A3 Flashcards
What are the two types of fraud risk?
- Fraudulent financial reporting
2) misappropriation of assets - theft of an entity’s assets
What are three fraud risk factors whose presence indicates a greater possibility of fraud?
1) Incentives / pressures exist when there is a reason to commit fraud
2) Opportunity to commit fraud exists due to a lack of effective controls
3) rationalization / attitude associated with attempting to justify fraudulent behavior
What is management’s responsibility with respect to fraud
Design and implement programs and controls to prevent, detect and deter fraud
What is the auditor’s responsibility related to fraud?>
responsibility to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatements, whether due to error or fraud. The auditor must:
1) exercise professional skepticism
2) discuss fraud risk with engagement partners
3) obtain information regarding fraud risk (inquiry, analytical procedures, etc)
4) Identify and assess fraud risk and develop an appropriate response
5) evaluate how audit evidence affects the fraud risk assessment
When analyzing fraud, which four attributes should the auditor consider?
1) type of risk
2) significance of the risk
3) likelihood of the risk
4) pervasiveness of the risk
When there is fraud, what should the auditor do if the fraud is immaterial versus material
immaterial — report to management at least one level about the parties involved
material or involves senior management - report to audit committee or those charged with governance
What are the three types of material misstatement?
1) Factual misstatements
2) judgemental misstatements
3) projected misstatements
What is a factual misstatement?
misstatements about which there is no doubt
what is judgemental misstatements?
management and the auditor have material judgement differences on accounting estimates or the application of accounting policies
What is a projected misstatement?
This represents the auditor’s best estimate of misstatements in populations, by projecting misstatements in an audit sample to the population from which the sample was drawn
What is audit risk
risk that the auditor may unknowingly fail to modify appropriately the opinion on financial statements that are materially misstated
what are the two factors of audit risk
1) risk of material misstatement
2) detection risk
What are factors that would increases inherent risk?
- Technological developments that make a product obsolete
- a lack of working capital
- a decline in overall industry or economy
high - high-volume transactions
- complex transactions
- amounts derived from estimates
What are the two components of the risk of material misstatement?
1) inherent risk
2) control risk
What is inherent risk
The susceptibility of a relevant assertion to a material misstatement assuming that there are no related controls
What is a control risk
The risk that a material misstatement that could occur in a relevant assertions will not be prevented or detected (and corrected) on a timely basis by internal control
What is the audit risk model
AR = RMM x DR
What is the relationship between detection risk to substantive risk
There is an inverse relationship between RMM and DR. As the acceptable level of detection risk increases, teh assurance required from substantive test decreases. As the acceptable level of detection risk decreases, the assurance required from substantive testing must increase
How can an auditor obtain more assurance from substantive procedures
1) changing the nature of substantive tests from a less effective to a more effective procedures (e.g., a direct test toward independent parties outside the entity rather than toward parties or documentation inside the entity)
2) changing the extent of substantive tests (e.g., using larger sample size)
3) changing the timing of substantive tests (e.g., performing substantive tests at year-end rather than at the interim)
What is the relationship between audit risk and materiality?
- audit risk and materiality must be considered together in designing the NET of audit procedures
- Audit risk and materiality must be considered at both the financial statement level and at the individual account balance, transaction class or disclosures item level
- there is an inverse relationship between audit risk and materiality
what are the three ways an auditor should respond to assessed risk?
1) overall response to address risk at the FS level
2) a response at the relevant assertion level
3) a response to significant risk
what is a significant risk
one that requires special audit consideration
What are factors that are indicative of a significant risk
- non-routine, unusual, or complex transactions
- improper revenue recognition
- fraud risk
- significant related party transactions
- accounting estimates or other subjective measurements of financial information
- accounting principles that are subject to different interpretations
- non-compliance with laws and regulations
what are the documentation requirements around the auditor’s assessment of risk?
The auditor should document
- dicsussion among the audit team
- understanding of the entity and its environment, icnluding its internal control
- assessment of the risk of material misstatement
- basis of the risk assessment
- identified risks and related controls evaluated
what should be included in each step of the audit plan?
NET Each step of the audit plan should set out the procedure in detail, specifying the nature, extent and timing of the work to be performed and including a reference under consideration N- Nature E- Extent T- Timing
How does the auditor’s assessment of the risk of material misstatement affect substantive procedures
- the auditor’s determination that the risk of material misstatement is high necessitates a greater level of assurance from substantive procedures, which maybe obtained by varying the nature, extent, or timing of such procedures
- the auditor’s determination that risk of material misstatement is low allows a reduction in the assurance required from substantive procedures. this too may be accomplished by varying the nature extent, or timing of such procedures
What are the two approaches an auditor may use to respond to identified risks at the relevant assertion level?
1) substantive approach
2) Combined approach
What is a substantive approach
only substantive tests are used, either because there are no effective controls, or because it would not be efficient to test the operating effectiveness of controls
What is a combined approach?
tests of the operating effectiveness of control and tests of substantive procedures are both used
When are tests of controls performed in a financial statement audit?
When the auditor’s risk assessment is based on the assumption that controls are operating effectively OR
When substantive procedures alone are insufficient, such as when there is a significant amount of electronic processing
What steps should the auditor perform in assessing and responding to risk?
1) Obtain an understanding of the entity and its internal control
2) assess the risk of material misstatement
3) respond to the assessed level of risk by designing further audit procedures based on this assessment
4) test internal controls to evaluate their operating effectiveness
5) perform substantive tests
6) evaluate the sufficiency and appropriateness of audit evidence obtained
at what level does the auditor assess risk
1) at the financial statement level
2) at the relevant assertion level
3) to identify any significant risks
What is the difference between a substantive approach and combined?
substantive — controls are nonexistent or ineffective or it would be inefficient to test them
Combined approach - test of controls are performed in the hope that effective controls will allow a reduction in substantive testing, substantive testing is always required
What are some common audit procedures related to contingencies, including pending litigation of possible future litigation?
Audit procedures related to pending or threatened litigation might include:
1) obtaining and reviewing the response from a letter of inquiry to the client’s attorneys
2) inquiring of management
3) reviewing minutes of meetings of stockholders, board of directors, and other executive committees
4) reviewing correspondence and invoices from lawyers
5) reviewing contracts, loan agreements, loan guarantees, leases, and correspondence from taxing authorities
Define related parties
Related parties may include the reporting entity’s affiliated, principal owners, and management, as well as any members of their immediate families
How can the auditor determine whether related parties exist?
The auditor can identify related parties by
1) evaluating the company’s procedures for identifying and accounting for related party transactions
2) Asking management
3) reviewing the reporting entity’s filings with the SEC
4) Reviewing material transactions for related party evidence
5) Reviewing prior year audit documentation or inquiring of the predecessor auditor
What is the auditor’s primary concern with respect to related party transactions?
The auditor’s primarily concerned with proper disclosure or related party transactions in accordance with GAAP