...about an assertion. Answer (A) is incorrect. Litigation support services are consulting services. Answer (B) is incorrect. The CPA assesses control risk in an audit but not necessarily in all attest engagements. Furthermore, the assessment may not be at a low level. Answer (C) is incorrect. An attest engagement results in a conclusion about an assertion. Answer (D) is correct. When a CPA in the practice of public accounting performs an attest engagement, the engagement is subject to the Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (codified as AT 101 to AT 801). An attest engagement is one in which a practitioner is engaged to issue or does issue an examination, a review, or an agreed-upon procedures report on subject matter, or an assertion about the subject matter, that is the responsibility of another party. [2] Gleim #: 1.1.7 -- Source: CPA, adapted A CPA is required to comply with the provisions of Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) when engaged to A. Review management’s discussion and analysis (MD&A) prepared pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the SEC. B. Report on financial statements that the CPA generated through the use of computer software. C. Audit financial statements that the client prepared for use in another country. D. Provide the client with a financial statement format that does not include dollar amounts. Copyright 2012 Gleim Publications Inc. Printed for Evelyn McDowell Page 1 Gleim EQE Test Prep: Auditing and...
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...The Language and Culture of the Accountant, Auditor and Forensic Accountant Jerry Brockman Davenport University Abstract The overall purpose of this Professional Language and Culture report is to detail the accountant’s communication style and culture, as well as, their specialized language. The report begins with a brief discussion of the origin of accounting, as well as, the distinction between bookkeeping and accounting. Additionally, an examination of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) provides insight into the culture, ethical values and professional standards of accountants. Other areas of discussion in this report are the voice and tone used in various forms of communication by the accountant. Also, included in this report is an excerpt from an interview of an accounting professional as well as an example from a journal article. These artifacts will provide the reader with examples of the mind-set and communication style of the accountant. Finally, this report concludes with an examination of the auditor’s as well as the forensic accountant’s culture and communication style. Table of Contents Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Accounting has been around for centuries.. 4 Professional Standards and Ethics 4 Culture of Professional Standards 5 Language of Business 6 Voice and Tone 6 Specialized Areas of Accounting 7 Communication 8 Forensic Accounting 8 Communication 9 Conclusion 9 References 11 Appendix A 13 Appendix...
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...Accountants, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Accounting Standards Board, Government Accounting Standards Board, and International Accounting Standards Committee. Each organization plays a major role in defining rules and guidelines to ensure uniformity throughout the profession. One such organization is the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The history of this organization dates back to 1887, when the American Association of Public Accountants was formed. In 1916, the American Association was succeeded by the Institute of Public Accountants. In 1957, the name was finally changed to what we now know it as today, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. “The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the national, professional organization for all Certified Public Accountants. Its mission is to provide members with the resources, information, and leadership that enable them to provide valuable services Accounting 3 in the highest professional manner to benefit the public as well as employers and clients.” (AICPA Online, 1999, AICPA...
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...The XBRL technology standard for business information reporting was initiated in 1998 by Charles Hoffman when a handful of forward-looking accounting and technology experts came up with the idea of structured data for business information. Later that year, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) was approached to spearhead the introduction of what was to become XBRL to the world. AICPA provided funding to begin research and development. In 1999, the prototype is completed and named XFMRL (Extensible Financial Reporting Markup Language). The prototype is describing XML as important for the accounting profession. The first XFRML consortium meeting took place in New York by October 1999. Soon thereafter, the initial name XFRML was changed to XBRL once the name was determined by the consortium members. The XBRL committee announces the presentation of the first specification for financial statements for American businesses. The membership of the committee increases significantly. (Gray 2007) In April 2008, XBRL US completed the first release of the XBRL US GAAP Taxonomy and subsequently published the 2009 Release, 10 years from when the idea was born. Today, XBRL is being adopted around the globe by the business community which sees the opportunity to transform the way it communicates and conducts business. (XBRL.us) XBRL(eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is a financial reporting markup language derived from XML (eXtensible Markup Language). The markup...
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...total test questions associated with the area. The ranges are designed to provide flexibility in building the examination, and the midpoints of the ranges for all areas in each section total 100%. The examination questions will be selected from each area to fall within the percentage allocation range. No percentages are given for groups or topics. The presence of several groups within an area or several topics within a group does not imply equal importance or weight will be given to these groups or topics on an examination. Auditing and Attestation (AUD) The Auditing and Attestation section tests knowledge and understanding of the following professional standards: Auditing standards promulgated in the United States of America (related to audits of an “Issuer” (a public company), a “Nonissuer” (an entity that is not a public company),...
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...(Financial Accounting Standards Board), AICPA (American Institute of CPA’s) and FASAB (Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board) I can give a overview of how these items are defined in various resources. The FASB Accounting Standards Codification is the single source of authoritative nongovernmental U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Looking at the online FASB site it offers the most GAAP generally accepted accounting principles. The site is set up so that you can access the topics you’re looking for in a sort of drill down menu type of search. The site is somewhat user friendly in that it offers a tutorial on how to use the site. It also offers several useful functions such as cross-referencing and join-sections. The AICPA sets ethical standards for the accounting profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies, non-profit organizations and federal, state and local governments. This resource offers tabs with drop down menus; one of which is marked Research under this tab you can find Standards that will take you to the Standard page offering a list of topics on Professional Accountant Standards such as ‘Audit and Attest Standards’, Code of Professional Conduct, Peer Review Standards, and Tax Standards. By clicking on any of these main topics you can access the statement or information you are seeking. This was by far the easiest to understand because of the commonly used format and the language. The AICPA The mission of the FASAB is to develop...
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...QUALITY AUDIT 9th Edition Karla M. Johnstone | Audrey A. Gramling | Larry E. Rittenberg CHAPTER 5 PROFESSIONAL AUDITING STANDARDS AND THE AUDIT OPINION FORMULATION PROCESS Copyright © 2014 South-Western/Cengage Learning LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. 2. 3. 4. Identify and compare the various auditing standards that provide guidance on the audit opinion formulation process List and discuss the foundational principles underlying the auditing standards List the phases and related activities in the audit opinion formulation process Explain the concept of accounting cycles and discuss their importance to the audit opinion formulation process Copyright © 2014 South-Western/Cengage Learning 5-2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES 5. 6. 7. 8. Describe the assertions that are inherent to financial statements and explain their importance to the audit opinion formulation process Define audit evidence and describe the purpose and types of audit procedures used to obtain audit evidence Discuss the importance of audit documentation and provide examples Discuss audit activities in Phase I of the audit opinion formulation process Copyright © 2014 South-Western/Cengage Learning 5-3 LEARNING OBJECTIVES 9. 10. 11. 12. Discuss audit activities in Phase II of the audit opinion formulation process Discuss audit activities in Phase III of the audit opinion formulation process Discuss audit activities in Phase IV of the audit opinion...
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...Accounting Principles The sources of accounting principles and the framework for selecting the principles to be used in the preparation of financial statements are prepared by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). The standard categorizes the major sources of GAAP as being FASB Standards, Interpretations and Staff Positions; APB Opinions; and AICPA Accounting Research Bulletins (Kiesco, Weygandt, & Warfield, Chap. 1, 2007). Chapter one describes this bottom portion of the hierarchy of GAAP as Category (A), being the most authoritative. When a specific accounting transaction occurs that these documents do not cover, companies go to the next level, which according to Kiesco, Weygandt, and Warfield’s (2007) illustration are Category B being FASB Technical Bulletins (which are no longer issued); AICPA Industry Audit and Accounting Guides; and AICPA Statements of Position. Although there is no single reference source for GAAP, there is a hierarchy established by the AICPA. At the foundation of that hierarchy are the principles established by the FASB and its predecessors, the APB and the AICPA Committee on Accounting Procedure. From that foundation, the hierarchy formulates a "pecking order" for all the rules and procedures that are incorporated in the preparation of financial statements and that have come to be known as GAAP. The GAAP hierarchy includes four successive categories (A-D), each of which establishes a different level of authority...
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...organization’s various application programs is indirect, understanding how ITGCs interact and affect an auditor’s risk assessment is often challenging for students. This case helps students assess overall ITGC risk within an organization’s information systems. Students identify specific strengths and weaknesses within five ITGC areas, provide a risk assessment for each area, and then evaluate an organization’s overall level of ITGC risk within the context of an integrated audit. Keywords: internal controls; general control; ITGC; risk assessment. INTRODUCTION he Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX 2002) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Auditing Standard No. 5 (PCAOB 2007) require that the organization’s chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO) include an assessment of the operating effectiveness of their internal control structure over financial reporting when issuing the annual report. External auditors must review management’s internal control assessment as part of an annual integrated audit of an organization’s internal controls over financial reporting. In short, accountants—external auditors, internal auditors, and management accountants at all levels—are actively involved in helping their respective organizations comply with SOX-related internal control requirements. Because of the pervasiveness of IT in organizations, the information systems themselves contain many internal...
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...Chapter 2 Financial Statement Audits and Auditors' Responsibilities |Learning Check | 2.1 The ultimate objective of accounting is the communication of relevant and reliable financial data that will be useful for decision making. Accounting methods involve identifying the events and transactions that affect the entity. Once identified, these items are measured, recorded, classified, and summarized in the accounting records and reported in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The accounting process is carried out by an entity's employees, and ultimate responsibility for the financial statements lies with the entity's management. The primary objective of an audit is to add credibility to management's financial statements. The typical audit performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) involves obtaining and evaluating evidence concerning management's financial statements. Auditing culminates in the issuance of an audit report that contains the auditor's opinion on whether the financial statements do in fact present fairly the entity's financial position, results of operations, and cash flows in conformity with GAAP. The auditor is responsible for forming and expressing an opinion on the entity’s financial statements. 2.2 Verifiability is primarily concerned with the availability of evidence. In an audit the auditor needs to obtain evidence to support conclusions about the fair presentation...
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...Accountant, Payroll Accountant, CPA, and Forensic Accountant just to name a few. Most of the jobs require a Bachelors’ Degree from an accredited university. Local accounting firms (AKA) public accounting firms provide services such as preparing taxes for business or personal, located within the city limits. The federal, state, and local taxes that are due from or to the business or individual can be prepared at the local branch. These offices may have one CPA managing the business or a group forming a partnership in the location. They may also assist in cases involving tax planning in which the client needs assistance in making arrangements in paying taxes back to Uncle Sam. Small business owners can use this company in preparing financial reports to gain funding from the bank. Regional offices are compared to local offices with the acceptation of the expansion of firms into other states as the business grows so does the services provided. These firms are located throughout the United States. Local firms become regional firms by opening other offices in nearby cities or states and growing staff members. Merging with other local firms is often a route to regional status. This growth is often accompanied by an increase in the amount of auditing as compared to other services. National Firms are set apart from regional and local firms are the location in which the firm is located. Accounting firms in major cities for example Chicago, Las Angeles, compared to Vicksburg and Port Gibson...
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...companies that dealing in several countries. They are willing and ready to fight replacing the mainly different national accounting standards. The GAAP is only use by the United States for stock exchange and corporations within the United States but a lot of companies operate outside the U.S. conducting operations on international soil. U.S. accounting standards with respect to history have been set by the American Institute of Certified Accountant subject to Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. The SEC encouraged the establishment for the use of a single person or group standard setting bodies through the AICPA and later the FASB to have a specified opinion that the private sector had the proper knowledge, resources, and talents. GAAP consists of two organizations AICPA and the FASB for publishing accounting principles. The American Institute of Certified Audit Public Accounts publishes the Accounting Guidelines, Statements of Positions, and Practice Bulletins. The Financial Accounting Standards Board publishes the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards and Concepts, Interpreting, and Technical bulletins. The SEC works closely with various private groups setting GAAP, but does not set GAAP, itself....
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...of an audit report. An audit report is a crucial part in the auditing process. It is a guide for users of the financial information. Auditors issue opinions on the financial statements based on certain criteria. The main thing is if the financial statements are presented in accordance to GAAP. Also, modifications can occur after the opinion is issued. Modifications vary depending on the issue at hand. Changes in principles or a report involving other auditors are a few. More will be addressed in the paper. An audit report is different is many ways. Even for one company, the audit report may not be the same every year. Modifications and Opinions in Audit Reports Every publicly traded company gets audited. Pop Iuliana (2012) says, “The purpose of an audit is to improve the degree of trust of the users across the financial situations” (p.454). Companies must present their financial statements in accordance to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The final stage of an audit is writing an audit report. An audit report “expresses an opinion over the audited financial situations so that any user of this information is able to take decisions based on it” (Iuliana, 2012, p. 453). A standard audit report contains eight parts. The eight parts are report title, audit report address, introductory paragraph, management’s responsibility, auditor’s responsibility, opinion paragraph, name and address of CPA firm, and audit report date...
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...Giving an opinion on the conformity of the financial statements of a university with generally accepted accounting principles. c. Giving an opinion on the fair presentation of a newspaper’s circulation data. d. Giving assurance about the average drive length achieved by golfers with a client’s golf balls. e. All of the above. 1.24 It is always a good idea for auditors to begin an audit with the professional skepticism characterized by the assumption that a. A potential conflict of interest always exists between the auditor and the management of the enterprise under audit. b. In audits of financial statements, the auditor acts exclusively in the capacity of an auditor. c. The professional status of the independent auditor imposes commensurate professional obligations. d. Financial statements and financial data are verifiable. 1.25 In an attestation engagement, a CPA practitioner is engaged to a. Compile a company’s financial forecast based on management’s assumptions without expressing any form of assurance. b. Prepare a written report containing a conclusion about the reliability of a management assertion. c. Prepare a tax return using information the CPA has not audited or reviewed. d. Give expert testimony in court on particular facts in a corporate income tax controversy. 1.26 A determination of cost savings obtained by outsourcing cafeteria services is most likely to be an objective of a. Environmental...
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...following comments relating to the collections made at weekly services and recordkeeping for members’ contributions: 1. The church’s board of trustees has delegated responsibility for financial management and audit of the financial records to the finance committee. This group prepares the annual budget and approves major disbursements but is not involved in collections or recordkeeping. No audit has been considered necessary in recent years because the same trusted employee has kept church records and served as financial secretary for 15 years. 2. The collection at the weekly service is taken by a team of ushers. The head usher counts the collection in the church following each service. He then places the collection and a notation of the amount counted in the church safe. Next morning the financial secretary opens the safe and counts the collection again. She withholds about $100 to meet cash expenditures during the coming week and deposits the remainder of the collection intact. To facilitate the deposit, members who contribute by check are asked to draw their checks to “cash.” Required Describe the weaknesses and recommend improvements in procedures for collections made at weekly services. Organize your answer using the following format: WEAKNESS RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENT(S) AICPA (adapted) |Weakness |RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENT | |1. Financial secretary exercises too much control over...
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