Internal Control 2 Flashcards
primary objective of procedure to obtain understanding of internal control structure
to gain knowledge necessary for audit planning
Documentation required for audit in accordance with GAAS
- written audit plan with evidence gathering procedures needed to accomplish auditor’s objectives
- reconciliation or agreement of the accounting records with the financial statements
- reconciliation or agreement of the accounting records with the financial statements
- understanding of entity internal control (NOT need to be flowchart)
- no single form is mandatory
- extent of documentation varies
Flowchart
pictorial summary of auditor’s understanding of system
Examples of Management control method to improve mgmt ability to supervise effectively
- Est budgets and forecasts to identify variances from expectations
- Important for successful operation (not Mgmt supervision): monitor compliance with regulatory req, limit access to assets, provide adequate support
why evaluating the substance of internal control procedure is more important than the form
procedure may be est appropriately but not enforced/implemented (“substance”)
- eval design of internal control (“form”)
Decision table
presents in table format the conditions and alternative actions. Emphasizes the relationship between conditions and actions
In planning, auditor may skip certain procedure to obtain understanding of internal control structure because of
auditor’s judgment about materiality and assessment of inherent risk
Primary consideration regarding internal control structure policies and procedures is
whether they affect FS assertions
Compensating controls
used by organizational unit when adequate segregation of duties is not present
less desirable than segregation of duties internal control
Batch processing of transaction
processed by type, not order
easier to follow audit trail
Walk-through
approach tracing a transaction from its origination through information systems until reflected in financial report
Computer sys supported by variety of utility software are important to auditor b/c
they may enable unauthorized changes to data files if not properly controlled
Impact of Change in computer systems on audit program
alter part of audit trail
relevance of various types of controls to a financial audit
Controls over the reliability of financial reporting are ordinarily most directly relevant to an audit, but other controls may also be relevant
An auditor should obtain sufficient knowledge of an entity’s information system to understand
financial reporting process used to prepare FS
- significant accounting estimates and disclosures
(1) the entity’s classes of transactions
(2) how transactions are initiated
(3) the accounting records and support
(4) the accounting processing involved from initiation of a transaction to its inclusion in the financial statements