Definition of Auditing

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.).

Moreover, the auditor should preform test for effectiveness of internal controls. He may interview management by asking questions on the process of the transactions and operational activities. He may discuss with management the process of some transactions from beginning to end and then test it by using sample testing. Also he/she should make sure that there is proper control of activities; policies and procedures for adequate segregation of duties are met.

Stage 2: Test of internal controls - By testing the effectiveness of the internal controls the auditor can determine the control risk that lies within the company. The audit team can perform tests of controls by making inquiries of appropriate client personnel, examining documents, records, and reports maintained by Smackey, observing control-related activities such as the one done for the inventory procedures for returned Best Boy Gourmet dog food, and re-perform the client procedures.

Planning and developing audit methodologies for Financial & Operating Audits such as contracts and Procurements, accounts payable, inventory management, petrochemicals co-ordination, Fixed Assets, Budgeting, & Financial resource management.

4. The final stage is the Audit Report. This is when all of the above come together to create the report. This report will list any recommendations that the auditors feel are areas in need of changes. In regard to Smackey’s, the auditors would recommend that Kim have more interaction with Henry. She needs to know more about what is happening at the loading dock. Kim needs a firsthand look at the loading dock and the paperwork. They would address the fact that Jillian puts too much trust in her sales team and is unaware of actual projections. Because of her lack of accounting knowledge, she has allowed

Section 404 of the act requires that the auditor attest to and issue a report on management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting. To express an opinion on internal controls, the auditor obtains an understanding of and performs tests of controls related to all significant account balances, classes of transactions, and disclosures and related assertions in the financial statements (Arens, 2010).

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 following schedule outlines the major timeframes and milestones for the audit (a more detailed timeframe is contained at the end of this

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.

An accounting system affords companies the luxury to be able to use their financial information whenever they need it, by it being store at a convenient location. There are three divisions within the accounting method; analysis, design, and implementation must be complemented with a system of control. This control is another system within a system that is design to ensure success of the accounting systems. Internal controls keeps business safe, preventing someone from committing fraud or abusing the system; this way the information that is store in the system is kept accurate and reliable. Part of internal controls is who are responsible; physical, mechanical, and electronic controls; there must also be segregation of duties, and independent internal confirmation.

As a newly hired Staff I there will be a responsibility to analyze the work papers for the organization’s clients. In this situation a client is not clear about why a Staff I is asking for information on adjusting lower of cost or market inventory valuation, capitalizing interest on building construction, recording gain or loss on asset disposal, and adjusting goodwill for impairment and requires explanations on these topics. An explanation of each is provided to include sources from accounting websites, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and accounting pronouncements. In addition to the explanation for each accounting practice there is also an explanation of

Performing internal tests of controls is intended to assess the operating effectiveness of those internal controls. Here the staff would select an area of control to test, perhaps inventory management and return policy. They would then look at the procedures that help prevent fraud or error, talk to management, and observe activities. They would notice there is very little control in place for this area. There is no management oversight or dock security measures, no direct recording of sales receipts, shipping labels, or matching to accounts receivable. This would be noted as an area of additional concern. The next stage is to perform substantive testing procedures, where the purpose is to collect audit evidence that the management assertions made in the financial statements are reliable and in accordance with GAAP. Since my staff is good, they would have noticed the company’s sales projections are weak in control and are overstated by around 11%. They would perform a substantive test of detail in this area by selecting a sample of items from the account balances and finding bank statements, invoices, and test of details of balances. They would likely see specifically where the over-projections are being made. Lastly, in finalization, they would compile a report to management detailing any important matters, evaluating the audit evidence, and considering the type of audit opinion that should be reported. Specifically here, they would

7. a. The audit provides reasonable assurance that financial statement information is free of material misstatements. Decision makers can uses financial information to anticipate business opportunities and to make business decisions based with reasonable assurance that the information set used to make decisions is reliable.

e. “The auditor considers the level of assurance, if any, he wants from substantive testing for a particular audit objective and decides, among other things, which procedure, or combination of procedures, can provide that level of assurance. For some assertions, analytical

• Directing appropriate attention to the different areas of the audit such as assessing materiality, so that when the detailed audit plan is prepared, audit procedures can be directed towards the material amounts.