Chapter 1

The Demand for Audit and Other Assurance Services

Review Questions

1-1
The relationship among audit services, attestation services, and assurance
services is reflected in Figure 1-3 on page 13 of the text. An assurance service is
an independent professional service to improve the quality of information for
decision makers. An attestation service is a form of assurance service in which
the CPA firm issues a report about the reliability of an assertion that is the
responsibility of another party. Audit services are a form of attestation service in
which the auditor expresses a written conclusion about the degree of
correspondence between information and established criteria.
The most common form of audit service is an audit of historical financial
statements, in which the auditor expresses a conclusion as to whether the
financial statements are presented in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles. An example of an attestation service is a report on the
effectiveness of an entitys internal control over financial reporting. There are
many possible forms of assurance services, including services related to
business performance measurement, health care performance, and information
system reliability.
1-2
An independent audit is a means of satisfying the need for reliable
information on the part of decision makers. Factors of a complex society which
contribute to this need are:
1. Remoteness of information
a.
Owners (stockholders) divorced from management
b.
Directors not involved in day-to-day operations or decisions
c.
Dispersion of the business among numerous geographic
locations and complex corporate structures
2. Biases and motives of provider
a.
Information will be biased in favor of the provider when his or
her goals are inconsistent with the decision maker's goals.
3. Voluminous data
a.
Possibly millions of transactions processed daily via
sophisticated computerized systems
b.
Multiple product lines
c.
Multiple transaction locations
4. Complex exchange transactions
a.
New and changing business relationships lead to innovative
accounting and reporting problems
b.
Potential impact of transactions not quantifiable, leading to
increased disclosures

1-1

1-3

1.

Risk-free interest rate This is approximately the rate the bank could
earn by investing in U.S. treasury notes for the same length of time
as the business loan.
2. Business risk for the customer This risk reflects the possibility that the
business will not be able to repay its loan because of economic or
business conditions such as a recession, poor management
decisions, or unexpected competition in the industry.
3. Information risk This risk reflects the possibility that the information
upon which the business risk decision was made was inaccurate. A
likely cause of the information risk is the possibility of inaccurate
financial statements.

Auditing has no effect on either the risk-free interest rate or business risk.
However, auditing can significantly reduce information risk.
1-4
The four primary causes of information risk are remoteness of information,
biases and motives of the provider, voluminous data, and the existence of complex
exchange transactions.
The three main ways to reduce information risk are:
1. User verifies the information.
2. User shares the information risk with management.
3. Audited financial statements are provided.
The advantages and disadvantages of each are as follows:
ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

USER VERIFIES
INFORMATION

1. User obtains information

desired.
2. User can be more confident
of the qualifications and
activities of the person
getting the information.

1. High cost of obtaining

information.
2. Inconvenience to the
person providing the
information because
large number of users
would be on premises.

USER SHARES
INFORMATION
RISK WITH
MANAGEMENT

1. No audit costs incurred.

1. User may not be able

to collect on losses.

AUDITED
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
ARE PROVIDED

1. Multiple users obtain the

information.
2. Information risk can usually
be reduced sufficiently to
satisfy users at reasonable
cost.
3. Minimal inconvenience to
management by having
only one auditor.

1. May not meet needs

of certain users.
2. Cost may be higher
than the benefits in
some situations, such
as for a small
company.

1-2

1-5
To do an audit, there must be information in a verifiable form and some
standards (criteria) by which the auditor can evaluate the information. Examples
of established criteria include generally accepted accounting principles and the
Internal Revenue Code. Determining the degree of correspondence between
information and established criteria is determining whether a given set of
information is in accordance with the established criteria. The information for
Jones Company's tax return is the federal tax returns filed by the company. The
established criteria are found in the Internal Revenue Code and all
interpretations. For the audit of Jones Company's financial statements the
information is the financial statements being audited and the established criteria
are generally accepted accounting principles.
1-6
The primary evidence the internal revenue agent will use in the audit of
the Jones Company's tax return include all available documentation and other
information available in Jones' office or from other sources. For example, when
the internal revenue agent audits taxable income, a major source of information
will be bank statements, the cash receipts journal and deposit slips. The internal
revenue agent is likely to emphasize unrecorded receipts and revenues. For
expenses, major sources of evidence are likely to be cancelled checks, vendors'
invoices and other supporting documentation.
1-7
This apparent paradox arises from the distinction between the function of
auditing and the function of accounting. The accounting function is the recording,
classifying and summarizing of economic events to provide relevant information
to decision makers. The rules of accounting are the criteria used by the auditor
for evaluating the presentation of economic events for financial statements and
he or she must therefore have an understanding of generally accepted
accounting principles (GAAP), as well as auditing standards. The accountant
need not, and frequently does not, understand what auditors do, unless he or she
is involved in doing audits, or has been trained as an auditor.

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1-8

OPERATIONAL
AUDITS

COMPLIANCE
AUDITS

AUDITS OF
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS

PURPOSE

To evaluate
whether
operating
procedures are
efficient and
effective

To determine
whether the client is
following specific
procedures set by
higher authority

To determine
whether the
overall financial
statements are
presented in
accordance with
specified criteria
(usually GAAP)

USERS OF
AUDIT
REPORT

Management of
organization

Authority setting
down procedures,
internal or external

Different groups
for different
purposes many
outside entities

NATURE

Highly
nonstandard;
often subjective

Not standardized,
but specific and
usually objective

Highly
standardized

PERFORMED
BY:
CPAs

Frequently

Occasionally

Almost
universally

GAO
AUDITORS

Frequently

Frequently

Occasionally

IRS
AUDITORS

Never

Universally

Never

INTERNAL
AUDITORS

Frequently

Frequently

Frequently

1-9
Five examples of specific operational audits that could be conducted by an
internal auditor in a manufacturing company are:
1. Examine employee time cards and personnel records to determine if
sufficient information is available to maximize the effective use of
personnel.
2. Review the processing of sales invoices to determine if it could be
done more efficiently.
3. Review the acquisitions of goods, including costs, to determine if
they are being purchased at the lowest possible cost considering
the quality needed.

1-4

1-9 (continued)
4. Review and evaluate the efficiency of the manufacturing process.
5. Review the processing of cash receipts to determine if they are
deposited as quickly as possible.
1-10 When auditing historical financial statements, an auditor must have a
thorough understanding of the client and its environment. This knowledge should
include the clients regulatory and operating environment, business strategies
and processes, and measurement indicators. This strategic understanding is also
useful in other assurance or consulting engagements. For example, an auditor
who is performing an assurance service on information technology would need to
understand the clients business strategies and processes related to information
technology, including such things as purchases and sales via the Internet.
Similarly, a practitioner performing a consulting engagement to evaluate the
efficiency and effectiveness of a clients manufacturing process would likely start
with an analysis of various measurement indicators, including ratio analysis and
benchmarking against key competitors.
1-11

The major differences in the scope of audit responsibilities are:

1. CPAs perform audits in accordance with auditing standards of
published financial statements prepared in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles.
2. GAO auditors perform compliance or operational audits in order to
assure the Congress of the expenditure of public funds in accordance
with its directives and the law.
3. IRS agents perform compliance audits to enforce the federal tax laws
as defined by Congress, interpreted by the courts, and regulated by
the IRS.
4. Internal auditors perform compliance or operational audits in order to
assure management or the board of directors that controls and
policies are properly and consistently developed, applied and
evaluated.

1-12 The four parts of the Uniform CPA Examination are: Auditing and Attestation,
Financial Accounting and Reporting, Regulation, and Business Environment and
Concepts.
1-13 It is important for CPAs to be knowledgeable about e-commerce technologies
because more of their clients are rapidly expanding their use of e-commerce.
Examples of commonly used e-commerce technologies include purchases and
sales of goods through the Internet, automatic inventory reordering via direct
connection to inventory suppliers, and online banking. CPAs who perform audits
or provide other assurance services about information generated with these
technologies need a basic knowledge and understanding of information technology
and e-commerce in order to identify and respond to risks in the financial and
other information generated by these technologies.
1-5

Multiple Choice Questions From CPA Examinations

1-14 a.

(3)

b.

(2)

c.

(2)

d.

(3)

1-15 a.

(2)

b.

(3)

c.

(4)

d.

(3)

Discussion Questions And Problems

1-16 a.

The relationship among audit services, attestation services and

assurance services is reflected in Figure 1-3 on page 13 of the text.
Audit services are a form of attestation service, and attestation
services are a form of assurance service. In a diagram, audit
services are located within the attestation service area, and
attestation services are located within the assurance service area.

b. 1. (1)
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.
9.
1-17 a.

Audit of historical financial statements

(2)
An attestation service other than an audit service; or
(3)
An assurance service that is not an attestation service
(WebTrust developed from the AICPA Special Committee
on Assurance Services, but the service meets the
criteria for an attestation service.)
(2)
An attestation service other than an audit service
(2)
An attestation service other than an audit service
(2)
An attestation service other than an audit service
(2)
An attestation service that is not an audit
service (Review services are a form of attestation,
but are performed according to Statements on
Standards for Accounting and Review Services.)
(2)
An attestation service other than an audit service
(2)
An attestation service other than an audit service
(3)
An assurance service that is not an attestation service

The interest rate for the loan that requires a review report is lower
than the loan that did not require a review because of lower
information risk. A review report provides moderate assurance to
financial statement users, which lowers information risk. An audit
report provides further assurance and lower information risk. As a
result of reduced information risk, the interest rate is lowest for the
loan with the audit report.

b. Given these circumstances, Vial-tek should select the loan from City
First Bank that requires an annual audit. In this situation, the
additional cost of the audit is less than the reduction in interest due
to lower information risk. The following is the calculation of total
costs for each loan:

1-6

1-17 (continued)

LENDER
Existing loan
First National Bank
City First Bank

CPA
SERVICE

COST OF CPA
SERVICES

ANNUAL
INTEREST

ANNUAL
LOAN COST

None

$ 332,500

$ 332,500

Review

$ 20,000

$ 297,500

$ 317,500

Audit

$ 45,000

$ 262,500

$ 307,500

c. Vial-tek should select the loan from First National Bank due to the
higher cost of the audit and the reduced interest rate for the loan
from First National Bank. The following is the calculation of total
costs for each loan:

LENDER
Existing loan
First National Bank
City First Bank

CPA
SERVICE

COST OF CPA
SERVICES

ANNUAL
INTEREST

ANNUAL
LOAN COST

None

$ 332,500

$ 332,500

Review

$ 20,000

$ 280,000

$ 300,000

Audit

$ 50,000

$ 262,500

$ 312,500

d.

Vial-tek may desire to have an audit because of the many other

positive benefits that an audit provides. The audit will provide Vialteks management with assurance about annual financial information
used for decision-making purposes. The audit may detect errors or fraud,
and provide management with information about the effectiveness of
controls. In addition, the audit may result in recommendations to
management that will improve efficiency or effectiveness.

e.

The auditor must have a thorough understanding of the client and its
environment, including the clients e-commerce technologies, industry,
regulatory and operating environment, suppliers, customers, creditors,
and business strategies and processes. This thorough analysis helps
the auditor identify risks associated with the clients strategies that
may affect whether the financial statements are fairly stated. This
strategic knowledge of the clients business often helps the auditor
identify ways to help the client improve business operations, thereby
providing added value to the audit function.

1-18 a.

The services provided by Consumers Union are very similar to

assurance services provided by CPA firms. The services provided
by Consumers Union and assurance services provided by CPA
firms are designed to improve the quality of information for decision
makers. CPAs are valued for their independence, and the reports
provided by Consumers Union are valued because Consumers
Union is independent of the products tested.
1-7

1-18 (continued)
b. The concepts of information risk for the buyer of an automobile and for
the user of financial statements are essentially the same. They are
both concerned with the problem of unreliable information being
provided. In the case of the auditor, the user is concerned about
unreliable information being provided in the financial statements.
The buyer of an automobile is likely to be concerned about the
manufacturer or dealer providing unreliable information.
c. The four causes of information risk are essentially the same for a buyer
of an automobile and a user of financial statements:
(1)
Remoteness of information It is difficult for a user to obtain
much information about either an automobile manufacturer
or the automobile itself without incurring considerable cost.
The automobile buyer does have the advantage of possibly
knowing other users who are satisfied or dissatisfied with a
similar automobile.
(2)
Biases and motives of provider There is a conflict between
the automobile buyer and the manufacturer. The buyer wants
to buy a high quality product at minimum cost whereas the
seller wants to maximize the selling price and quantity sold.
(3)
Voluminous data There is a large amount of available
information about automobiles that users might like to have
in order to evaluate an automobile. Either that information is
not available or too costly to obtain.
(4)
Complex exchange transactions The acquisition of an
automobile is expensive and certainly a complex decision
because of all the components that go into making a good
automobile and choosing between a large number of
alternatives.
d. The three ways users of financial statements and buyers of
automobiles reduce information risk are also similar:
(1)
User verifies information him or herself That can be obtained
by driving different automobiles, examining the specifications of
the automobiles, talking to other users and doing research in
various magazines.
(2)
User shares information risk with management
The
manufacturer of a product has a responsibility to meet its
warranties and to provide a reasonable product. The buyer
of an automobile can return the automobile for correction of
defects. In some cases a refund may be obtained.
(3)
Examine the information prepared by Consumer Reports
This is similar to an audit in the sense that independent
information is provided by an independent party. The
information provided by Consumer Reports is comparable to
that provided by a CPA firm that audited financial statements.
1-8

1-19 a.

The following parts of the definition of auditing are related to the

narrative:
(1)
Virms is being asked to issue a report about qualitative and
quantitative information for trucks. The trucks are therefore
the information with which the auditor is concerned.
(2)
There are four established criteria which must be evaluated
and reported by Virms: existence of the trucks on the night
of June 30, 2009, ownership of each truck by Regional
Delivery Service, physical condition of each truck and fair
market value of each truck.
(3)
Susan Virms will accumulate and evaluate four types of
evidence:
(a)
Count the trucks to determine their existence.
(b)
Use registrations documents held by Oatley for
comparison to the serial number on each truck to
determine ownership.
(c)
Examine the trucks to determine each truck's physical
condition.
(d)
Examine the blue book to determine the fair market
value of each truck.
(4)
Susan Virms, CPA, appears qualified, as a competent,
independent person. She is a CPA, and she spends most of
her time auditing used automobile and truck dealerships and
has extensive specialized knowledge about used trucks that
is consistent with the nature of the engagement.
(5)
The report results are to include:
(a)
which of the 35 trucks are parked in Regional's
parking lot the night of June 30.
(b)
whether all of the trucks are owned by Regional
Delivery Service.
(c)
the condition of each truck, using established
guidelines.
(d)
fair market value of each truck using the current blue
book for trucks.

b. The only parts of the audit that will be difficult for Virms are:
(1)
Evaluating the condition, using the guidelines of poor, good,
and excellent. It is highly subjective to do so. If she uses a
different criterion than the "blue book," the fair market value
will not be meaningful. Her experience will be essential in
using this guideline.
(2)
Determining the fair market value, unless it is clearly defined
in the blue book for each condition.

1-9

1-20 a.
narrative:

The following parts of the definition of auditing are related to the

(1) Haraldsson is being asked to issue a report about qualitative

and quantitative information for the buses. The buses and their
value are therefore the information with which she is
concerned.
(2) There are four established criteria which must be evaluated and
reported by Haraldsson: existence of the buses on the night of
August 31, 2008, ownership of each bus by Danville Bus
Services, physical condition of each bus and fair market value
of each bus.
(3) Annaliese Haraldsson will accumulate and evaluate four types
of evidence:
(e)
Count the buses to determine their existence.
(f)
Use registrations documents held by Olson for
comparison to the serial number on each bus to
determine ownership.
(g)
Examine the buses to determine each bus's physical
condition. She can examine the buss condition
herself or hire an expert to do so.
(h)
Examine the blue book to determine the fair market
value of each bus.
(4) Annaliese Haraldsson, CPA, appears qualified, as a
competent, independent person. She is a CPA, and she spends
most of her time auditing used automobile, bus, and truck
dealerships, and has experience that is consistent with the
nature of the engagement.
(5) The report results are to include:
(i)
which of the 20 buses are parked in Danville's parking
lot the night of August 31.
(j)
whether all of the buses are owned by Danville Bus
Services.
(k)
the condition of each bus, using established
guidelines.
(l)
fair market value of each bus using the current blue
book for buses.
b. The only parts of the audit that will be difficult for Haraldsson are:
(1)
Evaluating the condition, using the guidelines of poor, good,
and excellent. It is highly subjective to do so. One method is
to find the blue book value. (Note: Kelley Blue Book is a
United States automotive vehicle valuation company that
gives used vehicle pricing information. Because of its
popularity, the term blue book has become synonymous
with the cars market value.) If she uses a different criterion
than the "blue book," the fair market value will not be
meaningful. Her experience will be essential in using this
guideline.

1-10

(2)

Determining the fair market value, unless it is clearly defined

in the blue book for each condition.

1-21 a. The major advantages and disadvantages of a career as an CAO

auditor, tax authority agent, CPA, or internal auditor are:
EMPLOYMENT

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

CAO AUDITOR

1. Increasing opportunity for

experience in operational
auditing.
2. Exposure to highly
sophisticated statistical
sampling and computer
auditing techniques.

1. Possibility of limited
exposure to diversity of
enterprises and industries.
2. Bureaucracy of federal
government.

TAX
AUTHORITY
AGENT

1. Extensive training in
individual, corporate, gift,
trust and other taxes is
available with concentration
in area chosen.
2. Hands-on experience with
sophisticated selection
techniques.
1. Extensive training in audit of
financial statements,
compliance auditing and
operational auditing.
2. Opportunity for experience in
auditing, tax consulting, and
management consulting
practices.
3. Experience in a diversity of
enterprises and industries
with the opportunity to
specialize in a specific
industry.
4. Experience with risk
assessment and sampling
techniques
1. Extensive exposure to all
segments of the enterprise
with which employed.
2. Constant exposure to one
industry presenting
opportunity for expertise in
that industry.
3. Likely to have exposure to
compliance, financial and
operational auditing.

1. Experience limited to
taxes.
2. No experience with
operational or financial
statement auditing.
3. Training is not extensive
with any business
enterprise.
1. Exposure to taxes and to
the business enterprise
may not be as in-depth as
the internal revenue agent
or the internal auditor.
2. Likely to be less exposed
to operational auditing
than is likely for internal
auditors.

CPA

INTERNAL
AUDITOR

1-11

1. Little exposure to taxation

and the audit thereof.
2. Experience is limited to
one enterprise, usually
within one or a limited
number of industries.

(b) Other auditing careers that are available are:

Auditors within many of the branches of the federal government
(e.g., Atomic Energy Commission)
Auditors for many state and local government units (e.g., state
insurance or bank auditors)
1-22 a.

The conglomerate should either engage the management advisory

services division of a CPA firm or its own internal auditors to
conduct the operational audit.
b. The auditors will encounter problems in establishing criteria for
evaluating the actual quantitative events and in setting the scope to
include all operations in which significant inefficiencies might exist.
In writing the report, the auditors must choose proper wording to
state that no financial audit was performed, that the procedures
were limited in scope and that the results reported do not
necessarily include all the inefficiencies that might exist.

1.1

Internet Problem Solution: SarbanesOxley Act Internal Control Reporting

Requirements
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), also known as the Public Company
Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act, was signed into law on
July 30, 2002. Considered by many to be the most sweeping corporate
reform legislation since the 1933 and 1934 securities legislation, SOX
ushered in a variety of new requirements including reporting on internal
control over financial reporting. The newly created Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) was charged with establishing
standards applicable to audits of internal control over financial reporting.
Visit the PCAOBs website (below) to review the full text of SOX to answer
the following questions:
[http://www.pcaobus.org/About_the_PCAOB/Sarbanes_Oxley_Act_of_2002.pdf]

1.

According to Section 404 of SOX a public companys annual report

must include an internal control report. What are the two required
elements of managements report on internal control?

1-12

Internet Problem 1-1 (continued)

Answer: According to Section 404 the two required elements of
managements report on internal control are:
a.
b.

2.

a statement that management is responsible for establishing

and maintaining an adequate internal control structure and
procedures for financial reporting.
an assessment, as of the end of the most recent fiscal year
of the issuer, of the effectiveness of the internal control
structure and procedures of the issuer for financial reporting.

What obligation does a public companys auditor have with respect

to internal control over financial reporting according to Section 404?
Answer: With respect to the internal control assessment prepared
by management, the companys auditing firm that prepares or
issues the audit report for the company shall attest to, and report
on, the assessment made by the management of the issuer.
Section 404 indicates that the attestation should not be a separate
engagement, which means that it is to be integrated with the audit
of the financial statements.

(Note: Internet problems address current issues using Internet sources. Because
Internet sites are subject to change, Internet problems and solutions may change. Current
information on Internet problems is available at www.pearsonglobaleditions.com/arens).

1-13