2021 UWCISA Symposium Program

The Centre for Information Integrity and Information Systems Assurance at the University of Waterloo (UWCISA) held its 12th Biennial Symposium on Information Integrity and Information Systems Assurance virtually from October 14th-16th, 2021.

Our symposia are recognized for the extensive interaction between practitioners and academics. Workshops, expert panels and research presentations were presented by academics and practitioners addressing risks, controls, assurance and emerging issues. A full list of speakers is available below.

Workshops

All workshops were moderated by Bill Swirsky, Chair, UWCISA.

Value Creation Workshop

Presented by Rob McLean, MatrixLinks/CPA Canada

This workshop provided participants with a strategic overview of the current state-of-play in value creation measurement in our increasingly knowledge-intensive economy. Rob provided a strategic overview of how the value creation problem has been framed by leading value creation measurement initiatives of the past 20 years, including a summary of CPA Canada’s recent responses. He also gave an overview of “measurement fundamentals”, the principles underlying all valid measurement, and led an interactive discussion of what we learn by applying measurement fundamentals to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of leading approaches to value creation measurement and reporting.

RPA for the Internal Auditor

Presented by Eric E. Cohen, Cohen Computer Consulting

This three-hour session was designed to provide a background on Robotic Process Automation, a software technology that makes it easy to build, deploy, and manage software robots that emulate human actions, and its relevance to internal auditors. Along with the theoretical background of what RPA does, RPA vendors, and RPA’s potential, the session featured hands-on activities using UiPath StudioX.

Panels

Assurance Issues for the Future

Presented by Krista Fiolleau and Brad Pomeroy, UW SAF
Featuring panelists Chris Halterman, EY, Steve Ursillo, Cherry Bekaert, and Irene Ang, KPMG
Moderated by Tim Bauer, UW SAF

Featured research paper: Cataloguing the Marketplace of Assurance Service Areas

The nature of assurance services is ever-evolving, with increased demand for audit and assurance professionals to offer more than services related to financial statement assurance. This panel examined service areas that are growing in demand by drawing on a recent project that scanned the assurance marketplace and via discussions with panel members on shifting trends and how practitioners and academics can prepare the profession for these new demands.

Blockchain and ISA 315

Featuring panelists Cory Campbell, Indiana State University, Sridhar Ramamoorti, University of Dayton, and Diane Jules, IESBA
Moderated by Thomas Calderon, University of Akron

Notwithstanding the current status of blockchain and the various standards on audit evidence, there are at least four major areas auditors must contend with: Audit Evidence in Blockchain-Enabled Environments, Evidence and Procedures Fit-for-Purpose, Robust Audit Trail, and Compensating Audit Procedures. This session used ISA 315 as a framework to address the above concerns.

Internal Audit Competencies for the Future

Featuring panelists Kelly Dorin, Camosun College, John G. Delaney, DA Consulting, and Libby Duckworth, KPMG
Moderated by Adam Vitalis, UW SAF

Featured research paper: Enhancing CPA Competencies for Internal Audit Roles: Project Insights

Recent insights from internal audit professionals indicate that the training of students heading into an internal audit path is lacking. This panel examined this perspective by drawing from a recent survey created to highlight anticipated changes from currently identified skills to those skills expected to be important in a decade or more. Using these insights as a jumping-off point, they discussed the future competency needs of internal audit professionals and how partnerships between academia and the profession can work to meet those changes.

Audit Evidence and IT

Featuring panelists Angelo Giardina, CPAB, Giuseppe (Joe) Spinelli, CPAB, Eric Turner, IAASB, and Blaine Hertzberger, EY
Moderated by Robert Cuthbertson, UW CISA

Featured report: Technology in the Audit

Research Presentations

All research discussions were moderated by Bill Swirsky, Past Chair, UWCISA.

The Metaphysics of Internal Controls

Presented by Graham Gal, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Featuring discussant academic Rajendra Srivastava, University of Kansas
Featuring discussant practitioner Doug Johnson, Haventree Bank

A Framework for Auditing Crypto Asset Ecosystem

Presented by Sheng-Feng Hsieh, National Taiwan University and Gerard Brennan, Lukka, Inc.
Featuring discussant academic Diane Janvrin, Iowa State University
Featuring discussant practitioner Antonio Pecora, Canadian Public Accountability Board

Presenting Data Analytics with Nonfinancial Data: The Effect of Visualizations on Mgrs’ Acceptance of an IA’s Recommendation

Presented by Megan Seymore, Ohio University, and Jesse Robertson and Mary Curtis, University of North Texas
Featuring discussant academic Louise Hayes, University of Guelph
Featuring discussant practitioner William Ives, Deloitte

Responses to SEC Comment Letters on Cybersecurity Disclosures

Presented by Tawei (David) Wang, DePaul University, Ju-Chun Yen, National Central University Taoyuan, and Kyunghee Yoon, Clark University
Featuring discussant academic Alec Cram, UW SAF
Featuring discussant practitioner Robert Reimer, The Petals Group

Data Breach Reports: Limitations and Recommendations

Presented by Benjamin Blakely, Argonne National Laboratory, Jim Kurtenbach, Iowa State University, and Lovila Nowak, Argonne National Laboratory
Featuring discussant academic Robert Nehmer, Oakland University
Featuring discussant practitioner Asif Mohammed, Richter

Reaping the Whirlwind: Measuring Insider Threat after Massive Layoff from the Dark Web

Presented by Arion Cheong, California State University, and Soohyun Cho, Michael Alles, and Won Gyun No, Rutgers Univesity
Featuring discussant academic Severin Grabski, Michigan State University
Featuring discussant practitioner Jerrard Gaertner, Managed Analytic Services Inc.

Research Reports

All discussions were moderated by Miklos Vasarhelyi, Rutgers University.