Under the patronage of Dr Werner Müller (Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Germany) the First European Auditing Research Network Symposium was held on October, 26th and 27th 2001 in Wuppertal, Germany. The symposium started on Friday at 11.30 a.m. and ended on Saturday at 2.00 p.m. The venue was the Mercure Hotel next to the very calling card of Wuppertal itself, the lavishly restored town hall.

  • Photo Gallery
  • The Best Paper Award was won by the paper “The Influence of Client’s Ownership Type on Audit Efforts and Fees: Evidence from Finland” by Lasse Niemi (Helsinki School of Economics).
Message of Greeting from Dr Werner Müller (Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Germany)

The auditing sector is experiencing major changes at the present time. The internationalisation of companies and their increasing cross-border orientation to capital markets have spurred on the development of a global market over the past few years in a sector which was originally characterised by national traditions and legal systems. This development constitutes a new challenge for the regulatory framework, which is subject to growing standardisation pressures. Moreover, in the face of a steadily rising market capitalisation, the quality of auditing services is gaining in importance, particularly in the interest of protecting investors. A significant example of this is the debate about international standards on auditing, which is boosted by the involvement of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions.

Trends observed world-wide are even more pronounced on the European internal market. The European Commission, therefore, aims at ensuring a uniform and high standard of auditing in Europe. The German Government supports the Commission’s initiatives. Only if consolidated financial statements and audit reports are recognised in the long run as being equivalent in Europe and offer the highest possible degree of reliability, will companies and investors gain confidence in European capital markets across the borders, enabling Europe to take a more active part in the important international discussions.

In this ongoing process of adjustment and development, audit research plays an important role. Due to their independence and special expertise, universities can make valuable contributions to the current debate at national and international level. I therefore welcome the European Auditing Research Network, an initiative whose goal it is to further intensify auditing research by creating a platform for a broadly-based academic information exchange. Outside all the institutions, this is evidence of a truly European approach. The issues discussed, which embrace technical questions and regulatory problems as well as the training of auditors and the economic significance of auditing, produce interesting questions for all parties involved. Thus, a major professional contribution is made which will enhance the harmonisation process at the European level. The First European Audit Research Symposium offers an ideal opportunity to present these deliberations to a wider public. As the patron of this event I wish the organisers every success and all participants stimulating discussions.

Outline Programme

Friday, October 26th:

10:00 a.m.

 

Symposium Registration at the Mercure Hotel

11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

 

Early Bird Welcome Reception at the Mercure Hotel (including a buffet)

11:30 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.

 

Official Opening

11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

 

IFAC News Update with Dietz Mertin (Chairman of the IAASB)

12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

 

Brunch and Coffee Break

12:30 p.m. – 02:00 p.m.

 

Session I + Session II + Session III

02:00 p.m. – 02:30 p.m.

 

Coffee Break

02:30 p.m. – 04:00 p.m.

 

Plenary Session: Successful Publishing

04:00 p.m. – 04:30 p.m.

 

Coffee Break

04:30 p.m. – 06:00 p.m.

 

Session IV + Session V + Session VI

07:00 p.m.

 

“Wuppertal Evening” with dinner at the old town hall

Saturday, October 27th:

08:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

 

Doctoral Session I + II

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

 

Coffee Break

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

 

Session VII + Session VIII + Session IX

12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.

 

Coffee Break

12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

 

Presentation of the Best Paper Award

12:30 p.m. – 02:00 p.m.

 

Panel Discussion chaired by the former president of the EAA Wolfgang Ballwieser (University of Munich)

02:00 p.m.

 

Business Lunch

Plenary Session: Challenges from professional accountants` points of view

In this session Frank Brebeck (PwC), Carl-Ulrich Diehl (Ernst&Young), Frank Huber (KPMG), Heinz Dieter Schlereth (Deloitte&Touche) and Gerd Willi St?rz (Ernst & Young) gave their vision of the auditing profession and took the opportunity to formulate the requirements with respect to the auditing research from a practitioner?s point of view (chaired by the former president of the EAA Wolfgang Ballwieser, University of Munich).

Frank Brebeck, PwC D?sseldorf (Germany)
Presented Slides
Carl-Ulrich Diehl, Ernst & Young Stuttgart (Germany)
Presented Slides
Frank Huber, KPMG Berlin (Germany)
Presented Slides
Dieter Schlereth, Deloitte & Touche D?sseldorf (Germany)
Presented Slides
Gerd W. St?rz, Ernst & Young D?sseldorf (Germany)
Presented Slides

 

Wuppertal

Wuppertal is a mixture of outgoing metropolis and cosy village and has such famous daughters and sons like the German Federal President Johannes Rau, the director of the Wuppertal dance theatre Pina Bausch or Friedrich Engels.

It doesn’t belong to either the Ruhr coal and steel area or to the Rhineland.

What is particularly attractive about this ?city in the country?, with its 375,000 inhabitants, is its topographical location in the immediate vicinity of the cities D?sseldorf and Cologne. It is the economic and cultural centre of the Graf von Berg region, a verdant district, full of self-assurance, in the heart of the Federal Republic.

The best way for the visitor to get a first glimpse of the city is to take a ride on the suspension railway, a fast moving train, which is not just a city landmark and monument, but has shown itself to be one of the world’s safest transport systems ever since it was inaugurated.

As far as the subject of industry is concerned, quality products from Wuppertal such as machine tools, textile yarns, car accessories and chemical products have made the city famous on a worldwide scale.

For further information about Wuppertal please visit this homepage.

University of Wuppertal

Wuppertal has been a university town since 1972.

17,000 young people from 80 different countries are distributed over 14 faculties. What other university can boast such a broad perspective?

For further information about the university of Wuppertal please visit this website.