题目内容
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(iii) Can internal audit services be undertaken for an audit client？ (4 marks)
Required:
For each of the three questions, explain the threats to objectivity that may arise and the safeguards that
should be available to manage them to an acceptable level.
NOTE: The mark allocation is shown against each of the three questions above.
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更多“（iii) Can internal audit servi…”相关的问题
(a) Auditors have a responsibility under ISA 265 Communicating Deficiencies in Internal Control to those Charged with Governance and Management, to communicate deficiencies in internal controls. In particular SIGNIFICANT deficiencies in internal controls must be communicated in writing to those charged with governance.
Required:
Explain examples of matters the auditor should consider in determining whether a deficiency in internal controls is significant. (5 marks)
Greystone Co is a retailer of ladies clothing and accessories. It operates in many countries around the world and has expanded steadily from its base in Europe. Its main market is aimed at 15 to 35 year olds and its prices are mid to low range. The company’s year end was 30 September 2010.
In the past the company has bulk ordered its clothing and accessories twice a year. However, if their goods failed to meet the key fashion trends then this resulted in significant inventory write downs. As a result of this the company has recently introduced a just in time ordering system. The fashion buyers make an assessment nine months in advance as to what the key trends are likely to be, these goods are sourced from their suppliers but only limited numbers are initially ordered.
Greystone Co has an internal audit department but at present their only role is to perform. regular inventory counts at the stores.
Ordering process
Each country has a purchasing manager who decides on the initial inventory levels for each store, this is not done in conjunction with store or sales managers. These quantities are communicated to the central buying department at the head office in Europe. An ordering clerk amalgamates all country orders by specified regions of countries, such as Central Europe and North America, and passes them to the purchasing director to review and authorise.
As the goods are sold, it is the store manager’s responsibility to re-order the goods through the purchasing manager; they are prompted weekly to review inventory levels as although the goods are just in time, it can still take up to four weeks for goods to be received in store.
It is not possible to order goods from other branches of stores as all ordering must be undertaken through the purchasing manager. If a customer requests an item of clothing, which is unavailable in a particular store, then the customer is provided with other branch telephone numbers or recommended to try the company website.
Goods received and Invoicing
To speed up the ordering to receipt of goods cycle, the goods are delivered directly from the suppliers to the individual stores. On receipt of goods the quantities received are checked by a sales assistant against the supplier’s delivery note, and then the assistant produces a goods received note (GRN). This is done at quiet times of the day so as to maximise sales. The checked GRNs are sent to head office for matching with purchase invoices.
As purchase invoices are received they are manually matched to GRNs from the stores, this can be a very time consuming process as some suppliers may have delivered to over 500 stores. Once the invoice has been agreed then it is sent to the purchasing director for authorisation. It is at this stage that the invoice is entered onto the purchase ledger.
Required:
(b) As the external auditors of Greystone Co, write a report to management in respect of the purchasing system which:
(i) Identifies and explains FOUR deficiencies in that system;
(ii) Explains the possible implication of each deficiency;
(iii) Provides a recommendation to address each deficiency.
A covering letter is required.
Note: Up to two marks will be awarded within this requirement for presentation. (14 marks)
(c) Describe substantive procedures the auditor should perform. on the year-end trade payables of Greystone Co. (5 marks)
(d) Describe additional assignments that the internal audit department of Greystone Co could be asked to perform. by those charged with governance. (6 marks)
2 The Information Technology division (IT) of the RJ Business Consulting Group provides consulting services to its
clients as well as to other divisions within the group. Consultants always work in teams of two on every consulting
day. Each consulting day is charged to external clients at ￡750 which represents cost plus 150% profit mark up. The
total cost per consulting day has been estimated as being 80% variable and 20% fixed.
The director of the Human Resources (HR) division of RJ Business Consulting Group has requested the services of
two teams of consultants from the IT division on five days per week for a period of 48 weeks, and has suggested that
she meets with the director of the IT division in order to negotiate a transfer price. The director of the IT division has
responded by stating that he is aware of the limitations of using negotiated transfer prices and intends to charge the
HR division ￡750 per consulting day.
The IT division always uses ‘state of the art’ video-conferencing equipment on all internal consultations which would
reduce the variable costs by ￡50 per consulting day. Note: this equipment can only be used when providing internal
consultations.
Required:
(a) Calculate and discuss the transfer prices per consulting day at which the IT division should provide
consulting services to the HR division in order to ensure that the profit of the RJ Business Consulting Group
is maximised in each of the following situations:
(i) Every pair of consultants in the IT division is 100% utilised during the required 48-week period in
providing consulting services to external clients, i.e. there is no spare capacity.
(ii) There is one team of consultants who, being free from other commitments, would be available to
undertake the provision of services to the HR division during the required 48-week period. All other
teams of consultants would be 100% utilised in providing consulting services to external clients.
(iii) A major client has offered to pay the IT division ￡264,000 for the services of two teams of consultants
during the required 48-week period.
(12 marks)
Required:
Explain what is meant by the terms:
(a) Computer based training. (3 marks)
An "internal computer" (Para. 2 ) is______.
A．a computer used exclusively by one company for its own problems
B．a person ' s store of knowledge and the ability to process it
C．the most up to date in home computer a company can buy
D．a computer from the post-war era which is very reliable
Which of the following statements relating to internal and external auditors is correct？
A.Internal auditors are required to be members of a professional body
B.Internal auditors’ scope of work should be determined by those charged with governance
C.External auditors report to those charged with governance
D.Internal auditors can never be independent of the company
Pear International Co (Pear) is a manufacturer of electrical equipment. It has factories across the country and its customer base includes retailers as well as individuals, to whom direct sales are made through their website. The company’s year end is 30 September 2012. You are an audit supervisor of Apple & Co and are currently reviewing documentation of Pear’s internal control in preparation for the interim audit.
Pear’s website allows individuals to order goods directly, and full payment is taken in advance. Currently the website is not integrated into the inventory system and inventory levels are not checked at the time when orders are placed.
Goods are despatched via local couriers; however, they do not always record customer signatures as proof that the customer has received the goods. Over the past 12 months there have been customer complaints about the delay between sales orders and receipt of goods. Pear has investigated these and found that, in each case, the sales order had been entered into the sales system correctly but was not forwarded to the despatch department for fulfilling.
Pear’s retail customers undergo credit checks prior to being accepted and credit limits are set accordingly by sales ledger clerks. These customers place their orders through one of the sales team, who decides on sales discount levels.
Raw materials used in the manufacturing process are purchased from a wide range of suppliers. As a result of staff changes in the purchase ledger department, supplier statement reconciliations are no longer performed. Additionally, changes to supplier details in the purchase ledger master file can be undertaken by purchase ledger clerks as well as supervisors.
In the past six months Pear has changed part of its manufacturing process and as a result some new equipment has been purchased, however, there are considerable levels of plant and equipment which are now surplus to requirement. Purchase requisitions for all new equipment have been authorised by production supervisors and little has been done to reduce the surplus of old equipment.
Required:
(a) In respect of the internal control of Pear International Co:
(i) Identify and explain FIVE deficiencies;
(ii) Recommend a control to address each of these deficiencies; and
(iii) Describe a test of control Apple & Co would perform. to assess if each of these controls is operating effectively. (15 marks)
(b) Describe substantive procedures you should perform. at the year end to confirm each of the following for plant and equipment:
(i) Additions; and
(ii) Disposals. (4 marks)
(c) Pear’s finance director has expressed an interest in Apple & Co performing other review engagements in addition to the external audit; however, he is unsure how much assurance would be gained via these engagements and how this differs to the assurance provided by an external audit.
Required:
Identify and explain the level of assurance provided by an external audit and other review engagements. (3 marks)
Pear’s directors are considering establishing an internal audit department next year, and the finance director has asked about the differences between internal audit and external audit and what impact, if any, establishing an internal audit department would have on future external audits performed by Apple & Co.
Required:
(d) Distinguish between internal audit and external audit. (4 marks)
(e) Explain the potential impact on the work performed by Apple & Co during the interim and final audits, if Pear International Co was to establish an internal audit department. (4 marks)
The Committee of Sponsoring Organisations (COSO) of the Treadway Commission is an American voluntary, private sector organisation and is unconnected to government or any other regulatory authority. It was established in 1985 to help companies identify the causes of fraudulent reporting and to create internal control environments able to support full and accurate reporting. It is named after its fi rst chairman, James Treadway, and has issued several guidance reports over the years including important reports in 1987, 1992 and 2006.
In 2009, COSO issued new ‘Guidance on monitoring internal control systems’ to help companies tighten internal controls and thereby enjoy greater internal productivity and produce higher quality reporting. The report, written principally by a leading global professional services fi rm but adopted by all of the COSO members, noted that ‘unmonitored controls tend to deteriorate over time’ and encouraged organisations to adopt wide ranging internal controls. It went on to say that, the ‘assessment of internal controls [can] ... involve a signifi cant amount of ... internal audit testing.’
After its publication, the business journalist, Mark Rogalski, said that the latest report contained ‘yet more guidance from COSO on how to make your company less productive by burdening it even more with non-productive things to do’ referring to the internal control guidance the 2009 report contains. He said that there was no industry sector-specifi c advice and that a ‘one-size-fi ts-all’ approach to internal control was ‘ridiculous’. He further argued that there was no link between internal controls and external reporting, and that internal controls are unnecessary for effective external reporting.
Another commentator, Claire Mahmood, wrote a reply to Rogalski’s column pointing to the views expressed in the 2009 COSO report that, ‘over time effective monitoring can lead to organisational effi ciencies and reduced costs associated with public reporting on internal control because problems are identifi ed and addressed in a proactive, rather than reactive, manner.’ She said that these benefi ts were not industry sector specifi c and that Rogalski was incorrect in his dismissal of the report’s value. She also said that although primarily concerned with governance in the USA, the best practice guidance from COSO could be applied by companies anywhere in the world. She said that although the USA, where COSO is based, is concerned with the ‘rigid rules’ of compliance, the advice ought to be followed by companies in countries with principles-based approaches to corporate governance because it was best practice.
Required:
(a) Distinguish between rules-based and principles-based approaches to internal control system compliance as described by Claire Mahmood and discuss the benefi ts to an organisation of a principles-based approach. (7 marks)
(b) Mr Rogalski is sceptical over the value of internal control and believes that controls must be industry-specifi c to be effective. Required: Describe the advantages of internal control that apply regardless of industry sector and briefl y explain the meaning of the statement, ‘unmonitored controls tend to deteriorate over time’. Your answer should refer to the case scenario as appropriate. (10 marks)
(c) The COSO report explains that ‘assessment of internal controls [can] ... involve a signifi cant amount of ... internal audit testing.’ Required: Defi ne ‘internal audit testing’ and explain the roles of internal audit in helping ensure the effectiveness of internal control systems. (8 marks)
(6)
A．Information technology system can cause operational risk.
B．A major fire can be a cause of operational risk.
C．The most important types of operational risk involve breakdowns in internal controls and corporate governance.
D．Other aspects of operational risk include firing its dealers, lending officers or other staff exceeding their authority or conducting business in an unethical or risky manner.
(iii) Can audit teams cross sell services to their clients？ (4 marks)
Required:
For EACH of the three FAQs, explain the threats to objectivity that may arise and the safeguards that should
be available to manage them to an acceptable level.
NOTE: The mark allocation is shown against each of the three questions.
(iii) Explain the potential corporation tax (CT) implications of Tay Limited transferring work to Trent Limited,
and suggest how these can be minimised or eliminated. (3 marks)
