Auditing DevelopmentsCode: 21-AUD

405 pages

Content: 

The objective of this course is to review the latest developments affecting audit engagements.

Part of planning an audit involves consideration of the business and economic environment in which the client operates. Thus, auditors need to be aware of the various types of fraud that clients and employees may be committing, especially in light of myriad lawsuits against auditors and accountants. In addition to applying techniques to limit their liability to their clients and third parties, auditors are confronting other major problems facing the accounting field, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The peer review comments and new auditing statements provide further guidance on current issues. To deal with the volatility in the business climate, auditors should focus their efforts in key areas and should take lessons from litigation. Additionally, in this course, auditors will learn how to perform more efficient engagements, understand the new auditor’s report guidance found in SAS Nos. 134-139, agreed-upon engagements in SSAE No. 19, and much more. The course focuses on recalling, recognizing and identifying rules related to auditing standards including new developments pertaining to those standards. The course also addresses auditing issues related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Objectives:

To review a variety of auditing developments affecting the profession including audit risk alerts.

Section 1:

After reading the Section 1 course material, you will be able to:

• Identify certain factors that an auditor may or may not consider in assessing going concern

• Identify audit procedures that an auditor should perform on receivables and inventories

• Recall how equity securities should be accounted for under the new ASU 2016-01 rules

• Identify examples of fraud involving fraudulent financial reporting and misappropriation ofassets

• Recall the definition of near term

• Identify an advantage of remote auditing

• Recognize the three conditions of the fraud triangle

• Recall additional procedures required by an auditor to deal with the risk of management overrideof internal controls

• Identify some of the steps required to recognize revenue under the new revenue standard

Section 2:

After reading the Section 2 course material, you will be able to:

• Recognize an acceptable type of indemnification clause that an auditor can use

• Identify a fact related to the concentration of auditors in the larger public company market

• Recognize a recommendation made to address auditor liability

• Recall some of the AICPA’s top technology issues affecting auditors

• Identify some of the auditor requirements of Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act

• Identify some of the reasons why an entity may no longer wish to stay public

• Recall some of the whistleblower protections for employees of public companies including theincentives given to such whistleblowers to report to the SEC

• Identify some of the key deficiencies found in peer review

Section 3:

After reading the Section 3 course material, you will be able to:

• Identify an example of a coverage ratio

• Recognize some of the common pitfalls that continue to expose accountants to loss in litigation

• Identify some of the top ten actions to minimize the risk of being sued

• Recognize a symptom of an undesirable client

• Identify actions that can reduce time and increase audit efficiency in an audit engagement

• Recognize an appropriate response to a comfort letter request

• Identify an action an accountant should take if he or she identifies a deficiency in internal control

• Recall when an employee benefit plan must have an audit

• Recognize actions to reduce cheating in a company

Section 4:

After reading the Section 4 course material, you will be able to:

• Recognize the first section in the new auditor’s report in SAS No. 134

• Define a key audit matter

• Identify the change that AU-C 703 makes to limited-scope audits of ERISA plans

• Recall an element of the new definition of materiality found in SAS No. 138

• Recognize some of the changes to the auditor’s report on special purpose frameworks