(c) You have just been advised of management’s intention to publish its yearly marketing r

Question

(c) You have just been advised of management’s intention to publish its yearly marketing report in the annual report

that will contain the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2005. Extracts from the marketing

report include the following:

‘Shire Oil Co sponsors national school sports championships and the ‘Shire Ward’ at the national teaching

hospital. The company’s vision is to continue its investment in health and safety and the environment.

‘Our health and safety, security and environmental policies are of the highest standard in the energy sector. We

aim to operate under principles of no-harm to people and the environment.

‘Shire Oil Co’s main contribution to sustainable development comes from providing extra energy in a cleaner and

more socially responsible way. This means improving the environmental and social performance of our

operations. Regrettably, five employees lost their lives at work during the year.’

Required:

Suggest performance indicators that could reflect the extent to which Shire Oil Co’s social and environmental

responsibilities are being met, and the evidence that should be available to provide assurance on their

accuracy. (6 marks)

Answer 1

正确答案：
(c) Social and environmental responsibilities
Performance indicators
■ Absolute ($) and relative (%) level of investment in sports sponsorship, and funding to the Shire Ward.
■ Increasing number of championship events and participating schools/students as compared with prior year.
■ Number of medals/trophies sponsored at events and/or number awarded to Shire sponsored schools/students.
■ Number of patients treated (successfully) a week/month. Average bed occupancy (daily/weekly/monthly and cumulative
to date).
■ Staffing levels (e.g. of volunteers for sports events, Shire Ward staff and the company):
? ratio of starters to leavers/staff turnover;
? absenteeism (average number of days per person per annum).
1 Withdrawal of the new licence would not create a going concern issue.
2 May also be described as ‘exploration and evaluation’ costs or ‘discovery and assessment’.
■ Number of:
– breaches of health and safety regulations and environmental regulations;
– oil spills;
– accidents and employee fatalities;
– insurance claims.
Evidence
Tutorial note: As there is a wide range of performance indicators that candidates could suggest, there is always a wide range
of possible sources of audit evidence. As the same evidence may contribute to providing assurance on more than one
measure they are not tabulated here, to avoid duplication. However, candidates may justifiably adopt a tabular layout. Also
note, that where measures may be expressed as evidence (e.g. trophies awarded) marks should be awarded only once.
■ Actual level of investment ($) compared with budget and budget compared with prior period.
Tutorial note: Would expect actual to be at least greater than prior year if performance in these areas (health and
safety) has improved.
■ Physical evidence of favourable increases on prior year, for example:
? medals/cups sponsored;
? number of beds available.
■ Increase in favourable press coverage/reports of sponsored events. (Decrease in adverse press about
accidents/fatalities.)
■ Independent surveys (e.g. by marine conservation organisations, welfare groups, etc) comparing Shire favourably with
other oil producers.
■ A reduction in fines paid compared with budget (and prior year).
■ Reduction in legal fees and claims being settled as evidenced by fee notes and correspondence files.
■ Amounts settled on insurance claims and level of insurance cover as compared with prior period.