Auditing Hmwk #1

According to an article in the CPA Journal, the accounting profession has long contended that an audit conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) provides reasonable assurance that there are no material misstatements contained within financial statements. Suggest at least two (2) alternative methods that auditors can use to provide a more concrete level of assurance to investors. Provide support for your responses with examples of such methods in use.

When the CEO looked at the financial statement for the previous year he found that they had a loss of $256,000 (Rakish et

Assuming that the end result is an unqualified audit report, outline the primary responsibilities of the audit firm after it issues the report in question.

1a) What should the auditor consider when determining whether an account should be considered significant?

The aim of this report is to develop an audit plan using the 2007/2008 annual reports of the WesFarmers. This report will provide an understanding of the underlying concepts of an overall audit strategy. This strategy will bring forward the direction and scope of the WesfFarmers audit plan. This report will address five major points these are as follows:

Auditors have the responsibilities as well as management to report internal controls. The auditors must examine closely management’s claim of effectiveness and also physically test the controls. After the examination, the auditors should express their opinion and any recommendations to fix any internal control weaknesses.

The Marine Corps has been asked how we manage and account for CAT-I materiel OCONUS as part of a GAO audit on the DoD.

19. The independent accountant does not say that the reported amounts are correct, but does state that they are reported fairly. "We believe these consolidated financial statements do not misstate or omit any material facts... In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects..." The CPA assures that the statements are in

4. Identify the generally accepted auditing standard violated by the E&Y auditors in this case. Briefly explain how each standard was violated.

d. “The auditor's reliance on substantive tests to achieve an audit objective related to a particular assertion may be derived from tests of details, from analytical procedures, or from a combination of both. The decision about which procedure or procedures to use to achieve a particular audit objective is based on the auditor's judgment on the expected effectiveness and efficiency of the available procedures. For significant risks of material misstatement, it is unlikely that audit evidence obtained from substantive analytical procedures alone will be sufficient (PCAOB, AS 2305.09).”

B) I think the auditors should have equal responsibility for detecting material misstatements due to error and fraud. It’s their job to make sure the financial statements are as accurate as possible. Although it may be hard to check all the information from a company it’s the responsibility of the auditor to sign off that everything is in check.

The case study General Mills Inc. - Understanding Financial Statements focuses on the most basic idea of finance analysis. This case is a brief look into the language that is used in the finance world and a start to interaction with auditors. In this case, KPMG LLP, the public accounting firm that was auditing their statements, had sent two opinion letters. The first letter was ensuring that both parties were aware that General Mills had internal control over financial reporting. The second opinion letter stated that to auditor’s knowledge, General Mills had correctly reported its financial statements. The statements given in this case study are known as the four general financial statements. Displayed in the case are the

3. What potential implications arise for the accounting firm if they issue an unqualified report without the going-concern explanatory paragraph?

For nonpublic companies auditing guidance are issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, AICPA. Prior to PCAOB, AICPA served as the primary governing body of public accounting profession. Since the roles have changed with PCAOB regarding the auditing standards for public companies, the AICPA is still developing standards for the nonpublic companies. The organization has developed four fundamental principles that govern an audit conducted in accordance with GAAP. The principles are:

A company prepares financial statement to provide information about its financial position and performance. This information is in turn used by a wide range of stakeholders (such as investors, banks, customers, suppliers etc) in making economic decisions with respect to respective economic interest in the company. Typically, in terms of ownership by investment in shares of the company, shareholders though own the company but do not manage it. Therefore, the shareholder and other such stakeholders to get comfort in taking sound decision need independent assurance from the auditors that the financial statements reflect true and fair view of the company affairs in all material respects. Hence, in order to enhance the level of