Chapter 4 Flashcards
What are the 2 reasons that companies would issue incorrect financial statements?
- Errors
2. Fraud
What are accidental errors in recording (or failing to record) transactions or in applying accounting rules?
Errors
What occurs when a person intentionally deceives another person for personal gain or to damage that person?
Fraud
What is the difference between an error and fraud?
An error is accidental while fraud is intentional
What is the use of one’s occupation for personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse or misapplication of the employer’s resources?
Occupational fraud
What are the 3 elements that are present when fraud occurs?
- Opportunity
- Motivation
- Rationalization
What can be done to help minimize fraud?
Eliminating one of the 3 elements that are present when fraud occurs
Of the three fraud elements, which one do companies have the greatest ability to eliminate?
Opportunity
What is a formal procedure that attempts to eliminate the opportunity element of fraud?
Internal controls
What represents plans to safeguard the company’s assets and improve the accuracy and reliability of accounting information?
Internal control
Who are entrusted with the resources of both the company’s lenders and owners?
Managers
Who acts as stewards or caretakers of the company’s assets?
Managers
What are two of the highest-profile cases of accounting fraud in U.S. history?
The collapse of Enron and WorldCom
Who used questionable accounting practices to avoid reporting billions in debt and losses in its financial statements?
Enron
Who misclassified certain expenditures to overstate assets and profitability?
WorldCom
True or False:
The auditor can’t have any type of relationship with the company
True
What act established a variety of guidelines related to auditor-client relations and internal control procedures?
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Who has the authority to establish standards dealing with auditing, quality control, ethics, independence, and other activities relating to the preparation of audited financial reports?
The Oversight board
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOA) of 2002?
a. All companies in the U.S. fall under its provisions.
b. It helped establish guidelines for internal control procedures.
c. It helped establish corporate executive accountability.
d. It helped establish guidelines for auditor-client relations.
a. All companies in the U.S. fall under its provisions.
Which companies does the SOA apply to?
Companies who are required to file financial statements with the SEC
What are the policies and procedures that help ensure that management’s directives are being carried out?
Control activities
What identifies and analyzes internal and external risk factors that could prevent a company’s objectives from being achieved?
Risk assessment
What sets the overall ethical tone of the company with respect to internal control?
The control environment
What is required of internal activities and reporting of deficiencies?
Continual monitoring