AA Cases
AA Cases
ACCT 304 - AA
WEEK 2
(a) There are legal and professional arrangements for the appointment and removal of
auditors.
(i) State the circumstances in which a person is not eligible to act as an auditor.
Case 1
The directors of Murray Co are interested in being able to report that they comply
with best practice corporate governance principles and have asked for your thoughts.
The finance director has provided you with the following information: The board
director and sales director. In addition there are two non-executive directors who were
appointed last year by the chief executive as they are his aunt and uncle. Previously
they ran their own small café and used a firm of accountants for all financial matters
The contracts signed by the non-executive directors state that they are in place until
they decide to leave or unless they are found guilty of misconduct. They receive an
consisting of themselves and the human resources director as it was felt that the
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They have also formed a remuneration committee with the finance director and are
currently in the process of proposing and approving the salaries for all of the directors
Required:
corporate governance.
(c) Identify and explain the weaknesses in Murray Co’s current governance
arrangements and for each weakness recommend an action the company should take
CASE 2
You are the audit manager of Tela & Co, a medium sized firm of accountants. Your
firm has just been asked for assistance from Jumper & Co, a firm of accountants in an
adjacent country. This country has just implemented the internationally recognised
codes on corporate governance and Jumper & Co has a number of clients where the
codes are not being followed. One example of this, from SGCC, a listed company, is
shown below. As your country already has appropriate corporate governance codes in
place, Jumper & Co have asked for your advice regarding the changes necessary in
Mr Sheppard is the chief executive officer and board chairman of SGCC. He appoints
and maintains a board of five executive and two non-executive directors. While the
board sets performance targets for the senior managers in the company, no formal
targets are set for the board and no review of board policies is carried out. Board
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salaries are therefore set and paid by Mr Sheppard based on his assessment of all the
board members, including himself, and not their actual performance. Internal controls
in the company are monitored by the senior accountant, although a detailed review is
assumed to be carried out by the external auditors. SGCC does not have an audit
performance.
Required:
CASE 1
You are an audit manager in Wimble & Co, a large audit firm which specialises in
manufactures sports equipment. Your firm also audits Barker Co, another
manufacturer of sports equipment, and therefore your firm is confident it has the
You have been asked to take on the role of audit manager for Murray Co, should your
firm accept the engagement. You own a small number of shares in Murray Co, as you
Don Henman, who has been the engagement partner for Barker Co for twelve years,
will take the role of engagement partner for Murray Co. The audit senior will be Tim
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Andrews, as his sister is the financial controller at Murray Co and therefore he knows
Your firm recently purchased some bibs, footballs and other equipment from Murray
Co for the firm's annual football tournament. Murray Co has offered to provide this
equipment free of charge to the firm if they accept the role as auditor.
Murray Co would also like your firm to provide taxation and accounting services.
Specifically, the company would like you to prepare the financial statements and
The fees for last year's audit of Barker Co have not yet been paid, and you have been
Required:
(a) Describe the steps Wimble & Co should take to manage the conflict of interest
(b) Explain the ethical threats which may affect the independence of Wimble &
Co in respect of the audit of Murray Co or Barker Co, and for each threat identify
CASE 2
Audit Principles
You are a manager in the audit department of Whilling and Abel. A potential new
client, Truckers Co, a haulage company, has approached your firm to do the external
audit in addition to some other non-audit services for the year-ended 30 September.
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You have been chosen to lead the engagement as you have experience of auditing
haulage companies and you also manage the audit of O&P. Whilst arranging the
initial meeting with the directors of Truckers Co you discover that you studied
Truckers Co has not made a profit for the last 2 years. The directors explain that this
is largely due to escalating costs in the industry including fuel price rises. They are
confident they have now controlled their costs for the current year. They have also
been approached to tender for a large profitable contract which would improve their
financial performance going forward. They would like you to assist them with the
The current year’s financial statements and audit are being finalised with another
audit firm. The finance director tells you that the current auditors have identified
material misstatements but the board of directors are refusing to make these
The current auditors have replied to your professional clearance letter and have
informed you that they are still owed fees relating to the prior year. This is under
dispute with the client. You calculate that the potential fees from Truckers Co would
Required:
Identify and explain the threats to independence if Whilling and Abel accept
Truckers Co as a new audit client. For each threat, recommend how the threat can be
managed.
(15 marks)
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WEEK 5 ETHICS AND ACCEPTANCE
Required:
(a) Explain the circumstances in which external auditors are permitted or required to
disclose information relating to their clients to third parties without the knowledge or
(4 marks)
CASE 1
Confidentiality
regulations and health and safety regulations. The auditor has been approached by the
tax authorities, the government body supervising the award of licences to such
companies and a trade union representative. All of them have asked the auditor to
provide them with information about the company. The auditor has also been
approached by the police. They are investigating a suspected fraud perpetrated by the
managing director of the company and they wish to ask the auditor certain questions
about him.
Required:
(6 marks)
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(Total: 10 marks)
CASE 2
Ethics Threat
You are a manager in the audit firm of JT & Co and this is your first time you have
worked on one of the firm's established clients, Pink Co. The main activity of Pink Co
purchase of shares and securities and investing in tax efficient savings schemes. Pink
You have been asked to start the audit planning for Pink Co, by Mrs Goodall, a
partner in JT & Co. Mrs Goodall has been the engagement partner for Pink Co, for the
previous seven years and so has a sound knowledge of the client. Mrs Goodall has
informed you that she would like her son Simon to be part of the audit team this year;
Simon is currently studying for his first set of papers for his ACCA qualification.
Mrs Goodall also informs you that Mr Supper, the audit senior, received investment
advice from Pink Co during the year and intends to do the same next year.
In an initial meeting of Pink Co you learnt that the audit team will not be entertained
on Pink Co’s yacht this year since this could appear to be an attempt to influence the
audit opinion. Rather a date has been arranged at the horse races costing less than
two-fifth of the expense of using the yacht and hopes this will be acceptable.
JT & Co has done some consulting work previously and the invoice is still
outstanding.
Required:
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Identify and explain the treats to independence in relation to the audit of Pink CO by
JT & Co. For each threat recommend how the threat can be managed.
WEEK 6 RISK
CASE 1
Your firm Wimble & Co has recently accepted appointment as auditor of Murray Co
(a manufacturer of sports equipment). Having sold your shares in Murray Co, you
have been assigned as audit manager and you have started planning the audit
(although you were an employee of Murray Co, this was many years ago and you did
not have any involvement in the preparation of the financial statements). You have
held a meeting with the client and have ascertained the following:
rackets, hockey sticks and goals, take less than one day to manufacture. Murray Co's
week to manufacture.
Murray Co refurbished the assembly line for the ergometers during the year. Murray
Co uses a third party warehouse provider to store the manufactured ergometers and
Historically, Murray Co has only sold to retailers. For the first time this year, Murray
Co has made sales directly to consumers, via a new website. The website is directly
linked to the finance system, recording sales automatically. Website customers pay on
ordering. The website development costs have been capitalised. This initiative was
in the last two years. Some of Murray Co's retail customers are struggling to pay their
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outstanding balances. Several of the sales team were made redundant last month as a
result of the falling retailer sales. Murray Co is planning to list on the stock exchange
next year.
Required:
Using the information provided, describe SIX audit risks and explain the auditor's
response to each risk in planning the audit of Paa Kwasi & Co.
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CASE 2
Below is the statement of financial position and the income statement of Paa Kwasi &
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Paa Kwasi & Co
Required:
Using the financial information provided, and the information from TYU 1, perform
analytical procedures on the draft financial statements of Murray Co and explain the
CASE 3
You are an audit senior at JPR Edwards & Co and you are currently planning the audit
of Hook Co for the year ending 30 June. Your firm was appointed as auditor in
January after a successful tender to provide audit and tax services. JPR Edward & Co
were asked to tender after the lead partner, Neisha Selvaratalm, met Hook Co’s CEO,
Pete Tucker, at a charity cricket match. Neisha explained that they were unhappy with
the previous auditors as Pete Tucker felt their audit didn’t add much value to Hook
Co. Hook Co manufacturer’s electrical goods such as MP3 players, smart phones and
personal computers for the entertainment market. They do not retail their goods under
their own name but manufacture for larger companies with established brands. Their
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key client, who represents 70% of their revenue, was the market leader in smart
phones and MP3 players last year with 60% market share.
Hook Co uses a number of suppliers to source components for their products. Most
component in all their goods, from a number of suppliers based in San Jose, Costa
Rica. They assemble their goods in their one factory in Staines, UK, and package their
During the year Hook Co started developing applications which can be downloaded
onto their smart phones. They have spent $1 million on an application called “snore-
o-meter” which allows the users to record the sounds they make while they are asleep.
There was a technical difficulty in production which meant the launch of “snore-o-
meter” was delayed from the 31 March to its anticipated release on the 31 July.
To fund their expansion into Smartphone applications Hook is seeking a listing on the
Required:
Using the information provided, describe FIVE audit risks and explain the auditor's
(10 marks)
WEEK 6 PLANNING
CASE 1
You are an audit senior responsible for understanding the entity and its environment
and assessing the risk of material misstatements for the audit of Rock Co for the year-
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engaged in the wholesale import, manufacture and distribution of basic cosmetics and
toiletries for sale to a wide range of stores, under a variety of different brand names.
Required:
(a) Describe the information you will seek, and procedures you will perform in order
to understand the entity and its environment and assess risk for the audit of Rock Co.
(10 marks)
(b) You are now nearing the completion of the audit of Rock Co. Draft financial
statements have been produced. You have been given the responsibility of performing
a review of the audit files before they are passed to the audit manager and the audit
You have been asked to concentrate on the proper completion of the audit working
papers. Some of the audit working papers have been produced electronically but all of
Required:
Describe the types of audit working papers you should expect to see in the audit files
and the features of those working papers that show that they have been properly
completed.
(10 marks)
(Total: 20 marks)
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WEEK 7 SYSTEMS AND CONTROLS
CASE 1
Rhapsody Co supplies a wide range of garden and agricultural products to trade and
domestic customers. The company has 11 divisions, with each division specializing in
the sale of specific products, for example, seeds, garden furniture, and agricultural
fertilizers. The company has an internal audit department which provides reports to
the audit committee on each division on a rotational basis. Products in the seed
division are offered for sale to domestic customers via an Internet site. Customers
review the product list on the Internet and place orders for packets of seeds using
specific product codes, along with their credit card details, onto Rhapsody Co's secure
server. Order quantities are normally between one and three packets for each type of
seed. Order details are transferred manually onto the company's internal inventory
control and sales system and a two-part packing list is printed in the seed warehouse.
Each order and packing list is given a random alphabetical code based on the name of
the employee inputting the order, the date and the products being ordered. In the seed
warehouse, the packets of seeds for each order are taken from specific bins and
dispatched to the customer with one copy of the packing list. The second copy of the
packing list is sent to the accounts department where the inventory and sales computer
is updated to show that the order has been dispatched. The customer's credit card is
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then charged by the inventory control and sales computer. Bad debts in Rhapsody are
currently 3% of the total sales. Finally, the computer system checks that for each
charge made to a customer's credit card account, the order details are on file to prove
Required:
CASE 2
a. Define ‘tests of control’ and explain the importance of tests of control in the
audit of a company.
b. You are an audit senior working at a medium sized firm of auditors. One of
your clients is an exclusive hotel called ‘Numero Uno’ situated in the center of
Big City. As part of your audit procedures you are assessing the controls
surrounding payroll. You have read last year’s audit file and have obtained the
following information: The hotel employs both full and part time staff. Due to
the nature of the business most of the work is done in shifts. All staff are paid
identification card on the day they join by the personnel department. This card
is used to ‘clock in’ and ‘clock out’ at the start and end of the shift to record
the hours worked. At the end of each week the information recorded on the
system is sent automatically to the payroll department and also to the head of
each of the three main operating divisions: Rooms, Food & Beverage and
Corporate Events. Each division head must reply back to the payroll
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department by email to authorize the hours worked by their staff. The payroll
clerk collates all the authorized information and then inputs the hours worked
protected using an alphanumerical password that only the payroll clerk and the
finance manager know. Once the hours have been entered, the calculations of
gross pay and taxation are calculated automatically along with any other
produced and printed. The finance manager reviews the report and compares
the data to last month to identify and follow up any unusual variances. When
the payroll report and the payroll clerk submits the data. Pay-slips are sent to
the home address of each employee and payment is made by bank transfer.
(i) Identify and explain FOUR STRENGTHS within the hotel’s internal
(ii) For each of the identified strengths, state a test of control the auditor
CASE 1
The internal audit function at Murray Co consists of a head of internal audit, two
senior internal audit managers, four internal audit managers, seven internal auditors
and an internal audit assistant. The head of internal audit has been in post for twelve
years, and the other members of the team have varying lengths of service from two to
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fifteen years. The head of internal audit is responsible for recruiting staff into the
internal audit team. The head of internal audit was appointed by the audit committee.
The head of internal audit reports to the audit committee and agrees the scope of work
for the internal audit function with the audit committee. The internal audit staff have
another department within Murray Co, the head of internal audit ensures that another
member of the team carries out the audit of that system. Murray Co's internal audit
function follows the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal
The internal audit function at Barker Co consists of a chief internal auditor, one senior
internal audit manager, one audit manager, one auditor and an audit assistant. The
chief internal auditor has been in post for ten years, and the other members of the
team have varying lengths of service from five to nine years. The finance director is
responsible for recruiting all staff into the internal audit function. The chief internal
auditor reports to the finance director and agrees the scope of work for the internal
audit function with him. The internal audit team spend 50% of their time carrying out
internal audit assignments and 50% of their time working in the finance department.
Due to the limited number of staff in the team, this has resulted in the internal auditors
reviewing their own work. Barker Co's internal audit team follow a variety of
Required:
Compare and contrast the effectiveness of Murray Co and Barker Co's internal audit
functions
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CASE 2
You are the senior manager in the internal audit department of Octball, a limited
liability company. You report to the chief internal auditor and have a staff of six
junior auditors to supervise, although the budget allows for up to ten junior staff. In a
recent meeting with the chief internal auditor, the difficulty of staff recruitment and
retention was discussed. Over the past year, five junior internal audit staff have left
the company, but only two have been recruited. Recruitment problems identified
include the location of Octball’s head office in a small town over 150 kilometres from
the nearest major city and extensive foreign travel, often to cold climates. Together
with the chief internal auditor you believe that outsourcing the internal audit
department may be a way of alleviating the staffing problems. You would monitor the
other departments, and the chief internal auditor would accept the post of finance
director (FD) on the board, replacing the retiring FD. Two firms have been identified
Two firms have been identified as being able to provide the internal audit service:
•The NFA Partnership, a large local firm specialising in the provision of accountancy
and internal audit services. NFA does not audit financial statements or report to
members.
•T&M, Octball’s external auditors, who have offices in 75 countries and employ in
Required:
(a) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of appointing NFA as internal auditors
for Octball.
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(b) Discuss the matters T&M need to consider before they could accept appointment
(c) Assume that an outsourcing company has been chosen to provide internal audit
services. Describe the control activities that Octball should apply to ensure that the
CASE 1
You are an audit senior working at a medium sized firm of auditors. One of your
clients is an exclusive hotel, Numero Uno, situated in the centre of Big City. Numero
Uno prides itself on delivering a first-class dining experience and is renowned for its
standards of service and cooking that few restaurants in the country come close to. Its
inventory therefore consists of the very best foods and beverages from across the
globe. Food products held in inventory are mostly fresh as the head chef will only
work with the very best ingredients. Food inventory is stored in the kitchens and
managed by the head chef himself. The majority of beverages held at the hotel are
expensive wines that have been sourced from exclusive vineyards. The hotel also
stocks a wide range of spirits and mixers. All beverages are stored either in the hotel
cellar or behind the bar. The cellar can only be accessed by the duty manager who
holds the key. As part of your audit procedures you will attend the year-end inventory
Required:
(a) Describe the audit procedures an auditor would conduct before and whilst
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(b) Identify and explain THREE financial statement assertions that are most
relevant to inventory.
(c) Apart from attending the inventory count, describe the substantive procedures
an auditor would carry out to confirm the valuation of the wine and spirits held in
CASE 2
You are the auditor of BearsWorld, a company which manufactures and sells small
cuddly toys by mail order. The company is managed by Mr Kyto although due to
other business commitments Mr Kyto only visits the office once a week. BearsWorld
employs two assistants. One assistant maintains the payables ledger, orders inventory
and pays suppliers. The other assistant receives customer orders and despatches
cuddly toys. Mr Kyto authorises important transactions such as wages and large
orders. At any time, about 100 different types of cuddly toys are available for sale. All
sales are paid for at the time of ordering. Customers pay using credit cards and
occasionally by sending cash. Revenue is over $5.2 million. You are planning the
audit of BearsWorld and are considering using some of the procedures for gathering
• Analytical procedures
• Inquiry
• Inspection
• Observation
• Recalculation.
Required:
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(i) Explain its use in gathering audit evidence.
CASE 1
Murray case study: Going concern review for the year-ended 31 December 20X4
On 2 January 20X5, Golf is Us, a major customer of Murray Co, was placed into
administration owing $211,000. On 3 January 20X5, the sales director left the
company and has yet to be replaced. The sales director is suing Murray Co for
constructive dismissal. On 5 January 20X5 there was a fire at the premises of the
Approximately one half of Murray Co's inventory was stored in these premises. The
assembly line for ergometers (rowing machines) was refurbished during the year at a
cost of $1m. The additional $1.5m loan facility provided to Murray Co during the
year is secured, in part, on the refurbished assembly line. The assembly line broke
down during January and six weeks later is still not working. The company is seeking
new funding through an initial public offering of shares in the company (i.e. listing on
the stock exchange). In the event that the initial public offering does not proceed, this
additional funding to be raised from either existing or new investors. The financial
(20X3: $120,000). The overdraft limit is $250,000. The cash flow forecast shows
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negative monthly cash flows for the next twelve months. As a result of cash shortages
Required:
Using the information provided, explain the potential indicators that Murray Co is not
a going concern.
CASE 2
assignments range from testing food for illegal additives to providing forensic
analysis on items used to commit crimes to assist law enforcement officers. The
annual audit is nearly complete. As audit senior you have reported to the engagement
partner that Smithson is having some financial difficulties. Income has fallen due to
the adverse effect of two high-profile court cases, following which a number of clients
withdrew their contracts with Smithson. A senior employee then left Smithson, stating
lack of investment in new analysis machines was increasing the risk of incorrect
information being provided by the company. A cash flow forecast prepared internally
shows Smithson requiring significant additional cash within the next 12 months to
Required:
(a) Define 'going concern' and discuss the auditor's and directors'
(b) State the audit procedures that may be carried out to try to determine whether or
(c) Explain the audit procedures and actions the auditor may take where the auditor
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WEEK 11 REPORTING
CASE 1
Henry
performed. You have reviewed the level of adjustments made each month after each
perpetual count and concluded that due to the significance of the adjustments, the
inventory system is not reliable. You have requested that a full year-end count is
performed but management have refused saying it would be too disruptive. The
inventory balance is $4 million. Sales revenue is $50 million and profit for the year is
$15 million.
(b) Boleyn Co has not made allowance for an irrecoverable debt of $50,000 in respect
of a customer declared bankrupt just after the year-end. Profit for the year is
$500,000.
(c) Seymour Co is being sued by a competitor for the theft of intellectual property.
The amount of the claim is material and the case could go either way. The claim is not
(d) Howard Co is a cash retailer. There is no system to confirm the accuracy of cash
sales.
(e) Cleves Co has neglected to include a statement of profit or loss in its financial
statements.
f) Parr Co is involved in a major court case that would bankrupt the company if lost.
The directors assess and disclose the case as a contingent liability in the accounts. The
Required:
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For each of the above situations describe the implications for the independent
auditor's report.
CASE 2
You are the audit manager of Brakes Co, a listed client. Brakes Co is a global
manufacturer of braking systems for use in domestic and commercial motor vehicles.
$250,000 was raised through a new share issue in the year. Draft profit before tax is
$9m and total assets are $37m. The audit is nearly complete and you are undertaking
(b) During your review you notice that the section of the file relating to share capital
Required:
Describe audit procedures that should be performed in respect of Brake’s share capital
and reserves.
(c) The following matters arising during the audit of Brakes Co have been noted on
(i) A customer of Brakes Co had to withdraw one of their family car models this year
due to concerns over the safety of the braking system. The customer has lodged a
legal claim against Brakes Co for $10 million for the negligent supply of faulty
braking systems. The company’s lawyers believe that there is an 80% chance that
Brakes Co will lose the case but the directors believe that their quality control
procedures have always been robust and that the braking systems will be proven to
have been safe. They have however decided to disclose the matter in the financial
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(ii) Brakes Co also produces and sells brake fluid. Another customer has recently
returned a small batch of brake fluid because the fluid appeared to be contaminated
with oil. Brakes Co issued the customer with a credit note for the full value of
$137,500 and correctly accounted for this in the draft financial statements. As the
brake fluid was returned before the year-end, Brakes Co has included it in the year-
end inventory listing at cost of $125,000. Brakes Co may be able to re-filter and re-
sell the brake fluid at the original selling price, but filtering will cost a further
$62,500.
(iii) Four months ago, Brakes Co began renting some additional warehouse space
from a third-party storage provider, Wheels Co. At the year end, raw materials with a
value of $3.2 million belonging to Brakes were stored at Wheels Co's premises. The
directors of Brakes Co did not make you aware of the new third-party storage facility.
Required:
Discuss each of these issues and describe the impact on the independent auditor's
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