Auditing Exam 3 Flashcards
What is Professional Skepticism?
A state of mind that is characterized by appropriate questioning and critical assessment of audit evidence
What applies professional skepticism?
Professional Judgement is often needed.
What is Professional Judgement?
Making informed decisions regarding obtaining auditing evidence and reaching conclusions based on this evidence
What makes professional judgement important?
Evaluating the reasonableness of various management estimates used in preparing financial statements
Skepticism?
Appropriate questioning and critical assessment of evidence
Judgement?
Application of training, knowledge, and experience in making informed decisions during audit
What prevents auditors from exercising good professional judgment in order to be professional skeptical?
Biases and Heuristics
External Factors/ Pressures
Not utilizing good judgement process/framework
Biases?
Systematic errors in judgement resulting from use of heuristics and/ or the influence of external factors
-> Can be conscious or sub-conscious
Heuristics?
Are mental shortcuts that make the judgement process more efficient and less cognitively demanding
-> Individuals make mental shortcuts every day
-> Mental shortcuts are not inherently bad
-> But can lead to biased judgement
What causes conscious bias?
Due to influences of some sort of self-interest. Judgement is biased because individual “wants” to reach a particular conclusion.
What causes Sub-conscious?
Can be due to mental shortcuts. Heuristics, which individuals take when making judgements.
Availability?
-> Using easily retrievable information (first thing to mind)
What is the risk with the heuristics?
Giving greater weight to easily retrievable information.
Representativeness
Determining that an item belongs to a population based on the extent that the item shares representative properties of the population.
Anchoring and Adjustment?
Occurs when making a judgement, you begin at a particular starting point and then adjust from the starting point based on the available information
Halo Effect
Auditor’s judgements about specific attributes of management can be influenced by their overall assessment of the organization.
-> If an auditor has an overall positive view of an organization, the halo effect could lead to under assessments, regarding the existence of accounting errors, and thus, ineffective audits.
Confirmation Bias?
Auditors often subconsciously search for and overweight evidence that is consistent with their expectations.
->A client’s inventory has significantly increased
-> The client has not had a misstatement in several years.
Self-serving Biases affecting Auditors?
Auditor judgement can be biased in a manner consistent with their self-interest. Typically, this means that the auditor will be more likely to judge client- preferred accounting methods as appropriate for several reasons
-> Does not want to upset management due to long-term friendships
->Identify problems could lead to working longer hours and potential budget overruns
->Substantial estimation in financial statements creates substantial room for rationalization and bias.
Overconfidence?
Unwarranted confidence in one’s ability to make a decision
Strategies for Specific Heuristics/Biases
Availability-> Consider why something comes to mind, consider alternative explanations
Confirmation-> Consider alternative explanations, Consider disconfirming evidence
Anchoring-> Develop an independent judgement without an anchor, Consider alternative anchors, Consult with others without giving them an anchor
Overconfidence-> Challenges reasons for confidence
Why do accountants not always exercise good Professional judgement?
Heuristics and Biases
External Factors/ Pressures
External Factors
Client Demands-> Avoid delivering “Bad News”, Deadlines, Fees
Regulatory Expectations-> Accounting Regulators
Professional Judgement Framework?
Training-> Awareness of heuristics and biases
Decision Support Tools-> Judgement frameworks and those tailored to specific accounting judgements
-> Group decision making and consultation
Applying Professional Skepticism
->Recognize the biases and heuristics that you bring to your decision making
-> Inquiry alone is never enough. The auditor must obtain sufficient corroborative evidence
-> Unusual financial trends need investigation
->Documents need to checked for authenticity or possible alteration.
-> Ask questions, get answers, then verify the answers
Fraud
The act of knowingly making material misrepresentations of fact with the intent of inducing someone to believe the falsehood and act upon it and, thus, suffer a loss or damage.
Fraud and Auditor Responsibility
Auditors are responsible detecting material misstatements either caused by error or fraud
Fraud Risk Factors
Fraud risk factors are events or conditions that indicate
->Incentive or pressure to perpetrate fraud
-> Provide an opportunity to commit fraud
->Rationalizations or attitudes to justify fraudulent actions
Based on the relevance and pervasiveness of the fraud risk factors will determine if there an identified fraud risk
Fraud Risk
Special case of risk of material misstatement related to those situations where management intended to mislead the marketplace by issuing fraudulent financial statements.
Types of Fraud that can cause misstatements?
Misappropriation of assets upon an entity
Fraudulent financial reporting by an entity
Misappropriation of Assets
Intentional theft of funds or other property from an employer
Embezzlement
Is a type of fraud involving employees or nonemployees wrongfully misappropriating funds or property entrusted to their care, custody and control, often accompanied by false accounting entries and other forms of deceptions and cover-up.
Larceny
Is simple theft. For example, an employee misappropriates an employer’s funds or property that has not been entrusted to the custody of the employee.
Defalcation
Is another name for employee fraud, embezzlement, and larceny
-> Fraud upon the entity
Examples of Misappropriation of Assets
-> Using a company credit card for personal use
-> Employees remaining on the payroll after ceasing employment
-> Unauthorized discounts or refunds to customers
-> Theft of inventory by employees or others
-> Using a company car for unauthorized personal use
-> Writing checks to fictitious vendors
Fraudulent Financial Reporting
Intentional misstatements or omissions of amounts or disclosures intended to deceive financial statement users
Often referred to a “Management Fraud”
Fraud committed by management that injures investors and creditors through materially misstated financial information.
Examples of Fraudulent Financial Reporting
-> Improper Asset Valuations
-> Unrecorded Liabilities
-> Timing Differences such as brining forward the recognition of revenues and delaying the recognition of expenses
-> Recording fictitious sales
-> Capitalizing items that should be expensed
-> Inappropriate application of accounting principles.
Fraud Risk Factors
-> Incentive or pressure to perpetrate fraud
-> Provide an opportunity to commit fraud
-> Rationalizations or attitudes to justify a fraudulent action
Motive
Fraud context, is some kind of pressure a person experiences and believes to be unshareable with friends and confidants.
Types of Motives
-> Actual or perceived need for money (Economic Motive)
-> Habitual Criminal” who steals for the sake of stealing (Psychotic Motive)
-> Committing fraud for personal prestige (Egocentric motive)
-> Cause is morally superior, justified in making others victims (Ideological motive)
-> The perceived need to support or protect an individual or organization.
Incentive or Pressure to Commit Fraud
-> Management or other employees have an incentive or are under pressure which provides a reason to commit fraud.
Fraud Risk Factors Entry-Specific
-> Pressure to meet market expectations and profit targets
-> A significant proportion of remuneration tied to earnings.
-> Pressure to meet debt covenants
-> A significant decline in demand for the client’s products or services
-> Falling profits or ongoing losses
-> A threat of bankruptcy or takeover
-> Planning to raise debt or renegotiate a loan
Opportunity
An opportunity is an open door for solving the unshareable problem by violating a trust
->Weak internal controls
-> Circumvention of internal controls
-> The greater the position, the greater the trust and exposure to unprotected assets.
Opportunity Circumstances
-> The absence of controls
-> Ineffective Controls
-> Ability of Management to Override Controls
-> Provide an Opportunity for a fraud to be perpetrated.
Fraud Risk Factors related to Opportunity Condition
-> Ineffective system of internal control
-> A nonexistent or ineffective whistleblower system
-> A high turnover of staff with accounting or internal control responsibilities
-> Related-party transactions
-> Complex transactions to require estimates and judgement
-> A high volume of transactions close to year-end
-> Significant adjusting entries and reversals after year-end.
Segregation Duties
The same individual in an entity should not perform the following tasks
-> Authorizing Transactions
-> Recording Transactions
-> Maintaining custody of assets associated with a transactions.
Rationalization and Attitude
When people do things that are contrary to their personal beliefs, outside their normal behavior, they provide an argument to make the action seem like it is in line with their moral and ethical beliefs.
Rationalization to Justify a Fraud
Those involved are able to rationalize committing a fraudulent act or possess and attitude, character, or set of ethical values that allow them to knowingly and intentionally commit a dishonest act.
Attitudes and Rationalizations Fraud Risks
-> Management attempts to justify marginal or inappropriate accounting on the basis or materiality, on a recurring basis.
-> Rationalization that other companies make the same inappropriate accounting choices
-> An excessive focus on maximization of profits and / or stock price
-> A poor attitude regarding compliance with accounting regulations
-> Management and employees who do not place a high priority on the entity’s values or ethical standards.
Management and Auditor Fraud Responsibilities
The primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both the entity’s management and those charged with governance.
Specific Inquiries w/ Management
-> Knowledge of fraud, alleged fraud or suspected fraud affecting the company
-> Management’s process for identifying fraud risks
-> Controls established to address identified fraud risks
-> Inquiries should not be limited to accounting and finance personnel.
Specific Fraud Risks
A fraud risk is often presumed for the following
-> Management override of controls
-> Improper revenue recognition
Management Override of Controls
-> Conflict of Interest between Management and Auditors
-> Management always has the ability to override their system on internal control