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to the Table of ContentsOur third annual midyear meeting in Jacksonville was very successful and I would like to thank Urton Anderson, program chair, and his committee members for the time and effort they put forth to ensure success. Thanks also to all of the speakers, presenters, discussants and attendees for participating and adding to the general positive atmosphere and the sense of excitement for the possibilities that await us as we face the rapidly changing world of audit, attest and assurance services.
The Executive Committee met the day prior to the midyear meeting and made some important decisions. First, the committee voted unanimously to change the time of the Section business meeting to the midyear meeting. During the August 1997 American Accounting Association meeting in Dallas, we will have the final Auditing Section business meeting that is associated with the annual meeting of the parent association. There are several reasons for this decision. First, officer elections take place at the business meeting and it is important to obtain as much member input as possible. Usual attendance at the August business meeting is around 80 people. Attendance at the midyear meetings has been around 180 people, making the midyear group much more representative of the membership. Second, the parent organization has been concerned about the number of section meetings that take place during the parent organization meeting in August and has suggested that sections which have midyear meetings hold the business meetings during that time. Finally, there are many Audit Section members who belong to other sections and they will now be able to attend the business meetings held in August for those sections.
During the transition, we will have officer elections at the business meeting in Dallas. I will pass the gavel to incoming president, Barry Cushing, at the Auditing Section luncheon and newly elected officers will join the executive committee immediately after the luncheon. At our January 1998 midyear meeting in Mesa, Arizona, we will again have officer elections. Those officers, however, will not officially join the executive committee until immediately after the Auditing Section luncheon held at the annual meeting of the parent organization in August 1998.
In summary, the Auditing Section will hold its last business meeting in conjunction with the annual meeting of the parent organization in August 1997. Thereafter, the business meeting will be held in conjunction with the Section midyear meeting. The Auditing Section luncheon held during the annual meeting of the parent organization will continue and will be the venue for passing the gavel to the new officers and for the bestowing of awards. Please do not hesitate to contact any of the officers for comments or questions on this new policy.
The Executive Committee also agreed to conduct a feasibility study to determine the need for a revision of A Statement of Basic Auditing Concepts, Studies in Accounting Research No. 6 (American Accounting Association 1973). It is envisioned that a revised document can serve as a broad general framework for audit, attest and assurance services. This will be useful as we develop new courses, write new textbooks, and identify and investigate research issues that arise because of rapid changes that are taking place. A committee of academics and practitioners will be appointed and asked to report to the Executive Committee by August 1997 on the need for and feasibility of this project. This project, if approved, will be a major initiative of the Section, is expected to take at least two years to complete, and can be expected to serve both the practice and academic worlds. I will serve as liaison between the feasibility committee and the Executive Committee.
Finally, the Executive Committee agreed to appoint a strategic planning task force. The task force will be asked to evaluate our mission statement, and statement of goals and objectives and revise them as necessary. Based on the revision, they will also develop a five-year plan for the section to be approved by the officers. I will serve as liaison between this task force and the Executive Committee. Once we have a strategic planning framework in place, the committee structure of the Section will be evaluated and re-engineered as necessary to ensure that we serve our constituencies in the most effective manner possible. It is expected that the Strategic Planning Task Force will report to the Executive Committee and the Auditing Section membership at the August 1997 meeting of the parent organization.
The Future of Audit, Attest and Assurance Services Task Force, chaired by Gary Holstrum, presented a preliminary report at the midyear meeting. An overflow crowd reacted positively and generated a great deal of discussion. This group will present their final report at the August 1997 meeting of the parent organization. It was at this task force meeting that questions about the name of the Section were raised. Although I tend to think of auditing in the holistic sense, many connect the term only with the very narrow context of financial statement auditing. Thus, it may be necessary to change the name of the Section to demonstrate that we are forward-looking and ready to meet the never-ending challenges of the new world we face. If any of you have ideas for a new name for the Section please convey your ideas to any of the officers (see email addresses on the Web Page).
Thanks to Webmaster Mike Groomer for his continuing work with the homepage and to Richard Rand and his work as Associate Webmaster. I am particularly pleased that the papers presented at the midyear meeting are posted on the web and thus are made available for those who were unable to attend the meeting. In addition, persons attending the meeting were able to obtain an advance copy of papers that were presented and, in theory at least, this helps to raise the level of discussion at the concurrent sessions. Mike is chairing a Communications Task Force which will report to the Executive Committee on May 1. The task force will investigate electronic communications for the Section and will consider issues such as electronic dissemination of our newsletter The Auditor's Report. Please provide comments, suggestion and thanks to Mike and Richard on the homepage along with your comments and suggestions on the work of the Communications Task Force.
As we move into spring, I would like each of you to consider ways in which we can involve the practice world in the Auditing Section. I would like to better connect with practitioners and would like to see them in full force at our meetings. It is important that we receive input to our research and curriculum activities from them and that we respond in a positive manner.
Please do not hesitate to call on me with your ideas, comments, questions and even complaints. We are here to serve you and can only do so with your constant input. Have a great semester and think audit, attest and assurance services as we move into a new season.
Jane F. Mutchler
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