Cbi Case Solution

Key Issue 2: Is $1b appropriate to enhance UST’s firm value and ultimately shareholder value?

Knowledge about risks related to the company evaluated as part of the auditor 's client acceptance and retention evaluation; and the relative complexity of the company 's operations. ( Auditing Standard No. 9 //. (n.d.).

Describe what you believe is implied by the term “engagement risk.” What are the key factors likely considered by Deloitte and other audit firms when assessing engagement risk? How, if at all, are auditors’ professional responsibilities affected when a client proposes a higher than normal degree of engagement risk?

Preliminary analysis to understand the client‘s business and risk - Understanding the auditee’s business, environment, and risks

Q1. What is the link between audit risk and engagement risk? How does the audit risk model allow the auditor to deal with these risks in the most cost effective manner?

CAS 300 requires auditors to their audit using a risk based model where the nature, timing and extent of audit procedures are based on the assessed risk of material misstatement. Pickett (2006) argues that for audits to be effective and efficient, much of the audit effort should be focused on areas that are considered to pose the highest audit risk. Additional audit procedures should be linked to individual audit assertions whereas other audit procedures need to be performed as and when needed. Thus, for an audit plan to be put in place, it is necessary for an auditor to come up with a risk profile of the client comprising an understanding of the business operating by the audit client, assess business risk and also perform its preliminary analytical review.

Describe what you believe is implied by the term “engagement risk.” What are the key factors likely considered by Deloitte and other audit firms when assessing engagement risk? How, if at all, are auditors’ professional responsibilities affected when a client proposes a higher than normal degree of engagement risk?

1. If you were Mr. Cizik of Cooper Industries, would you try to gain control of Nicholson File Company in May 1972?

“Keystone Computers & Networks, Inc. (KCN) is a company that sells and installs computer workstations and networking software to business customers. The CPA firm of Adams, Barnes & Co. has audited the financial statements of KCN for the past three years. The case illustrates selective audit planning working papers that were prepared by the staff of Adams, Barnes & Co. for this year’s audit.” I will be listing the order in which I would perform this audit and I will decide if I should select the client and focus on the key audit objectives while applying the audit risk model.

The successor auditor is the auditor who is considering accepting or has already accepted engagement with the new firm. Communication between the predecessor and the successor is important. This information can bring about many issues such as “the predecessor auditor and the client may have disagreed about accounting principles, auditing procedures, or similarly significant matters” (PCAOBUS.org, 2013). The successor auditor should initiate the communication with the predecessor. The reason behind the successor auditor initiating the communication is to obtain valuable information that can lead to whether or not they should accept the engagement. The successor auditor may only request reasonable information to the predecessor auditor pertaining integrity of management, disagreements in accounting principles, auditing procedures, and or other significant matters. In addition, successor auditor can establish communication with audit committees or other with equivalent authority regarding “fraud, illegal acts by clients, and internal control related matters” (PCAOBUS.org, 2013). There are laws of confidentiality that the predecessor must abide by. The predecessor must maintain confidentiality at all times. Due to this confidentiality laws

Auditors should plan the audit so that the engagement is conducted in an effective manner.

Identify factors contributing to an environment conducive to accounting fraud . Understand what factors may inappropriately influence the client-auditor relationship and auditor independence Understand auditor legal liability issues related to suits brought by plaintiffs under both statutory and COmmonlaw

Colombo’s case together with that of five other employees was put on hold after the owner of BNC, Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy in late 2008. The company dismissed the allegations made in the suit arguing that they would contest them on the merits in the pending litigation. Meanwhile, the sub prime loan began to go bad, making the lives of thousands of wholesalers in the company very difficult, thus forcing them to quit from the company. Wall Street reined in the company’s mortgage factories, pulling credit lines, tightening its lending principles, and compelling lenders to buy the same risky loan it once consumed. In essence, the company was in the verge of collapse.

Read and summarize the article, "Client Engagement Risks and the Auditor Search Period," by Khalil, Cohen, and Schwartz in Accounting Horizons, Volume 25, Number 4 (2011), pp. 685 - 702.

.07 Inquiry of the predecessor auditor is a necessary procedure because the predecessor auditor may be able to provide information that will assist the successor auditor in determining whether to accept the engagement. The successor auditor should bear in mind that, among other things, the predecessor auditor and the client may have disagreed about accounting principles, auditing procedures, or similarly significant matters. .08 The successor auditor should request permission from the prospective client to make an inquiry of the predecessor auditor prior to final acceptance of the engagement. Except as permitted by the Rules of the Code of Professional Conduct, an auditor is precluded from disclosing confidential information obtained in the course of an engagement unless the client specifically consents. Thus, the successor auditor should ask the prospective client to authorize the predecessor auditor to respond fully to the successor auditor 's inquiries. If a prospective client refuses to permit the predecessor auditor to respond or limits the response, the successor auditor should inquire as to the reasons and consider the implications of that refusal in deciding whether to accept the engagement. .09 The successor auditor should make specific