Chapter 1

The Demand for Audit and Other Assurance Services

 Concept Checks

P. 8

1. To do an audit, there must be information in a verifiable form and some

standards (criteria) by which the auditor can evaluate the information.
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. For an audit of a company’s
financial statements the criteria are U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles or International Financial Reporting Standards.

2. 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.

P. 17

1. The three main types of audits are operational audits, compliance audits, and
financial statement audits. The table below summarizes the purposes and
nature of each type of audit.

AUDITS OF
OPERATIONAL COMPLIANCE FINANCIAL
AUDITS AUDITS STATEMENTS
PURPOSE To evaluate To determine To determine
whether whether the client is whether the
operating following specific overall financial
procedures are procedures set by a statements are
efficient and higher authority presented in
effective accordance with
specified criteria
(usually GAAP)

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Concept Checks (continued)

AUDITS OF
OPERATIONAL COMPLIANCE FINANCIAL
AUDITS AUDITS STATEMENTS
USERS OF Management of Authority setting Different groups
AUDIT organization down procedures, for different
REPORT internal or external purposes — many
outside entities
NATURE Highly Not standardized, Highly
nonstandard; but specific and standardized
often subjective usually objective
PERFORMED
BY: Almost
CPAs Frequently Occasionally universally
GAO
AUDITORS Frequently Frequently Occasionally
IRS
AUDITORS Never Universally Never
INTERNAL
AUDITORS Frequently Frequently Frequently*
* Internal auditors may assist CPAs in the audit of financial statements. Internal
auditors may also audit internal financial statements for use by management.

2. The major differences in the scope of audit responsibilities for CPAs, GAO
auditors, IRS agents, and internal auditors are:

 CPAs perform audits of financial statements prepared using U.S.

GAAP or IFRS in accordance with auditing standards.
 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.
 IRS agents perform compliance audits to enforce the federal tax laws
as defined by Congress, interpreted by the courts, and regulated by the
IRS.
 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.

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 Review Questions

1-1 To do an audit, there must be information in a verifiable form and some

standards (criteria) by which the auditor can evaluate the information. 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 U.S. GAAP or IFRS.

1-2 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 accounting standards, 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.1-3 An independent audit is a means of satisfying
the need for reliable information on the part of decision makers. Recent changes
in accounting and business operations include:

1. Increased global activities of many businesses

a. Multiple product lines and transaction locations
b. Foreign exchange affects transactions
2. Complex accounting and exchange transactions
a. Increasing use of derivatives and hedging activities
b. Increasingly complex accounting standards in areas such as
revenue recognition
3. More complex information systems
a. Possibly millions of transactions processed daily through on-
line and traditional sales channels
b. Voluminous data requires interpretation

1-4 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.

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1-5 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 1. User obtains information 1. High cost of obtaining
INFORMATION desired. information.
2. User can be more confident 2. Inconvenience to the
of the qualifications and person providing the
activities of the person information because
getting the information. large number of users
would be on premises.
USER SHARES 1. No audit costs incurred. 1. User may not be able
INFORMATION to collect on losses.
RISK WITH
MANAGEMENT
AUDITED 1. Multiple users obtain the 1. May not meet needs
FINANCIAL information. of certain users.
STATEMENTS 2. Information risk can usually 2. Cost may be higher
ARE PROVIDED be reduced sufficiently to than the benefits in
satisfy users at reasonable some situations, such
cost. as for a small
3. Minimal inconvenience to company.
management by having
only one auditor.

1-6 Information risk is the risk that information upon which a business decision is
made is inaccurate. Fair value accounting is often based on estimates and requires
judgment. Fair value can be estimated using multiple methods with some estimates
being more subjective than others. Fair value estimates are made at a point in time,
but can also change rapidly, depending on market conditions. All of these factors
increase information risk.

1-7 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.

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1-7 (continued)

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 accordance with an applicable financial
reporting framework such as U.S. GAAP or IFRS. An example of an attestation
service is a report on the effectiveness of an entity’s 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.

1-8 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 and
electronic funds transfers, vendors' invoices, and other supporting
documentation.

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 records 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.
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 client’s 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 client’s 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 client’s manufacturing process would likely start
with an analysis of various measurement indicators, including ratio analysis and
benchmarking against key competitors.
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1-11 The four parts of the Uniform CPA Examination are: Auditing and Attestation,
Financial Accounting and Reporting, Regulation, and Business Environment and
Concepts.

 Multiple Choice Questions From CPA Examinations

1-12 a. (3) b. (2) c. (1)

1-13 a. (2) b. (4) c. (2)

 Multiple Choice Questions From Becker CPA Exam Review

1-14 a. (4) b. (1) c. (3)

 Discussion Questions And Problems

1-15 a. 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. (2) An attestation service other than an audit service

2. (1) An audit of historical financial statements
3. (3) An assurance or nonassurance service that is not an
attestation service
4. (2) An attestation service other than an audit service
5. (2) An attestation service other than an audit service
6. (2) An attestation service other than an audit service
7. (2) An attestation service other than an audit service
8. (2) An attestation service other than an audit service
9. (2) An attestation service other than an audit service
(Review services are a form of attestation, but are
performed according to Statements on Standards for
Accounting and Review Services.)
10. (2) An attestation service other than an audit service
11. (3) An assurance or nonassurance service that is not an
attestation service

1-16 a. 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.

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1-16 (continued)

b. Given these circumstances, Busch should select the loan from First
City 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:

CPA COST OF CPA ANNUAL ANNUAL

LENDER SERVICE SERVICES INTEREST LOAN COST
Existing loan None 0 $ 360,000 $ 360,000
United National Bank Review $ 35,000 $ 300,000 $ 335,000
First City Bank Audit $ 60,000 $ 240,000 $ 300,000

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

CPA COST OF CPA ANNUAL ANNUAL

LENDER SERVICE SERVICES INTEREST LOAN COST
Existing loan None 0 $ 360,000 $ 360,000
United National Bank Review $ 35,000 $ 270,000 $ 305,000
First City Bank Audit $ 80,000 $ 240,000 $ 320,000

d. Busch may desire to have an audit because of the many other

benefits that an audit provides. The audit will provide Busch’s
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 client’s 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 client’s strategies that
may affect whether the financial statements are fairly stated. This
strategic knowledge of the client’s business often helps the auditor
identify ways to help the client improve business operations, thereby
providing added value to the audit function.

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1-17 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.

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, and the ability to perform online research
of new vehicles.
(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.

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1-17 (continued)

d. The three ways users of financial statements and buyers o f

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 in an audit of financial statements.

1-18 a. The following parts of the definition of auditing are related to the
narrative:
(1) Altman 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 Altman: existence of the trucks on the night
of June 30, 2016, ownership of each truck by Regional
Delivery Service, physical condition of each truck and fair
market value of each truck.
(3) Samantha Altman will accumulate and evaluate four types of
evidence:
(a) Count the trucks to determine their existence.
(b) Use registration documents held by Burrow 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) Samantha Altman, 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.

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1-18 (continued)

(5) The report results are to include:

(a) which of the 25 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 Altman 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.

1-19 a. The major advantages and disadvantages of a career as an IRS

agent, CPA, GAO auditor, or an internal auditor are:

EMPLOYMENT ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

INTERNAL 1. Extensive training in 1. Experience limited to
REVENUE individual, corporate, gift, taxes.
AGENT trust and other taxes is 2. No experience with
available with concentration operational or financial
in area chosen. statement auditing.
2. Hands-on experience with 3. Training is not extensive
sophisticated selection with any business
techniques. enterprise.
CPA 1. Extensive training in audit of 1. Exposure to taxes and to
financial statements, the business enterprise
compliance auditing and may not be as in-depth as
operational auditing. the internal revenue agent
2. Opportunity for experience in or the internal auditor.
auditing, tax consulting, and 2. Likely to be less exposed
management consulting to operational auditing
practices. than is likely for internal
3. Experience in a diversity of auditors.
enterprises and industries
with the opportunity to
specialize in a specific
industry.

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1-19 (continued)

EMPLOYMENT ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

INTERNAL 1. Extensive exposure to all 1. Little exposure to taxation
AUDITOR segments of the enterprise and the audit of taxes.
with which employed. 2. Experience is limited to
2. Constant exposure to one one enterprise, usually
industry presenting within one or a limited
opportunity for expertise in number of industries.
that industry.
3. Likely to have exposure to
compliance, financial, and
operational auditing.
GAO AUDITOR 1. Increasing opportunity for 1. Little exposure to diversity
experience in operational of enterprises and
auditing. industries.
2. Exposure to highly 2. Bureaucracy of federal
sophisticated statistical government.
sampling and computer
auditing techniques.

b. The two best choices for the senior interested in becoming a

certified fraud examiner would be starting out as either a CPA or an
internal auditor. A CPA gains experience with internal controls and
has an understanding of incentives and opportunities to commit
fraud. An internal auditor gains experience with internal controls
and has an in-depth understanding of operations and the many
facets of a business. IRS agents and GAO auditors would be in
demand for fraud examinations relating specifically to tax fraud or
governmental entities.

c. Other auditing careers that are available are:

 Auditors within many of the branches of the federal government
(e.g., Department of Homeland Security)
 Auditors for many state and local government units (e.g.,
state insurance or bank auditors)

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1-20 The most likely type of auditor and the type of audit for each of the examples
are:

EXAMPLE a. TYPE OF AUDITOR b. TYPE OF AUDIT

1. IRS Compliance
2. IRS Compliance
3. Internal auditor or CPA Financial statements or operational
4. CPA Financial statements
5. Internal auditor or CPA Compliance
6. Internal auditor or CPA Compliance
7. Internal auditor or CPA Operational
8. CPA or internal auditor Financial statements
9. GAO Operational
10. CPA Financial statements
11. GAO Financial statements
12. GAO Compliance

1-21 a. Financial statement audits reduce information risk, which lowers

borrowing costs. An audit also provides assurances to management
about information used for decision-making purposes, and may also
provide recommendations to improve efficiency or effectiveness of
operations.

b. Czarnecki and Hogan likely provide tax services, accounting

services, and management advisory services. They may also provide
additional assurance and attestation services other than audits of
financial statements.

c. Student answers will vary. They may identify new types of information
that require assurance, such as environmental or corporate
responsibility reporting. Students may also identify opportunities
for consulting or management advisory services, such as assistance
with the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards.

1-22 a. Assurance related to financial statements are the most likely forms
of assurance that are likely to be provided only by public accounting
firms. Examples include audits of historical financial statements,
reviews of historical financial statements, audits of internal control
over financial reporting, and compliance auditing such as that
required by the Single Audit Act and OMB Circular A-133 (although
these audits may also be provided by government auditors).

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1-22 (continued)

b. There are many types of information that are assured by providers

other than public accounting firms. Some of these assurances are
provided by government entities, such as food inspections, elevator
inspections, and pumps at gasoline stations. Other assurances are
provided by nonprofit and for-profit assurance providers, such as
ISO 9000 certifications.

c. Table 1-1 on p. 11 includes some examples of assurance that may

be provided by public accounting firms or other assurance
providers. For example, assurance on corporate responsibility and
sustainability may be provided by public accounting firms or other
assurance providers. Other examples included assurance on Web
site controls, and information such as Web site traffic or newspaper
circulation.

1-23 a. The vision of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a sustainable

global economy where organizations manage their economic,
environmental, social and governance performance and impacts
responsibly, and report transparently. Its mission is to make
sustainability reporting standard practice by providing guidance and
support to organizations.

b. According to the GRI “A sustainability report is a report published

by a company or organization about the economic, environmental,
and social impacts caused by its everyday activities. A
sustainability report also presents the organization's values and
governance model, and demonstrates the link between its strategy
and its commitment to a sustainable global economy.”
In an integrated report, sustainability information is included
along with financial information. These reports emphasize the links
between financial and non-financial performance. An integrated
report also presents the risks and opportunities the company faces,
integrated with disclosure of environmental, social, and governance
issues.

c. GRI offers two “in accordance” reporting options, Core and

Comprehensive. The Core report provides the essential elements
of a sustainability report. The Comprehensive report includes
additional disclosures of the organization’s strategy and analysis,
governance, and ethics and integrity. The GRI recommends
external assurance, but it is not required for either type of “in
accordance” report.

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1-24 a. Answers will vary by state. Most states require 150 hours of
education, with specific requirements for number of accounting hours
and credit hours in other subject areas.

b. Answers will vary by state. Many states require one or two years of
work experience gained in public practice, or possibly government,
academia or industry, depending on the state. In many states,
experience in industry or internal audit is sufficient, depending on the
type of work performed.

c. Most states have frequently addressed questions. Many of these

address education requirements, as well as information on how to
prepare for the exam, as well as information on applying for licensure.

d. The Elijah Watt Sells award program was established in 1923

by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
(AICPA) to recognize outstanding performance on the Uniform
CPA Examination. The award is presented to candidates who
obtained a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four
sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, completed testing during
the previous calendar year, and passed all four sections of the
Examination on their first attempt.

e. Passing information is available on the CPA Examination portion of

the AICPA web site. Recent passing rates have ranged from
approximately 44% to 59% across the four sections.

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