Day: June 14, 2022

  • 6. Is Professional Scepticism necessary in other Audit areas besides Fraud?

    6. Is Professional Scepticism necessary in other Audit areas besides Fraud?

    Throughout the auditing process, Professional Scepticism is vital.

    在整个审计过程中，职业怀疑态度是至关重要的。

    Professional Scepticism is especially crucial when handling complicated, significant, or highly judgmental audit areas, such as:

    Accounting Estimates, Including Fair Value Accounting Estimates, and Related Disclosures – For example, when:

    • Evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used by management for accounting estimates that give rise to risks to significant risks.
    • Determining whether changes in accounting estimates or in the method for making them from the prior period are appropriate in the circumstances.
    • Review the judgments and decisions made by management in the making of accounting estimates to identify whether there are indicators of possible management bias.

    在处理复杂、重大或高度判断性的审计领域时，职业怀疑态度尤为关键，例如：

    会计估计，包括公允价值会计估计，以及相关的披露 — 例如，当

    • 评估管理层对引起重大风险的会计估计所使用的重要假设的合理性。
    • 确定会计估计的变化或与前期相比的方法的变化在当时情况下是否合适。
    • 审查管理层在作出会计估计时所作的判断和决定，以确定是否有迹象表明管理层可能存在偏见。

    Going Concern

    For example, In examining management’s plans for future actions concerning its going concern assessment, consider if the plans are likely to improve the position and whether they are practicable.

    The December 2011 IAASB release, Economic Conditions Continue to Challenge Preparers and Auditors Alike; Focus Must Include Going Concern Assumption and Adequacy of Disclosures, stresses the significance of Professional Skepticism and judgement in reviewing financial statement disclosures and the auditor’s report where a material uncertainty exists regarding events or conditions that may cast doubt on the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

    It also references the 2009 IAASB Staff Audit Practice Alert, Audit Considerations in Respect of Going Concern in the Current Economic Environment, which highlights matters relevant to the consideration of the going concern assumption in the preparation of financial statements.

    持续经营

    例如，在审查管理层关于其持续经营评估的未来行动计划时，考虑这些计划是否有可能改善状况，以及它们是否切实可行。

    2011年12月国际审计与鉴证准则理事会 (IAASB) 发布的《经济状况继续挑战财报编制者和审计师 – 重点必须包括持续经营假设和披露的充分性》强调了在审查财务报表披露和审计报告时，如果存在可能对实体持续经营能力产生怀疑的事件或条件的重大不确定性，职业怀疑态度和判断的重要性。

    它还提到了 2009 年国际审计与鉴证准则理事会工作人员审计实务提示，即在当前经济环境下对持续经营的审计考虑，其中强调了与编制财务报表时考虑持续经营假设有关的事项。

    Related Party Relationships and Transactions

    For example, when remaining alert during the audit for information that may indicate previously unidentified or undisclosed related party relationships or transactions; and in the context of identified significant transactions outside the entity’s normal course of business, when evaluating whether the business rationale (or lack thereof) of the transactions suggests that they may have been entered into to engage in fraudulent financial reporting or to conceal misappropriation of assets or the reliability of external confirmation requests.

    关联方关系和交易

    例如，在审计过程中对可能表明以前未识别或未披露的关联方关系或交易的信息保持警惕；在已识别的实体正常经营过程之外的重大交易中，评估交易的商业理由（或缺乏商业理由）是否有迹象显示它们可能是为了从事欺诈性财务报告或隐瞒资产挪用或外部确认请求的可靠性而订立的。

    Consideration of Laws and Regulations

    For example, When doing other audit procedures, auditors should stay on the lookout for instances of non-compliance or suspected non-compliance with laws or regulations that could have a big effect on the financial statements or a major effect on the way the entity does business, which could cause it to shut down or make it hard for it to continue as a going concern.

    This may also be relevant in the context of a group audit, for instance, due to business practices and cultures in different jurisdictions.

    Another example where Professional Skepticism is particularly important is in relation to auditing significant unusual or highly complex transactions.

    The 2010 IAASB Staff Q&A publication, Auditor Considerations Regarding Significant Unusual or Highly Complex Transactions, highlights considerations in the ISAs that are relevant to auditing such transactions, noting that their nature may give rise to risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and, accordingly, may merit heightened attention by auditors.

    In addition, in relation to auditing financial instruments, firms’ and auditors’ attention is drawn to the IAASB’s recently released International Auditing Practice Note (IAPN) 1000.

    Among other matters, the IAPN re-emphasizes the importance of Professional Skepticism, in particular in relation to the risks and consequences of management bias.

    对法律和法规的考虑

    例如，在进行其他审计程序时，审计师应随时注意不遵守或涉嫌不遵守法律或法规的情况，这些情况可能对财务报表产生重大影响，或对实体的经营方式产生重大影响，从而导致其停业或难以继续经营。

    这在集团审计中也可能是相关的，例如，由于不同司法管辖区的商业惯例和文化。

    职业怀疑态度特别重要的另一个例子是与审计重大异常或高度复杂的交易有关。

    2010年国际审计与鉴证准则理事会工作人员的《审计员对重大异常或高度复杂交易的考虑》问答出版物强调了《国际审计准则》中与审计此类交易有关的考虑因素，指出其性质可能会引起财务报表的重大误报风险，因此，可能值得审计员高度关注。

    此外，关于金融工具的审计，请事务所和审计师注意国际审计与鉴证准则理事会 (IAASB) 最近发布的国际审计实务说明（IAPN）1000。

    除其他事项外，IAPN 再次强调了职业怀疑的重要性，特别是在管理偏见的风险和后果方面。

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  • 7. How can the Application of Professional Skepticism be Evidenced?

    7. How can the Application of Professional Skepticism be Evidenced?

    Auditors often show Professional Skepticism during audit conversations.

    The auditor’s discussion with TCWG may explain why a substantial accounting practice permissible under the applicable financial reporting framework is not most suited for the entity.

    审计师在审计谈话中经常表现出职业怀疑态度。

    审计师与 TCWG 的讨论可能会解释为什么在适用的财务报告框架下允许的实质性会计做法却不是该实体最适合的。

    Audit documentation is essential for demonstrating Professional Skepticism since it shows that the audit was planned and completed according to ISAs and other legal and regulatory requirements.

    The ISAs require the auditor to prepare adequate audit documentation to allow an experienced auditor with no prior connection to the audit to understand, among other things, significant audit matters, conclusions, and judgments.

    The ISAs also require auditors to document discussions with management, TCWG, and others, detailing the nature of the significant matters discussed, when, and with whom.

    Such documentation helps the auditor show how significant judgments and key audit concerns were addressed and whether sufficient and relevant audit evidence was acquired.

    审计文件对于证明 “职业怀疑”至关重要，因为它表明审计是根据《国际审计准则》和其他法律及监管要求来计划和完成的。

    《国际审计准则》要求审计师准备充分的审计文件，以使事先与相关审计无关但有经验的审计师，除其他事项外，能够了解重要的审计事项、结论和判断。

    《国际审计准则》还要求审计师记录与管理层、TCWG 和其他方的讨论，详细说明所讨论的重大事项的性质、时间和对象。

    这样的文件有助于审计师说明如何处理重大判断和关键的审计问题，以及是否获得了充分和相关的审计证据。

    When matters and judgments are important, it is important to prepare audit documentation, such as in the following situations:

    • The significant decisions made by the project team regarding the likelihood of fraud resulting in a material misstatement in the entity’s financial statements and their communications with management, the TCWG, regulators and others regarding fraud issues.
    • Known or suspected non-compliance with laws and rules, as well as the results of discussions with management, TCWG, and other parties outside the entity.
    • The basis for the auditor’s conclusions about the reasonableness of accounting estimates, their disclosures that give rise to significant risks, and any indicators of possible management bias.
    • Identified information that doesn’t fit with the auditor’s conclusion about a significant matter and how that inconsistency was handled.
    • The basis for the auditor’s conclusions on the reasonableness of areas of subjective judgments.
    • The auditor’s conclusion about a document’s authenticity when further investigation (such as using an expert or confirmation procedures) is done in response to audit conditions that led the auditor to assume the document may not be legitimate.

    当事项和判断非常重要时，编制审计文件也会显得很重要，例如在以下情况下

    • 项目团队就欺诈导致实体财务报表中出现重大错报的可能性所作出的重要决定，以及他们与管理层、TCWG、监管机构和其他方面就欺诈问题所进行的沟通。
    • 已知或涉嫌不遵守法律和规则的情况，以及与管理层、TCWG 和实体外其他各方所讨论的结果。
    • 审计师关于会计估计合理性的结论的依据，其引起重大风险的披露，以及任何可能的管理偏见的迹象。
    • 已确定的与审计师关于重大事项的结论不一致的信息，以及如何处理这种不一致的情况。
    • 审计师对主观判断领域的合理性的结论的依据。
    • 针对审计过程中发现的导致审计师认为文件可能不真实的情况而进行的进一步调查（如适当使用专家或确认程序）。

    Since Professional Skepticism is a state of mind, it can be challenging to show how the auditor utilised it during the audit.

    ISAs remark that no single mechanism exists to document an auditor’s Professional Skepticism.

    However, Audit documentation may show the auditor’s ISA-compliant Professional Skepticism, such evidence may include measures performed to substantiate management’s responses to the auditor’s inquiries.

    由于 “职业怀疑论 “是一种心态，因此如果要显示审计师在审计过程中是如何利用这种心态，这会是一个非常大的挑战。

    《国际审计准则》指出，现实中并不存在一个单一的机制来记录审计师的职业怀疑态度。

    然而审计文件可以显示审计师符合《国际审计准则》的职业怀疑态度，这些证据可能包括为证实管理层对审计师询问的答复而采取的措施。

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  • 8. Do Regulators, Audit Firm Oversight Bodies, and Governance Bodies support Auditors’ Scepticism?

    8. Do Regulators, Audit Firm Oversight Bodies, and Governance Bodies support Auditors’ Scepticism?

    The ISAs do not set forth requirements for regulators and oversight bodies of the audit firms, nor for TCWG.

    However, because of the critical role that those stakeholders serve in achieving audit quality, they are in a position to further challenge auditors to be skeptical through adequate two-way communication and effective oversight and inspection of audits.

    《国际审计准则》没有对审计公司的监督机构或 TCWG 有规定的要求。

    然而，由于这些利益相关者在实现审计质量方面起着关键作用，他们有能力通过充分的双向沟通和对审计的有效监督和检查，进一步挑战审计师的怀疑精神。

    Auditors and TCWG must communicate effectively during the audit. ISAs require the auditor to explain the audit scope, timing, significant findings, and difficulties.

    Required communications include the auditor’s comments on accounting policies, estimates, and financial statement disclosures.

    审计师和 TCWG 必须在审计过程中进行有效沟通。《国际审计准则》要求审计师解释审计范围、时间、重大发现和挑战。

    要求的沟通包括审计师对会计政策、估计和财务报表披露的评论。

    TCWG is in a position to influence and stimulate auditor skepticism by providing feedback on important matters pertaining to the audit. For example, in receiving communications about the planned scope and timing of the audit, TCWG may:-

    • Discuss issues of risk and the concept of materiality with the auditor;
    • Identify any areas in which they may request the auditor to undertake additional procedures; and
    • Assist the auditor in better understanding the entity and its environment.

    TCWG 有能力通过提供有关审计的重要事项的反馈来影响和激发审计师的怀疑态度。例如，在接受有关审计的计划范围和时间的沟通时，TCWG 可以:-

    • 与审计师讨论风险问题和重要性的概念;
    • 确定他们可能要求审计师采取额外程序的任何其他领域；以及
    • 协助审计师更好地了解该实体及其环境。

    Through monitoring and audit inspections, oversight bodies can foster productive communication that helps auditors understand the necessity of Professional Skepticism in financial statement audits. The auditor’s documentation is particularly important as it serves, among other purposes, to enable the conduct of external inspections in accordance with applicable legal, regulatory, or other requirements.

    Auditors must also communicate directly with regulators or prudential supervisors and TCWG.

    Even without a necessity, the auditor may determine it necessary to communicate with regulators or prudential supervisors. However, the auditor’s duty to protect client confidentiality may prevent such reporting. The auditor may seek legal counsel to identify the best course of action.

    通过监督和审计检查，监督机构可以促进有效的沟通，帮助审计师了解财务报表审计中职业怀疑的必要性。审计师的文件特别重要，除其他目的外，因为它还有助于根据适用的法律、法规或其他要求进行外部检查。

    审计师也必须与监管机构或审慎的监管者和 TCWG 直接沟通。

    即使没有必要，审计师也可以确定有必要与监管者或审慎监管者沟通。然而，审计师保护客户机密的责任可能会阻止这种报告。审计师可寻求法律顾问以确定最佳行动方案。

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