A top-down approach begins at the financial statement level- It requir.docx
- 1. A top-down approach begins at the financial statement level. It requires the auditor's understanding of the overall risk to internal control over financial reporting. Discuss how an auditor uses a top-down approach in the audit of internal control over financial reporting to select the controls to test. Compare and contrast a top-down approach versus a detailed approach in an audit. What would auditors gain from using a top-down approach? Solution Auditor should use top-down approach to the audit of internal control over financial reporting for selecting controls totest. The process begins with understanding overall risk to internal control. The auditor then focuses on entity-level controls and works down to significant accounts and disclosures and their relevant assertions. This approach directs the auditor's attention to accounts, disclosures, and assertions that present a reasonable possibility of material misstatement to the financial statements and related disclosures. The auditor then verifies his or her understanding of the risks in the company's processes and selects for testing those controls that sufficiently address the assessed risk of misstatement to each relevant assertion. In Detailed audit approach each and every thing is been checked very minutely, this approach is designed to be used throughout the audit efficiently and effectively to focus on the nature, timing and extent of audit procedures in areas that are more responsible for material misstatement in the financial report. It requires the auditor to first understand the entity and its environment in order to identify risks that may result in material misstatement in the financial statements and report. Then, auditor performs an assessment of those risks at both the financial report and assertion levels. The assessment involves considering a number of factors such as the nature of the risks, relevant internal controls and the required level of audit evidence. It involves following steps Understanding, which comes from identifying and assessing risk Responding to identified risk Concluding on areas of risk
- 2. Getting risk right which means acheaving Efficiency and effectiveness Top down approach helps to get the understanding of entity its fianacial statemnst easily and in quite less time, with effeciency and effectivness. Top-down approach also analyzes risk by aggregating the impact of internal operational failures, as it is a three step process helps auditor to detect the frauds and risk easily and effeciently.