Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Auditing Cases
Table of Contents
Introductory Case 5
Case 1 14
Case 2 22
Case 3 33
Case 4 44
Case 5 58
Case 6 74
Case 7 82
Case 8 92
Case 9 101
Case 10 110
Case 11 116
Case 12 125
Case 13 136
A NOTE ON ETHICS, FRAUD, AND SOX QUESTIONS
The Lakeside Company: Auditing Cases, 12th edition, has been updated in light
of the accounting scandals of the early 2000s, the passage of the Sarbanes-
Oxley Act of 2002, and the renewed interest in ethics within the accounting
and auditing profession.
Sarbanes-Oxley issues have been incorporated in two ways. First, case content
has been altered to include Lakeside’s consideration of financing expansion
through an initial public offering, and the resulting impact such a decision
would have on Lakeside and on Abernathy and Chapman, CPAs. Second, the
discussion questions and exercises have been expanded to include
consideration of Sarbanes-Oxley and new auditing and independence
standards, both by adding a section in the end-of-chapter material and by
reference in the other questions where appropriate.
Ethics questions are now specifically identified with an ethics logo. The ethics
questions are often open ended, and this solutions manual does not try to give
exact answers to these questions. Rather, we intend to give some ideas for
classroom discussion, and to help with student research on these questions.
The "Apply Your Research" and "Consulting Partner Review" assignments included at
the end of several cases do not lend themselves to definitive solutions that could be
included in an instructor's manual. The assignments are simply not intended to be
exercises in arriving at a predetermined answer. Rather, the applications of the
suggested readings have the following objectives:
- To provide a means for improving the writing skills of students. From all reports,
accounting majors too often leave college lacking in the basic ability to compose
and construct sentences and paragraphs. Accounting and auditing (especially as
one moves up in an organization) obviously require skills other than the purely
quantitative. Memos, reports, footnotes, audit and accounting guides, etc., all
require accountants and auditors to be effective communicators of the written
word. Indeed, the instructor may want to team up with a member of the school's
English or communications department to enhance the effectiveness of these
assignments. The auditing instructor can then evaluate the technical and
research portions of the assignment, while the English instructor would make
suggestions as to grammar, syntax, construction of sentences and paragraphs,
logic of the thought process, etc. As a preliminary step, the instructor may want
to assign articles such as "Word Crunching: A Primer for Accountants" from the
March 1990 issue of the Journal of Accountancy.
(1)
The staff auditor performs many of the detailed audit procedures, such as preparing and
controlling accounts receivable confirmations. In general the work of the staff auditor is
controlled by the audit program and supervised by the senior auditor.
The senior auditor coordinates the audit at the client's location and performs many of
the more difficult audit procedures, such as analytical review procedures. Usually the
detailed work performed by the audit senior is more sophisticated and requires the
experience gained by someone holding that rank. The audit senior is supervised by the
manager.
The manager and the partner have supervisory roles. Managers and partners often
have more than one audit team under supervision at any given time.
The partner is the person who has responsibility for determining whether the firm’s
signature can be attached to audit report.
(2)
(3)
An accounting firm is a business like any other, and its management must recognize
that a marketing strategy is probably necessary to generate a continual flow of sufficient
operating revenues. However, in the accounting profession, disagreement exists as to
the extent that such marketing should take. In the past, overt marketing was not
permitted since it was considered to be unprofessional. This position was supported
based on the reasoning that a firm should be selected based solely on the quality of its
service. No reliable system existed, though, for conveying such information to potential
clients. Hence, firms with many clients tended to remain large, while smaller firms often
found growth to be nearly impossible. In the free market system espoused by the
United States, restrictions on such practices as advertising and solicitation were
inevitably overturned. Over the past three decades, attitudes toward marketing have
changed dramatically as competition has become much more intense. Advertisements
by CPA firms in newspapers and magazines are now common. Newsletters such as
that distributed by Abernethy and Chapman are also frequently used to increase a firm's
name recognition in the business community.
In the current world of business, some type of marketing strategy seems imperative if an
accounting firm is to compete. Whether that marketing should extend to formal
advertising is often a question of firm policy. Most importantly, the firm must ensure that
potential clients know of its presence and the services that it offers. A client will
probably not select a CPA firm based on advertising. However, the client may initially
become aware of the firm only through some type of marketing.
(4)
A national or international CPA firm might consider acquiring Abernethy and Chapman
for several reasons:
- Although only a regional firm, Abernethy and Chapman apparently has a client
base that includes a number of large clients in several different industries. By
acquiring the local firm, the larger organization will frequently be able to retain
these customers, thus increasing its own client list.
- The larger firm may be interested in moving into this geographical region, and
buying the local firm will provide an instant base on which to build a practice in
the area.
- The larger firm may already have an office in this location and feels that
combining the practices will reduce expenses.
Abernethy and Chapman might have several reasons for viewing an acquisition in a
favorable light:
- The regional firm may also desire the additional backup services offered by large
organizations. National CPA firms usually have experts in many industries as well
as in specific audit areas who are available for consultation. In a smaller firm, this
degree of assistance is not always available when a difficult accounting or auditing
problem is encountered.
- PCAOB registration and SEC practice presents hurdles that might be overcome
through a merger with a larger firm.
Many mergers have occurred in the auditing profession during recent years. Critics
assert that this trend has reduced competition and will inevitably lead to a decrease in
audit quality. Proponents counter by stating that mergers lead to more efficient
operations and, thus, improve audit quality. Obviously, mergers will create a drastic
change in the profession as more of the smaller firms disappear. Audit work in this
country may possibly become concentrated within the largest CPA firms. Whether this
result is good for the auditing profession may be merely a question of perspective. To
the smaller firms struggling to survive and grow, the mergers are usually considered a
threat as the bigger firms become more competitive. To the larger firms, the chance for
continued growth and more efficient operations is always an important objective.
See the Sarbanes-Oxley section below for a follow-up question related to the impact of
SOX on the auditing profession.
(5)
Moving staff from one area of a CPA firm to another can cause the perception of an
independence problem. For example, the appearance of independence may be in
question if a member of the consulting staff helps to install a new accounting system for
a client and then she moves to the audit staff to audit this same client.
See the Sarbanes-Oxley section below for a follow-up question/answer related to the
impact of SOX, in particular the list of proscribed activities for registered CPA firms.
(1)
The question requires students to address all the elements of a quality control system,
as included in Statement on Quality Control Standards No. 2. In some cases, students
should recognize the need for additional information.
Overview: I was employed by the firm of Abernethy and Chapman to review the quality
control standards within the firm. The following represents my evaluation of these
standards according to the six elements required by the AICPA.
Evaluation:
Standard Existing Recommendations Additional
Procedures Information Needed
Leadership The case does not The firm should have What specific
responsibilities explicitly address policies in place that policies does the
this standard. establish the “tone at firm have to
However, the firm the top” for quality demonstrate
has some items in within the firm. leadership
place, such as a responsibilities for
partner dedicated to quality within the
monitoring the firm?
system.
Relevant ethical Firm requires its The AICPA's Code of The case does not
requirements employees to Professional Conduct mention spouses or
sever all financial does not require all dependents of the
ties to audit clients. employees to sever employees.
ties with all audit Spouses and
clients. For example, dependents must
staff auditors not also be
working on a particular independent, as
engagement need not defined by Section
sever ties. In this 100--Rule 101 of
case, the firm exceeds the Code. In this
the minimum level of case, the firm
conduct for should strengthen
independence. its requirements.
The case does not How does the firm
address other ethical meet other ethical
requirements. requirements?
Acceptance and This case does not It is important to have
continuation of address this many controls when
clients control standard. It considering a potential
does note that the client, so that the
firm is attempting potential risks of legal
to gain more exposure are not too
clients through an great. (Note: This
extensive topic is addressed in
marketing Case 2.)
program.
Engagement The firm requires The firm should have a It is not clear from
performance that a consulting mechanism for the case how the
partner be consultation with team documents
assigned to each authoritative literature the work performed
audit engagement. and other sources, on an audit
The consulting including outside engagement. An
partner assures experts, if its evaluation of audit
that the work professional staff lacks documentation is
performed by the expertise in a necessary for
engagement team particular area. complete evaluation
meets applicable of the quality
professional controls.
standards and
regulatory
requirements. This
helps to ensure
objectivity, as the
consulting auditor
is not a direct part
of the engagement.
The firm seems to
have a clear chain
of command and
adequate
supervision on the
audit. The staff
auditors report to
the senior auditor,
who in turn reports
to the manager.
The partner-in-
charge has an
overall supervisory
position.
Conclusion: The firm has many policies related to quality control standards. However, the
firm has room for improvement in many of the areas, particularly in the acceptance and
continuation of clients.
(1)
- The Act provides that an inspection shall include at least the following
three general components:
• An inspection and review of selected audit and review
engagements of the firm, performed at various offices and by
various associated persons of the firm;
• An evaluation of the sufficiency of the quality control system of the
firm, and the manner of the documentation and communication of that
system by the firm; and
• Performance of such other testing of the audit, supervisory, and
quality control procedures of the firm as are necessary or
appropriate in light of the purpose of the inspection and the
responsibilities of the Board.
It shall be "unlawful" for a registered public accounting firm to provide any non-audit
service to an issuer contemporaneously with the audit, including: (1) bookkeeping or
other services related to the accounting records or financial statements of the audit
client; (2) financial information systems design and implementation; (3) appraisal or
valuation services, fairness opinions, or contribution-in-kind reports; (4) actuarial
services; (5) internal audit outsourcing services; (6) management functions or human
resources; (7) broker or dealer, investment adviser, or investment banking services; (8)
legal services and expert services unrelated to the audit; (9) any other service that the
Board determines, by regulation, is impermissible. The Board may, on a case-by-case
basis, exempt from these prohibitions any person, issuer, public accounting firm, or
transaction, subject to review by the Commission.
It will not be unlawful to provide other non-audit services if they are pre-approved by the
audit committee in the following manner. The bill allows an accounting firm to "engage in
any non-audit service, including tax services," that is not listed above, only if the activity
is pre-approved by the audit committee of the issuer. The audit committee will disclose
to investors in periodic reports its decision to pre-approve non-audit services. Statutory
insurance company regulatory audits are treated as an audit service, and thus do not
require pre-approval.
- Partner rotation - The rotation of the lead partner and the reviewing partners are
required by the SOX Act.
- Quality Control Standards – Registered firms must maintain the SEC practice
requirements:
- AICPA Quality Control Standards for public company audits are summarized at:
http://cpcaf.aicpa.org/Resources/
CASE 1
(1)
Outside parties are aware that the financial information produced by a company and its
management may not always be reliable. Hence, to add credibility to this reporting
process, independent experts are retained to audit the financial statements and test the
underlying accounting records. These auditors then issue an opinion for the benefit of
outside parties as to the fair presentation of the financial statements in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles. This added degree of assuredness allows
decision-makers to rely on reported financial information.
(2)
A CPA firm could not be expected to maintain expertise in every potential industry that it
might audit. In reviewing a potential client, the firm should evaluate its ability to gain the
necessary industry expertise prior to the actual audit, but no requirement exists that this
knowledge must be possessed prior to accepting the engagement.
Each industry may have its own specific accounting practices. In addition, certain
industries frequently offer unique auditing problems. Thus, without a thorough
investigation, the auditor cannot ascertain the knowledge that will be needed in
examining a potential client. In the consumer electronics business, for example, the
methods of distribution as well as credit policies would be significantly different from
those found in a car dealership. Damaged or obsolete inventory are other problems
that might be more important in this specific industry. Hence, a knowledge of one type
of operation does not necessarily mean that the auditor has the expertise needed to
examine a client operating in a different industry.
Auditing standards require that auditor to have the expertise by the completion of the
audit, but this expertise need not be in place at the beginning. It would be unethical to
misrepresent a firm’s experience, but it need not be volunteered.
(3)
This problem may be especially significant in the Lakeside Company because the
bonus plan is new and the stores are geographically located at a distance from the
home office. New plans require adaptation by company controls and such separation
always increases potential control concerns. In addition, Rogers has already mentioned
that some of the internal control systems are no longer adequate. Thus, the possibility
of inflated income figures is even more of a possibility.
(4)
Critics of the auditing profession have argued vehemently for a number of years that
advisory services such as those discussed in this question taint the appearance (and
possibly the reality) of independence. These services may appear, to the public, to give
the audit firm a financial interest in the success of the company. This argument holds
that the firm will now want the client to succeed as proof of the quality of the advice that
was given. In addition, the audit team may be less judicious in investigating these
systems since they are aware that members of their own firm designed and installed
them.
Audit firms counter by stating that adequate safeguards have been put into place to
ensure continued independence. For example, advisory services are frequently
rendered by a separate division of the firm so that no proximity exists between this
function and the audit staff. In addition, firms are not allowed to give many types of
advice that might jeopardize their independence. Finally, audit firms must make certain
that their services are limited to making recommendations, and are not for carrying out
management decisions. The firm cannot make decisions for the client.
(5)
In his article "The Initial Audit Engagement Conference" in the Journal of Accountancy
for September 1976, Bernard Valek lists a number of steps that can be performed in a
plant tour to avoid later "surprises" as well as to assist the firm in establishing an
appropriate audit fee. The first three are typical of a plant tour. The others go beyond the
typical tour. Students should not be expected to anticipate each of these procedures
but the question can be used to emphasize the importance of the auditor's complete
understanding of the audit client. These steps include:
* Review manufacturing facilities for indication of level of activity as well as any idle
machinery.
* Discuss with client the policy for valuing inventory and identifying obsolete
inventory items.
* Discuss with client the procedures for obtaining a proper year-end cutoff.
(6) A company may not want its CPAs to audit a client's records because the
auditors gain a substantial amount of competitive information during an audit.
However, CPAs are bound by confidentiality under the AICPA's Code of
Professional Conduct. Also, a CPA's knowledge of the industry gained from
having several clients in the same industry provides him or her with insights
he/she may not have otherwise had.
(1)
(a) and (b) The independent auditor must be able to review massive quantities of
information and identify the fraud risk factors that may affect the amount of evidence to
be gathered or the opinion to be rendered. This question calls upon the judgment
abilities of the students. The format used by students for this memo is not important as
long as it is clear and understandable. SAS 99 requires use of a brainstorming session
in the planning stage to be sure that everyone associated with the audit understands the
nature of the business and the potential risk of fraud. These sessions can also occur
during the audit if additional evidence presents itself. Potential problems that students
would be expected to identify are as follows. Additional fraud risk factors may also be
identified by the students.
During 2010, the Lakeside Company made a large investment in a retail store
located in the eastern sector of Richmond, Virginia. This store has failed to reach a
break-even sales point to date, and total recovery of the Company's investment is highly
uncertain. In our opinion, the chances are reasonably possible that the asset's value
has been permanently impaired and should be reduced to the net realizable value in
conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. Management of the company
has refused to recognize this impairment loss.
In our opinion, except for the effects of not recording or disclosing the impairment
of value of the asset, as discussed in the preceding paragraph, the aforementioned
financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the
Lakeside Company at December 31, 2011, and the results of its operations and its cash
flows for the year then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America.
(1)
The issuance of stock is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the
accounting, auditing and reporting is regulated by the PCAOB since 2002. A summary
of the regulations follows:
Issuance of stocks are regulated primarily under the SEC acts of 1933 and 1934.
Registration with the SEC is required, which includes financial reporting. The laws are
summarized at: http://www.sec.gov/about/laws.shtml.
The financial reporting and auditing for public companies has been regulated by the
PCAOB since 2002. The PCAOB registers, inspects and disciplines the auditors of
public companies. Its effect on the public companies is indirect, through the regulation
of the auditors.
Encourage students to visit the SEC EDGAR site to understand the nature of electronic,
public financial information.
(2)
CPA firms wishing to be associated with public companies must be registered firms,
accept the inspection process, and be subject to the discipline of the the PCAOB. CPAs
in public practice ofhave three choices. It is not only public vs. private, because some
CPA firms are choosing to give up the requirement for independence and perform
accounting, tax, and consulting services that are not possible for registered CPA firms.
Thus their clients have two CPA firms, one for the non-independent services and one for
the audit. In the case of Abernathy and Chapman, they will need to choose the nature of
their practice. This is a major strategic choice. Most CPA firms do not perform public
company audits. Large international and national firms handle almost all of the
companies on the exchanges.