AFM351 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Audit Evidence, Audit Risk, Flowchart

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OC2146671

21 Jun 2020

School

University of Waterloo

Department

Accounting & Financial Management

Course

AFM351

Professor

Linda Robinson

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Document Summary

How much testing does the auditor need to do: more assurance, more testing. Factors: how often the control is performed, the less frequently the control is performed, the fewer instances there are to test. If the control is applicable to the new accounting system: unexplained changes in related account balances, auditor"s prior-period experiences with the engagement and past results of the control testing. Interim date, before year end: test entity-level controls and itgcs early in the audit process, can affect the nature and extent of other procedures being performed. Identify changes in the control environment and controls themselves: consider effect on the evaluation on controls. Substantive procedures (substantive testing, test of details): audit procedures designed to detect material misstatements at the assertion level. Documenting internal controls: narratives, auditor describing each step of the flow of transaction from start to finish, smaller environments, simple internal control activities.

Related Questions

Angela Walsh is a new staff auditor. On her first three engage-ments, she was assigned to perform tests of controls foracquisitions and payments and test of details of balances foraccounts payable.

The approach taken in each audit is briefly described below:

Audit 1â The client is a medium-sized company. Extensive testsof controls were per- formed for acquisitions and payments. Fairlyextensive substantive analytical proce- dures were also performed.The tests of details of balances of the year-end accounts payablebalance were minimal, and no confirmations were sent (confirmationsare not required for testing accounts payable).

Audit 2â This company is also medium-sized. Extensive tests ofcontrols were also performed, but after these tests were completed,additional substantive tests of trans- actions were performed.Extensive tests of the year-end accounts payable balance wereperformed, although no confirmations were sent.

Audit 3â Although the auditors gained an understanding ofinternal control, no tests of controls were performed overacquisitions and payments. However, extensive sub- stantive testsof transactions were performed, and confirmations were sent as partof the extensive testing of year-end accounts payable. Althoughthis company was smaller than the first two companies, the totalaudit time spent testing accounts pay- able was greater than forthe first two audits.
Angela is confused by the apparent inconsistency in the auditapproach on the three audits, and concludes that the audit approachand amount of audit evidence to collect de- pends on the auditpartner in charge of the engagement.

(A.) Match each engagement with one of the followingdescriptions:

(1) Extensive reliance on controls was planned for this auditengagement, but con- trol risk was increased after tests ofcontrols.

(2.) This audit is likely for a public company, and is also themost efficient audit.

(3.) This company has ineffective controls, and may also havefraud risks present.

(B.) What other factors likely explain the different approachesto the audit of acquisitions
and payments and accountspayable for these three engagements?

(C.) What could Angelaâs supervisors have done to improve herunderstanding of the audit strategy for each engagement?

Which of the following statements is most correct regarding the independent auditor's reliance on the tests of controls performed by the internal auditors to reduce their substantive testing?

1-The independent auditor must obtain assurance of the independence of the internal auditors but need not test their work.

2-It is not acceptable for the independent auditor to rely upon the work of the internal auditors.

3-There are no restrictions in relying upon the work of internal auditors.

4-The independent auditor must evaluate the competency and objectivity of the internal auditors and must test a sample of the work of the internal auditors in order to rely upon their work.

The term "materiality" as used in auditing is best described as the

1-substance of the auditing procedures.

2-amount of misstatement on the financial statements that would influence a decision maker.

3-underlying evidence upon which the audit opinion is based.

4-amount of material the auditor gathers as evidence to support the audit opinion.

Prior to accepting an audit client an auditor has a professional obligation to

1-contact the predecessor auditor.

2-perform preliminary analytical review procedures.

3-do all of the listed actions.

4-obtain approval for the audit engagement from the SEC.

Which of the following best represents financial statement fraud?

1-The transfer agent issues 40,000 shares of the company's stock to a friend without authorization by the board of directors.

2-The controller of the company decreases a contingent liability by $3 million so the company will meet analysts' expectations this quarter.

3-The in-house attorney receives payments from the French government for negotiating the development of a new plant in Paris.

4-The accounts receivable clerk covers up the theft of cash receipts by writing off older receivables without authorization.

Sampling risk is the risk that

1-errors are inherent and may be present in the population without regard to the internal controls.

2-the population will not contain characteristics representative of the sample such that inferences made about that sample will be incorrect.

3-internal controls are not adequate to prevent or detect material errors.

4-the sample will not contain characteristics representative of the population such that inferences made about that population will be incorrect.

Control risk that is assessed excessively high (i.e. the auditor believes control risk is high when in reality it is moderate or low) leads to:

1-audit inefficiency.

2-a less expensive audit.

3-reduced substantive testing.

4-errors that are more likely to occur than anticipated.

The purchasing process consists of each of the following phases except

1-receipts of goods and services.

2-approval of items for payment.

3-authorized request for goods and services.

4-cash receipts.

13-35 (Objectives 13-3, 13-4) McClain Plastics has been an auditclient of Belcor, Rich, Smith & Barnes, CPAs (BRS&B), forseveral years. McClain Plastics was started by Evers McClain, whoowns 51% of the companyâs stock. The balance is owned by about 20stockholders, who are investors with no operationalresponsibilities. McClain Plastics makes products that have plasticas their primary material. Some are made to order, but mostproducts are made for inventory. An example of aMcClain-manufactured product is a plastic chair pad that is used ina carpeted office. Another is a plastic bushing that is used withcertain fastener systems.

McClain has grown from a small, two-product company, when theyfirst engaged BRS&B, to a successful, diverse company. At thetime Randall Sessions of BRS&B became manager of the audit,annual sales had grown to $200 million and profits to $10.9million. Historically, the company presented no unusual auditproblems, and BRS&B had issued an unmodified opinion everyyear.

The audit approach BRS&B always used on the audit of McClainPlastics was a âsubstantiveâ audit approach. Under this approach,the in-charge auditor obtained an understanding of internal controlas part of the risk assessment procedures, but control risk wasassessed at the maximum (100%). Extensive analytical procedureswere done on the income statement, and unusual fluctuations wereinvestigated. Detailed audit procedures emphasized balance sheetaccounts. The theory was that if the balance sheet accounts werecorrect at year-end and had been audited as of the beginning of theyear, then retained earnings and the income statement must becorrect.

Part I

In evaluating the audit approach for McClain for the currentyearâs audit, Sessions believed that a substantive approach wasreally only appropriate for the audits of small nonpubliccompanies. In his judgment, McClain Plastics, with sales of $200million and 146 employees, had reached the size where it was noteconomical, and probably not wise, to concentrate all the tests onthe balance sheet. Furthermore, although McClain is not a publiccompany, Sessions recognized that similar public companies arerequired by Section 404 of the SarbanesâOxley Act and related PCAOBstandards to have an integrated audit of the financial statementsand internal control over financial reporting. Therefore, hedesigned an audit program that emphasized identifying internalcontrols in all major transaction cycles and included tests ofcontrols. The intended economic benefit of this âreducing controlriskâ approach was that the time spent testing controls would bemore than offset by reduced tests of details of the balance sheetaccounts.

In planning tests of inventories, Sessions used the audit riskmodel included in auditing standards to determine the number ofinventory items BRS&B would test at year-end. Because of thenumber of different products, features, sizes, and colors,McClainâs inventory consisted of 2,450 different items. These weremaintained on a perpetual inventory management system that used arelational database.

In using the audit risk model for inventories, Sessions believedthat an audit risk of 5% was acceptable. He assessed inherent riskas high (100%) because inventory, by its nature, is subject to manytypes of misstatements. Based on his understanding of the relevanttransaction cycles, Sessions believed that internal controls wereeffective. He therefore assessed control risk as low (50%) beforeperforming tests of controls. Sessions also planned to usesubstantive analytical procedures for tests of inventory. Theseplanned tests included comparing gross profit margins by month andreviewing for slow-moving items. Sessions believed that these testswould provide assurance of 40%. Substantive tests of details wouldinclude tests of inventory quantities, costs, and net realizablevalues at an interim date two months before year-end. Cutoff testswould be done at year-end. Inquiries and substantive analyticalprocedures would be relied on for assurance about events betweenthe interim audit date and fiscal year-end.

Required

Decide which of the following will likely be done under both areducing control risk approach and a substantive approach:

Assess inherent risk.

Obtain an understanding of internal control.

Perform tests of controls.

Perform substantive analytical procedures.

Assess planned detection risk.

What advantages does the reducing control risk approach Sessionsplanned to use have over the substantive approach previously usedin the audit of McClain Plastics?

What advantages did the substantive approach have over thereducing control risk approach?

Part II

The engagement partner agreed with Sessionsâs recommendedapproach. In planning the audit evidence for detailed inventorytests, the audit risk model was applied with the followingresults:

PDR=AATIRÃCRÃAPR

where:

PDR=PlanneddetectionriskAAR=acceptableauditriskIR=inherentriskCR=controlriskAPR=analyticalproceduresrisk

Therefore, using Sessionsâs assessments and judgments asdescribed previously,

PDR=.051.0Ã.5Ã.6PDR=.17

Required

Explain what .17 means in this audit.

Calculate PDR assuming that Sessions had assessedcontrol risk at 100% and all other risks as they are stated.

Explain the effect of your answer in requirement b. on theplanned audit procedures and sample size in the audit of inventorycompared with the .17 calculated by Sessions.

Part III

Although the planning went well, the actual testing yielded somesurprises. When conducting tests of controls over acquisitions andadditions to the perpetual inventory, the staff person performingthe tests found that the deviation rates for several key controlswere significantly higher than expected. As a result, the staffperson considered internal control to be operating lesseffectively, supporting an 80% control risk rather than the 50%level used. Accordingly, the staff person âreworkedâ the audit riskmodel as follows:

PDR=.051.0Ã.8Ã.6PDR=.10

A 10% test of details risk still seemed to the staff person tobe in the âmoderateâ range, so he recommended no increase inplanned sample size for substantive tests.

Required

Do you agree with the staff personâs revised judgments about theeffect of tests of controls on planned substantive tests? Explainthe nature and basis of any disagreement. If BRS&B was alsoissuing a report on internal control over financial reporting,describe the implications of these results on the auditorâsinternal control report.

AFM351 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Audit Evidence, Audit Risk, Flowchart

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