Real independence refers to the actual independence of the auditor, also known as independence of mind. The threats may be significant because of the extent of gift and hospitality that is audit staff is offered discount. This will indicate that the management’s integrity is doubtful and mismanagement may be occurred. (b) You encountered the following situations during the 31 December 2008 physical inventory count of Shoe Supplier Sdn. It is used within audit planning to identify risk areas and also as a means of gathering substantive evidence, for example by calculating as estimate of a particular figure based on knowledge of the business and comparing this to the actual figure. IROs must maintain independence so that their For the case above, Sofia Ali has been given extended gift and hospitality by client that is in the form of a discount to purchase on new car by a sales manager. The late Roderick Hills, SEC Chairman from 1975 to 1977, referred to this leg as giving the auditor the additional protection they need to feel they can stand up to management during the audit. While this standard does not create a pathway to navigate around proscribed services and activities, it identifies an important criteria accountants, audit committees, and regulators use in assessing and concluding on independence matters. S… Audit independence: concept and application. The fraud team indicated that one reason they were successful in hiding the fraud from the auditors was because they knew what the auditors were looking for. Testing control is a test for the auditor to determine whether the control is operating effectively throughout the period under review stage. One of my favorite Billy Joel songs is “New York State of Mind.” It’s a staple at every concert he performs. Audit partners need to hear clearly from firm leadership that quality, including independence, is the most important part of their job, that no client is too big to lose, that the partner has the firm’s full and unwavering support when he or she is appropriately challenging the client on accounting and disclosure matters. Jay Bornstein is a retired partner of Ernst & Young who writes and consults on auditor independence matters. Independence of mind The state of mind that permits the expression of a conclusion without being affected by influences that compromise professional judgment, thereby, allowing an individual to act with integrity, and exercise objectivity and professional scepticism. Bhd. The Phar-Mor had financial interest in financial reporting, potential self-interest threat may occur. Does the hypothetical reasonable investor’s evaluation of the partner’s objectivity, impartiality, and skepticism – his “independence state of mind” – change? This report must state the auditor’s opinion on whether the statements have been prepared in accordance with the relevant legislation and whether they give a true and fair view of the profit or loss for the year and state of affairs at the year end. Perceived independence is where shades of grey creep in to the normally black-and-white world of audit. Mike Ferguson, who was auditor … Audit Risk is the risk of giving an inappropriate opinion on the financial statements. The auditors are not responsible for establishing whether the accounts are correct in every particular. Firstly, it is the level of inherent risk faced by auditors is high. Independence of mind is the state of mind that permits a member to perform an attest service without being affected by influences that compromise professional judgment, thereby allowing an individual to act with integrity and exercise objectivity and professional skepticism. Framework) defines independence as a. Doty’s third leg is the PCAOB’s inspection and oversight program and the improvements to audit quality that have resulted from those efforts. It is very risky for directors of the company and the auditors if they auditing the company. Audit Risk has three individual components in the formula: Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. counting staff are using pencils to record down inventory counted. The auditor should also inquire management as to its knowledge of events or conditions beyond the period of assessment used by management that may cast significant doubt on the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Registered office: Venture House, Cross Street, Arnold, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG5 7PJ. The Securities and Exchange Commission rules on auditor independence leave little room for subjective evaluation. ? This is because by using pencil to record down inventory counted is showing not a good count instruction. An informed outsider can readily conclude that the auditor’s objectivity is maintained for such accounts. In this regard, strict rules reinforce the understanding of what independence is. Form my point of view, it seems less significant in terms of threats because the trust fund is indirect investment in the client. Inherent Risk is the susceptibility of an assertion to a misstatement that could be material individually or when aggregated with misstatements, assuming there were no related internal controls. Each proscribed service or activity in Rule 2-01(c)(1) to (c)(5) of Regulation S-X begins with the phrase, “An accountant is not independent if…”. Each might be less than 10% of the partner’s book of business. Study for free with our range of university lectures! Besides, audit procedures are designed to reduce the risk of the misstatements in the financial statements, but not eliminate the error in the financial statements. VAT Registration No: 842417633. This will lead to an increase in the inherent risk and will cause the difficulties for auditors to analyze Financial Statements in a volatile industry due to no consistency in Financial Statements and more evidence is needed during the planning stage. Self-review and familiarity are two of five "threats" to independence that accountants guard against under their professional standards. 5. Copyright © 2003 - 2021 - UKEssays is a trading name of All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. The management of the company is responsible for the identification and reporting of stocks that are worth less than cost to the auditor in a form of a schedule listing all the identified items. *You can also browse our support articles here >, Overstating inventory and recording consigned inventory as owned inventory, Recording revenue from receipts from vendors under certain promotion and exclusivity agreements when received, rather than over the life of the agreements, Understating the amount of accounts payable by holding disbursement checks, Recording revenues and receivables from vendors at budgeted, rather than actual, amounts, Assertions about classes of transaction and events for the period under audit. For example existence is an asset or a liability exists at a given date, rights and obligations is an asset or a liability pertains to the entity at a given date, and etc. Independence of mind is a code of professional ethics where auditors remain skeptical of the information they receive throughout the​ audit, whereas independence in appearance is a code of professional conduct that allows any CPA firm to sign the financials of a company. Reading the investment company most recent financial report, Roslan is surprised to learn that the company’s ownership in his client has increased dramatically. The client, through the audit committee, engages and compensates the auditor. Any stock held for 3rd party, ensure it is properly separated from the client’s stock and inspect the agreement between the 3rd party and client regarding about the stock held. Info: 4764 words (19 pages) Essay Then, the auditors able to design and perform further audit procedures. Looking at the relationship between the auditor and the client, every individual may perceive an arrangement differently, and this is where professional judgement comes to the fore. Registered Data Controller No: Z1821391. During your observation of the inventory count also, you noticed that some. Besides, the management’s attitude, whether are they reliable and trustworthy in the business is suspected. The Phar-Mor provide misstatement of margins, inventories, and earnings in reports to management and in general ledger and financial statements (to cover up other misstatements), and Diversion of assets to affiliated companies via manually written checks (nature of disbursements falsified when recorded in books and records). An auditor who has a lack of independence or has threats to auditor independence, his audit report useless to those who rely on it. Audit opinion means a whole lot more needed for auditor when auditing the contributing! 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