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Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Alien 3 :: essays research papers
It was in 1979 that the bad dream started, when the spaceship the Nostromo arrived on an obscure planet to answer a salvage message and later investigate a deserted vessel. Thatââ¬â¢s where the group met just because a animal as dangerous as excellent, the Alien. This animal and itââ¬â¢s condition, made by the gifted Swiss craftsman H.R. Giger, were the primary foes from the film à « Alien à », coordinated by Ridley Scott and highlighting Sigourney Weaver as the main overcomer of the Nostromo team when the Alien infiltrated it. This film was the primary section of a clique adventure still dynamic nowadays. From the four motion pictures highlighting the Outsiders, the third one is considered as the most exceedingly terrible one. Indeed in spite of the fact that itââ¬â¢s visual quality was extraordinary, itââ¬â¢s poor situation tricked most Alien fans all through the world, leaving not much spot for development for a forward film. Be that as it may, most individuals donââ¬â¢t realize that the widely praised cyberpunk creator William Gibson composed an elective situation to Alienâ ³, substantially more explored, concentrating on future innovation and human contacts as opposed to on blasts furthermore, unwarranted viciousness. Both Alienâ ³ and Gibsonââ¬â¢s content have a comparative opening, where the crowd discovers that a Face-Hugger (a crab/creepy crawly like animal whose capacity is to actualize an undeveloped organism inside a chest hole from a living being) has had the option to stow away in the Sulaco, the boat with which Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Hicks (a harmed marine officer), Newt (a 12 years of age young lady) and Bishop (an android genuinely harmed) got away from the Alien state in the past film, Aliens. However, this comparability between the to contents is possibly the one and only one. Starting now and into the foreseeable future, the two stories will take totally various courses. In Alienâ ³, an electric breakdown (typically credited to the Face-Hugger) causes the boat to crash on a planet called Fiorina 161 containing a antagonized mining settlement currently utilized as a high-security jail. This prompts unsurprising, rough, encounters between Ripley (the main survivor from the accident) and the detainees. Starting now and into the foreseeable future, the watchers realizes that the film will be founded on misogynist discusses and on futile brutality. Be that as it may, in Gibsonââ¬â¢s rendition, the Sulaco doesn't crash on a planet yet rather proceeds on itââ¬â¢s unique way yet with a little deviation. This deviation causes the boat to enter a territory guaranteed by the Union of Progressive Peoples, or UPP, a fairly clear relationship to the late USSR. It is supposed that this closeness added to the end of Gibsonââ¬â¢s content. The nearness of a political power in the story would have been the main specter of any sort of political discussions in all the Aliens films. Also, at the equivalent time, the crowd discovers that thereââ¬â¢s not just one ground-breaking
Saturday, August 22, 2020
The development of the American Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The improvement of the American Empire - Essay Example As they detected a force vacuum and an extraordinary chance to impact the United States, the Union was explicitly keen on obstructing these endeavors and guaranteeing that the contention stayed as one between the states. Pretty much, these endeavors were broadly fruitful and they assisted with empowering the further understanding the landmass of North America, and the encompassing districts could be seen as the range of prominence whereupon the United States alone had the permit to interfere. Nonetheless, understanding the manner by which the American idea of realm created can't be fittingly affected without a superficial conversation of the regulation of Manifest Destiny. Show Destiny was the inherent conviction that the Almighty had furnished the United States with domain over all the land between the Atlantic and Pacific seas. This conviction had a significant contact with respect to the manner by which colonization of these terrains occurred and the methods through which the loca l populaces were abused and migrated. Similarly as Manifest Destiny and a translation of American power came to be shaped during and before the Civil War period, just as subsequently, the course whereupon the United States would in the end connect with was everything except guaranteed. One of the most clear intercessions inside this authoritative reach occurred during the Spanish American War; a period where the United States looked to additionally debilitate the Spanish Empire and take regions in the Pacific â⬠just as cut out further impact inside the Caribbean.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
5 Books To Watch For In March
5 Books To Watch For In March I always get a little envious when someone like Liberty writes the books to watch for posts at the beginning of the month. She knows the books shes highlighting and can talk about what they were all about because shes read them. I cant talk to personal reading experiences on any of the titles Im highlighting, in part because, well, I havent read any of them. But these are titles either on my radar to read as soon as I can or theyre titles Ive seen some great buzz about from other Rioters whove picked them up. Thats all to say that descriptions of the books will be from Goodreads and not from my own take on the book. Theres something for every kind of reader in this round-up, with titles ranging from adult fiction to middle grade fiction and even some nonfiction. Get ready to get your read on this month! This ones a title that Ive seen many Rioters talking about for months in advance. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meetâ"sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doorsâ"doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through. This middle grade steampunk title is Riazis debut novel, and its an #OwnVoices Muslim story from the brand new Salaam Reads imprint. The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi When twelve-year-old Farah and her two best friends get sucked into a mechanical board game called The Gauntlet of Blood and Sandâ"a puzzle game akin to a large Rubikâs cubeâ"they know itâs up to them to defeat the gameâs diabolical architect in order to save themselves and those who are trapped inside, including her baby brother Ahmed. But first they have to figure out how. Under the tutelage of a lizard guide named Henrietta Peel and an aeronaut Vijay, the Farah and her friends battle camel spiders, red scorpions, grease monkeys, and sand cats as they prepare to face off with the maniacal Lord Amari, the man behind the machine. Can they defeat Amari at his own gameâ¦or will they, like the children who came before them, become cogs in the machine? Because when Rebecca Solnit has a new collection coming out, its one to be ready for. Feminist essays during a time of turbulence. The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit In a timely follow-up to her national bestseller Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit offers indispensable commentary on women who refuse to be silenced, misogynistic violence, the fragile masculinity of the literary canon, the gender binary, the recent history of rape jokes, and much more. In characteristic style, Solnit mixes humor, keen analysis, and powerful insight in these essays. Laini Taylor has a new book, the first in a duology, hitting shelves this month. This one will be for those who love magic and fantasy and some of the most delicious prose in the YA world. Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way aroundâ" and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old hes been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever. What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving? The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteriesâ"including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlos dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? and if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real? And finally, a book I cannot wait to read and have been hearing rave reviews about for months. The Wanderers by Meg Howrey In four years Prime Space will put the first humans on Mars. Helen Kane, Yoshi Tanaka, and Sergei Kuznetsov must prove theyâre the crew for the job by spending seventeen months in the most realistic simulation every created. Retired from NASA, Helen had not trained for irrelevance. It is nobodyâs fault that the best of her exists in space, but her daughter canât help placing blame. The MarsNOW mission is Helenâs last chance to return to the only place sheâs ever truly felt at home. For Yoshi, itâs an opportunity to prove himself worthy of the wife he has loved absolutely, if not quite rightly. Sergei is willing to spend seventeen months in a tin can if it means travelling to Mars. He will at least be tested past the point of exhaustion, and this is the example he will set for his sons. As the days turn into months the line between what is real and unreal becomes blurred, and the astronauts learn that the complications of inner space are no less fraught than those of outer space. The Wanderers gets at the desire behind all exploration: the longing for discovery and the great search to understand the human heart.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Minimum Wage And Philosophical Theories - 1374 Words
Minimum Wage and Philosophical Theories Ethical Egoist There are three different positions suggested on the issue of the minimum wage in the United States. First one is that it is best to not have any minimum wage and let the employers and employees decide. Second, the current minimum wage should not change and stay the same as it is. Third suggestion is that the U.S. should raise up the minimum wage up to certain about such as $15 an hour. Ethical egoism suggests that he or she has to make decisions based on whatââ¬â¢s best for his or her interests and it is the only way to make decisions in the long run. Over the three different options given on the question of what the U.S. should do for the minimum wage, I believe ethical egoism supports the option of raising up the minimum wage. Letââ¬â¢s say the decision maker or one who has the biggest influence on making decisions for the question of minimum wage in the U.S. is the President Barack Obama and the majority of people want the minimum wage to be raised up. Also letââ¬â¢s assume that one of his best interests is satisfying his people by doing things that his people want especially those who are in need financially. Therefore, in this case, I believe that an ethical egoist would say that the president should support the idea of raising the minimum wage because pleasing his people who are in need of financial aid is one of his own interests and making decisions to do whatââ¬â¢s best for his own interests is what he shouldShow MoreRelatedBarbara Ehrenreich s Nickel And Dimed1600 Words à |à 7 PagesEhrenreich s novel was to present empirical and philosophical arguments against social policies associated with poverty and the ideologies surrounding it. Ehrenreich had an English degree and was used to doing research and writing about the experiences surrounding her findings. However, with her research surrounding Nickel and Dimed she took a more empirical approach by living the experiences of her research to discover the undercover truths surrounding minimum wage jobs. Ehrenreich knew it would be difficultRead MoreDiscrimination Based On Race And Gender Essay1625 Words à |à 7 Pageslegal theory can be understood with a brief description of the legal theory known as Natural Law. According to Natural Law Legal Theory (not to be confused with Natural Law Moral Theory), the law is a set standard for all citizens to act according to. People, however, have the capacity to act rationally, and can only correct their behavior by exercising said capacity. Therefore, in order to have an apt standard for human conduct, law must necessarily be rational. A law, according to this theory, isRead MoreKarl Marx and Adam Smith Essays1386 Words à |à 6 Pagesthe bourgeois had risen to power by oppressing and exploiting the proletariat. The term bourgeois refers to the people in the class of modern capitalists, owners of the means of social production and employers of wage labor. The proletarians are the people in the class of modern wage laborers who, having no means of production of their own, are reduced to selling their labor power in order to live. While Smith, in his Wealth of Nations, wrote in favor of capitalism, Marx, in his Communist ManifestoRead MoreKarl Marx and Capitalism Essay880 Words à |à 4 PagesKarl Marx, in the Capital, developed his critique of capitalism by analyzing its characteristics and its development throughout history. The critique contains Marxââ¬â¢s most developed economic analysis and philosophical insight. Although it was written in 1850s, its values still serve an important purpose in the globalized world and maintains extremely relevant in the twenty-first century. Karl Marxââ¬â¢s critique of political economy provides a scientific understanding of the history of capitalism.Read MoreThe Marxist Feminism Theory And The Social System1176 Words à |à 5 Pagesdiscussed. This theory believes social structure shapes the groupââ¬â¢s behaviours and perspectives. People who have a higher socioeconomic status have better health. Secondly, the Marxist feminism theory is a structure based theory and several debates arose in regards to the theory. Thirdly, gender inequality is shown in the statistics and males are more likely to experience physical health injuries and death compared to females. Finally, the movie, Devils Dust highlighted the Marxist Feminism theory and itRead More Greenspan: The Man Behind Money Essay877 Words à |à 4 PagesGreenspan having read John Maynard Keyness General Theory now had conflicting theories to interpret. (28). Including his fathers book which championed big government initiatives of FDRs New Deal (29). Greenspa n began moving away from the benevolent government perspective, toward laissez-faire and limited government. (29). That was the time when Greenspan was taking in as much information as he could, eager to learn and come up with his own theories later. When Greenspan joined Ayn Rands: the objectivistsRead MoreWhy Marx s Social Theory Place So Much Emphasis On Class Conflict And The Economic Aspects Of Society? Essay1524 Words à |à 7 PagesWhy does Marx s social theory place so much emphasis on class conflict and the economic aspects of society? Karl Marx is one of the most influential and revolutionary philosopher, economist and sociologist of the 19th century. His thoughts not only shaped our understandings of the capitalistic world but also created a new system of social organization, communism. His ideology also defined the key political figures of the cold war period such as Stalin, Mao and Castro. Without MarxRead MoreEssay about Universal Declaration of Human Rights1673 Words à |à 7 Pagesability to participate in civic or political life. Political Rights include but are not limited to the Freedom of Thought and Expression, The Freedom from Unjust Bodily Harm by a Government, and the Freedom to Participate in Civic Affairs. Using the theory of Negative and Positive Rights, Political Rights are seen as negative rights. Negative Rights are seen as actions under which right holders are not to be subjected to a particular action by a group entity such as torture by government, or unjustRead MoreDemocracy And The Problem Of Distributive Justice1443 Words à |à 6 PagesDistributive Justice The preliminary point into an inquiry of distributive justice is to disconnect the conjunction of ââ¬Å"distributive,â⬠and ââ¬Å"justiceâ⬠. For the purpose of this essay, I will inherit and accept John Rawls explanation of justice from A Theory of Justice. ââ¬Å"Justice,â⬠according to Rawls, ââ¬Å"is the first virtue of social institutions.â⬠Therefore, from a societal perspective, justice as the first virtue negates the utilitarian maxim that a loss of freedom for one would be acceptable if thereRead MoreOrganisation and Behaviour1683 Words à |à 7 Pagesdrive to attract more school leavers, which shows the philosophical side of Pret A Manager chain. By employing homeless people and school leavers with no experience The organisation wants to show they are not ignorant to social problems. Pret A Manager do not require experienced and well qualified level of employees. They employ people from all kind of backgrounds who are allowed to work legally. Compa ny pays its staff above the minimum wage and provide also flexible hours, that shows that Pret A
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Argument Against Taking Death As A Genuine Evil - 1295 Words
In the Lucretiusââ¬â¢ argument against taking death as a genuine evil, one can understand his his conclusion that death should not be feared because one was nonexistent as well before birth. His first premise introduces that one would not have feelings before our birth because we are nonexistent, so we would not have any fear after death as well because one will be nonexistent. Before birth we do not experience fear, so we should not experience fear before death as well. In Lucretius argument one can object his conclusion by involving loss and deprivation after death and further explaining how it is reasonable to experience fear before death. However, if one was to accept it, then one would have to question Fischer and Bruecknerââ¬â¢s account about loss and deprivation and how it affects oneââ¬â¢s feelings before death. Lucretius concept represents how we should not fear death, since we were once nonexistent before our birth. Here is where one sees how nonexistence before bi rth and non existence after death differ in various ways. We would have to consider that although we were once nonexistent before birth, we also did not have a life we valued and enjoyed. Lucretius did not include how after death we would experience loss, which is when we once possessed life. One would also be deprived of the good things in life after death, and would not have the chance to experience life in the future. The difference between loss and deprivation is that with loss you once possessed theShow MoreRelatedThe Argument Of God s Existence1737 Words à |à 7 Pagesparticular paper I will be taking the best explanations approach. What I mean by this is I do not have proof of Godââ¬â¢s existence but the existence of God is the best explanation for the universe around me. With this statement in mind we will discuss arguments in support of Godââ¬â¢s existence as well as philosopher H.J McCloskeyââ¬â¢s article On Being an Atheist. Within McCloskeyââ¬â¢s article he refers to three well known theist arguments as proofs the cosmological, teleological and argument from design. The CosmologicalRead MoreThe Strengths and Weaknesses of Augustineââ¬â¢s and Ireneaus Theodicy1478 Words à |à 6 PagesThe Strengths and Weaknesses of Augustineââ¬â¢s and Ireneaus Theodicy ââ¬ËEvil did not come from God, since Godââ¬â¢s creation was faultless and perfectââ¬â¢ (St Augustine) St Augustine was a man wrote a theodicy about the problem of evil and suffering based on the Creation and Fall of Genesis in the bible, he believed that evil was caused by something that was outside the omnipotence of God. God himself is all powerful but after creating the world, he Himself would not be ableRead MoreEssay on Modern Criticism of Stoweââ¬â¢s Uncle Tomââ¬â¢s Cabin1403 Words à |à 6 PagesWomenâ⬠(496). Some modern readers are repulsed by Stoweââ¬â¢s desire to reform society, but that is because in our times the purpose of literature is to represent the world, not change it. Because the modern critic finds it hard to identify with Stoweââ¬â¢s genuine desire to improve society, he sees it as an example of her self-righteousness. Because the sentimental novel appeals to the readerââ¬â¢s emotions, many of its scenes may strike the modern reader as overly dramatic. Baldwin claims the ostentatiousRead MoreThe Existence Of God And Theism2410 Words à |à 10 Pagesdiscussion of the Cosmological, teleological, design arguments, and how he refutes these arguments to invalidate the existence of God and theism. McCloskey throughout his article refers to cosmological, teleological, and design arguments as proofs. Stated from Merriam-Webster a proof is, ââ¬Å"Something which shows that something else is true or correctâ⬠. This goes to show that McCloskey is arguing the existence of God and is giving these three arguments the basis that they are correct. Although as statedRead MoreEssay on How Do Virtue and Chance Contribute to Happiness?1283 Words à |à 6 Pagesthe course of this essay, the viewpoints of Aristotle, Epicurus, and the school of Cyrenaics will be utilized to determine the extent to which virtue and chance contribute to happiness. However, before progressing further, for the basis of this argument, a clearly defined vision of happiness is required, as individuals may perceive and, thus, define happiness in slightly or vastly different ways. As a result, for the purpose of advancing this discussion, happiness will be defined primarily by EpicurusRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice1532 Words à |à 7 PagesEast-West cultural norms. In William Shakespeareââ¬â¢s The Merchant of Venice, money-lending has gone awry. In Act I, Scene iii, the Italian Antonio seeks to borrow 3,000 ducats from the Jewish Shylock, and Shylock intends to charge him interest, which is against Jewish economic-religious principles (Bate 425). Shylock defends the practice of using interest in loaning money by retelling the Biblical story of Jacob and Laban. Indeed, he needs to defend it because in his Jewish culture, interest on loaned moneyRead MoreVera Drake1367 Words à |à 6 Pagesof abortion which also links to t he class structure in British society. There are many people both back then and now think of the back street abortions and the abortionist as the immoral. The film presents the issue with openly arguable without taking stances or preaching the audiences. It actually dramatically portrays the importance of family and faith within people. The film successfully reveals all themes with directors improvisation technique and the role of leading female character inRead MoreThe Cultural Analysis of Memento1208 Words à |à 5 Pages Today there are diverse camera products with different functions. Taking photographs has become a very common way to mark the memory. Tattoo is a type of folk artistic culture. People usually have special individual purposes to make a tattoo. Making tattoos is a prevalent way to engrave memory in the mind. Notes is a simple way to leave notations, and all the things needed to take a note are a pen and something to write. Taking notes is the originally tradit ional way to record the memory. Due toRead MoreSocrates, Philosophy and the Good Life Essay2607 Words à |à 11 Pageschose to live a life of truth and not to worry about things that did not matter. For Socrates not to live his life by the plans and requests of Gods it would be disobedient and untrue to the Gods. Socrates was brought to court to defend himself against two charges. Socrates is guilty of corrupting the young, and of failing to acknowledge the gods acknowledged by the city, but introducing new spiritual beings.à ² Thorough analysis of his defense of his court charges, his definition of the goodRead MoreThe Odyssey And The Apology1743 Words à |à 7 Pagesthe epic when he could easily have had the luxury of being the husband of a goddess (5. 208). In The Odyssey, Odysseus is by far from perfect. His arrogance causes him to have a Cyclops say a curse against him, which significantly prolonged his voyage home. His arrogance causes the eventually death of all this men due to the treacherous voyage home. He continuously cheats on his wife with beautiful goddess and temptresses. This was needed to gain information and to gain pity from the gods. On Kalypsoââ¬â¢s
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Psa 200 Free Essays
Auditing and Assurance Standards Council Philippine Standard on Auditing 330 (Redrafted) THE AUDITORââ¬â¢S RESPONSES TO ASSESSED RISKS PSA 330 (Redrafted) PHILIPPINE STANDARD ON AUDITING 330 (REDRAFTED) THE AUDITORââ¬â¢S RESPONSES TO ASSESSED RISKS (Effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2009) CONTENTS Paragraph Introduction Scope of this PSAâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. Effective Dateâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ Objectiveâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. We will write a custom essay sample on Psa 200 or any similar topic only for you Order Now . Definitionsâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ Requirements Overall Responsesâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. Audit Procedures Responsive to the Assessed Risks of Material Misstatement at the Assertion Levelâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. Adequacy of Presentation and Disclosureâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. Evaluating the Sufficiency and Appropriateness of Audit Evidenceâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ Documentationâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. 1 2 3 4 5 6-24 25 26-28 29-31 Application and Other Explanatory Material Overall Responsesâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢ ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. A1-A3 Audit Procedures Responsive to the Assessed Risks of Material Misstatement the Assertion Levelâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. A4-A54 Adequacy of Presentation and Disclosureâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ A55 Evaluating the Sufficiency and Appropriateness of Audit Evidenceâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. A56-A58 Documentationâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. A59 Acknowledgment Philippine Standard on Auditing (PSA) 330 (Redrafted), ââ¬Å"The Auditorââ¬â¢s Responses to Assessed Risksâ⬠should be read in the context of the ââ¬Å"Preface to the Philippine Standards on Quality Control, Auditing, Review, Other Assurance and Related Services,â⬠which sets out the authority of PSAs. 2 PSA 330 (Redrafted) Introduction Scope of this PSA 1. This Philippine Standard on Auditing (PSA) deals with the auditorââ¬â¢s responsibility to design and implement responses to the risks of material misstatement identified and assessed by the auditor in accordance with PSA 315, ââ¬Å"Identifying and Assessing Risks of Material Misstatement Through Understanding the Entity and Its Environmentâ⬠in a financial statement audit. Effective Date 2. This PSA is effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2009. Objective 3. The objective of the auditor is to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence about the assessed risks of material misstatement, through designing and implementing appropriate responses to those risks. Definitions 4. For purposes of the PSAs, the following terms have the meanings attributed below: (a) Substantive procedure ââ¬â An audit procedure designed to detect material misstatements at the assertion level. Substantive procedures comprise: (i) Tests of details (of classes of transactions, account balances, and disclosures), and ii) Substantive analytical procedures. (b) Test of controls ââ¬â An audit procedure designed to evaluate the operating effectiveness of controls in preventing, or detecting and correcting, material misstatements at the assertion level. Requirements Overall Responses 5. The auditor shall design and implement overall responses to address the assessed risks of material misstatement at the financial statement level. (Ref: Para. A1-A3) 3 PSA 330 (Redr afted) Audit Procedures Responsive to the Assessed Risks of Material Misstatement at the Assertion Level 6. The auditor shall design and perform further audit procedures whose nature, timing, and extent are based on and are responsive to the assessed risks of material misstatement at the assertion level. (Ref: Para. A4-A8) 7. In designing the further audit procedures to be performed, the auditor shall: (a) Consider the reasons for the assessment given to the risk of material misstatement at the assertion level for each class of transactions, account balance, and disclosure, including: (i) The likelihood of material misstatement due to the particular characteristics of the relevant class of transactions, account balance, or disclosure (i. . , the inherent risk); and (ii) Whether the risk assessment takes account of relevant controls (i. e. , the control risk), thereby requiring the auditor to obtain audit evidence to determine whether the controls are operating effectively (i. e. , the auditor intends to rely on the operating effectiveness of controls in determining the nature, timing and e xtent of substantive procedures); and (Ref: Para. A9-A18) (b) Obtain more persuasive audit evidence the higher the auditorââ¬â¢s assessment of risk. (Ref: Para. A19) Tests of Controls 8. The auditor shall design and perform tests of controls to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence as to the operating effectiveness of relevant controls when: (a) The auditorââ¬â¢s assessment of risks of material misstatement at the assertion level includes an expectation that the controls are operating effectively (i. e. , the auditor intends to rely on the operating effectiveness of controls in determining the nature, timing and extent of substantive procedures); or (b) Substantive procedures alone cannot provide sufficient appropriate audit evidence at the assertion level. Ref: Para. A20-A24) 9. In designing and performing tests of controls, the auditor shall obtain more persuasive audit evidence the greater the reliance the auditor places on the effectiveness of a control. (Ref: Para. A25) 4 PSA 330 (Redrafted) Nature and Extent of Tests of Controls 10. In designing and performing tests of controls, the auditor shall: (a) Perform other audit procedures in combination with inquiry to obtain audit evidence about the operating effectiveness of the controls, including: (i) How the controls were applied at relevant times during the period under audit. ii) The consistency with which they were applied. (iii) By whom or by what means they were applied. (Ref: Para. A26-29) (b) Determine whether the controls to be tested depend upon other controls (indirect controls), and if so, whether it is necessary to obtain audit evidence supporting the effective operation of those indirect controls. (Ref: Para. A3031) Timing of Tests of Controls 11. The auditor shall test controls for the particular time, or throughout the period, for which the auditor intends to rely on those controls, subject to aragraphs 12 and 15 below, in order to provide an appropriate basis for the auditorââ¬â¢s intended reliance. (Ref: Para. A32) Using audit evidence obtained during an interim period 12. When the auditor obtains audit evidence about the operating effectiveness of controls dur ing an interim period, the auditor shall: (a) Obtain audit evidence about significant changes to those controls subsequent to the interim period; and (b) Determine the additional audit evidence to be obtained for the remaining period. (Ref: Para. A33-A34) Using audit evidence obtained in previous audits 13. In determining whether it is appropriate to use audit evidence about the operating effectiveness of controls obtained in previous audits, and, if so, the length of the time period that may elapse before retesting a control, the auditor shall consider the following: 5 PSA 330 (Redrafted) (a) The effectiveness of other elements of internal control, including the control environment, the entityââ¬â¢s monitoring of controls, and the entityââ¬â¢s risk assessment process; b) The risks arising from the characteristics of the control, including whether it is manual or automated; (c) The effectiveness of general IT-controls; (d) The effectiveness of the control and its application by the entity, including the nature and extent of deviations in the application of the control noted in previous audits, and whether there have been personnel changes that significantly affect the application of the control; (e) Whether the lack of a change in a particular control poses a risk due to changing circumstances; and f) The risks of material misstatement and the extent of reliance on the control. (Ref: Para. A35) 14. If the auditor plans to use audit evidence from a previous audit about the operating effectiveness of specific controls, the auditor shall establish the continuing relevance of that evidence by obtaining audit evidence about whether significant changes in those controls have occurred subsequent to the previous audit. The auditor shall obtain this evidence by performing inquiry combined with observation or inspection, to confirm the understanding of those specific controls, and: a) If there have been changes that affect the continuing relevance of the audit evidence from the previous audit, the auditor shall test the controls in the current audit. (Ref: Para. A36) (b) If there have not been such changes, the auditor shall test the controls at least once in every third audit, and shall test some controls each audit to avoid the possibility of testing all the controls on which the auditor intends to rely in a single audit period with no testing of controls in the subsequent two audit periods. (Ref: Para. A37-39) Controls over significant risks 15. When the auditor plans to rely on controls over a risk the auditor has determined to be a significant risk, the auditor shall test those controls in the current period. 6 PSA 330 (Redrafted) Evaluating the Operating Effectiveness of Controls 16. When evaluating the operating effectiveness of relevant controls, the auditor shall evaluate whether misstatements that have been detected by substantive procedures indicate that controls are not operating effectively. The absence of misstatements detected by substantive procedures, however, does not provide audit evidence that controls related to the assertion being tested are effective. Ref: Para. A40) 17. When deviations from controls upon which the auditor intends to rely are detected, the auditor shall make specific inquiries to understand these matters and their potential consequences, and shall determine whether: (a) The tests of controls that have been performed provide an appropriate basis for reliance on the controls; (b) Additional tests of controls are necessary; or (c) The potential risks of misstatement need to be addressed using substantive procedures. (Ref: Para. A41) 18. The auditor shall evaluate whether, on the basis of the audit work performed, the auditor has identified a material weakness in the operating effectiveness of controls. 19. The auditor shall communicate material weaknesses in internal control identified during the audit on a timely basis to management at an appropriate level of responsibility and, as required by PSA 260 (Revised), ââ¬Å"Communication with Those Charged with Governance,â⬠1 with those charged with governance (unless all of those charged with governance are involved in managing the entity). Substantive Procedures 0. Irrespective of the assessed risks of material misstatement, the auditor shall design and perform substantive procedures for each material class of transactions, account balance, and disclosure. (Ref: Para. A42-A47) Substantive Procedures Related to the Financial Statement Closing Process 21. The auditorââ¬â¢s substantive procedures shall include the following audit procedures related to the financ ial statement closing process: (a) Agreeing or reconciling the financial statements with the underlying accounting records; and 1 Close off document approved May 2006. 7 PSA 330 (Redrafted) (b) Examining material journal entries and other adjustments made during the course of preparing the financial statements. (Ref: Para. A48) Substantive Procedures Responsive to Significant Risks 22. When the auditor has determined that an assessed risk of material misstatement at the assertion level is a significant risk, the auditor shall perform substantive procedures that are specifically responsive to that risk. When the approach to a significant risk consists only of substantive procedures, those procedures shall include tests of details. Ref: Para. A49) Timing of Substantive Procedures 23. When substantive procedures are performed at an interim date, the auditor shall cover the remaining period by performing: (a) Substantive procedures, combined with tests of controls for the intervening period; or (b) If the auditor determines that it is sufficient, further substantive procedures only, that provide a reasonable basis for extending the audit conclusions from the interim date to the period end. (Ref: Para. A51-A53) 24. If misstatements that the auditor did not expect when assessing the risks of material misstatement are detected at an interim date, the auditor shall evaluate whether the related assessment of risk and the planned nature, timing, or extent of substantive procedures covering the remaining period need to be modified. (Ref: Para. A54) Adequacy of Presentation and Disclosure 25. The auditor shall perform audit procedures to evaluate whether the overall presentation of the financial statements, including the related disclosures, is in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. Ref: Para. A55) Evaluating the Sufficiency and Appropriateness of Audit Evidence 26. Based on the audit procedures performed and the audit evidence obtained, the auditor shall evaluate before the conclusion of the audit whether the assessments of the risks of material misstatement at the assertion level remain appropriate. (Ref: Para. A56-57) 27. The auditor shall conclude whether sufficient appro priate audit evidence has been obtained. In forming an opinion, the auditor shall consider all elevant audit evidence, regardless of whether it appears to corroborate or to contradict the assertions in the financial statements. (Ref: Para. A58) 8 PSA 330 (Redrafted) 28. If the auditor has not obtained sufficient appropriate audit evidence as to a material financial statement assertion, the auditor shall attempt to obtain further audit evidence. If the auditor is unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence, the auditor shall express a qualified opinion or a disclaimer of opinion. Documentation 29. The auditor shall document: a) The overall responses to address the assessed risks of material misstatement at the financial statement level, and the nature, timing, and extent of the further audit procedures performed; (b) The linkage of those procedures with the assessed risks at the assertion level; and (c) The results of the audit procedures, including the conclusions where t hese are not otherwise clear. (Ref: Para. A59) 30. If the auditor plans to use audit evidence about the operating effectiveness of controls obtained in previous audits, the auditor shall document the conclusions reached about relying on such controls that were tested in a previous audit. 1. The auditorsââ¬â¢ documentation shall demonstrate that the financial statements agree or reconcile with the underlying accounting records. *** Application and Other Explanatory Material Overall Responses (Ref: Para. 5) A1. Overall responses to address the assessed risks of material misstatement at the financial statement level may include: â⬠¢ Emphasizing to the audit team the need to maintain professional skepticism. â⬠¢ Assigning more experienced staff or those with special skills or using experts. â⬠¢ Providing more supervision. â⬠¢ Incorporating additional elements of unpredictability in the selection of further audit procedures to be performed. 9 PSA 330 (Redrafted) â⬠¢ A2. Making general changes to the nature, timing, or extent of audit procedures, for example: performing substantive procedures at the period end instead of at an interim date; or modifying the nature of audit procedures to obtain more persuasive audit evidence. The assessment of the risks of material misstatement at the financial statement level, and thereby the auditorââ¬â¢s overall responses, is affected by the auditorââ¬â¢s understanding of the control environment. An effective control environment may allow the auditor to have more confidence in internal control and the reliability of audit evidence generated internally within the entity and thus, for example, allow the auditor to conduct some audit procedures at an interim date rather than at the period end. Weaknesses in the control environment, however, have the opposite effect; for example, the auditor may respond to an ineffective control environment by: â⬠¢ â⬠¢ Obtaining more extensive audit evidence from substantive procedures. â⬠¢ A3. Conducting more audit procedures as of the period end rather than at an interim date. Increasing the number of locations to be included in the audit scope. Such considerations, therefore, have a significant bearing on the auditorââ¬â¢s general approach, for example, an emphasis on substantive procedures (substantive approach), or an approach that uses tests of controls as well as substantive procedures (combined approach). Audit Procedures Responsive to the Assessed Risks of Material Misstatement at the Assertion Level The Nature, Timing, and Extent of Further Audit Procedures (Ref: Para. 6) A4. The auditorââ¬â¢s assessment of the identified risks at the assertion level provides a basis for considering the appropriate audit approach for designing and performing further audit procedures. For example, (as appropriate and notwithstanding the requirements of this PSA)2, the auditor may determine that: (a) Only by performing tests of controls may the auditor achieve an effective response to the assessed risk of material misstatement for a particular assertion; (b) Performing only substantive procedures is appropriate for particular assertions and, therefore, the auditor excludes the effect of controls from the relevant risk assessment. This may be because the auditorââ¬â¢s risk assessment procedures 2 For example, as required by paragraph 20, irrespective of the approach selected, the auditor designs and performs substantive procedures for each significant class of transactions, account balance, and disclosure. 10 PSA 330 (Redrafted) have not identified any effective controls relevant to the assertion, or because testing controls would be inefficient and therefore the auditor does not intend to rely on the operating effectiveness of controls in determining the nature, timing and extent of substantive procedures; or c) A combined approach using both tests of controls and substantive procedures is an effective approach. A5. The nature of an audit procedure refers to its purpose (i. e. , test of controls or substantive procedure) and its type (i. e. , inspection, observation, inquiry, confirmation, recalculation, reperformance, or analytical procedure). The nature of the audit procedures is of most importance in re sponding to the assessed risks. A6. Timing of an audit procedure refers to when it is performed, or the period or date to which the audit evidence applies. A7. Extent of an audit procedure refers to the quantity to be performed, for example, a sample size or the number of observations of a control activity. A8. Designing and performing further audit procedures whose nature, timing, and extent are based on and are responsive to the assessed risks of material misstatement at the assertion level provides a clear linkage between the auditorsââ¬â¢ further audit procedures and the risk assessment. Responding to the Assessed Risks at the Assertion Level (Ref: Para. 7(a)) Nature A9. The auditorââ¬â¢s assessed risks may affect both the types of audit procedures to be performed and their combination. For example, when an assessed risk is high, the auditor may confirm the completeness of the terms of a contract with the counterparty, in addition to inspecting the document. Further, certain audit procedures may be more appropriate for some assertions than others. For example, in relation to revenue, tests of controls may be most responsive to the assessed risk of misstatement of the completeness ssertion, whereas substantive procedures may be most responsive to the assessed risk of misstatement of the occurrence assertion. A10. The reasons for the assessment given to a risk are relevant in determining the nature of audit procedures. For example, if an assessed risk is lower because of the particular characteristics of a class of transactions without consideration of the related controls, then the auditor may determine that substantive analytical procedures al one provide sufficient appropriate audit evidence. On the other hand, if the assessed risk is lower because of internal controls, and the auditor intends to base the substantive procedures on that low assessment, then the auditor performs tests of those controls, as required by paragraph 8(a). This may be the case, for 11 PSA 330 (Redrafted) example, for a class of transactions of reasonably uniform, non-complex characteristics that are routinely processed and controlled by the entityââ¬â¢s information system. Timing A11. The auditor may perform tests of controls or substantive procedures at an interim date or at the period end. The higher the risk of material misstatement, the more likely it is that the auditor may decide it is more effective to perform substantive procedures nearer to, or at, the period end rather than at an earlier date, or to perform audit procedures unannounced or at unpredictable times (for example, performing audit procedures at selected locations on an unannounced basis). This is particularly relevant when considering the response to the risks of fraud. For example, the auditor may conclude that, when the risks of intentional misstatement or manipulation have been identified, audit procedures to extend audit conclusions from interim date to the period end would not be effective. A12. On the other hand, performing audit procedures before the period end may assist the auditor in identifying significant matters at an early stage of the audit, and consequently resolving them with the assistance of management or developing an effective audit approach to address such matters. A13. In addition, certain audit procedures can be performed only at or after the period end, for example: â⬠¢ â⬠¢ Examining adjustments made during the course of preparing the financial statements; and â⬠¢ A14. Agreeing the financial statements to the accounting records; Procedures to respond to a risk that, at the period end, the entity may have entered into improper sales contracts, or transactions may not have been finalized. Further relevant factors that influence the auditorââ¬â¢s consideration of when to perform audit procedures include the following: â⬠¢ The control environment. â⬠¢ When relevant information is available (for example, electronic files may subsequently be overwritten, or procedures to be observed may occur only at certain times). The nature of the risk (for example, if there is a risk of inflated revenues to meet earnings expectations by subsequent creation of false sales agreements, 12 PSA 330 (Redrafted) the auditor may wish to examine contracts available on the date of the period end). â⬠¢ The period or date to which the audit evidence relates. Extent A15. The extent of an audit procedure judged necessary is determined after considering the materiality, the assessed risk, and the degree of assurance the auditor plans to obtain. When a single purpose is met by a combination of procedures, the extent of each procedure is considered separately. In general, the extent of audit procedures increases as the risk of material misstatement increases. For example, in response to the assessed risk of material misstatement due to fraud, increasing sample sizes or performing substantive analytical procedures at a more detailed level may be appropriate. However, increasing the extent of an audit procedure is effective only if the audit procedure itself is relevant to the specific risk. A16. The use of computer-assisted audit techniques (CAATs) may enable more extensive testing of electronic transactions and account files, which may be useful when the auditor decides to modify the extent of testing, for example, in responding to the risks of material misstatement due to fraud. Such techniques can be used to select sample transactions from key electronic files, to sort transactions with specific characteristics, or to test an entire population instead of a sample. Considerations specific to public sector entities A17. For the audits of public sector entities, the audit mandate and any other special auditing requirements may affect the auditorââ¬â¢s consideration of the nature, timing and extent of further audit procedures. Considerations specific to smaller entities A18. In the case of very small entities, there may not be many control activities that could be identified by the auditor, or the extent to which their existence or operation have been documented by the entity may be limited. In such cases, it may be more efficient for the auditor to perform further audit procedures that are primarily substantive procedures. In some rare cases, however, the absence of control activities or of other components of control may make it impossible to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence. Higher Assessments of Risk (Ref: Para 7(b)) A19. When obtaining more persuasive audit evidence because of a higher assessment of risk, the auditor may increase the quantity of the evidence, or obtain evidence that is more relevant or reliable, e. g. , by placing more emphasis on obtaining third 13 PSA 330 (Redrafted) party evidence or by obtaining corroborating evidence from a number of independent sources. Tests of Controls Designing and Performing Tests of Controls (Ref: Para. 8) A20. Tests of controls are performed only on those controls that the auditor has determined are suitably designed to prevent, or detect and correct, a material misstatement in an assertion. If substantially different controls were used at different times during the period under audit, each is considered separately. A21. Testing the operating effectiveness of controls is different from obtaining an understanding of and evaluating the design and implementation of controls. However, the same types of audit procedures are used. The auditor may, therefore, decide it is efficient to test the operating effectiveness of controls at the same time as evaluating their design and determining that they have been implemented. A22. Further, although some risk assessment procedures may not have been specifically designed as tests of controls, they may nevertheless provide audit evidence about the operating effectiveness of the controls and, consequently, serve as tests of controls. For example, the auditorââ¬â¢s risk assessment procedures may have included: Inquiring about managementââ¬â¢s use of budgets. â⬠¢ Observing managementââ¬â¢s comparison of monthly budgeted and actual expenses. â⬠¢ Inspecting reports pertaining to the investigation of variances between budgeted and actual amounts. These audit procedures provide knowledge about the design of the entityââ¬â¢s budgeting policies and whether they have been implemented, but may also provide a udit evidence about the effectiveness of the operation of budgeting policies in preventing or detecting material misstatements in the classification of expenses. A23. In addition, the auditor may design a test of controls to be performed concurrently with a test of details on the same transaction. Although the purpose of a test of controls is different from the purpose of a test of details, both may be accomplished concurrently by performing a test of controls and a test of details on the same transaction, also known as a dual-purpose test. For example, the auditor may design, and evaluate the results of, a test to examine an invoice to determine whether it has been approved and to provide substantive audit evidence of a 14 PSA 330 (Redrafted) ransaction. A dual-purpose test is designed and evaluated by considering each purpose of the test separately. A24. In some cases, as discussed in PSA 315, the auditor may find it impossible to design effective substantive procedures that by themselves provide sufficient appropriate audit evidence at the assertion level. This may occur when an entity conducts its business using IT and no documentation of tran sactions is produced or maintained, other than through the IT system. In such cases, paragraph 8(b) requires the auditor to perform tests of relevant controls. Audit Evidence and Intended Reliance (Ref: Para. 9) A25. A higher level of assurance may be sought about the operating effectiveness of controls when the approach adopted consists primarily of tests of controls, in particular where it is not possible or practicable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence only from substantive procedures. Nature and Extent of Tests of Controls Other audit procedures in combination with inquiry (Ref: Para. 10(a)) A26. Inquiry alone is not sufficient to test the operating effectiveness of controls. Accordingly, other audit procedures are performed in combination with inquiry. In this regard, inquiry combined with inspection or reperformance may provide more assurance than inquiry and observation, since an observation is pertinent only at the point in time at which it is made. A27. The nature of the particular control influences the type of procedure required to obtain audit evidence about whether the control was operating effectively. For example, if operating effectiveness is evidenced by documentation, the auditor may decide to inspect it to obtain audit evidence about operating effectiveness. For other controls, however, documentation may not be available or relevant. For example, documentation of operation may not exist for some factors in the control environment, such as assignment of authority and responsibility, or for some types of control activities, such as control activities performed by a computer. In such circumstances, audit evidence about operating effectiveness may be obtained through inquiry in combination with other audit procedures such as observation or the use of CAATs. Extent of tests of controls A28. When more persuasive audit evidence is needed regarding the effectiveness of a control, it may be appropriate to increase the extent of testing of the control. As well as the degree of reliance on controls, matters the auditor may consider in determining the extent of tests of controls include the following: 15 PSA 330 (Redrafted) â⬠¢ The frequency of the performance of the control by the entity during the period. â⬠¢ The length of time during the audit period that the auditor is relying on the operating effectiveness of the control. â⬠¢ The expected rate of deviation from a control. â⬠¢ The relevance and reliability of the audit evidence to be obtained regarding the operating effectiveness of the control at the assertion level. â⬠¢ The extent to which audit evidence is obtained from tests of other controls related to the assertion. PSA 530, ââ¬Å"Audit Sampling and Other Means of Testingâ⬠contains further guidance on the extent of testing. A29. Because of the inherent consistency of IT processing, it may not be necessary to increase the extent of testing of an automated control. An automated control can be expected to function consistently unless the program (including the tables, files, or other permanent data used by the program) is changed. Once the auditor determines that an automated control is functioning as intended (which could be done at the time the control is initially implemented or at some other date), the auditor may consider performing tests to determine that the control continues to function effectively. Such tests might include determining that: â⬠¢ Changes to the program are not made without being subject to the appropriate program change controls, The authorized version of the program is used for processing transactions, and â⬠¢ Other relevant general controls are effective. Such tests also might include determining that changes to the programs have not been made, as may be the case when the entity uses packaged software applications without modifying or maintaining them. For example, the auditor may inspect the record of the admin istration of IT security to obtain audit evidence that unauthorized access has not occurred during the period. Testing of indirect controls (Ref: Para. 10(b)) A30. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to obtain audit evidence supporting the effective operation of indirect controls. For example, when the auditor decides to test the effectiveness of a user review of exception reports detailing sales in excess of authorized credit limits, the user review and related follow up is the control that is directly of relevance to the auditor. Controls over the accuracy of 16 PSA 330 (Redrafted) the information in the reports (for example, the general IT controls) are described as ââ¬Ëindirectââ¬â¢ controls. A31. Because of the inherent consistency of IT processing, audit evidence about the implementation of an automated application control, when considered in combination with audit evidence about the operating effectiveness of the entityââ¬â¢s general controls (in particular, change controls), may also provide substantial audit evidence about its operating effectiveness. Timing of Tests of Controls Intended period of reliance (Ref: Para. 11) A32. Audit evidence pertaining only to a point in time may be sufficient for the auditorââ¬â¢s purpose, for example, when testing controls over the entityââ¬â¢s physical inventory counting at the period end. If, on the other hand, the auditor intends to rely on a control over a period, tests that are capable of providing audit evidence that the control operated effectively at relevant times during that period are appropriate. Such tests may include tests of the entityââ¬â¢s monitoring of controls. Using audit evidence obtained during an interim period (Ref: Para. 12) A33. Relevant factors in determining what additional audit evidence to obtain about controls that were operating during the period remaining after an interim period, include: â⬠¢ â⬠¢ The specific controls that were tested during the interim period, and significant changes to them since they were tested, including changes in the information system, processes, and personnel. â⬠¢ The degree to which audit evidence about the operating effectiveness of those controls was obtained. â⬠¢ The length of the remaining period. â⬠¢ The extent to which the auditor intends to reduce further substantive procedures based on the reliance of controls. â⬠¢ A34. The significance of the assessed risks of material misstatement at the assertion level. The control environment. Additional audit evidence may be obtained, for example, by extending tests of controls over the remaining period or testing the entityââ¬â¢s monitoring of controls. 17 PSA 330 (Redrafted) Using audit evidence obtained in previous audits (Ref: Para. 13) A35. In certain circumstances, audit evidence obtained from previous audits may provide audit evidence where the auditor performs audit procedures to establish its continuing relevance. For example, in performing a previous audit, the auditor may have determined that an automated control was functioning as intended. The auditor may obtain audit evidence to determine whether changes to the automated control have been made that affect its continued effective functioning through, for example, inquiries of management and the inspection of logs to indicate what controls have been changed. Consideration of audit evidence about these changes may support either increasing or decreasing the expected audit evidence to be obtained in the current period about the operating effectiveness of the controls. Controls that have changed from previous audits (Ref: Para. 4(a)) A36. Changes may affect the relevance of the audit evidence obtained in previous audits such that there may no longer be a basis for continued reliance. For example, changes in a system that enable an entity to receive a new report from the system probably do not affect the relevance of audit evidence from a previous audit; however, a change that causes data to be accumulated or calculated differently does affect it. Controls that have not cha nged from previous audits (Ref: Para. 14(b)) A37. The auditorââ¬â¢s decision on whether to rely on audit evidence obtained in previous audits for controls that: (a) Have not changed since they were last tested; and (b) Are not controls that mitigate a significant risk, is a matter of professional judgment. In addition, the length of time between retesting such controls is also a matter of professional judgment, but is required by paragraph 14(b) to be at least once in every third year. A38. In general, the higher the risk of material misstatement, or the greater the reliance on controls, the shorter the time period elapsed, if any, is likely to be. Factors that may decrease the period for retesting a control, or result in not relying on audit evidence obtained in previous audits at all, include the following: â⬠¢ A weak control environment. â⬠¢ Weak monitoring of controls. â⬠¢ A significant manual element to the relevant controls. 18 PSA 330 (Redrafted) â⬠¢ â⬠¢ Changing circumstances that indicate the need for changes in the control. â⬠¢ A39. Personnel changes that significantly affect the application of the control. Weak general IT-controls. When there are a number of controls for which the auditor intends to rely on audit evidence obtained in previous audits, testing some of those controls in each audit provides corroborating information about the continuing effectiveness of the control environment. This contributes to the auditorââ¬â¢s decision about whether it is appropriate to rely on audit evidence obtained in previous audits. Evaluating the Operating Effectiveness of Controls (Ref: Para. 16-19) A40. A material misstatement detected by the auditorââ¬â¢s procedures may indicate the existence of a material weakness in internal control. A41. The concept of effectiveness of the operation of controls recognizes that some deviations in the way controls are applied by the entity may occur. Deviations from prescribed controls may be caused by such factors as changes in key personnel, significant seasonal fluctuations in volume of transactions and human error. The detected rate of deviation, in particular in comparison with the expected rate, may indicate that the control cannot be relied on to reduce risk at the assertion level to that assessed by the auditor. Substantive Procedures (Ref: Para. 20) A42. Paragraph 20 requires the auditor to design and perform substantive procedures for each material class of transactions, account balance, and disclosure, irrespective of the assessed risks of material misstatement. This requirement reflects the facts that: (i) the auditorââ¬â¢s assessment of risk is judgmental and so may not identify all risks of material misstatement; and (ii) there are inherent limitations to internal control, including management override. Nature and Extent of Substantive Procedures A43. Depending on the circumstances, the auditor may determine that: â⬠¢ Performing only substantive analytical procedures will be sufficient to reduce audit risk to an acceptably low level. For example, where the auditorââ¬â¢s assessment of risk is supported by audit evidence from tests of controls. â⬠¢ Only tests of details are appropriate. â⬠¢ A combination of substantive analytical procedures and tests of details are most responsive to the assessed risks. 19 PSA 330 (Redrafted) A44. Substantive analytical procedures are generally more applicable to large volumes of transactions that tend to be predictable over time. PSA 520, ââ¬Å"Analytical Proceduresâ⬠establishes requirements and provides guidance on the application of analytical procedures during an audit. A45. The nature of the risk and assertion is relevant to the design of tests of details. For example, tests of details related to the existence or occurrence assertion may involve selecting from items contained in a financial statement amount and obtaining the relevant audit evidence. On the other hand, tests of details related to the completeness assertion may involve selecting from items that are expected to be included in the relevant financial statement amount and investigating whether they are included. A46. Because the assessment of the risk of material misstatement takes account of internal control, the extent of substantive procedures may need to be increased when the results from tests of controls are unsatisfactory. However, increasing the extent of an audit procedure is appropriate only if the audit procedure itself is relevant to the specific risk. A47. In designing tests of details, the extent of testing is ordinarily thought of in terms of the sample size. However, other matters are also relevant, including whether it is more effective to use other selective means of testing. See PSA 530 for additional guidance. Substantive Procedures Related to the Financial Statement Closing Process (Ref: Para. 21(b)) A48. The nature, and also the extent, of the auditorââ¬â¢s examination of journal entries and other adjustments depends on the nature and complexity of the entityââ¬â¢s financial reporting process and the related risks of material misstatement. Substantive Procedures Responsive to Significant Risks (Ref: Para. 22) A49. Paragraph 22 of this PSA requires the auditor to perform substantive procedures that are specifically responsive to risks the auditor has determined to be significant risks. For example, if the auditor identifies that management is under pressure to meet earnings expectations, there may be a risk that management is inflating sales by improperly recognizing revenue related to sales agreements with terms that preclude revenue recognition or by invoicing sales before shipment. In these circumstances, the auditor may, for example, design external confirmations not only to confirm outstanding amounts, but also to confirm the details of the sales agreements, including date, any rights of return and delivery terms. In addition, the auditor may find it effective to supplement such external confirmations with inquiries of non-financial personnel in the entity regarding any changes in sales agreements and delivery terms. Substantive procedures related to 20 PSA 330 (Redrafted) ignificant risks are most often designed to obtain audit evidence with high reliability. Timing of Substantive Procedures (Ref: Para. 23-24) A50. In most cases, audit evidence from a previous auditââ¬â¢s substantive procedures provides little or no audit evidence for the current period. There are, however, exceptions, e. g. , a legal opinion obtained in a previous audit related to the structure of a securitization to which no changes have occurred, may be relevant in the current period. In such cases, it may be appropriate to use audit evidence from a previous auditââ¬â¢s substantive procedures if that evidence and the related subject matter have not fundamentally changed, and audit procedures have been performed during the current period to establish its continuing relevance. Using audit evidence obtained during an interim period (Ref: Para. 23) A51. In some circumstances, the auditor may determine that it is effective to perform substantive procedures at an interim date, and to compare and reconcile information concerning the balance at the period end with the comparable information at the interim date to: a) Identify amounts that appear unusual, (b) Investigate any such amounts, and (c) Perform substantive analytical procedures or tests of details to test the intervening period. A52. Performing substantive procedures at an interim date without undertaking additional procedures at a later date increases the risk that the auditor will not detect misstatements th at may exist at the period end. This risk increases as the remaining period is lengthened. Factors such as the following may influence whether to perform substantive procedures at an interim date: â⬠¢ The control environment and other relevant controls. â⬠¢ The availability at a later date of information necessary for the auditorââ¬â¢s procedures. â⬠¢ The purpose of the substantive procedure. â⬠¢ The assessed risk of material misstatement. â⬠¢ The nature of the class of transactions or account balance and related assertions. 21 PSA 330 (Redrafted) â⬠¢ A53. The ability of the auditor to perform appropriate substantive procedures or substantive procedures combined with tests of controls to cover the remaining period in order to reduce the risk that misstatements that may exist at the period end will not be detected. Factors such as the following may influence whether to perform substantive analytical procedures with respect to the period between the interim date and the period end: â⬠¢ Whether the period end balances of the particular classes of transactions or account balances are reasonably predictable with respect to amount, relative significance, and composition. â⬠¢ Whether the entityââ¬â¢s procedures for analyzing and adjusting such classes of transactions or account balances at interim dates and for establishing proper accounting cutoffs are appropriate. Whether the information system relevant to financial reporting will provide information concerning the balances at the period end and the transactions in the remaining period that is sufficient to permit investigation of: (a) Significant unusual transactions or entries (including those at or near the period end), (b) Other causes of significant fluctuations, or expected fluctuations that did not occur, and (c) Changes in the co mposition of the classes of transactions or account balances. Misstatements detected at an interim date (Ref: Para. 24) A54. When the auditor concludes that the planned nature, timing, or extent of substantive procedures covering the remaining period need to be modified as a result of unexpected misstatements detected at an interim date, such modification may include extending or repeating the procedures performed at the interim date at the period end. Adequacy of Presentation and Disclosure (Ref: Para. 25) A55. Evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements, including the related disclosures, relates to whether the individual financial statements are presented in a manner that reflects the appropriate classification and description of financial information, and the form, arrangement, and content of the financial statements and their appended notes. This includes, for example, the terminology 22 PSA 330 (Redrafted) used, the amount of detail given, the classification of items in the statements, and the bases of amounts set forth. Evaluating the Sufficiency and Appropriateness of Audit Evidence (Ref: Para. 6-28) A56. An audit of financial statements is a cumulative and iterative process. As the auditor performs planned audit procedures, the audit evidence obtained may cause the auditor to modify the nature, timing, or extent of other planned audit procedures. Information may come to the auditorââ¬â¢s attention that differs significantly from the information on which the ri sk assessment was based. For example, â⬠¢ The extent of misstatements that the auditor detects by performing substantive procedures may alter the auditorââ¬â¢s judgment about the risk assessments and may indicate a material weakness in internal control. The auditor may become aware of discrepancies in accounting records, or conflicting or missing evidence. â⬠¢ Analytical procedures performed at the overall review stage of the audit may indicate a previously unrecognized risk of material misstatement. In such circumstances, the auditor may need to reevaluate the planned audit procedures, based on the revised consideration of assessed risks for all or some of the classes of transactions, account balances, or disclosures and related assertions. PSA 315 contains further guidance on revising the auditorââ¬â¢s risk assessment. A57. The auditor cannot assume that an instance of fraud or error is an isolated occurrence. Therefore, the consideration of how the detection of a misstatement affects the assessed risks of material misstatement is important in determining whether the assessment remains appropriate. A58. The auditorââ¬â¢s judgment as to what constitutes sufficient appropriate audit evidence is influenced by such factors as the following: â⬠¢ Significance of the potential misstatement in the assertion and the likelihood of its having a material effect, individually or aggregated with other potential misstatements, on the financial statements. Effectiveness of managementââ¬â¢s responses and controls to address the risks. â⬠¢ Experience gained during previous audits with respect to similar potential misstatements. â⬠¢ Results of audit procedures performed, including whether such audit procedures identified specific instances of fraud or error. 23 PSA 330 (Redrafted) â⬠¢ Source and reli ability of the available information. â⬠¢ Persuasiveness of the audit evidence. â⬠¢ Understanding of the entity and its environment, including the entityââ¬â¢s internal control. Documentation (Ref: Para. 29) A59. The form and extent of audit documentation is a matter of professional judgment, and is influenced by the nature, size and complexity of the entity and its internal control, availability of information from the entity and the audit methodology and technology used in the audit. Acknowledgment This PSA is based on International Standard on Auditing 330 (Redrafted), ââ¬Å"The Auditorââ¬â¢s Responses to Assessed Risks,â⬠issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. There are no significant differences between this PSA 330 (Redrafted) and ISA 330 (Redrafted). 4 PSA 330 (Redrafted) This PSA 330 (Redrafted), ââ¬Å"The Auditorââ¬â¢s Responses to Assessed Risks,â⬠was unanimously approved for adoption on January 29, 2007 by the members of the Auditing and Assurance Standards Council. Benjamin R. Punongbayan, Chairman Felicidad A. Abad Antonio P. Acyatan Erwin Vincent G. Alcala Froilan G. Ampil David L. Balangue Ma. Gracia Casals-Diaz Amorsonia B. Escar da Manuel O. Faustino Eliseo A. Fernandez Nestorio C. Roraldo Joaquin P. Tolentino Editha O. Tuason Jaime E. Ysmael 25 How to cite Psa 200, Essay examples
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Training Need Assessment and Provision Free-Samples for Students
Question: Prepare a Training andor Development Needs Assessment of an Organisational area that you are familiar with. Answer: Introduction: The assignment is a detailed study of assessment of training needs of the employees in a real life organisation. It presents before the Telstra board the need to train the customer care and the network employees to better their performances. The paper takes Telstra and points out areas of inefficiency of two departments, which are resulting in consumer grievances. The paper opens with a background study of the gap between the expectations of the stakeholders and the performance of Telstra. This requires a study of the training assessment need assessment of Telstra to understand the importance of performing according to stakeholder expectations. The subsequent section studies the external forces taking Telstra into account. It takes into account several articles from the leading editorials to authenticate the problems. Training and development need assessment forms the next section which also studies the need for the training keeping the articles in view. This is followed by an extrem ely small section merely mentioning the parties involved in the training needs assessment process. The study then selects observation as an appropriate method to assess training needs and evaluates it. The paper derives strength from theories of Kolb and other authors. There are also traces of organisation theories of Weber and Taylor in the work. The last section deals with the concept of organisation setting and takes the organisation setting of Telstra as an example. The paper has recommendations about assessing training needs through observation methods and its importance. The background: The reason for the training need assessment is the gap between the consumer expectation and actual performances delivered by Telstra customer service providers. Telstra is the biggest Australian telecommunication company, which provides mobile connection, internet services and online television viewing packages. The company has expanded its operations outside Australia into Europe and Asian countries as well. This international expansion brings it under impact of pressures from the external environmental forces like political, environmental and economical categories. The intense pressure of the consumers and government bodies on the operations of Telstra requires trained personnel who can provide uninterrupted service (De et al., 2013). Telstra has been the main service provider of telecommunication in the Australian backdrop. Such has been its work process in the past few years that people want to get associated with it. The customer base is gradually increasing for Telstra and to m aintain that in the best possible way, they need skilled people having best communication expertise. This is only possible through the conduction of trainings and assessing the need of the employees to better the service. Training need assessment: The training need assessment is the systematic process to identify the training needs of the employees. There are several processes to identify training needs like taking personal interviews, observation and meetings. The management and the senior managers participate in the training need assessment based on the business objectives, goals of the organisations and their achieved target. The training needs are assessed from time to time to ensure that the employees are efficient and capable of adapting to the changing expectations of the organisations. The analysis shows that government, an external and key stakeholder impacts Telstra by framing laws and codes of conduct for it and its competitors (aph.gov.au, 2017). The present day business environment needs employees to be skilful in ways of performing complicated tasks in the most efficient of ways along with being cost-effective and safe. At certain point of time, organizations need to arrange training for their employees when thei r performance are not resulting in the desired outcome. The classification of the needs for training is the foremost step in a uniform process of instructional plan. Analysis of a successful training need would identify the employee who requires training and the kind of training that is being required of. It is counter-productive in providing training to those individuals who does not require this or is being offered the wrong sort of training. Analysis of training needs assists in putting the resources of training to the best possible use. Types of training needs: The plan of the project is to assess the training needs of the employees at Telstra Communications Limited. There are several types of needs of training within an organization context. The management needs to determine the exact need or purpose of the training aligning with the need of the organization and the ways it would benefit both the employees and the organization in delivering quality service to employees. It is significant in understanding what exactly the organization is trying to accomplish, which in case of Telstra is offering a service that would be uninterrupted in nature. In case of person analysis, the management mainly deals with the probable participants and the instructors involved in the overall process. In this analysis, certain important questions are being answered like who needs training, what is their style of learning, existing knowledge level and certain other things. Another training need that can be taken into account is the task analysis. This mainly considers the job in hand and the requirements for performing the same. This analysis helps in seeking the specification of the key duties and the requirement of level of skill. This helps in ensuring that the developed training would be including relevant associations to the job context. For training suitability analysis the management generally analyses whether training is the only desired solution to the issue that has cropped up within the organization. Training can be considered one of the many solutions to the problems of employment, but not always the best one. Therefore, it is important from the organizations perspective to establish whether training would be effective in its convention. Organizations need to check the factor of cost benefit analysis. Effective training leads to return on the investment the company has made in scheduling of the training. The return value needs to be greater than the initial level of investment from the company. Resources Required: The department needs to consult with the HR departments to get the resources like finance, personnel and machinery, if required. The departmental heads first need to observe the employees and identify areas of weaknesses. Then they need to ask the HR department to provide them with the resources and assistance for training. Vodafone, the British telecommunication assesses the training needs of its employees and trains them to enhance their efficiency (vodafone.com, 2017). The concerned department should inform the start date and the end date in writing to the trainees, the departmental heads, the apex management and the HR department well in advance. However, the main resource of the training program is the training room that has all the equipments of an effecting training program, a trainer who is well versed with the objective of the training and the group of people who requires training for bettering their overall performance. All the people who are associated with the process of training should be well aware of the training need and objectives the things that the company wants to achieve through the successful completion of the overall training process.l completion of the overall training process. Feedback of the project managers: The project managers should assess the monitor and evaluate performance of the employees at work against set targets. The project manager must judge the performance based on organisational need analysis, person analysis and task analysis (Hunt, 2017). The analysis should be done on customer service offering power as well (Chang, 2017). The employees to be assessed must know that the process is to assess their training needs to offer them training to better their performance. It will only better their capabilities to compete with players like Vodafone (Coyne, 2017). Employees should be let known where they are lacking and why they need training and what benefit would they cater from such a training program. Understanding the overall process would make things a lot easier for both the management and the employees in successfully going through with the scheduled training. It has been found that employees feel de-motivated when being send to training, signifying their perception that tra ining is for poor performers. That is not always the case, as training provides more opportunity to learn and understand things in a friendly environment. The motivation level, attitude and skills of the employees will be judged. The need is to assess the training needs and create a positive and effective learning environment. The assessment can be made more fruitful and accurate by using material, processes, feedback and programme administration. The training assessor should also encourage peer participation and e-learning method to make the process more productive. Training and Development needs assessment: The above three articles point out that Telstra needs to train its employees dealing with network and customer complaints. The third article clearly pointed out the failure of the customer care department of the company to handle customer grievances. The fourth article pointed out the concern from the TIO which clearly pointed out the potential threat to the market position of Telstra. The TIO pointed out that Vodafone has bettered its services and the number of complaints against the company has fallen. This clearly shows that the competitors are strengthening their market positions to provide Telstra a stiffer challenge. The failure to provide with uninterrupted network and restore blockages questions the commitment of the company to serve consumers, one of the most important stakeholders category. The increasing consumer issues and the failure of the customer service department make the consumers switch their service providers. A reduction in consumer base will start affecting the revenue generation of the company, which will in turn reduce the market position. Given the strong impact of external stakeholders like government and mighty competitor like Vodafone, the company must train and upgrade its network and customer care employees. The company needs to train these people to ensure stakeholder satisfaction and retention of strong market position. An understanding has to created among both the departments along with proper communication that would make things more easy. Proper communication and cooperation would lead to generate possible solutions in dealing with the lessening of the customer issu es. A big company like Telstra certainly has the capability of finding solutions to issues like this. Reason for undertaking training need assessment: The reason for training needs assessment is to find out performance problems, failure to adapt to new market situations and customer service gap which in the long will affect the company. The failure of the network personnel to establish uninterrupted network facility and manage stoppages is liable to result in loss of consumers. They need be trained at functional and departmental level to manage heavy information traffic. Their training needs should incorporate training in new technology to increase their efficiency and performance. Telstra caters to a huge consumer base which necessitates it to have a customer assistance department which is capable of handling several types of customer complaints and providing them with practical solutions. The customer service department receives complaints related to network and service issues. Hence, they have to work in coordination with the network personnel. The training need here is to train both the departments on modern technology to handle consumer problems so that they can provide uninterrupted service. Participants: The training needs assessment and subsequent training should happen at three stages and engage three levels. The senior managers, middle level managers and the training and development practitioners should participate in the training. One main training need: The main training and development need is to train the two groups of personnel to cooperate with each other. The need is to help them to provide better service to the customers and handle their complaints to provide practical solutions. Cooperation and coordination are important factors for any group within an organization for bettering their service to customers. Lack of these sometimes jeopardize the overall organizational working process and provides an opportunity to the rival companies in marching ahead. Customers do have lot of options these days, which does not provide the companies with any window for relaxation or miscommunication within the internal departments. A little slip up in the process would lead to tarnishing of the goodwill created by Telstra over the years. The flow of information should be smooth so that every employee related to Telstra should know and understand the path on which the organization is moving. Recommendations: The management should first observe the performances of the network personnel and customer care employees. They must point out the gap between their expectations and the achieved level of performance. This model of the Learning Cycle (LC) was first proposed by Kolb and is used effectively in real life organisations to assess training needs (Kolb, 2014). The customer service employees should be provided training on modern communication tools to cater to the customer complaint in a more efficient way. For example, they should be trained to accept complaints over the phone and internet and to provide solution to both the types. The network employees should be trained to handle heavy network traffic and restore the system as early as possible in case of an interruption. They should trained in the modern telecommunication technology like new software to handle a huge network of data. They can also be trained to locate stoppages and act promptly to solve issues. Method of need assessment: Observation: The supervisors or a designated person should observe the employees of the two departments and measure their performances against the targets. This will allow the employees to continue their work which ensure continuous productivity. The observer compared to personal interview or questionnaire method can get to an actual view of their deficiency. He can also judge the level of coordination between the two departments. This justifies that observation method is the best method to assess the training needs. Assessment of Observation method: Advantages: Reliable data- The data obtained from observation is reliable and can be counted on for action. The observer observes the trainees at work and collects the data, hence collects authentic and actionable data. Direct practice for action- The employee demonstrates the actual performance which makes it easier for the observer to find out the gap in his performance. He can suggest or implement to improve the performance of the employees which saves both time and cost. Immediate results- The identification of performance gap helps the observer to take immediate actions in the workplace itself. The employees in question can rectify their mistakes and errors to better their performances. Disadvantage: The observer should be good and experienced to evaluate the performance of the employees. He should be able to recognise the faults of the employees and point out ways to improve them. Silberman Biech (2015) in their theory state that training activities should be designed to facilitate rectification of present performance gaps and increase productivity. Observation technique allows the observer to observe the employee and recognise their training needs. This also helps them to plan the training programmes to be followed. For example, in case of Telstra the network and customer care employees need to take both management and technical training. The above evaluation shows that the trainer can form an appropriate training schedule if he uses the observation methods. Kolb (2014) in his model of learning cycle (LC) described that work experience helps in learning while working. This proves that observation is the best way to assess training needs of the employees. Possible outcomes of improper training assessment: Goetsch Davis (2014) in his literature states that quality is a state where the products and services meet customer needs to increase their value. Kum, Cowden Karodia (2014) state that training is indispensible to get an efficient and target oriented workforce. This shows the need of accurate assessment of training needs. The possible outcomes of improper training needs will once lead to lack of efficiency and productivity. An article shows that the outrage of customers against Telstra is increasing due to its lack of services (Carter, 2017). Customers these days want better service quality along with new services that would benefit them immensely. Organizations like Telstra having huge customer base should from time to time come up with new strategies and policies for attracting new customers and keep satisfying the old ones. It would not take much time for the customers in swapping over to a different service provider if they are not happy or satisfied with the present. Organisational setting of Telstra: The organisational setting of Telstra is extremely complex because it is an international company. The board of directors is headed by the CEO who controls CFO, COO, Marketing Media, Procurement, Sustainability, Secretary, Channel Management, Business, International and new business and other second line management. The third level management departments consists of departments of critical importance which is report to the second level managers. For example, the MA, Treasurer, IR, Strategic finance and Telstra Retail directly report to the CFO. The organisation structure of Telstra is empowered to bring about continuous innovation and ensure high quality products. The structure also reflects the international presence of the company and has departments assigned with the responsibility of dealing with international business (theofficialboard.com, 2017). The companys business structure consists of eight subsidiaries which add to the complex but powerful organisation setting. The organisation structure of Telstra has the strong bureaucratic style of Weber which allows the heads of the departments to assess the training needs of the employees. The company manages its human resources aligned to the business needs in a scientific manner. The managers follow participative modus operandi to ensure that the employees get involved in the decision making process. This makes it easier for to observe the employee and recognise their training needs. Conclusion: The assessment of training needs is a very important way to recognise the deficiency in a companys work force. The need of the company requires the employees to update themselves with new technology and methods. Failure to do so results in inefficient performance and customer grievances which lead to competitive loss in the long run. The supervisors should observe their subordinates at work to recognise any training need. They must assess the training needs of the employees accurately to ensure that the latter receives the right training. The training needs of the employees should be regularised because it helps them to deliver high quality products as per customer expectation. This helps the company earn huge revenue and strengthen its market position. References: 8681.0 - Information Media and Telecommunications Services, Australia, 2013-14. (2017). Abs.gov.au. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats%5Cabs@.nsf/0/4177B59603527529CA257E70001BE9E6?Opendocument Carter, L. (2017). Telstra outage continues as internet service complaints rise. abc.net.au. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-24/telstra-outage-continues-as-internet-service-complaints-rise/7441440 Chang, C. (2017). Telstra reveals network outage cause. NewsComAu. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/mobile-phones/customers-complain-of-another-telstra-outage/news-story/5bf14ad81101d463ccef2bb97af6ee47 Corporation, T. (2017). Org Chart Telstra Corporation. TheOfficialBoard. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.theofficialboard.com/org-chart/telstra-corporation Coyne, A. (2017). Telstra tops national telco complaints list. CRN Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.crn.com.au/news/telstra-tops-national-telco-complaints-list-404044 De Nazelle, A., Seto, E., Donaire-Gonzalez, D., Mendez, M., Matamala, J., Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J., Jerrett, M. (2013). Improving estimates of air pollution exposure through ubiquitous sensing technologies.Environmental Pollution,176, 92-99. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS Parliament of Australia. (2017). Aph.gov.au. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Completed_inquiries/1996-99/telstra/report/c07a Goetsch, D. L., Davis, S. B. (2014).Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Hunt, E. (2017). Telstra says system shutdown was due to 'embarrassing human error'. the Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/09/telstra-customers-lose-phone-and-internet-services-in-mass-systems-failure Kolb, D. A. (2014).Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press. Kum, F. D., Cowden, R., Karodia, A. M. (2014). The impact of training and development on employee performance: A case study of ESCON Consulting.Singaporean Journal of Business Economics and Management Studies,3(3), 72-105. Silberman, M. L., Biech, E. (2015).Active training: A handbook of techniques, designs, case examples, and tips. John Wiley Sons. Vodafone is a leader in the global IoT services market. (2017). vodafone.com. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.vodafone.com/business/iot/vodafone-is-a-leader-in-the-global-iot-services-market
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