Pipara & Co LLP

Overall Objectives of the Independent Auditor and the Conduct of an Audit in Accordance with Standards on Auditing

Introduction

Scope of this SA
  1. This Standard on Auditing (SA) establishes the independent auditor’s overall responsibilities when conducting an audit of financial statements in accordance with SAs. Specifically, it sets out the overall objectives of the independent auditor, and explains the nature and scope of an audit designed to enable the independent auditor to meet those objectives. It also explains the scope, authority and structure of the SAs, and includes requirements establishing the general responsibilities of the independent auditor applicable in all audits, including the obligation to comply with the SAs. The independent auditor is referred to as “the auditor” hereafter.
  2. SAs are written in the context of an audit of financial statements by an auditor. They are to be adapted as necessary in the circumstances when applied to audits of other historical financial information.
An Audit of Financial Statements
  1. The purpose of an audit is to enhance the degree of confidence of intended users in the financial statements. This is achieved by the expression of an opinion by the auditor on whether the financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with an applicable financial reporting framework. In the case of most general purpose frameworks, that opinion is on whether the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, or give a true and fair view in accordance with the framework. An audit conducted in accordance with SAs and relevant ethical requirements enables the auditor to form that opinion. (Ref: Para. A1)
  2. The financial statements subject to audit are those of the entity, prepared and presented by management of the entity with oversight from those charged with governance. SAs do not impose responsibilities on management or those charged with governance and do not override laws and regulations that govern their responsibilities. However, an audit in accordance with SAs is conducted on the premise that management and, where appropriate, those charged with governance have responsibilities that are fundamental to the conduct of the audit. The audit of the financial statements does not relieve management or those charged with governance of those responsibilities. (Ref: Para. A2-A11)
  3. As the basis for the auditor’s opinion, SAs require the auditor to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance. It is obtained when the auditor has
  obtained sufficient appropriate audit evidence to reduce audit risk (i.e., the risk that the auditor expresses an inappropriate opinion when the financial statements are materially misstated) to an acceptably low level. However, reasonable assurance is not an absolute level of assurance, because there are inherent limitations of an audit which result in most of the audit evidence on which the auditor draws conclusions and bases the auditor’s opinion being persuasive rather than conclusive. (Ref: Para. A28-A53)
  1. The concept of materiality is applied by the auditor both in planning and performing the audit, and in evaluating the effect of identified misstatements on the audit and of uncorrected misstatements, if any, on the financial statements1. In general, misstatements, including omissions, are considered to be material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements. Judgments about materiality are made in the light of surrounding circumstances, and are affected by the auditor’s perception of the financial information needs of users of the financial statements, and by the size or nature of a misstatement, or a combination of both. The auditor’s opinion deals with the financial statements as a whole and therefore the auditor is not responsible for the detection of misstatements that are not material to the financial statements as a whole.
  2. The SAs contain objectives, requirements and application and other explanatory material that are designed to support the auditor in obtaining reasonable assurance. The SAs require that the auditor exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the planning and performance of the audit and, among other things:
  • Identify and assess risks of material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, based on an understanding of the entity and its environment, including the entity’s internal control.
  • Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence about whether material misstatements exist, through designing and implementing appropriate responses to the assessed risks.
  • Form an opinion on the financial statements based on conclusions drawn from the audit evidence obtained.
  1. The form of opinion expressed by the auditor will depend upon the applicable financial reporting framework and any applicable laws or regulations. (Ref: Para. A12-A13)
  1 SA 320, “Materiality in Planning and Performing an Audit” and SA 450, “Evaluation of Misstatements Identified during the Audit”. The auditor may also have certain other communication and reporting responsibilities to users, management, those charged with governance, or parties outside the entity, in relation to matters arising from the audit. These may be established by the SAs or by applicable laws or regulations2.
Effective Date

This SA is effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after April 1, 2010.

Overall Objectives of the Auditor
  1. In conducting an audit of financial statements, the overall objectives of the auditor are:
  1. To obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, thereby enabling the auditor to express an opinion on whether the financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with an applicable financial reporting framework; and
  2. To report on the financial statements, and communicate as required by the SAs, in accordance with the auditor’s findings.
  1. In all cases when reasonable assurance cannot be obtained and a qualified opinion in the auditor’s report is insufficient in the circumstances for purposes of reporting to the intended users of the financial statements, the SAs require that the auditor disclaim an opinion or withdraw from the engagement, where withdrawal is legally permitted.
Definitions
  1. For purposes of the SAs, the following terms have the meanings attributed below:
  1. Applicable financial reporting framework – The financial reporting framework adopted by management and, where appropriate, those charged with governance in the preparation and presentation of the financial statements that is acceptable in view of the nature of the entity and the objective of the financial statements, or that is required by law or regulation.

The term “fair presentation framework” is used to refer to a financial reporting framework that requires compliance with the requirements of the

2 See, for example, SA 260(Revised), “Communication with Those Charged with Governance”; and paragraph 43 of SA 240, “The Auditor’s Responsibilities Relating to Fraud in an Audit of Financial Statements”.

framework and:

  1. Acknowledges explicitly or implicitly that, to achieve fair presentation of the financial statements, it may be necessary for management to provide disclosures beyond those specifically required by the framework; or
  2. Acknowledges explicitly that it may be necessary for management to depart from a requirement of the framework to achieve fair presentation of the financial statements. Such departures are expected to be necessary only in extremely rare circumstances.

The term “compliance framework” is used to refer to a financial reporting framework that requires compliance with the requirements of the framework, but does not contain the acknowledgements in (i) or (ii) above.

  1. Audit evidence – Information used by the auditor in arriving at the conclusions on which the auditor’s opinion is based. Audit evidence includes both information contained in the accounting records underlying the financial statements and other information. For purposes of the SAs:
    1. Sufficiency of audit evidence is the measure of the quantity of audit evidence. The quantity of the audit evidence needed is affected by the auditor’s assessment of the risks of material misstatement and also by the quality of such audit evidence.
    2. Appropriateness of audit evidence is the measure of the quality of audit evidence; that is, its relevance and its reliability in providing support for the conclusions on which the auditor’s opinion is based.
  2. Audit risk – The risk that the auditor expresses an inappropriate audit opinion when the financial statements are materially misstated. Audit risk is a function of the risks of material misstatement and detection risk.
  3. Auditor – “Auditor” is used to refer to the person or persons conducting the audit, usually the engagement partner or other members of the engagement team, or, as applicable, the firm. Where an SA expressly intends that a requirement or responsibility be fulfilled by the engagement partner, the term “engagement partner” rather than “auditor” is used. “Engagement partner” and “firm” are to be read as referring to their public sector equivalents where relevant.
  4. Detection risk – The risk that the procedures performed by the auditor to reduce audit risk to an acceptably low level will not detect a misstatement that exists and that could be material, either individually or when aggregated with other misstatements.
  5. Financial statements – A structured representation of historical financial information, including related notes, intended to communicate an entity’s

economic resources or obligations at a point in time or the changes therein for a period of time in accordance with a financial reporting framework. The related notes ordinarily comprise a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information. The term “financial statements” ordinarily refers to a complete set of financial statements as determined by the requirements of the applicable financial reporting framework, but can also refer to a single financial statement.

  1. Historical financial information – Information expressed in financial terms in relation to a particular entity, derived primarily from that entity’s accounting system, about economic events occurring in past time periods or about economic conditions or circumstances at points in time in the past.
  2. Management – The person(s) with executive responsibility for the conduct of the entity’s operations. For some entities in some jurisdictions, management includes some or all of those charged with governance, for example, executive members of a governance board, or an owner- manager.
  3. Misstatement – A difference between the amount, classification, presentation, or disclosure of a reported financial statement item and the amount, classification, presentation, or disclosure that is required for the item to be in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. Misstatements can arise from error or fraud.

When the auditor expresses an opinion on whether the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, or give a true and fair view, misstatements also include those adjustments of amounts, classifications, presentation, or disclosures that, in the auditor’s judgment, are necessary for the financial statements to be presented fairly, in all material respects, or to give a true and fair view.

  1. Premise, relating to the responsibilities of management and, where appropriate, those charged with governance, on which an audit is conducted – That management and, where appropriate, those charged with governance have the following responsibilities that are fundamental to the conduct of an audit in accordance with SAs. That is, responsibility:
    1. For the preparation and presentation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework; this includes the design, implementation and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; and
    2. To provide the auditor with:
  1. All information, such as records and documentation, and other matters that are relevant to the preparation and presentation of the financial statements;
  2. Any additional information that the auditor may request from management and, where appropriate, those charged with governance; and
  3. Unrestricted access to those within the entity from whom the auditor determines it necessary to obtain audit evidence.

In the case of a fair presentation framework, the responsibility is for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with the financial reporting framework; or the preparation of financial statements that give a true and fair view in accordance with the financial reporting framework. This applies to all references to “preparation and presentation of the financial statements” in the SAs.

The “premise, relating to the responsibilities of management and, where appropriate, those charged with governance, on which an audit is conducted” may also be referred to as the “premise”.

  1. Professional judgment – The application of relevant training, knowledge and experience, within the context provided by auditing, accounting and ethical standards, in making informed decisions about the courses of action that are appropriate in the circumstances of the audit engagement.
  2. Professional skepticism – An attitude that includes a questioning mind, being alert to conditions which may indicate possible misstatement due to error or fraud, and a critical assessment of audit evidence.
  3. Reasonable assurance – In the context of an audit of financial statements, a high, but not absolute, level of assurance.
  4. Risk of material misstatement – The risk that the financial statements are materially misstated prior to audit. This consists of two components, described as follows at the assertion level:
    1. Inherent risk – The susceptibility of an assertion about a class of transaction, account balance or disclosure to a misstatement that could be material, either individually or when aggregated with other misstatements, before consideration of any related controls.
    2. Control risk – The risk that a misstatement that could occur in an assertion about a class of transaction, account balance or disclosure and that could be material, either individually or when aggregated with other misstatements, will not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a timely basis by the entity’s internal control.

Those charged with governance – The person(s) or organisation(s) (e.g., a corporate trustee) with responsibility for overseeing the strategic direction of the entity and obligations related to the accountability of the entity. This includes overseeing the financial reporting process. For some entities in some jurisdictions, those charged with governance may include management personnel, for example, executive members of a governance board of a private or public sector entity, or an owner-manager.

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