Chapter 6

Audit Responsibilities and Objectives

Review Questions

6-1 The objective of the audit of financial statements by the independent

auditor is the expression of an opinion on the fairness with which the financial
statements present financial position, results of operations, and cash flows in
conformity with applicable accounting standards.
The auditor meets that objective by accumulating sufficient appropriate
evidence to determine whether managements assertions regarding the financial
statements are fairly stated.
6-2 It is management's responsibility to adopt sound accounting policies,
maintain adequate internal control and make fair representations in the financial
statements. The auditor's responsibility is to conduct an audit of the financial
statements in accordance with auditing standards and report the findings of the
audit in the auditor's report.
6-3 An error is an unintentional misstatement of the financial statements. Fraud
represents an intentional misstatement. The auditor is responsible for obtaining
reasonable assurance that material misstatements in the financial statements
are detected, whether those misstatements are due to errors or fraud.
An audit must be designed to provide reasonable assurance of detecting
material misstatements in the financial statements. Further, the audit must be
planned and performed with an attitude of professional skepticism in all aspects
of the engagement. Because there is an attempt at concealment of fraud, material
misstatements due to fraud are usually more difficult to uncover than errors. The
auditors best defense when material misstatements (either errors or fraud) are
not uncovered in the audit is that the audit was conducted in accordance with
auditing standards.
6-4 Misappropriation of assets represents the theft of assets by employees.
Fraudulent financial reporting is the intentional misstatement of financial information
by management or a theft of assets by management, which is covered up by
misstating financial statements.
Misappropriation of assets ordinarily occurs either because of inadequate
internal controls or a violation of existing controls. The best way to prevent theft
of assets is through adequate internal controls that function effectively. Many
times theft of assets is relatively small in dollar amounts and will have no effect
on the fair presentation of financial statements, although there are some cases of
material theft of assets. Fraudulent financial reporting is inherently difficult to
uncover because it is possible for one or more members of management to
override internal controls. In many cases the amounts are extremely large and
may affect the fair presentation of financial statements.
6-1

6-5
True, the auditor must rely on management for certain information in the
conduct of the audit. However, the auditor must not accept management's
representations blindly. The auditor must, whenever possible, obtain appropriate
evidence to support the representations of management. As an example, if
management represents that certain inventory is not obsolete, the auditor should
be able to examine purchase orders from customers that prove part of the
inventory is being sold at a price that is higher than the company's cost plus
selling expenses. If management represents an account receivable as being fully
collectible, the auditor should be able to examine subsequent payments by the
customer or correspondence from the customer that indicates a willingness and
ability to pay.
6-6
CHARACTERISTIC

AUDIT STEPS

1. Managements characteristics and

influence over the control environment.

Investigate the past history of the

firm and its management.

Discuss the possibility of fraudulent

financial reporting with previous

auditor and company legal counsel
after obtaining permission to do so
from management.
2. Industry conditions.

Research current status of industry

and compare industry financial

ratios to the companys ratios.
Investigate any unusual differences.
Read AICPAs Industry Audit Risk
Alert for the companys industry, if
available. Consider the impact of
specific risks that are identified on
the conduct of the audit.
3. Operating characteristics and financial
stability.

Perform analytical procedures to

evaluate the possibility of business

failure.
Investigate whether material
transactions occur close to yearend.

6-7
The cycle approach is a method of dividing the audit such that closely
related types of transactions and account balances are included in the same
cycle. For example, sales, sales returns, and cash receipts transactions and the
accounts receivable balance are all a part of the sales and collection cycle. The
advantages of dividing the audit into different cycles are to divide the audit into
more manageable parts, to assign tasks to different members of the audit team,
and to keep closely related parts of the audit together.

6-2

6-8
GENERAL LEDGER ACCOUNT

CYCLE

Sales
Accounts Payable
Retained Earnings
Accounts Receivable
Inventory
Repairs & Maintenance

Sales & Collection

Acquisition & Payment
Capital Acquisition & Repayment
Sales & Collection
Inventory & Warehousing
Acquisition & Payment

6-9
There is a close relationship between each of these accounts. Sales,
sales returns and allowances, and cash discounts all affect accounts receivable.
Allowance for uncollectible accounts is closely tied to accounts receivable and
should not be separated. Bad debt expense is closely related to the allowance for
uncollectible accounts. To separate these accounts from each other implies that
they are not closely related. Including them in the same cycle helps the auditor
keep their relationships in mind.
6-10 Management assertions are implied or expressed representations by
management about classes of transactions and the related accounts and
disclosures in the financial statements. These assertions are part of the criteria
management uses to record and disclose accounting information in financial
statements. AU 326 classifies assertions into three categories:
1. Assertions about classes of transactions and events for the period
under audit
2. Assertions about account balances at period end
3. Assertions about presentation and disclosure
6-11 General audit objectives follow from and are closely related to management
assertions. General audit objectives, however, are intended to provide a framework
to help the auditor accumulate sufficient appropriate evidence required by the
third standard of field work. Audit objectives are more useful to auditors than
assertions because they are more detailed and more closely related to helping
the auditor accumulate sufficient appropriate evidence.
6-12
TRANSACTION-RELATED AUDIT
OBJECTIVE VIOLATED

RECORDING MISSTATEMENT
Fixed asset repair is recorded on the wrong
date.

Timing

Repair is capitalized as a fixed asset

instead of an expense.

Classification

6-3

6-13 The existence objective deals with whether amounts included in the
financial statements should actually be included. Completeness is the opposite of
existence. The completeness objective deals with whether all amounts that should
be included have actually been included.
In the audit of accounts receivable, a nonexistent account receivable will
lead to overstatement of the accounts receivable balance. Failure to include a
customer's account receivable balance, which is a violation of completeness, will
lead to understatement of the accounts receivable balance.
6-14 Specific audit objectives are the application of the general audit objectives
to a given class of transactions, account balance, or presentation and disclosure.
There must be at least one specific audit objective for each general audit
objective and in many cases there should be more. Specific audit objectives for a
class of transactions, account balance, or presentation and disclosure should be
designed such that, once they have been satisfied, the related general audit
objective should also have been satisfied for that class of transactions, account,
or presentation and disclosure.
6-15 For the specific balance-related audit objective, all recorded fixed assets
exist at the balance sheet date, the management assertion and the general
balance-related audit objective are both "existence."
6-16 Management assertions and general balance-related audit objectives are
consistent for all asset accounts for every audit. They were developed by the
Auditing Standards Board, practitioners, and academics over a period of time.
One or more specific balance-related audit objectives are developed for each
general balance-related audit objective in an audit area such as accounts
receivable. For any given account, a CPA firm may decide on a consistent set of
specific balance-related audit objectives for accounts receivable, or it may decide
to use different objectives for different audits.
6-17 For the specific presentation and disclosure-related audit objective, read
the fixed asset footnote disclosure to determine that the types of fixed assets,
depreciation methods and useful lives are clearly disclosed, the management
assertion and the general presentation and disclosure-related audit objective are
both "classification and understandability."
6-18 The four phases of the audit are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Plan and design an audit approach.

Perform tests of controls and substantive tests of transactions.
Perform analytical procedures and tests of details of balances.
Complete the audit and issue an audit report.

The auditor uses these four phases to meet the overall objective of the audit,
which is to express an opinion on the fairness with which the financial statements
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position, results of operations and
cash flows in conformity with applicable accounting standards. By accumulating
sufficient appropriate evidence for each audit objective throughout the four
phases of the audit, the overall objective is met.
6-4

Multiple Choice Questions From CPA Examinations

6-19 a.

(2)

b.

(3)

c.

(1)

6-20 a.

(1)

b.

(2)

c.

(1)

6-21 a.

(3)

b.

(2)

c.

(2)

Discussion Questions And Problems

6-22 a.

The purpose of the first part of the report of management is for

management to state its responsibilities for internal control over
financial reporting. The second part of the report states managements
responsibility for the fair presentation of the financial statements.
b. The auditors responsibility is to express an opinion on the fairness of
the presentation of the financial statements and an opinion on the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.

6-23

b.

a.
Auditing standards indicate that reasonable assurance is
a high level of assurance. Accordingly, financial statement users
should have a high degree of confidence in the financial
statements. However, reasonable assurance is not an absolute level
of assurance, and there is at least some risk that the audited
financial statements may include material misstatements.
The responsibility of the independent auditor is to express an opinion
on the financial statements he or she has audited. Inasmuch as
the financial statements are the representation of management,
responsibility rests with management for the proper recording of
transactions in books of account, for the safeguarding of assets, and
for the substantial accuracy and adequacy of the financial statements.
In developing the basis for his or her opinion, the auditor is
responsible for conducting an audit that conforms to auditing
standards. These standards constitute the measure of the adequacy
of the audit. Those standards require the auditor to obtain sufficient
appropriate evidence about material management assertions in
the financial statements.
The informed judgment of a qualified professional accountant
is required of an independent auditor. The auditor must exercise this
judgment in selecting the procedures he or she uses in the audit and
in arriving at an opinion.
In presenting himself or herself to the public as an independent
auditor, the auditor is responsible for having the abilities expected
of a qualified person in that profession. Such qualifications do not
include those of an appraiser, valuer, expert in materials, expert in
styles, insurer, or lawyer. The auditor is entitled to rely upon the
judgment of experts in these other areas of knowledge and skill.

6-5

6-23 (continued)
c.

Auditors are responsible for obtaining reasonable assurance that

material misstatements included in the financial statements are
detected, whether those misstatements are due to error or fraud.
Professional standards acknowledge that it is often more difficult to
detect fraud than errors because management or employees
perpetrating the fraud attempt to conceal the fraud. That difficulty,
however, does not change the auditors responsibility to properly
plan and perform the audit. Auditors are required to specifically
assess the risk of material misstatement due to fraud and should
consider that assessment in designing the audit procedures to be
performed.
There has been increased emphasis on auditors responsibility
to evaluate factors that may indicate an increased likelihood that
fraud may be occurring. For example, assume that management is
dominated by a president who makes most of the major operating
and business decisions himself. He has a reputation in the
business community for making optimistic projections about future
earnings and then putting considerable pressure on operating and
accounting staff to make sure those projections are met. He has
also been associated with other companies in the past that have
gone bankrupt. These factors, considered together, may cause the
auditor to conclude that the likelihood of fraud is fairly high. In such
a circumstance, the auditor should put increased emphasis on
searching for material misstatements due to fraud.
The auditor may also uncover circumstances during the
audit that may cause suspicions of fraudulent financial reporting.
For example, the auditor may find that management has lied about
the age of certain inventory items. When such circumstances are
uncovered, the auditor must evaluate their implications and consider
the need to modify audit evidence.
Adequate internal control should be the principal means of
thwarting and detecting misappropriation of assets. To rely entirely
on an independent audit for the detection of misappropriation of
assets would require expanding the auditor's work to the extent that
the cost might be prohibitive.
The auditor normally assesses the likelihood of material
misappropriation of assets as a part of understanding the entitys
internal control and assessing control risk. Audit evidence should
be expanded when the auditor finds an absence of adequate
controls or failure to follow prescribed procedures, if he or she
believes a material fraud could result.

6-6

6-23 (continued)
Because the auditors responsibility is limited to material
misstatements, we believe that the auditors responsibility is
appropriate. However, some students may take the position that the
auditors responsibility to detect fraud is too great because of the
potential for collusion and deception by management.
The independent auditor is not an insurer or guarantor. The
auditors implicit obligation is that the audit be performed with due
professional skill and care in accordance with auditing standards. A
subsequent discovery of fraud, existent during the period covered
by the independent audit, does not of itself indicate negligence on
the auditors part.
6-24 a.

CYCLE

BALANCE SHEET ACCOUNTS

INCOME STATEMENT
ACCOUNTS

SALES AND
COLLECTION

Accounts receivable
Allowance for doubtful accounts
Cash
Notes receivabletrade

Bad debt expense

Sales

ACQUISITION
AND PAYMENT

Accounts payable
Accumulated depreciation
furniture and equipment
Cash
Furniture and equipment
Income tax payable
Inventory
Prepaid insurance
Property tax payable

Advertising expense
Depreciation expense
furniture and equipment
Income tax expense
Insurance expense
Purchases
Property tax expense
Rent expense
Telecommunications
expense

PAYROLL AND
PERSONNEL

Cash
Accrued sales salaries

Sales salaries expense

Salaries, office and
general

INVENTORY AND
WAREHOUSING

Inventory

Purchases

CAPITAL
ACQUISITION
AND
REPAYMENT

Accrued interest expense

Common stock
Cash
Loans payable
Notes payable
Retained earnings

Interest expense

6-7

6-24 (continued)
b. The general ledger accounts are not likely to differ much between a
retail and a wholesale company unless there are departments for
which there are various categories. There would be large differences
for a hospital or governmental unit. A governmental unit would use
the fund accounting system and would have entirely different
titles. Hospitals are likely to have several different kinds of revenue
accounts, rather than sales. They are also likely to have such things
as drug expense, laboratory supplies, etc. At the same time, even
a governmental unit or a hospital will have certain accounts such
as cash, insurance expense, interest income, rent expense, and
so forth.
6-25
a.

Management assertions about transactions relate to transactions

and other events that are reflected in the accounting records. In
contrast, assertions about account balances relate to the ending
account balances that are included in the financial statements, and
assertions about presentation and disclosure relate to how those
balances are reflected and disclosed in the financial statements.

b., c. (See following page)

6-8

6-25 (continued)

MANAGEMENT ASSERTION

b.
CATEGORY OF
MANAGEMENT
ASSERTION

c.
NAME OF
ASSERTION

a. All sales transactions have been

recorded.

Classes of
transactions

Completeness

b. Receivables are appropriately

classified as to trade and other
receivables in the financial
statements and are clearly
described.

Presentation and
disclosure

Classification and
understandability

c. Accounts receivable are recorded

at the correct amounts.

Account balances

Valuation and
allocation

d. Sales transactions have been

recorded in the proper period.

Classes of
transactions

Cutoff

e. Sales transactions have been

recorded in the appropriate
accounts.

Classes of
transactions

Classification

f. All required disclosures about

sales and receivables have been
made.

Presentation and
disclosure

Completeness

g. All accounts receivable have

been recorded.

Account balances

Completeness

h. There are no liens or other

restrictions on accounts
receivable.

Account balances

Rights and obligations

i.

Disclosures related to accounts

receivable are at the correct
amounts.

Presentation and
disclosure

Accuracy and
valuation

j.

Recorded sales transactions

have occurred.

Classes of
transactions

Occurrence

k. Recorded accounts receivable

exist.

Account balances

Existence

l.

Classes of
transactions

Accuracy

Presentation and
disclosure

Occurrence and rights

and obligations

Sales transactions have been

recorded at the correct amounts.

m. Disclosures related to sales and

receivables relate to the entity.

6-9

6-26
SPECIFIC BALANCERELATED AUDIT
OBJECTIVE

MANAGEMENT
ASSERTION

COMMENTS

a.

There are no
unrecorded
receivables.

2. Completeness

Unrecorded transactions or
amounts deal with the
completeness objective.

b.

Receivables have
not been sold or
discounted.

4. Rights and
obligations

Receivables not being sold or

discounted concerns the rights
and obligations objective and
assertion.

c.

Uncollectible
accounts have been
provided for.

3. Valuation or
allocation

Providing for uncollectible

accounts concerns whether the
allowance for uncollectible
accounts is adequate. It is part of
the realizable value objective and
the valuation or allocation
assertion.

d.

Receivables that
have become
uncollectible have
been written off.

3. Valuation or
allocation

This is part of the realizable value

objective and the valuation or
allocation assertion. There may
also be some argument that this is
part of the existence objective and
assertion. Accounts that are
uncollectible are no longer valid
assets.

e.

All accounts on the

list are expected to
be collected within
one year.

3. Valuation or
allocation

Accounts that are not expected to

be collected within a year should
be classified as long-term
receivables. It is therefore
included as part of the
classification objective and
consequently under the valuation
or allocation assertion.

f.

The total of the

amounts on the
accounts receivable
listing agrees with
the general ledger
balance for accounts
receivable.

3. Valuation or
allocation

This is part of the detail tie-in

objective and is part of the
valuation or allocation assertion.

6-10

6-26 (continued)
SPECIFIC BALANCERELATED AUDIT
OBJECTIVE

MANAGEMENT
ASSERTION

COMMENTS

g.

All accounts on the

list arose from the
normal course of
business and are not
due from related
parties.

3. Valuation or
allocation

Concerns the classification of

accounts receivable and is
therefore a part of the
classification objective and the
valuation or allocation assertion.

h.

Sales cutoff at yearend is proper.

3. Valuation or
allocation

Cutoff is a part of the cutoff

objective and therefore part of the
valuation or allocation assertion.

6-27 a.

Management assertions are implied or expressed representations by

management about the classes of transactions and related accounts
in the financial statements. AU 326 identifies five assertions about
classes of transactions which are stated in the problem. These
assertions are the same for every transaction cycle and account.
General transaction-related audit objectives are essentially the same
as management assertions, but they are expanded somewhat to
help the auditor decide which audit evidence is necessary to satisfy the
management assertions. Accuracy and posting and summarization
are a subset of the accuracy assertion. Specific transaction-related
audit objectives are determined by the auditor for each general
transaction-related audit objective. These are done for each
transaction cycle to help the auditor determine the specific amount of
evidence needed for that cycle to satisfy the general transactionrelated audit objectives.

b.
and
c.

The easiest way to do this problem is to first identify the general

transaction-related audit objectives for each specific transactionrelated audit objective. It is then easy to determine the management
assertion using Table 6-3 (p. 158 in text) as a guide.

6-11

6-27 (continued)
b.
SPECIFIC TRANSACTIONRELATED AUDIT OBJECTIVE

MANAGEMENT
ASSERTION

c.
GENERAL
TRANSACTIONRELATED AUDIT
OBJECTIVE

a. Recorded cash disbursement

transactions are for the amount of
goods or services received and
are correctly recorded.

3. Accuracy

8. Accuracy

b. Cash disbursement transactions

are properly included in the
accounts payable master file and
are correctly summarized.

3. Accuracy

9. Posting and
summarization

c. Recorded cash disbursements

are for goods and services
actually received.

1. Occurrence

6. Occurrence

d. Cash disbursement transactions

are properly classified.

4. Classification

10. Classification

e. Existing cash disbursement

transactions are recorded.

2. Completeness

7. Completeness

f. Cash disbursement transactions

are recorded on the correct dates.

5. Cutoff

11. Timing

6-28
SPECIFIC PRESENTATION AND
DISCLOSURE-RELATED AUDIT OBJECTIVE

MANAGEMENT
ASSERTION

a. All required disclosures about fixed assets have

been made.

2. Completeness

b. Footnote disclosures related to fixed assets are

clear and understandable.

4. Classification and
understandability

c. Methods and useful lives disclosed for each

category of fixed assets are accurate.

3. Accuracy and valuation

d. Disclosed fixed asset dispositions have occurred.

4. Occurrence and rights and

obligations

6-12

6-29 a.

The first objective concerns amounts that should not be included on

the list of accounts payable because there are no amounts due to
such vendors. This objective concerns only the overstatement of
accounts payable. The second objective concerns the possibility of
accounts payable that should be included but that have not been
included. This objective concerns only the possibility of understated
accounts payable.
b. The first objective deals with existence and the second deals with
completeness.
c. For accounts payable, the auditor is usually most concerned about
understatements. An understatement of accounts payable is usually
considered more important than overstatements because of potential
legal liability. The completeness objective is therefore normally more
important in the audit of accounts payable. The auditor is also
concerned about overstatements of accounts payable. The existence
objective is also therefore important in accounts payable, but
usually less so than the completeness objective.

6-13

6-30

AUDIT PROCEDURE

BALANCERELATED
AUDIT
OBJECTIVE

a. Examine a sample of duplicate sales invoices to determine

whether each one has a shipping document attached.
b. Add all customer balances in the accounts receivable trial
balance and agree the amount to the general ledger.

TRANSACTION
RELATED
AUDIT
OBJECTIVE
(9) Occurrence

(6) Detail Tie-In

c. For a sample of sales transactions selected from the sales

journal, verify that the amount of the transaction has been
recorded in the correct customer account in the accounts
receivable subledger.

(14) Posting and

summarization

6-14

d. Inquire of the client whether any accounts receivable

balances have been pledged as collateral on long-term
debt and determine whether all required information is
included in the footnote description for long-term debt.

(15) Occurrence
and rights

e. For a sample of shipping documents selected from shipping

records, trace each shipping document to a transaction
recorded in the sales journal.

f. Discuss with credit department personnel the likelihood of

collection of all accounts as of December 31, 2011 with a
balance greater than $100,000 and greater than 90 days
old as of year-end.

(10) Completeness

(7) Realizable
value

g. Examine sales invoices for the last five sales transactions

recorded in the sales journal in 2011 and examine shipping
documents to determine they are recorded in the correct
period.

PRESENTATION
AND
DISCLOSURE
AUDIT
OBJECTIVE

(5) Cutoff

6-30 (continued)

AUDIT PROCEDURE
h. For a sample of customer accounts receivable balances for
December 31, 2011, examine subsequent cash receipts in
January 2012 to determine whether the customer paid the
balance due.

BALANCERELATED
AUDIT
OBJECTIVE

TRANSACTION
RELATED
AUDIT
OBJECTIVE

(1) Existence
(7) Realizable
value

i. Determine whether all risks related to accounts receivable

(16) Completeness

are adequately disclosed.

(14) Posting and
summarization

j. Foot the sales journal for the month of July and trace
postings to the general ledger.

6-15

k. Send letters to a sample of accounts receivable customers

to verify whether they have an outstanding balance at
December 31, 2011.
l.

Determine wither long-term receivables and related party

receivables are reported separately in the financial
statements.

PRESENTATION
AND
DISCLOSURE
AUDIT
OBJECTIVE

(1) Existence
(18) Classification
and
understandability

6-31
AUDIT ACTIVITIES

AUDIT PHASE

a. Examine invoices supporting fixed asset

additions.

3. Perform analytical
procedures and tests of
details of balances (Phase
III)
Completeness

b. Review industry databases to assess the risk of

material misstatements in the financial
statements.

1. Plan and design an audit

approach (Phase I)

c. Summarize misstatements identified during

testing to assess whether the overall financial
statements are fairly stated.

4. Complete the audit and

issue an audit report
(Phase IV)

d. Test computerized controls over credit approval

for sales transactions.

2. Perform tests of controls

and substantive tests of
transactions (Phase II)

e. Send letters to customers confirming outstanding

accounts receivable balances.

3. Perform analytical
procedures and tests of
details of balances (Phase
III)

f. Perform analytical procedures comparing the

client with similar companies in the industry to
gain an understanding of the clients business
and strategies.

1. Plan and design an audit

approach (Phase I)

g. Compare information on purchase invoices

recorded in the acquisitions journal with
information on receiving reports.

2. Perform tests of controls

and substantive tests of
transactions (Phase II)

Case

6-32 a.

A review provides limited assurance about the fair presentation of

financial statements in accordance with accounting standards but
far less assurance than an audit. Presumably, the bank decided
that the assurances provided by a review were needed before a
loan could be approved, but an audit was not necessary. A review
includes a CPA firm performing analytical procedures, making inquiries
about the fair presentation of the statements, and examining the
information for reasonableness. Because of a CPA firms expertise in
accounting, the accountant from the CPA firm can often identify
incorrect presentations in the financial statements that have been
overlooked by the accountant for the company. Reviews are
common for smaller privately-held companies with relatively small
6-16

amounts of debt.
6-32 (continued)

b.

c.

d.

The bank probably did not require an audit because the

additional cost of an audit was greater than the benefit the bank
perceived. In many cases, the decision as to whether to have a
review or an audit is negotiated between the company seeking a
loan and the bank loan officer. Both the company and the bank
have options in negotiating such things as the amount of the loan,
the rate of interest, and whether to require an audit or a review. The
bank can reject the loan request and the company can go to other
banks that want to make loans.
Frequently, banks have a list of CPA firms in which they have
considerable confidence due to their reputation in the community or
past work they have done for other bank customers.
Because the amount of the loans from the bank to Ritter increased,
the bank probably wanted additional assurance about the reliability
of the financial statements. It is also likely that Rene Ritter negotiated
the one percent reduction of the interest rate by offering to have an
audit instead of a review. A one percent reduction in the interest
rate saves Ritter $40,000 annually compared to the $15,000
additional fee for an audit.
Rene referred to the CPA firm as partners in a professional sense,
not a business sense. The CPA firm had provided many consulting
and tax services, as well as providing review and audit services over
the entire business life of the company. Rene recognized that these
professional services had contributed to the success of the business
and she chose to acknowledge those contributions during her
retirement comment. Assuming that the CPA firm retained an attitude
of independence throughout all audits and reviews, no violation of
professional independence standards occurred. Most well run CPA
firms provide selected consulting, tax, and assurance service for their
privately held clients without violating independence requirements.
As the external auditor, the firm of Gonzalez & Fineberg provides
the stockholders, creditors, and management an independent opinion
as to the fair presentation of the financial statements. Given the
potential biases present when management prepares the financial
statements, the stockholders and creditors must consider the
potential for information risk that might be present. The independent
audit conducted by Gonzalez & Fineberg helps stockholders and
creditors reduce their information risk. Management also benefits by
having the external auditors independently assess the financial
statements even though those statements are prepared by
management. Due to the complexities involved in preparing financial
statements, the potential for misstatement on the part of management
increases the need for an objective examination of those financial
statements by a qualified independent party.

6-17

6-32 (continued)
e.

The auditor is responsible for obtaining reasonable assurance that

material misstatements are detected, whether those misstatements
are due to errors or fraud. To obtain reasonable assurance, the
auditor is required to gather sufficient, appropriate evidence. Auditors
chief responsibility to stockholders, creditors, and management is
to conduct the audit in accordance with auditing standards in order
to fulfill their responsibilities of the engagement.

Internet Problem Solution: International and PCAOB Audit Objectives

Internet Problem 6-1

a.

Paragraph .01 of AU 110 states that [T]he objective of the ordinary

audit of financial statements by the independent auditor is the
expression of an opinion on the fairness with which they present, in
all material respects, financial position, results of operations, and its
cash flows in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles. U.S. GAAS require the auditor to express an opinion on
whether the financial statements are presented in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles and to identify those
circumstances in which such principles have not been consistently
observed in the preparation of financial statements.
Paragraph .11 of ISA 200 states that In conducting an audit
of financial statements, the overall objectives of the auditor are (a) to
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements
as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud
or error, thereby enabling the auditor to express an opinion on
whether the financial statements are prepared, in all material respects,
in accordance with an applicable financial reporting framework and
(b) to report on the financial statements, and communicate as
required by the ISAs, in accordance with the auditors findings.
While there are differences in the wording about the objective
of an audit of financial statements, the overall objectives stated in
U.S. GAAS and the ISAs are the same. Both U.S. GAAS and the
ISAs note that the objective of the audit of financial statements is the
expression of an opinion of whether the financial statements comply,
in all material respects, with accounting standards.

b.

Paragraph .03 of PCAOB Auditing Standard 5 states that The auditors

objective in an audit of internal control over financial reporting is to
express an opinion on the effectiveness of the companys internal
control over financial reporting. That standard notes that to form a
basis for an opinion, the auditor must plan and perform the audit to

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Internet Problem 6-1 (continued)

obtain competent evidence that is sufficient to obtain reasonable
assurance about whether material weaknesses exist as of the date
specified in managements assessment.
c.

Both U.S. GAAS and international auditing standards define financial

statements as being fairly stated when they are free of material
misstatements. PCAOB Auditing Standard 5 defines internal control
as effective when no material weaknesses exist. These definitions are
related. The presence of a material misstatement generally suggests
the presence of a material weakness, since managements internal
controls over financial reporting failed to detect the material
misstatement. While the presence of a material weakness in internal
control does not automatically mean the financial statements contain
a material misstatement, there is a high likelihood that a material
misstatement could occur.

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