Ethics Content Development
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
As AICPA staff, Cathy Allen led the development of the AICPA Plain English Guide to Independence (which is widely used by CPA firms) and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct's Conceptual Framework for Independence. As an Audit Conduct consultant, she helped lead the AICPA's Codification project to restructure the Code of Professional Conduct.
Training Courses
Cathy Allen is the author of numerous courses for the AICPA, other professional associations, and CPA firms, including the following which are available on the AICPA web site:
- Ethics and Professional Conduct: Updates (4 credits, virtual webinar with Cathy Allen as presenter)
- Professional Ethics: 2016 Update and Refresher (2.5 credits, online self-study)
- Professional Ethics and Responsibilities in Tax Practice (2 credits, online self-study)
- Professional Ethics for CPAs in Business and Industry (2 credits, online self-study)
- Professional Ethics: The AICPA's Comprehensive Course (8 credits, online self-study/8.5 credits text self-study)
- Applying Professional Skepticism in an Audit (4.5 credits - online self-study, 4 credits - video webcast)
- A Firm's System of Quality Control (8 credits, online self-study)
Content Development: SEC/PCAOB/Sarbanes-Oxley Independence
The SEC and PCAOB quality control standards require firms to provide training on auditor independence to their personnel upon entry to the firm and periodically (typically annually). We have created customized content on auditor independence for firms of various sizes, which they use to satisfy regulatory independence, CPE, or other purposes, e.g., improve compliance in specific areas or remediate a quality control deficiency cited in a PCAOB inspection. Typical deliverables are instructional materials (including exams and knowledge check questions) in interactive formats such as PowerPoint, storyboards, and video.
Content Development: AICPA Code Of Professional Conduct, DOL and GAO
Compliance with relevant ethical requirements is critical to a firm's system of quality control. We've created courses for firms that address not only the AICPA ethics and independence requirements but also other regulatory requirements that are relevant to the firm's practice, e.g., government / Yellow Book, benefit plan / DOL, banking or insurance regulations (e.g. FDIC or NCUA).
I have worked with Cathy Allen over the years – initially while she was a Senior Manager in the Ethics Division of the AICPA and I was a member of the AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee and, more recently, as an independent consultant after she started her own business, Audit Conduct. Cathy not only has deep knowledge of the ethical and independence standards governing the public accounting profession – she know how to explain them in plain English. She has been an excellent resource to our firm, helping us communicate our independence and ethical policies more clearly and effectively to our professional staff. In each case, she has delivered quality products to our firm on time and on budget
Academic Case Studies: Auditor Independence
As part of a CPA firm / academic institution collaboration, we created comprehensive case studies for use in university auditing classes to teach the importance of auditor independence and its application in practice.
Video Learning Tools: Auditor Independence
We created the technical content for videos a large CPA firm used to educate new firm entrants (including those from outside the CPA profession) and existing staff about the import and impact of the auditor independence rules. The technical content was embedded in entertaining interactions between people in real-life scenarios.