External auditors play important roles in delivering credibility of public financial statements to stakeholders outside of the audited firms (The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, 2008). Published financial statements can be used by stakeholders as a basis for evaluating the financial position of firms, analyzing the performance of management, or making investment decisions (International Organization of Securities Commissions, 2002). Published financial statements will also be used by institutions such as rating agencies to decide the worthiness of the firms, and by banks, to decide the amount of loans that banks are willing to lend to (International Organization of Securities Commissions, 2002). Thus, the public is significantly influenced by the examined financial statements by external auditors (International Organization of Securities Commissions, 2002). For management, they need to make estimates and judgments to write financial statements, such as choosing among alternative accounting principles by considering the existing and potential clients base of the firm; Whilst, the auditors are responsible of examining statements made by management and to express opinion on them (The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, 2008). Auditors will collect evidence to ensure reasonable assurance that the disclosures and detailed numbers in the statements are free of material misstatements (Francis and Krishnan, 1999). In addition, auditors also
Accountants are responsible in analyzing and assessing the revenue, expenses, reporting financial matters and giving advice about the financial health of their employer. They help their client to know the best way to run a business by tracking and analyzing where does the money of the business go. They also give suggestions on where money could be made and advice in budgeting the money in the business.
It is an important function of any organisation to regulate the external financial reporting. The legislation that governs the external financial reporting is Financial reporting act 2013 (FRA) and The companies act 1993 (Deegan & Samkin, 2013). The Regulation is required to safeguard the interests of those using the financial information but do not directly participate in the business. These users may be both primary and secondary. The information provided by the financial statements are used for making economic decisions by its users (NZASB, 2016a). The regulation of external financial reporting does not only help the external users
According to an article in the CPA Journal, the auditor considers reliability of audit evidence collected and the reliability of that evidence to reduce the risk of financial statements containing undetected material errors. Compare and contrast at least two (2) types of evidence, and make a recommendation as to which you believe is the most reliable in reducing risk. Support your position.
Evaluating the Reasonableness of the Accounting Estimates, and Determining Misstatements: the auditor shall evaluate, based on the audit evidence, whether the accounting estimates in the financial statements are either
Legitimacy in accounting practices is ensured by the check and balance of having independent auditors from registered public accountant firms reviewing financial practices. The report features eleven sections and these sections pertain to accounting overview, independence of auditors to reduce interest conflicts, corporate responsibility, financial disclosures, tax returns, criminal fraud and various elements of white collar criminal activity (107th Congress
Since auditors are not responsible for the actual financial statements, only the authenticity of them, as you stated, the more
Financial statements of the company are significant for the investors who would like to venture into the business operation. It gives them the insight whether the business is making profits or it is doomed to fail;
Auditors having the appropriate competence and capabilities to perform the audit, and follow ethical requirements, and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit.
The auditor’s responsibilities are to audit annual financial statements and internal controls over financial reporting, and reports from the 10-Q quarterly reports. The auditor must also advice on new accounting pronouncements, and consolidating financial statements. (Intel Proxy Statement 2011, 48)
According to ICAEW, auditor independence mainly refers to the independence of the external auditor from parties that have an interest in the financial statements of the business being audited. It requires having both integrity and an objective manner to the auditing process. In order for the concept to be deemed effective the auditor needs to carry out their work freely. One of the main purposes of auditing is to increase credibility of the entity’s’ financial statements, as they have expressed their own professional opinion on the truth and fair view in accordance with the proper accounting standards used. This is only possible if the audit is made with reasonable assurance that it has come from an independent source and has not been influenced by other parties, such as managers, directors or by conflict of interest.
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
Since reliable financial information is essential for investors and other stakeholders to take adequate decisions, this reliability must be backed by independent review performed by independent and certified auditing firms, which are supposed to verify and certify financial statements issued by a company’s management. If the auditor is not competent and independent from management, the audit of the financial statements loses its credibility (Schelker, 2013, p.295). According to Impastato (2003), because of audit failures, accountants are to blame for investors losing billions of dollars in earnings in addition to market capitalization (as cited in Grubbs & Ethridge 2007).
The aim of this essay is to study the function of external auditors in order to analyze why it is important to be independent. The primary mission of external auditors is to review and evaluate all the financial records of a company or corporation. They provide an objective opinion on the organization’s financial statement and effectiveness of the accounting polices in order to help management to make decisions. If the independence of the external auditors is impaired, the public will doubt the quality of professional auditing services, and the consequence would be very serious, just like the bankruptcy of Enron led to the disorganization of Arthur Andersen, once a giant accounting company in the world. In order to maintain and increase
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