Sharon Gallagher, Josh Thomas, and Jo Wadley work for the audit firm W&S Partners. Sharon is an audit manager, Josh is an audit senior, and Jo is an audit partner. They meet to discuss the results of a survey of other offices of W&S Partners, as well as their own office. The survey was directed toward determining if W&S Partners had any independence problems with respect to a new prospective client, Cloud 9 Inc. Based on the survey, they learn the following:

Jo Wadley and David Collier (Cloud 9's CFO) both serve on the board of directors of the local chapter of Special Olympics.

A tax senior in another office has a sister that consults with Cloud 9 on shoe design. Cloud 9 is her largest client.

Fifteen employees of W&S Partners, ranging from partners to entry-level staff, own shares in retailers that sell Cloud 9 shoes.

A survey shows that 23% of professional staff working for W&S Partners have purchased Cloud 9 shoes in the past.

Required Evaluate each of the items above and their impact on the independence of W&S Partners with respect to Cloud 9. If relevant, list any additional actions you might take before making your independence recommendation to Jo Wadley.

1. Review the Code of Professional Conduct (ET 1.200) and PCAOB standard ET 101).
2. Determine if the firm member is a covered member.
3. If either source specifically defines the situation as a threat, so state. Identify the source as AICPA ET 1.2xx.xxx or PCAOB ET 101 xxx (where xxx identifies the specific paragraph). Also document whether the standard states the threat can (or cant) be reduced to an acceptable level through application of safeguards.
4. Identify potential safeguards, if applicable. Safeguards may include not assigning the firm member to the audit.
5. State whether the threat is at an acceptable level (after applying safeguards, if applicable).