[_Jim]

My guess though is that the move from balance sheet auditing to systems testing was primarily motivated by cost savings.

This doesn't explain, however, some of the calculated moves the humans involved made insofar as where to place what 'debt' where - nor to explain the rationale made by the humans at Enron to enter or angage in 'new' markets such telecommunications (which, in case you haven't noticed, has taken a downturn this last year) ...

Nor does 'system testing' you allude to substitute for actual balance sheet auditing. I plain, flat, straight away don't see how you can make that statement.

[independentmind]

MY comment was not specifically in reference to audit failure at Enron. The public at this point knows very little about the details, so I wonder about why you are so eager to discredit the claim.

[independentmind]

Nor does 'system testing' you allude to substitute for actual balance sheet auditing. I plain, flat, straight away don't see how you can make that statement.

Perhaps you should spend some time studying the concept of audit scope.

You must be a Wunderkind, _Jim. Is there anything on which you can't opine?