Audit Case Study : Keystone Computers

The auditor must remember that all information collected during the audit needs to be sufficient enough to further the audit process. The information must not only possess the two qualities, relevance and reliability, but it should also test various assertions. For instance, in the audit of Walmart, the auditor should make an attempt to acquire information such as financial statements from the company’s bank, as opposed to acquiring the statements from Walmart’s management. Taking such crucial information from Walmart’s management will put the reliability of that information into question. It is possible that management may manipulate the financial statements, so that they are more appealing to the public and investors. Management may do things

The audit planning is designed to allow the auditor to evaluate and conduct the business risks, develop specific audit program and scope to test in the audit process (KosmalaMacLullich, 2003). The auditors with a good audit planning will generate more efficient audits, it can help them to maintain the competitive and their clients because the efficient audits can increase the competence and the audit quality. If the auditor with a poor audit planning, will generate a poor allocation of work, the auditor will inadequate attention to high risk areas, they will difficult to find the material misstatements, it will make a loss of their competence and get a poor audit quality. (2)

Furthermore, when the internal control is fixed, the outside auditor can rely on the clients system and less audit testing can be conducted. When everything is improved, the management letter is given to the organization’s top management and not disclosed to the public, (Finkler, S. A., Ward, D. M., & Calabrese, T. D., 2013). Next, is the auditor’s report that entails the opinion letter usually written in three paragraphs and given to the board of trustees. Then, the opinion paragraph is added on to state the organizations financial statements are in accordance of the financial position and followed through with (GAAP). The clean opinion addresses the opinion of the auditor and the overall exercising of professionalism. Also, the complete opinion of the financial statements is to give a representation of the organization. All other opinions may be included and can be addressed by adverse opinions if (GAAP) was not in accordance. A qualified opinion can be added if a specific area wasn’t included in the financial statement when needed. Finally, the management reports are conducted by the management team and not the auditors. The management report is the annual report the topics included in the report are the internal control system and the responsibility of the audit committee.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the SEC’s influence on auditing a private company and the essential activities involved in the initial planning of an audit. Next the discussion will delve into four stages of the audit and tasks performed by the auditors as well as internal control findings and various aspects of the audit.

To begin the review process there should be some knowledge of the processes and procedures in the accounting department. It may be a good idea to observe all of the procedures that go into creating the financial statements. Look for any weaknesses or questionable practices and create a list of questions. Then in the next phase the auditor can conduct interviews to get a better understanding of the accounting staff. Observations and interviews can set the groundwork and provide information into any nuances or potential fraud or abuse. Any material weaknesses found can be further explored.

| The objectives are (1) audit of KCN’s financial statements for the year ended 12/31/05, and (2) issuance of a letter on compliance with covenants of the client’s letter of credit agreement.

Information technology (IT) has become increasingly sophisticated and complex, escalating the ongoing change within Kudler Fine Foods. As IT information is adopted within the organization, automation controls many processes within the Kudler’s environment. As Kudler has become more virtualized, a need for increased trust and assurance in the relationships with consumers, partners and suppliers. The swell of e-commerce business has created new ways of conducting an audit. Statement on Auditing Standard 94 (SAS 94) requires that the auditor understands the technological aspect of the organization in order to grasp the internal controls and the assessment of control risks for a proper audit

According to records found, representatives from Grant Thornton attended a meeting on December 1998 between the OCC and management of Keystone Bank. This meeting was in regards to the findings and conclusions of the OCC’s 1998 report of examination. This meeting informed Grant Thornton of Keystone’s misstatement of about $90 million in assets. In addition to the misstatement the OCC discovered what appeared to be a deliberate mischaracterization of $760 million of the bank’s assets which calculated the bank’s risk-based capital for call reporting purposes. Due to the information given at the meeting Grant Thornton classified Keystone’s audit as a maximum risk audit (Grant Thornton LLP v. the OCC, 2008). In order for an auditing firm to properly prepare for an audit they must assess the risk and take into consideration whether it was caused by error or fraud. An auditor is required by the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) to obtain the proper knowledge of the business that is being audited so that it allows them to understand the transactions, events and practices that could have substantial impact on the financial statements of the entity. If an entity has a high detection risk, similar to Keystone Bank, the auditor is required by GAAS to “modify or expand procedures, particularly in critically important areas” so that an auditor is not satisfied with anything less than credible evidence (“Generally Accepted Auditing

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

An audit is based when management prepares the financial statements, maintain internal control over financial reporting, and provide relevant information and access to the auditor.

A review is like an audit yet is less in extension and just gives restricted affirmation with respect to the financial statements. This varies with an audit that gives sensible affirmation that no material mistakes or illicit acts are detected. The goal of an audit is to give a sensible freedom of expressed opinion the money related proclamations taken all in all.

From the information gathered in this report, it is clear that Audit Diagnostics had neither sufficient presence in their market type nor focus on their marketing strategy. I believe this is what ultimately caused their downfall. With most other companies we would be discussing advertising, promotions and relationships with other companies, but Audit Diagnostics’ marketing is so undeveloped, the website has not even been designed. They have no presence on TV, in newspapers or even online. Audit Diagnostics is the perfect example of a company that failed to recognize the importance of marketing. As a consequence the company has failed and is going into liquidation.

The presence of an external auditor allows creditors, investors or bankers to use financial statements that have been prepared with confidence. Although it does not guarantee the accuracy of a financial statement, it provides users with some reassurance that a company’s financial statements give a true and fair view of its financial position and its business operations. It also provides credibility, where in business, is a major asset. With credibility, the willingness of investors, bankers and others to relate and undertake business projects with a company increases. Credibility is also important to build positive reputations.

An important function of the accounting field is to provide external users of financial statements with assurance that the financial information being presented is both reliable and accurate. This basic function of accounting is so important that there is an entire field of experts, called auditors, dedicated to assuring its proper performance. Throughout history there have been many instances in which the basic equilibrium between an institution and current/potential investor has been threatened due to a lack of accountability and trust between the two parties. This issue has been the catalyst for many discussions regarding the proper procedures a firm should follow in order to provide

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