To compete with manufacturers like Cray Research, the Singer Corporation, a manufacturer of mid-range supercomputers, makes oral claims of product superiority to engineers and scientists, their targeted end users. Some of the claims amount to little more than puffery: "the best ... the most . . ." But others relate to performance and to market share. Two claims that are particularly important to Fred Singer, the corporation's chief operating officer, are:

• Average post-purchase user support time is 75 hours per end user.

• Three hundred fifty satisfied customers.

During the financial statement audit, Laurie Feldman, engagement partner, discovers that the performance and market share claims will be made in an upcoming advertising campaign and included in sales contracts. Feldman decides to propose an assurance service to Fred Singer.

Required:

1. What argument could Feldman make to justify that the proposed assurance service will add value to Singer Corporation's product performance and market share claims?
2. Is the proposed assurance service an attestation? Why, or why not?
3. Use your imagination to describe what evidence Feldman would gather to test Singer's claims.