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The CPA Profession

Chapter 2
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2-1

Learning Objective 1

Describe the nature of CPA firms,


what they do, and their structure.

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Certified Public Accounting Firms


The legal right to perform audits is granted to
CPA firms by regulations stated by applied laws.

CPA firms also provide many other services to


their clients, such as tax and consulting services.

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Certified Public Accounting Firms


The four largest CPA firms in the United States
are called the Big Four international CPA firms.

These four firms have offices in most major


cities in the United States and in many
cities throughout the world.

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2-4

Certified Public Accounting Firms


Big Four international firms
National firms
Regional and large local firms
Small local firms

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Certified Public Accounting Firms


Big Four International Firms:
The four largest CPA firms in the United

States

are

called

the

Big

Four

international CPA firms.


These four firms have offices throughout

the

United

States

and

throughout

the

world.
The Big Four firms audit nearly all of the

largest

companies

both

in

the

United

States and worldwide and many smaller


companies as well.

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Certified Public Accounting Firms


National Firms:
Three CPA firms in the United States are

called national firms because they have


office in most major cities.
These

firms are large but


smaller than the Big Four.

considerably

The national firms perform the same services

as the Big Four firms and compete directly


with them for clients.
Each national firm is affiliated with firms in

other countries and therefore


international
capability.
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has

an
2-7

Certified Public Accounting Firms


Regional and Large Local Firms:
There

are less than 200 CPA firms with


professional staffs of more than 100 people.
Some have only one office and several clients
primarily within commuting distance. Others
have several offices in a state or region and serve
a larger radius of clients.

Regional and large local firms compete for clients

with other CPA firms, including National and Big


Four firms.
Many of the regional and large local firms are

affiliated with associations of CPA firms to share


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such
things
as
technical 2 - 8

Certified Public Accounting Firms


Small Local Firms:
More than 95 percent of all CPA firms have

fewer than 25 professionals in a singleoffice firm.


They perform audits and related services

primarily for smaller businesses and notfor-profit entitles, although some have one
or two clients with public ownership.
Many small local firms do not perform

audits and primarily provide accounting


and tax services to their clients.
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Activities of CPA Firms


As

discussed in chapter 1, CPA firms


provide audit services as well as other
attestation and assurance service.

Additional services commonly provided by

CPA
firms
include
accounting
and
bookkeeping services, tax services, and
management consulting services.
CPA

firms continue to develop new


products and services, such as financial
planning, business valuation, forensic
accounting, information technology, and
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advisory
services.
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Activities of CPA Firms

Accounting and bookkeeping services


Tax services
Management consulting services

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Activities of CPA Firms


Accounting and bookkeeping services
Many small clients with limited accounting staff

rely on CPA firms to prepare their financial


statements. Some small clients lack the
personnel or expertise to use accounting
software to maintain their own accounting
records.
Thus, CPA firms performs a variety of accounting

and bookkeeping services to meet the needs of


these clients.
In many cases, in which the financial statements

are to be given to a third party, a review or even


an audit is also performed. When neither of these
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Activities of CPA Firms


Tax Services:
CPA firms prepare corporate and individual

tax returns for both audit and nonaudit


clients.
Almost

every

CPA

firm

performs

tax

services, which may include estate tax, tax


planning and other aspects of tax services.
For many small firms, such services are far

more important to there practice than


auditing as most of their revenue may be
generated from tax services.

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Activities of CPA Firms


Management Consulting Services:
Most CPA firms provide certain services that

enable their clients to operate their businesses


more effectively.
These services are called management consulting

or management advisory services.


These services range from simple suggestions for

improving the clients accounting system to


advice
in
risk
management,
information
technology and e-commerce system design,
mergers and acquisitions due diligence, business
valuations, and others.
Many large CPA firms have departments involved

exclusively in management consulting services2 - 14

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Structure of CPA Firms


Three main factors influence the organizational
structure of all firms:
1. The need for independence from clients
2. The importance of a structure to encourage
competence
3. The increased litigation risk faced by auditors
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Structure of CPA Firms


The need for independence from clients:

Independence permits auditors to remain


unbiased in drawing conclusions about the
financial statements.
The

importance of a
encourage competence:

structure

to

Competence permits auditors to conduct


audits and perform other services efficiently
and effectively.
The increased litigation risk faced by

auditors:
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Organizational Structure
Proprietorship
Professional corporation
General partnership
Limited liability company
General corporation
Limited liability partnership
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Organizational Structure
Proprietorship:
Only firms with one owner can operate in this
form. Traditionally, all one-owner firms were
organized as proprietorship, but in recent
years, most of them have changed to
organizational forms with more limited liability
because of litigation risk.

General Partnership:
This form of organization is the same as a
proprietorship, except that it applies to
multiple owners. This organizational structure
has also become less popular as other forms of
ownership
some legal liability2 - 18
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Organizational Structure
General Corporation:
The advantage of a corporation is that
shareholders are liable only to the extent of their
investment in the corporation. Most CPA firms do
not organize as general corporations because
they are prohibited by law from doing so in most
states.

Professional Corporation (PC):


PC provides professional services and is owned
by one or more shareholders. PC laws in some
states offer personal liability protection similar to
that of
general corporations, whereas, the
protection in other states is minimal. This
variation
makes
it Arens/Beasley/Elder
difficult for a CPA firm with2 - 19
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Organizational Structure
Limited Liability Company (LLC):

A limited liability company (LLC) combines


the most favorable attributes of a general
corporation and a general partnership.
An LLC is typically structured and taxed
like a general partnership, but its owners
have limited personal liability similar to
that of a general corporation.
All of the states have LLC laws, and most
also allow accounting firms to operate as
LLCs.
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Organizational Structure
Limited Liability Partnership:
A limited liability partnership (LLP) is owned by

one or more partners. it is structured and taxed


like a general partnership, but the personal
liability protection of an LLP is less than that of a
general corporation or an LLC.
Partners of an LLP are

personally liable for the


partnerships debts and obligations, their own
acts, and acts of others under their supervision.

Partners are NOT personally liable for liabilities

arising from negligent acts of other partners and


employees not under their supervision. It is not
surprising
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the Big Four firms and many2 - 21
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Hierarchy of A typical CPA Firm


The organizational hierarchy in a typical CPA firm

includes partners or shareholders,


managers,
supervisors, seniors or in-charge auditors, and
assistants.
A new employee usually starts as an assistant

and spends 2 or 3 years in each classification


before achieving partner status.
The titles of the positions vary from firm to firm,

but the structure is similar in all.


When we refer in this text to the auditor, we

mean the person performing some aspect of an


audit. lt is common to have one or more auditors
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from
each
level
on
larger
engagements.
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Staff
level
Staff
Assistan
ce

Average
Experience
0-2 year

Senior or
incharge
auditor

2-5 years

Manager

5-10 years

Partner

10+ years

Typical responsibilities
Performs most of the detailed audit
work
Coordinates
the audit
supervising
work.

and is responsible for


field work, including
and reviewing staff

Helps the in-charge plan and


manage the audit, reviews the incharges
work,
and
manages
relations
with
the
client.
A
manager may be responsible for
more than one engagement at the
same time.

Reviews the overall audit work and


is involved in significant audit
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decisions.

Learning Objective 2
Understand the role of the
Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board and the effects
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on
the CPA profession.
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Sarbanes-Oxley Act
This Act is considered by many observers to
be the most important legislation affecting
the auditing profession since the 1930s.
The provisions of the Act apply to publicly
held companies and their audit firms.

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Sarbanes-Oxley Act

SEC

PCAOB
(Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board)

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Sarbanes-Oxley Act
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act established the Public

Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB),


appointed and overseen by the SEC.
The PCAOB provides oversight for auditors of

public companies, established auditing and


equality control standards for public company
audits, and performs inspection of the quality
controls at audit firms performing those audit.
The

PCAOB requires annual inspection of


accounting firms that audit more than 100
issuers and inspection of other registered firms
at least once every three years.

Any violations could result in disciplinary action

by PCAOB and be reported to the SEC and state2 - 27

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Learning Objective 3
Summarize the role of the
Securities and Exchange
Commission in accounting
and auditing.

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Securities and Exchange


Commission
The overall purpose of the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) is to assist in
providing investors with reliable information
Upon which to make investment decisions.

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Securities and Exchange


Commission
Forms S-1 to S-16

Form 10-K

Form 8-K

Form 10-Q

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Learning Objective 4

Describe the key functions


performed by the AICPA.

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AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED


PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS (AICPA)
The AICPA sets professional requirements
for CPAs, conducts research, and publishes
materials on many different subjects related
to accounting, auditing, attestation and
assurance services, management
consulting services, and taxes.

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AICPA
CPAs are licensed by the states in which they

practice, but a significant influence on CPAs is


exerted

by

their

national

professional

organization, the American Institute of Certified


Public Accountants (AICPA).
Membership in the AICPA is restricted to CPAs,

but

not

all

members

are

practicing

as

independent auditors.
Many members formerly worked for CPA firms but

are currently working in government, industry,


and education.
AICPA membership is voluntary, so not all CPAs
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Establishing Standards
and Rules
The AICPA is empowered to set standards
(guidelines) and rules that all members
and other practicing CPAs must follow.

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Establishing Standards
and Rules
1. Auditing standards
2. Compilation and review standards
3. Other attestation standards
4. Consulting standards
5. Code of Professional Conduct
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Establishing Standards and Rules


1. Auditing standards:

The
Auditing
Standards
Board
(ASB)
is
responsible for issuing pronouncements on
auditing matters for all entities other than
publicly traded companies. ASB pronouncements
are called Statements on Auditing Standards
(SASs).

2. Other attestation Standards:

Statements
on
Standards
Engagements
provide
a
development
of
standards
engagements.

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for
Attestation
framework
for
for
attestation
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Detailed standards have been developed for

Establishing Standards and Rules


3. Compilation and Review Standards:

The Accounting and Review Services Committee is


responsible for issuing pronouncements of the
CPAs responsibilities when a CPA is associated with
financial statements of privately owned companies
that are not audited. They are called Statements
on Standards for Accounting and Review Services

(SSARS), and they provide guidance for performing


compilation and review services.

In a compilation service, the auditor helps the


client
prepare
financial
statements
without
providing any assurance.

In a review service, the auditor perform inquiry and


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analytical
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that provide a reasonable2 - 37

Other AICPA Functions


Writes and grades the CPA examination
Supports research by its own staff and
provides grants to others
Publishes a variety of materials.
Provides seminars and education in a
variety of subject matters
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Vision for the Future


The AICPA has established the CPA Vision Project
to provide a core purpose and a vision for the CPA
profession in the year 2011 and beyond.
The core purpose of the CPA Vision Project is:
CPAsmaking sense of a changing
and complex world.

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Vision for the Future


1. Continuing education and life-long learning
2. Competence
3. Integrity
4. Attuned to broad business issues
5. Objectivity
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Learning Objective 5

Discuss the role of international


auditing standards.

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International Standards
on Auditing
International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) are
issued by the International Auditing and
Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) of the
International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).

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International Standards
on Auditing
IFAC is the worldwide organization for the accountancy
profession, with 157 member organization in 123
countries representing more than 2.5 million
accountants throughout the world.
The IAASB works to improve the uniformity of auditing
practices and related services throughout the world by
issuing pronouncements on a variety of audit and
attest functions and by promoting their acceptance
worldwide
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IAASB
The

International

Auditing

and

Assurance

Standards Board (IAASB) is an independent


standard-setting body that serves the public
interest by setting high-quality international
standards for auditing, quality control, review,
other assurance, and related services, and by
facilitating the convergence of international
and national standards.
In doing so, the IAASB enhances the quality

and uniformity of practice throughout the


world and strengthens public confidence in the
global auditing and assurance profession

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International Standers on
Auditing standers are general guidelines to aid
Auditing (ISAs)
auditors
in
fulfilling
their
professional
auditors

in

fulfilling

responsibilities

in

their

the

audit

professional

of

financial

statements.
They

include

qualities

consideration

such

independence,

as

reporting

of

professional

competence

and

requirements,

and

evidence.
ISAs do not override a countys regulation

governing the audit of financial statements, as


each

countrys

own

govern audit practices.

regulations

generally

These may be either2 - 45

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Learning Objective 6

Use generally accepted


auditing standards as a
basis for further study.

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Generally Accepted Auditing


Standards (GAAS)
General
Standards

Field Work
Performance
of the Audit

Standers of
Reporting

Adequate training and proficiency


Independence in mental attitude
Due professional care

Proper planning and supervision


Sufficient understanding of the entity, its environment,
and its internal control
Sufficient appropriate evidence

Whether statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP

Circumstances when GAAP not consistently followed


Adequacy of informative disclosures
Expression of opinion on financial statements

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General Standards
1. The audit is to be performed by a person or
persons having adequate technical training
and proficiency as an auditor.
2. In all matters relating to the assignment,
an independence in mental attitude is to
be maintained by the auditor or auditors.

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General Standards
3. Due professional care is to be exercised
in the planning and performance of the
audit and the preparation of the report.

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General Standards
Adequate Technical Training and Proficiency:
The

first

general

standard

is

normally

interpreted as requiring the auditor to have


formal education in auditing and accounting,
adequate practical experience for work being
preformed,

and

continuing

professional

education.
Recent court cases clearly demonstrate that

auditors must be technically qualifies and


experienced in those industries in which their
audit client are engaged.
In

any

case

in

which

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the

CPA

or

their2 - 50

General Standards
Independence in mental attitude:
The

auditor must maintain independent in


mental attitude in all matters relating to the
audit, so, the competence of those performing
the audit is of little value if they are biased in
the accumulation and evaluation of evidence.

Auditors strive to maintain a high level of

independence to keep the confidence of users


relying on their report.
CPA

firms are required to follow several


practices to increase the likelihood of
independence of all personnel.

Such auditors are paid fees by the company,2 - 51

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General Standards
Due professional care:
The third general standard involves due care in

the performance of all aspects of auditing.


Simply stated, this means that auditors are
professionals responsible for fulfilling their
duties diligently and carefully. Due care
includes consideration of completeness of the
audit documentation, the sufficient of the audit
evidence, and appropriateness of the audit
report.
As

professional,
auditors
must
negligence and bad faith, but the auditor
expected
to Auditing
make
perfect judgments in
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avoid
is not
every2 - 52

Standards of Field Work


1. The work is to be adequately planned
and assistants, if any, are to be
properly supervised.
2. A sufficient understanding of internal
control is to be obtained to plan the audit
and to determine the nature, timing, and
extent of tests to be performed.
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Standards of Field Work


3. Sufficient competent evidential matter is to
be obtained through inspection, observation,
inquiries, and confirmations to afford a
reasonable basis for an opinion regarding
the financial statements under audit.

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Standards of Field Work


Proper planning and supervision:

The first standard required that the

audit be sufficiently planned to ensure


an

adequate

audit

and

proper

supervision of assistance.
Supervision is essential in auditing

because a considerable portion of the


field work is done by less experienced
staff members.
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Standards of Field Work


Sufficient understanding of

the entity, its


environment, and its internal control:

To adequately perform an audit, the auditor

must have an understanding of the clients


business and industry. This understanding
helps the auditor identify significant client
business risk and the risk of significant
misstatements in the financial statements.
One of the most widely accepted concept in

the theory and practice of auditing is the


importance of the client system of internal
control for mitigation client business risk,
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safeguarding
assets
and
records,
and2 - 56

Standards of Field Work


Sufficient understanding of

environment,
(Continue)

and

its

the entity, its


internal
control:

If the auditor is convinced that the client

has an excellent system of internal control,


one that includes adequate internal control
for providing reliable data, the amount of
audit evidence to be accumulated can be
significantly less than when the internal
control are not adequate.
In some instance, internal control may be

so inadequate as to preclude conduction as2 - 57

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Standards of Field Work


Sufficient appropriate evidence:

Decisions about how much and what

types of evidence to accumulate for a


given set of circumstances require
professional judgment.
The

auditor must obtain sufficient


appropriate
audit
evidence
by
performing audit procedures to afford
a reasonable basis for an opinion
regarding the financial statements

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Standards of Reporting
1. The report shall state whether the financial
statements are presented in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles.
2. The report shall identify those circumstances
in which such principles have not been
consistently observed in the current period
in relation to the preceding period.

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Standards of Reporting
3. Informative disclosures in the financial
statements are to be regarded as reasonably
adequate unless otherwise stated in the report.
4. The report shall contain an expression of
opinion regarding the financial statements,
taken as a whole.

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Summary of
General Standards
Generally Accepted Auditing Standards

General

Field Work

Reporting

1. Adequate training
and proficiency
2. Independence in
mental attitude
3. Due professional
care

1. Proper planning
and supervision
2. Internal control
understanding
3. Sufficient
competent
evidence

1. Statements prepared in
accordance with GAAP
2. Circumstances when
GAAP not followed
3. Adequacy of disclosures
4. Expression of opinion
on financial statements

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Relationship Between GAAS and


PCAOB Auditing Standards
The term generally accepted auditing standards
is no longer used for public company audits.
The term GAAS continues to be used for audits
of private companies.
Public company audits refer to PCAOB
auditing standards.
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Statements on Auditing Standards


The 10 generally accepted auditing standards
are too general to provide meaningful guidance.
SASs interpret the 10 generally accepted
auditing standards and are the most
Authoritative references available to auditors.

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Learning Objective 7
Identify quality control
standards and practices
within the accounting
profession.

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Quality Control
Quality control comprises the methods used to

ensure that the CPA firm meets its professional


responsibilities to client and others.
These methods include the organizational structure

of the CPA firm and the procedures the audit firm


establishes
For example, CPA firm might have an organizational

structure that ensures the technical review of every


engagement by a partner who has expertise in the
clients industry.
Auditing

standards require each CPA firm to


establish quality control policies and procedures
that help it meet those standards consistently on
every engagement.

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Quality Control
The

AICPA has not set specific quality


procedures for CPA firms. Procedures
should depend on such things as the size of
the firm, the number of practice offices,
and the nature of the practice.

The Quality Control Standards Committee

has identified six elements of quality


control that the firm should consider in
setting
up
their
own
policies
and
procedures. (See table bellow)
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Elements of Quality Control


Leadership responsibilities for quality within
the firm (tone at the top)
Relevant ethical requirements
Acceptance and continuation of clients and
engagements
Human resources
Engagement performance
Monitoring
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Elements of Quality Control


Element

Leadership
responsibilities
for
quality within the firm (tone at the
top)

The firm should promote a culture that


quality is essential in performing
Summary of engagement
and
should
establish
Requiremen
policies and procedures that support
ts
that culture.
The firms training program emphasize
Example of the importance of quality work, and this
a Procedure is reinforced in performance evaluation
and compensation decisions.
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Elements of Quality Control


Element Relevant ethical requirements

Summary of
Requiremen
ts

All personnel on engagements should


maintain independence in fact and in
appearance,
perform
all
professional
responsibilities with integrity, and maintain
objectivity in performing their professional
responsibilities.

Each partner and employee must answer an


Example of Independent
Questionnaire
annually,
a Procedure dealing with such things as stock ownership
and membership on a Board of Director.
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Elements of Quality Control


Acceptance and continuation
Element of client and engagements
Policies
and
procedures
should
be
established for deciding whether to accept
or continue a client relationship. These
policies and procedures should minimize
Summary of the risk of associating with client whose
Requiremen management lacks integrity. The firm
ts
should also only undertake engagements
that can be completed with professional
competence.

A client evaluation form, dealing with such


Example of matters as predecessor auditor comments,
a Procedure and evaluation of management must be
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Elements of Quality Control


Element Human resources

Summary
of
Requireme
nts

Policies and procedures should be established to provide the


firm with reasonable assurance that:
All new personnel should be qualified to perform their work
competently.
Work is assigned to personnel who have adequate technical
and training proficiency.
All personnel should participate in continuing professional
education and professional development activities that
enable them to fulfill their assigned responsibilities.
Personnel selected to advancement have the qualifications
necessary for fulfillment of their assigned responsibilities.

Example of Each professional must be evaluated on


a
every
engagement
using
the
firms
Procedure individual engagement evaluation report.
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Elements of Quality Control


Engagement performance
Element
Policies and procedures should
Summary of exist to ensure that the work
Requirement perform by engagement personnel
s
meets
applicable
professional
standers,
regular
requirements,
and the firms standers of quality.
The firms director of accounting
auditing
is
available
for
Example of a and
Procedure conclusion and must approve all
engagements
before
their
completion.
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Elements of Quality Control


Element Monitoring
Summary of
Requirement
s

Example of a
Procedure

Policies and procedures should


exist to ensure that the others
quality control elements are
being effectively applied.
The quality control partner must
test
the
quality
control
procedures at least annually to
ensure the firm is in compliance.

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Relationships
Quality control
standards

Generally accepted
auditing standards

Division of
CPA firms

Peer
review

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CPAs Encouraged to Conduct


Themselves at a High Level
CPA
examination

Quality
control

GAAS and
interpretations

Conduct of
CPA firm
personnel

Peer
review

PCAOB
and SEC

Code of
Professional
Conduct

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Continuing
education
requirements

Legal
liability

Division of
CPA firms

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End of Chapter 2

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