Auditing &

Assurance
Services,
6e

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 Chapter 02
Professional Standards
“In today’s regulatory environment, it’s virtually impossible to
violate rules.”

– Bernard Madoff, money manager, approximately one year prior

to being arrested for embezzling $50 billion from investors in a
Ponzi scheme.

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Chapter 2 Objectives
1. Understand the development and source of generally
accepted auditing standards.
2. Describe the fundamental principle of responsibilities and how
this principle relates to the characteristics and qualifications of
auditors.
3. Describe the fundamental principle of performance and
identify the major activities performed in an audit.
4. Understand the fundamental principle of reporting and
identify the basic contents of the auditors’ report.
5. Understand the role of a system of quality control and
monitoring efforts in enabling public accounting firms to meet
appropriate levels of professional quality.

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History of Professional
Standards-Setting
• AICPA Auditing Standards Board
– Statements on Auditing Procedure (1939 –
1972)
– Statements on Auditing Standards (1972 –
current)
• PCAOB
– Auditing Standards

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Auditing Standards for Public
and Nonpublic Entities
Audits of Audits of
Public Entities Nonpublic Entities
AICPA Statements on Standards issued by the All current standards
Auditing Standards Auditing Standards Board issued by Auditing
prior to April 2003 not Standards Board
amended or superseded
by PCAOB standards
(Interim Standards)

PCAOB Auditing All current standards Not applicable

Standards issued by PCAOB

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Overview
• GAAS and Principles
– Responsibilities
– Performance
– Reporting
• Quality of Public Accounting Firms’ Practices

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Generally Accepted Auditing
Standards
• Identify necessary qualifications and
characteristics of auditors and guide the
conduct of the audit
• Purpose of GAAS is to achieve the following
objectives of an audit examination
– Obtain reasonable assurance about whether
financial statements are free of material
misstatement
– Report on the financial statements and
communicate in accordance with auditor’s
findings

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Components of GAAS
Fundamental Principles
(Guide general conduct of audits)

PCAOB Auditing Standards and ASB

Statements on Auditing Standards
(Requirements supporting principles)

Interpretive Publications
(Guide application of GAAS)

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Comparison of 10 Basic Standards
with Principles: Responsibilities
General Standards Responsibilities Principle
1. Training and proficiency Auditors are responsible for:
•competence and capabilities
2. Independence in mental attitude
•ethical requirements (independence
and due care)
3. Due professional care
•professional skepticism and
professional judgment

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Comparison of 10 Basic Standards
with Principles: Performance
Standards of Fieldwork Performance Principle

1. Planning and supervision To obtain reasonable assurance:

•Plan work and supervise assistants
2. Understanding of entity and
•Determine and apply appropriate
environment to assess risk of
materiality levels
material misstatement
•Identify and assess risks of material
3. Obtain sufficient appropriate misstatement
evidence •Obtain sufficient appropriate evidence

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Comparison of 10 Basic Standards
with Principles: Reporting
Standards of Reporting Reporting Principle
1. Financial statements in accordance • Express an opinion or state that an
with GAAP opinion cannot be expressed
2. GAAP applied consistently (only • Opinion is based on conformity of
report if not consistent) financial statements with applicable
3. Adequacy of disclosures (only financial reporting framework
report if not adequate)
4. Express or disclaim an opinion

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Engagement Overview and
Principles

OBTAIN ENGAGEMENT
RISK AUDIT
(OR RETAIN) PLANNING REPORTING
ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
CLIENT

Responsibilities: Professional skepticism, Professional

Responsibilities:
Competence and judgment, Due care
capabilities,
Independence
Performance Reporting

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Overview
• GAAS and Principles
– Responsibilities
– Performance
– Reporting
• Quality of Public Accounting Firms’ Practices

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Responsibilities Principle
1. Competence and capabilities
– Experience and expertise
2. Independence
– Independence in fact vs. independence in appearance
– Financial and managerial relationships
3. Due care
– Level of performance by reasonable auditor in similar
circumstances
4. Professional skepticism and judgment
– Skepticism: Appropriate questioning and critical assessment of
evidence
– Judgment: Application of training, knowledge, and experience in
making informed decisions during audit

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Overview
• GAAS and Principles
– Responsibilities
– Performance
– Reporting
• Quality of Public Accounting Firms’ Practices

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Performance Principle
Goal is to provide reasonable assurance that financial statements do not
contain material misstatements
1. Planning and supervision
– Preparation of audit plan
2. Materiality
– Influences decisions of financial statement users
– Considered throughout the audit
3. Risk assessment
– Understand entity and environment (including internal control)
– Determine necessary effectiveness of substantive tests
4. Audit evidence
– Sufficient = quantity (How many transactions or components?)
– Appropriate = quality (What level of reliability needed? Source?)

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Overview of Evidence
Detection Risk

Appropriateness (Quality of Evidence) Sufficiency (Quantity

of Evidence)

Relevance (What Reliability (Can the

Does Evidence Tell Auditor Trust the
the Auditor?) Evidence?)

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Sufficient evidence
• Related to quantity (number of
transactions or components examined)
• Influenced by effectiveness of entity’s
internal control
Effective internal Lower level of
control control risk Evaluate less evidence

Ineffective internal Higher level of Evaluate more evidence

control control risk

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Appropriate Evidence
• Relates to the quality of evidence
• Relevance: Does evidence address
assertion(s) of interest?
• Reliability: Source of evidence
– Auditors’ direct personal knowledge
High
– External documentary evidence
– Internal documentary evidence
Low

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Summary: Appropriateness of
Evidence

Effective internal Lower level of Use less effective

control control risk substantive procedures

Ineffective internal Higher level of Use more effective

control control risk substantive procedures

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Overview
• GAAS and Principles
– Responsibilities
– Performance
– Reporting
• Quality of Public Accounting Firms’ Practices

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Reporting Principle
• Express an opinion (or indicate that an opinion
cannot be expressed) on entity’s financial
statements
• Assess financial statements against financial
reporting framework
– Set of criteria used to determine the measurement,
recognition, presentation, and disclosure of material
items in the financial statements
– Examples include GAAP, IFRS, or special purpose
framework

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Independent Auditors’ Report (AS 5)
Report Title Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Addressee The Board of Directors and Shareholders of McDonald’s Corporation

Introductory We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of McDonald’s Corporation as of December 31, 2012 and
Paragraph 2011, and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in
the period ended December 31, 2012. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

Scope We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United
Paragraph States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the
amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that
our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Opinion In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial
Paragraph position of McDonald’s Corporation at December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the consolidated results of its operations and its
cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2012, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles.

Internal We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States),
Control McDonald’s Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, based on criteria established in
Paragraph Internal Control–Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
and our report dated February 25, 2013 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Ernst & Young LLP (signed)

Chicago, Illinois
February 25, 2013

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Major Items in Auditor’s
Report
• Auditor’s and management responsibility in
financial reporting process
• Audit conducted in accordance with PCAOB
standards
• Opinion on financial statements
• Opinion on internal control over financial
reporting

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Types of Audit Opinions
• Unmodified (unqualified)
– F/S are in conformity with GAAP
• Qualified
– Except for limited items, F/S are in conformity with GAAP
• Adverse
– F/S are not in conformity with GAAP
• Disclaimer
– Auditors do not express an opinion

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Overview
• GAAS and Principles
– Responsibilities
– Performance
– Reporting
• Quality of Public Accounting Firms’
Practices

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System of Quality Control
• Provides firm with reasonable assurance that the
firm and its personnel
– Comply with professional standards and
regulatory/legal requirements
– Issue reports that are appropriate in the circumstances

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Elements of System of Quality
Control
1. Leadership responsibilities for quality within the firm
(“tone at the top”)
2. Relevant ethical requirements
3. Acceptance and continuance of client relationships and
specific engagements
4. Human resources
5. Engagement performance
6. Monitoring

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Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (PCAOB)
• Monitors public accounting firms through
inspections
– Firms auditing > 100 public entities: annual
– Firms auditing ≤ 100 public entities: every 3 years
• Inspection reports list deficiencies in audits
conducted by registered firms (
http://pcaobus.org/Inspections/Reports/Pages/default.aspx)

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