judgments and decision-making processes. If a student understands these basic concepts and how to apply them to an audit engagement, he or she will be more effective in today's dynamic audit environment. The new edition even includes a full advanced module on Professional Judgment.

Messier employs the audit approach currently being used by auditing professionals. This approach is a direct result of the demands of Sarbanes-Oxley, which has changed the way auditors do their jobs. The approach emphasizes understanding the entity (i.e., the organization or business being audited) and its environment (i.e. industry), and then assessing the business risks faced by the entity and how management controls those risks. This audit process focuses on business processes instead of accounting cycles. This unique and innovative approach has been developed in response to changing market dynamics. The systematic approach, referred to in the subtitle of the text, reflects the early introduction of three basic concepts that underlie the audit process: materiality, audit risk, and evidence; this allows Messier to build upon this model in subsequent chapters. These are central to everything an auditor does and a unique feature of Messier. As such, this approach helps students develop auditor judgment, a vital skill in today’s auditing environment.

Messier employs the audit approach currently being used by auditing professionals. This approach is a direct result of the demands of Sarbanes-Oxley, which has changed the way auditors do their jobs. The approach emphasizes understanding the entity (i.e., the organization or business being audited) and its environment (i.e. industry), and then assessing the business risks faced by the entity and how management controls those risks. This audit process focuses on business processes instead of accounting cycles. This unique and innovative approach has been developed in response to changing market dynamics. The systematic approach, referred to in the subtitle of the text, reflects the early introduction of three basic concepts that underlie the audit process: materiality, audit risk, and evidence; this allows Messier to build upon this model in subsequent chapters. These are central to everything an auditor does and a unique feature of Messier. As such, this approach helps students develop auditor judgment, a vital skill in today’s auditing environment.

Whittington/Pany is our market leader in the auditing discipline. While most textbooks use a cycles approach, Whittington/Pany enlists a balance sheet approach – making it particularly straightforward and user-friendly in addressing the auditing profession’s risk-based approach for financial statement audits as well as for integrated audits of financial statements and internal control. The 18th edition covers the latest auditing standards to meet the needs of the current marketplace. The authors are well connected – both Ray Whittington and Kurt Pany served as members of the Audit Standards Board, and Whittington recently completed his term as President of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association.