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Branimira Assenova Koleva
Analytical Procedures as a Means of Optimising Auditing
Summary:
Audit literature provides many definitions of the nature of an audit. In general, they all boil down to focusing on audit outcomes, namely, establishing that financial statements comply with accounting standards. An audit is an independent examination, and an auditor assumes responsibility for expressing a true and fair opinion on financial statements for the public benefit. Achieving high-quality audits requires collecting and evaluating objectively the evidence obtained for economic actions and events. However, an auditor has a limited amount of time to process large volumes of information, so in terms of quality and time, their work can be optimized through analytical procedures.
According to the International Standards on Auditing, an audit involves analytical procedures throughout the process. Analytical procedures evaluate financial information through analysis of plausible relationships among both financial and non-financial data. The aim is to obtain quality audit evidence in a more timely and cost-effective manner. Applying analytical procedures reduces audit work and improves its efficiency. They are essential for risk assessment in both planning and fraud and error detection. The proper application of analytical procedures is a prerequisite for carrying out a quality audit and taking an adequate audit decision regarding management’s assertions in the financial statements. It is, therefore, necessary to maintain the professional qualification of independent auditors, not only as hours and types of seminars of auditors’ own choice, but also to make them mandatory in terms of regulations, which need to be amended accordingly. I believe that attending seminars is not sufficient to enhance an auditor’s expert knowledge. It would be good to pass a test each year as some form of verification to confirm the knowledge acquired.
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Branimira Assenova Koleva
Opportunities for Effective Cash Flow Audit
Summary:
Performing an independent financial audit is not an easy task - it is an ethic commitment for the auditor that must be performed with a due care both to the client and to the community. The present work is aimed at supporting the work of auditors by providing theoretical knowledge and illustrative examples on the verification of cash. Determining the actual amount of cash is a high-risk audit assignment. Therefore, the confirmation of cash is a large-scale and comprehensive procedure, which requires more attention. The paper discusses the issues, techniques, and procedures the auditor can apply to get the most credible evidence of quantity and ownership of cash.
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Branimira Assenova Koleva
Accounts Receivable and Revenue
Summary:
Revenues are the lifeblood of any organization. Without cash inflows, the entity may cease to exist. The sales account is closely tied to accounts receivables, therefore, evidence supporting accounts receivable tends to support sales. Accounts receivable is frequently the largest asset that a company has. If your company is subject to an annual audit, the auditors will review its accounts receivable and revenues in some detail to determine if they are fairly presented in the context of the financial statements as a whole.
Some companies manipulate their earning by inflating their period and receivables. When trade receivables increase, revenues increase. So, a company can increase its net income by recording nonexistent receivables.
In this article, we will answer questions such as:
• Should auditor confirm receivables to obtain reliable evidence that they are fairly presented?
• Why should we assume that revenues are overstated or understated and to apply professional skepticism?
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Branimira Assenova Koleva
The Role of Materiality and the Correct Assessment of Audit Risk in Issuing Quality Audit Report
Summary:
The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) has to take an oath before the independent financial audit may commence. Everyone has to comply with the code of ethics, perform a quality and independent work. This paper is aimed at supporting the work of auditors by providing theoretical knowledge and illustrative examples on the definition and use of audit materiality.
Each of us is a user of financial statement information, however we may not always understand from the audit report if there is an unqualified (clear) opinion (in terms of volume). This is due to the fact that the audit materiality is stated in the audit file and not considered valuable in the audit report. In addition, the audit materiality is not a public information and any errors below the level of materiality remain in the audit file. What is the level of materiality determined by the auditor, what are the rules that have led to define it? This remains confidential information.
The core of the audit is to determine the audit risk, the level of materiality and gathering audit evidence. Quality work performed by the auditor ensures audit quality. It is difficult to determine audit quality as this does not get clear from the auditor's report. Therefore, in order to better inform users of financial statements, it is required additional disclosures to be made in the audit report presented as recommendations in the study.
