Importance Issues of the auditor's independence have been around since the 19th century. However, they are still pending and remaining unresolved for the contemporary auditing practice. It is reasonable to revise the substance of audit, purposes, principles and the auditor's attitudes from a philosophical point of view. The article continues the discussion on Audit: Challenging Issues and Development Paths proposed by S.V. Kozmenkova, Doctor in Economics. Objectives The objectives are to examine the substance of audit from philosophical perspectives and outline activities designated to ensure the auditor's independence. To reach the objectives, the following tasks should be addressed: to review the history of audit in Russia, examine areas of phenomenology as branches of philosophy, identify possible paradoxes of contemporary audit and propose possible remedies. Methods The research relies upon legislative, regulatory documents on auditing, scientific papers and manuals on audit by national and foreign authors. We applied such methods as a comparative analysis, abstraction, induction, deduction. Results We made a historical overview of the auditing practice in Russia, specified the definition of audit, identified challenging matters for the auditor's independence and provided our advice on ensuring the auditor's independence. Conclusions and Relevance Today's auditors face a conundrum since they have to respect social interest, being a part of it, and concurrently pursue profit-making goals. The article indicates a need to reform the auditing practices in Russia so to tighten the State control over auditing, prohibit auditing firms to render any related services, strengthen control over training and professional advancement of auditors. The results of the research may be used to develop the auditing theory and practice.
Keywords: audit, independence, subject, principle, society
References:
Anokhova E.V. Rol' samoreguliruemykh organizatsii v sozdanii uslovii spravedlivoi konkurentsii na rynke audita [The role of self-regulatory organizations in creating the fair competition environment in the auditing market]. Auditor, 2013, no. 3, pp. 17–27.
Arabyan K.K., Davydova I.V. Audit kak nezavisimaya forma finansovogo kontrolya: missiya i ozhidaniya pol'zovatelei [Audit as an independent form of financial control: the mission and expectations of users]. Auditor, 2013, no. 10, pp. 16–22.
Hehel G.W.F. Sistema nauk. V 2 ch. Chast' pervaya: Fenomenologiya dukha [Phänomenologie des Geistes]. Moscow, Akademicheskii proekt Publ., 2008, 767 p.
Gizyatova A.Sh. Filosofskaya germenevtika v kontekste fenomenologii audita bukhgalterskoi otchetnosti sub"ekta ekonomiki [Philosophical hermeneutics and phenomenology of audit of financial statements]. Audit i finansovyi analiz = Audit and Financial Analysis, 2014, no. 1, pp. 155–159.
Gorodilov M.A., Ivannikov S.N. [On the need in social and philosophical methods for studying the auditing theory and practice]. Bukhgalterskii uchet, analiz, audit, nalogooblozhenie i kommercheskii raschet: teoriya i praktika : materialy nauchnoi konferetsii [Proc. Sci. Conf. Accounting, Analysis, Audit, Taxation and Commercial Planning: Theory and Practice]. Perm, PSU Publ., 2002, pp. 99–101.
Gryaznova A.G. Dlya povysheniya prestizha auditora kak nezavisimogo eksperta i kontrolera predstoit eshche ochen' bol'shaya rabota [We should pass a long way to improve the professional status of auditor as an independent expert]. Auditorskie vedomosti= Audit Journal,2014, no. 5, pp. 3–12.
Kodeks professional'noi etiki auditorov [The code of ethics for auditors]. Available at: Link .consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_122639. (In Russ.)
Kozmenkova S.V., Kemaeva S.A. Audit: problemnye voprosy i puti razvitiya [Audit: critical issues and development paths]. Mezhdunarodnyi bukhgalterskii uchet = International Accounting, 2015, no. 3, pp. 31–43.
Mnatsakanyan A.G. Problemy sokhraneniya nezavisimosti auditora v kontekste finansovo-ekonomicheskogo krizisa [Issues of keeping the auditor’s independence in the context of the financial and economic crisis]. Ekonomika i upravlenie = Economics and Management, 2011, no. 7, pp. 70–74.
Information message of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation of October 03, 2014 On Amendments to the Federal Law On Auditing of December 20, 2008 ¹ 307. (In Russ.)
Independence principles for auditors and auditing organizations. Available at: Link. (In Russ.)
Sokolov Ya.V. Bukhgalterskii uchet: ot istokov do nashikh dnei [Accounting: from origins to the present days]. Moscow, YUNITI Publ., 1996, 638 p.
Sokolov Ya.V., Bychkova S.M. O nezavisimom kontrole v Rossii na rubezhe vekov [On independent control in Russia at the turn of the centuries]. Auditorskie vedomosti = Audit Journal, 1999, no. 8, p. 58.
Freeman R.E. Avtoritetnoe mnenie [Authoritative opinion]. Zhurnal Sankt-Peterburgskii Universitet = Saint-Petersburg University Journal, 2010, no. 13, p. 3820.
Sheshukova T.G., Beresneva A.V. Primenenie statisticheskikh metodov v auditorskoi vyborke [Applying statistical methods for audit sampling]. Audit i finansovyi analiz = Audit and Financial Analysis,2014, no. 2, pp. 173–178.
Sheshukova T.G., Posokhina A.V. Osnovy audita i auditorskoi deyatel'nosti [Fundamentals of audit and audit activity]. Perm, PSU Publ., 2001, 171 p.
Demb A., Neubauer F. The Corporate Board: Confronting the Paradoxes. Long Range Planning, 1992, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 9–20.
Flint D. Philosophy and Principles of Auditing: An Introduction. London, Palgrave Macmillan, 1988.
Omri Mohamed Ali Brahim, Akrimi Neskrine Abdelkader. Les facteurs d’influence de l’indépendance de l’auditeur externe: une étude exploratoire auprès des préparateurs de l’information financière tunisiens. Available at: Link.
Tiphaine Compernolle. De l’indépendance individuelle à l’indépendance collective de l’audit: l’apport de la théorie systémique. La Comptabilite, le contrôle et l’audit entre changement et stabilite. Congres de l’AFC. Cergy, Association Francophone de Comptabilite, 2008.
