The CPA’s Professional Responsibilities and Overview of the Financial Statement Audit Process Flashcards
Misstatements in the financial statements can arise from either:
fraud or error.
The auditor is concerned with fraud that causes a ________________in the financial statements
material misstatement
Although the auditor may suspect or, in rare cases, identify the occurrence of fraud, the auditor does not _______________________.
legal determinations of whether fraud has actually occurred.
Fraud, whether fraudulent financial reporting or misappropriation of assets, involves:
- Incentive or pressure
- A perceived opportunity
- Rationalization
To commit fraud may exist when an individual believes internal control can be overridden, for example, because the individual is in a position of trust or has knowledge of specific weaknesses in internal control
A perceived opportunity
Some individuals possess an attitude, character or set of ethical values that allow them knowingly and intentionally to commit a dishonest act.
Rationalization
This involves intentional misstatements including omissions of amounts or disclosures in financial statements to deceive financial statement users. It can be caused by the efforts of management to manage earnings in order to deceive financial statement users by influencing their perceptions as to the entity’s performance and profitability.
Fraudulent Financial Reporting
This involves the theft of an entity’s assets and is often perpetrated by employees in relatively small and immaterial amounts.
Misappropriation of Assets
The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is ___________ than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error
higher
___________ may cause the auditor to believe that audit evidence is persuasive when it is, in fact, false
Collusion
The auditor’s ability to detect a fraud depends on factors such as the:
skillfulness of the perpetrator,
the frequency and extent of manipulation,
the degree of collusion involved,
the relative size of individual amounts manipulated, and
the seniority of those individuals involved
The risk of the auditor not detecting a material misstatement resulting from
management fraud is ________ than for employee fraud.
greater
Acts of omission or commission by the entity, either intentional or unintentional, which are contrary to the prevailing laws or regulations. Such acts include transactions entered into by, or in the name of, the entity, or on its behalf, by those charged with governance, management or employees
Noncompliance
Common examples of noncompliance include:
Tax evasion
Violation of environmental protection laws
Inside trading of securities
Who is responsible for ensuring that the entity’s operations are conducted in accordance with laws and regulations?
Management, with the oversight of those charged with governance
In cases of fraud and error, the auditor is responsible for obtaining reasonable assurance that the financial statements ______________________________
taken as a whole, are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error.
Whether an act constitutes non-compliance is ultimately a matter ______________________.
for legal determination by a court of law.
If the auditor becomes aware of information concerning an instance of noncompliance or suspected non-compliance with laws and regulations, the auditor shall obtain:
(a) An understanding of the nature of the act and the circumstances in which it has occurred; and
(b) Further information to evaluate the possible effect on the financial statements.
Unless all of those charged with governance are involved in management of the entity, and
therefore are aware of matters involving identified or suspected noncompliance already communicated by the auditor, the auditor shall communicate with
those charged with governance matters involving non-compliance with laws and regulations that come to the auditor’s attention during the course of the audit, other than when the matters are clearly inconsequential.
If, in the auditor’s judgment, the non-compliance referred above is believed to be intentional and material, _______________________________.
the auditor shall communicate the matter to those charged with governance as soon as practicable.
If the auditor suspects that management or those charged with governance are involved in
non-compliance,________________.
the auditor shall communicate the matter to the next higher level of
authority at the entity, if it exists, such as an audit committee or supervisory board
Where no higher authority exists, or if the auditor believes that the communication may not be acted
upon or is unsure as to the person to whom to report, _________________.
the auditor shall consider the need to
obtain legal advice.
In all cases when reasonable assurance cannot be obtained and a qualified opinion in the auditor’s report is insufficient in the circumstances for purposes of reporting to the intended users of the financial statements, _______________________.
the PSAs require that the auditor disclaim an opinion or withdraw from the engagement, where withdrawal is legally permitted.
The purpose of an audit is ___________________________.
to enhance the degree of confidence of intended users in the financial statements.
The objective of the auditor is to design and perform audit procedures in such a way as to ___________________________.
enable the auditor to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to be able to draw reasonable conclusions on which to base the auditor’s opinion.
_______________ is the measure of the quantity of audit evidence
Sufficiency
_________________________ is the measure of the quality of audit
evidence; that is, its ________________________ in providing support for, or detecting material misstatements in, the classes of transactions, account balances, and disclosures and related assertions.
Appropriateness; relevance and its reliability
Audit evidence I more reliable when it is obtained from _____________________________
independent sources outside the entity