...The Role of Experience in Professional Skepticism, Knowledge Acquisition, and Fraud Detection Recent notable instances of accounting fraud have led to regulator and public concern over the failure of experienced auditors to detect frauds prior to the issuance of a company’s financial statements. In response, the AIPCA has issued a new auditing standard, SAS 99, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit, in an effort to help auditors better assess fraud risk, detect fraud symptoms, and sharpen professional judgment as to whether a fraud has actually been committed in a firm. The purpose of this term paper is to examine the role of experience in increasing professional skepticism, knowledge acquisition, and ability to detect fraud. We suggest that the typical audit environment does not provide auditors with the type of experience, i.e., practice and feedback with fraud, which is necessary for successful fraud detection. Results of an experiment indicate that audit novices who have received practice and feedback with fraud detection exhibit a higher level of skepticism and knowledge about fraud and are better able to detect a fraud when it exists than individuals with typical audit experience. 1 I. INTRODUCTION The apparent inability of auditors to detect financial statement fraud has prompted regulators, practitioners, and academics to examine the question, “Why do experienced auditors often fail to detect fraud?” There are several factors that...
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...needs of the business environment of the time. As such, auditors and the auditing profession have always played a very important role in business and, more recently, in society in general. As business in today’s world becomes more dynamic, accounting (and therefore by extension auditing) must also evolve to become more dynamic. The evolution of auditing is a complicated history that has always been changing through historical events. This can be seen in the shift in the role of external auditors from a cyclical audit approach to now more of a top-down risk-based continuous audit. The factors that have played a major role in this shift of role and responsibilities are the cycle of fraud, regulation, and compliance; and also the rise and importance of technology in the Information Age we currently live in. The combination of these two factors has had a profound impact on the auditing profession and has helped solidify its place in society as serving the public interest. This...
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...Diamond Food Case Project Requirement 1 1. Manipulation of commodity cost. As a common practice in the company, management would instruct related accounting employee to decrease the commodity costs by a small incremental at a time, until the desired earning numbers for that period was achieved. 2. Special accounting treatment of grower payments. Diamond made “continuity payment” and “momentum payment” to manipulate cost to growers. These payments were claimed to be advances for multi-year supply from growers, hence the company delay the recognition of these amounts as costs in later periods. However, payments to growers were actually for the crop in prior year although Diamond insisted the payments were for current year; and growers who already cancelled their contracts with Diamond still received this payment, which suggested that these payments, in substance, should have been for previous periods. Diamond used this controversial accounting method to continuously defer part of its payments to later periods, which reduced current costs and increased net income. Conversely, Diamond also increased its current cost by making more payment, when its EPS exceeded the expectation. The “continuity payment” method was continuously applied, and it created a cost pool in future period, which gave the company room to adjust costs and expenses in accordance with the management’s goals. Requirement 2 No, both recording of “continuity” payments and “momentum” payments did not...
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...The Auditor’s Responsibility With Respect to Fraud and Fraud Reporting MAC 606 – Advanced Auditing Public companies are required to prepare and issue financial statements that fairly reflect their performance. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires companies whose shares are publicly traded to obtain an audit by an independent auditor. The audit involves an examination to assess whether the financial statements and accompanying notes present fairly a company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Once this examination is made, the auditor is required to render an opinion. According to the standards adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), AU section 110-02, (Responsibilities and Functions of the Independent Auditor), “The auditor has the responsibility to plan and perform the audit to obtain a reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatements, whether caused by error or fraud.” (PCAOB, AU 110-02; AICPA 315; Whittington, 2012). Fraud is a pervasive problem. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE) 2006 “Report to the Nation on Occupational Fraud and Abuse” estimated that a typical organization loses 5 percent of its annual revenues to fraud, or about $4,500 per employee each year (Apostolou & Crumbley, 2008). Most frauds involve a lack of adequate internal controls (opportunity)...
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...2011 PCAOB Rulemaking Docket Matter No. 37 Summary: The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB" or "Board") is issuing a concept release to solicit public comment on ways that auditor independence, objectivity and professional skepticism could be enhanced. One possible approach on which the Board is seeking comment is mandatory audit firm rotation, which is explored in detail in this release. However, the Board seeks advice and comment on other approaches as well. The Board will also convene a public roundtable meeting in March 2012, at which interested persons will present their views. Additional details about the roundtable will be announced at a later date. Public Comment: Interested persons may submit written comments to the Board. Such comments should be sent to the Office of the Secretary, PCAOB, 1666 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006-2803. Comments also may be submitted by e-mail to comments@pcaobus.org or through the Board's Web site at www.pcaobus.org. All comments should refer to PCAOB Rulemaking Docket Matter No. 37 in the subject or reference line. Comments should be received by the Board no later than 5:00 PM EST on December 14, 2011. Board Contacts: Martin F. Baumann, Chief Auditor and Director of Professional Standards (202/207-9192, baumannm@pcaobus.org), Michael Gurbutt, Associate Chief Auditor (202/591-4739, gurbuttm@pcaobus.org), and Jacob Lesser, Associate General Counsel (202/207-9284, lesserj@pcaobus.org). * * * PCAOB Release...
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...rotation on auditor independence –Evidence from Bahrain Kousay Said* and Hussein Khasharmeh Department of Accounting, College of Business Administration, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box: 32038, Kingdom of Bahrain. st th Received 21 November 2013; Accepted 13 February 2014; Published April 2014 The current study examined several issues regarding auditor independence from the perspective of an emerging market such as Bahrain. Factors affecting the ability of auditors to remain independent include long audit tenure, financial dependence on a single audit client, non-audit services provided to audit clients, ex-auditor employment with an audit client and the existence of audit committees. It is therefore timely to examine the importance of auditor independence in the provision of reliable and credible financial information. The current study uses a questionnaire survey to examine auditors’ perceptions of the impact of mandatory audit firm rotation on auditor independence. The results of the study revealed that the majority of auditors agreed that MAR could safeguard auditor independence. The results also reveal that there is a significant relationship between mandatory audit firm rotation and auditor independence. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were also conducted to test for the possibility of confounding effects arising from participants’ background and experience. None of these variables were found to have a confounding effect on the experimental results. The...
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...CHAPTER 4 RISK ASSESSMENT Answers to Review Questions 1. Audit risk is the risk that the auditor expresses an inappropriate audit opinion when the financial statements are materially misstated. Engagement risk is the risk that the auditor is exposed to financial loss or damage to his or her professional reputation from litigation, adverse publicity, or other events arising in connection with financial statements audited and reported on. In simple terms, audit risk is the risk that an auditor will issue an unqualified opinion on materially misstated financial statements, while engagement risk relates to the auditor's exposure to financial loss and damage to his or her professional reputation. 2. Inherent risk and control risk differ from detection risk in that inherent risk and control risk exist independent of the audit; that is, the levels of inherent risk and control risk are functions of the client and its environment. The auditor has little control over these risks. The auditor can control detection risk through the scope (nature, timing, and extent) of the audit procedures performed. Thus, detection risk has an inverse relationship with inherent risk and control risk. 3. Standard setters developed the audit risk model as a planning and evaluation tool. Therefore, the model is only as good as the judgments and assessments used as inputs. Following are some limitations. First, since the auditor assesses inherent risk and control risk, such assessments...
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...Section A: Audit Practice Part b (i): Why is the audit of cash important part of the audit? From an auditing standpoint, cash is an important account because cash transactions affect all other business and financial processes. Businesses acquire cash by selling goods or services, disposing of fixed assets, or acquiring debt or equity. The same businesses put their cash to use through purchasing, paying employees, and buying inventory. Audits are an important part of business. Cash audits check that money has been handled properly, and performance audits ascertain whether employees are doing their jobs properly. Corporations are likely to undergo tax audits to ensure proper tax reporting and withholding. Audits may be performed in-house by management or human resources, by a third-party consulting firm hired specifically to perform the audits or by IRS agents who are auditing company tax records. The audit of cash is considered an important part of an audit mainly due to almost all business transactions will be ultimately settled through the cash accounts, the audit of cash accounts also assists in the verification of other asset and liability accounts as well as revenue and expenses. Some of the investor relies on the accuracy of the cash account to evaluate the financial health of the company. They use current asset which include the cash account to compute several financial measures. Other than that, cash is the highly liquid asset in a company and it is an area of high...
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...ISSUES IN ACCOUNTING EDUCATION Vol. 24, No. 2 May 2009 pp. 237–252 If You Need Love, Get a Puppy: A Case Study on Professional Skepticism and Auditor Independence Robert L. Braun and H. Lynn Stallworth ABSTRACT: The purpose of this teaching case is to expand students’ understanding of the concepts of professional skepticism and independence. The case is based on an actual incident and illustrates the exercise of professional skepticism by a staff auditor who finds himself in the uncomfortable situation of accusing a friend of fraud. The case demonstrates the difficult personal and professional choices that auditors must sometimes make. In analyzing the case, students consider auditor independence rules, as well as the concepts of independence in appearance and independence in mental attitude. Students are asked to identify the types of audit evidence and internal controls needed to detect and prevent the fraud, and to consider the appropriate audit response to an adverse situation. Keywords: auditing; professional skepticism; fraud; independence; internal controls; misappropriation of assets. L THE CASE ife is good, thought Will Stallard as he got into his truck that October morning. He could have been thinking of any one of a number of things—his wife of seven years, his beautiful baby girl, or his job as a staff auditor at Dykstra, Banister, and Huston (DB&H), a CPA firm with offices in Montgomery and Mobile, Alabama. Or, maybe it was the slight chill in the air and the...
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...ISSUES IN ACCOUNTING EDUCATION Vol. 24, No. 2 May 2009 pp. 237–252 If You Need Love, Get a Puppy: A Case Study on Professional Skepticism and Auditor Independence Robert L. Braun and H. Lynn Stallworth ABSTRACT: The purpose of this teaching case is to expand students’ understanding of the concepts of professional skepticism and independence. The case is based on an actual incident and illustrates the exercise of professional skepticism by a staff auditor who finds himself in the uncomfortable situation of accusing a friend of fraud. The case demonstrates the difficult personal and professional choices that auditors must sometimes make. In analyzing the case, students consider auditor independence rules, as well as the concepts of independence in appearance and independence in mental attitude. Students are asked to identify the types of audit evidence and internal controls needed to detect and prevent the fraud, and to consider the appropriate audit response to an adverse situation. Keywords: auditing; professional skepticism; fraud; independence; internal controls; misappropriation of assets. THE CASE ife is good, thought Will Stallard as he got into his truck that October morning. He could have been thinking of any one of a number of things—his wife of seven years, his beautiful baby girl, or his job as a staff auditor at Dykstra, Banister, and Huston (DB&H), a CPA firm with offices in Montgomery and Mobile, Alabama. Or, maybe it was the slight chill...
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...Chapter 1: Auditing: Integral to the Economy 5 copy 1. The need for assurance services arises because the interests of the users of information may be different from that of the interests of those responsible for providing information. True False 2. A financial statement audit is a systematic process of objectively obtaining and evaluating evidence. True False True False True False True False 3. Auditors should conduct their work with an attitude of professional skepticism. 4. A bank using Milton Company's financial statements to determine the creditworthiness of a potential loan to Milton is a good example of the need for unbiased reporting. 5. An integrated audit requires the auditor to assess the effectiveness of internal controls. 6. In all states, a CPA must have completed at least 150 hours of college semester hours to receive their license. True False 7. The Center for Audit Quality was started by the International Federation of Accountants. True False 8. The Center for Audit Quality has the primary authority to set auditing standards. True False 9. In an audit, management is considered the “client”. True False 10. Auditing is the process of attesting to assertions about economic actions and events. True False 11. Auditing is the process...
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...fulfilling that responsibility, as it relates to fraud, in an audit of financial statements conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS).2 .02 The following is an overview of the organization and content of this section: • • • Description and characteristics of fraud. This section describes fraud and its characteristics. (See paragraphs .05 through .12.) The importance of exercising professional skepticism. This section discusses the need for auditors to exercise professional skepticism when considering the possibility that a material misstatement due to fraud could be present. (See paragraph .13.) Discussion among engagement personnel regarding the risks of material misstatement due to fraud. This section requires, as part of planning the audit, that there be a discussion among the audit team members to consider how and where the entity's financial statements might be susceptible to material misstatement due to fraud and to reinforce the importance of adopting an appropriate mindset of professional skepticism. (See paragraphs .14 through .18.) 1 The auditor's consideration of illegal acts and...
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...AUDITING A RISK-BASED APPROACH TO CONDUCTING A QUALITY AUDIT 9th Edition Karla M. Johnstone | Audrey A. Gramling | Larry E. Rittenberg CHAPTER 5 PROFESSIONAL AUDITING STANDARDS AND THE AUDIT OPINION FORMULATION PROCESS Copyright © 2014 South-Western/Cengage Learning LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. 2. 3. 4. Identify and compare the various auditing standards that provide guidance on the audit opinion formulation process List and discuss the foundational principles underlying the auditing standards List the phases and related activities in the audit opinion formulation process Explain the concept of accounting cycles and discuss their importance to the audit opinion formulation process Copyright © 2014 South-Western/Cengage Learning 5-2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES 5. 6. 7. 8. Describe the assertions that are inherent to financial statements and explain their importance to the audit opinion formulation process Define audit evidence and describe the purpose and types of audit procedures used to obtain audit evidence Discuss the importance of audit documentation and provide examples Discuss audit activities in Phase I of the audit opinion formulation process Copyright © 2014 South-Western/Cengage Learning 5-3 LEARNING OBJECTIVES 9. 10. 11. 12. Discuss audit activities in Phase II of the audit opinion formulation process Discuss audit activities in Phase III of the audit opinion formulation process Discuss audit...
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...NEED TO ADD THE TITTLE • Research Paper Topic: • What are Auditors’ Responsibility Today to Detect Fraud; include how do these responsibilities fit into the professional practices of: external auditors, Certified Public Accountants in public practice and Internal Auditors and what has changed in these areas in recent years? For standards or articles use the following items as they relate to your paper to help organize your paper. Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS), especially all those statements relating to fraud, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), Sarbanes-Oxley Act , etc. (SOX, Sarbox); International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (Standards), European Confederation of Institutes of Internal Auditing (ECIIA), Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) , Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)and its standards, and professional articles or books as primary sources. • • • • PLEASE HELP ME OUT EDITING THIS PAPER, SENTENCE STRUCTURE, ADD SENTENCES IF NEEDED I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO AN A PAPER AFTER THIS PROOF READING Thank you in advance please help • Auditors’ Responsibility to detect Fraud today Public companies are required by the SEC to prepare and issue financial statements that made a fair presentation of the companies’ performance. The SEC also stipulates that the companies whose shares...
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...Generally Accepted Accounting Standards Paper Prithvi Shenoy ACC491 October 14, 2013 Michael Milkonian Abstract The importance of Auditing has gained considerable attention ever since its introduction in the mid-1800s. According to FASB, Statement of Financial Accounting Concepts No. 2, relevance and reliability are central to making accounting information useful for decision makers. To achieve this, auditors are required to obtain “reasonable assurance that those financial statement are presented fairly in all material respects” (Boynton & Johnson, 2006). This paper aims to explain the nature and types of auditing which is governed by the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS). The paper then discusses the effects of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act 2002 and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) on publicly traded companies (issuers). Finally, the changes in the auditing environment with respect to the additional responsibilities placed on auditors and PCAOB as a result of the enforcement of SOX Act 2002 is discussed in the paper. Generally Accepted Accounting Standards Paper The elements of GAAS In response to the McKesson & Robbins’ accounting scandal in 1938, the AICPA introduced the 10 Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) in 1939 to provide “guidance on the conduct of an audit” as well as an “overview of the timing of the different phases of an audit engagement” (Louwers and Ramsay et al., 2007). The 10 basic standards can be...
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