AssignmentSemester 2, 2016Auditing and Assurance (ACC3AUD)Department of AccountingLa Trobe UniversityThis assignment is to be based on Wesfarmers Limited (ASX code-WES).The assignment is to be completed in groups of three (3). All students in a group must befrom the same workshop. The objective of this assignment is to test students’ ability tointegrate skills learnt in Auditing and Assurance (ACC3AUD) to analyse a real companyfrom the auditor’s perspective.The successful completion of this assignment requires extensive research on Wesfarmers’sinternal and external environments, operations, strategies and analysis of annual reports.Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to critically evaluate information relating toWesfarmers Ltd. and apply analytical skills to identify potential audit risks.This assignment represents 20% of the total assessment of this subject.Submission details1. The assignment is to be submitted via LMS through Turnitin, as per the SubjectLearning Guide.2. The due date for assignment is Tuesday October 4, 2016 5.00 pm. Any assignmentreceived after this time will be considered late and subject to the penalty described inthe Subject Learning Guide (p. 7).Length and formatThe assignment shall be presented in the below format:3. A title page containing the title of the assignment, name and student numbers of thegroup members, workshop facilitator’s name and the time and location of theworkshop.4. A table of contents5. An executive summary6. The build of the assignment (MS word, Maximum 3,000 words, Times New Roman,Size 12 font, double spacing). Use of headings, tables and graphs is encouraged.Appropriate reference citations throughout the assignment are expected.7. BibliographyFailure to meet the above length and format requirements will incur a 5 mark penalty.Required:1. You are a part of the team responsible for planning the Wesfarmers (parent and theconsolidated economic entity) audit engagement for 2017. You have been assigned togather relevant background information and prepare a report for a meeting with youraudit partner and audit managers. Your report must address the following issues:a. What are the areas in which Wesfarmers conducts its operations?b. Which particular laws/regulations (other than financial related categories whichinclude legislations such as: Corporation Act 2001, Australian taxation laws, etc.)affect its operations? You need to identify at least FIVE laws/regulations.c. Who are its primary competitors (TWO major and TWO minor) in retail sector?The answers for above questions should be reflective of your in-depth understanding ofhow the Wesfarmers operates.[12+5+4=21 marks]2. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis also known asinternal-external analysis is a planning tool and often used in strategic analysis of abusiness. Prepare a SWOT analysis showing the kind of factors that may have a materialimpact on the business of Wesfarmers. You need to identify at least TWO factors for eachof the four areas and explain how each of the factors impacts Wesfarmers.[24 marks]3. Identify at least FIVE accounts susceptible to misappropriation or fraudulent financialreporting within the Wesfarmers Group and explain why. Your answers should bereflective of your in-depth understanding of Wesfarmers Group and its environment.[15 marks]4. With specific reference to Wesfarmers’s corporate governance arrangements, you need toassess the likelihood of the potential reliance that could be placed on the overall controlenvironment. Your conclusion should be supported by at least FIVE factors.[10 marks]5. Recently Target (one of Wesfarmers department stores) rocked up by an accountingscandal after finding that about 10 staff pumped up the chain’s earnings (in the first halfof 2016) by almost 40 per cent by colluding with suppliers to book extra rebates in returnfor promises of higher prices in the second half of 2016. As a result, Target has to restateits profits. How will this accounting scandal affect your 2017 audit plan for WesfarmersGroup?[10 marks]Grand total/ 80 mark –Final mark/20 mark
