CPA Auditing and Attestation (AUD) : Ethics - GAO and DOL
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CPA Auditing and Attestation (AUD)
All CPA Auditing and Attestation (AUD) Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Ethics Gao And Dol
The GAO professional framework includes
Setting budgetary standards
Setting audit standards
Applying safeguards
Setting financial policy
Applying safeguards
The GAO professional framework includes the application of appropriate safeguards. As stated under Governmental Accounting Standards section 3.08, “Auditors should apply the conceptual framework at the audit organization, audit, and individual auditor levels to apply safeguards as necessary to eliminate the threats or reduce them to an acceptable level.”
Example Question #2 : Ethics Gao And Dol
A member is serving as an engagement partner. He invests heavily and has a portfolio of government bonds of a government client. This is an example of a:
Bias Threat
Structural Threat
Financial threat
Familiarity Threat
Financial threat
The partner's investment in government bonds of a governmental client creates a financial threat. This threat falls under the self-interest threat as expressed in the GAO Conceptual Framework Standards: “Self-interest threat - the threat that a financial or other interest will inappropriately influence an auditor’s judgment or behavior.”
Example Question #3 : Ethics Gao And Dol
Internal auditors are considered independent for internal reporting purposes:
never
If they are accountable to the government entity head
If employed by the audit firm
If they are an agency head
If they are accountable to the government entity head
Internal auditors that are accountable to the government agency head are considered independent for internal reporting purposes. Under section 3.31 of GAGAS; “Certain entities employ auditors to work for entity management. These auditors may be subject to administrative direction from persons involved in the entity management process. Such audit organizations are internal audit functions and are encouraged to use the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing in conjunction with GAGAS. In accordance with GAGAS, internal auditors who work under the direction of the audited entity’s management are considered independent.”
Example Question #4 : Ethics Gao And Dol
GAGAS specifically include all of the following ethics principles except:
Fraud detection
Serving the public interest
Proper use of government information
Integrity
Fraud detection
GAGAS ethics do not include specific references to fraud detection. Ethics covers the public interest, integrity, and proper usage of information.
Example Question #5 : Ethics Gao And Dol
The GAGAS framework for independence identifies inappropriate influence on auditor judgment or behavior caused by a financial or other interest as a:
Self interest threat
Management participation threat
Bias threat
Self review threat
Self interest threat
The self-interest threat is that a financial or other interest will influence an auditor's judgment or behavior inappropriately.
Example Question #6 : Ethics Gao And Dol
Of the following threats to independence identified by GAGAS related to a threat of external influence?
Structural threat
Self-interest threat
Familiarity threat
Undue influence threat
Undue influence threat
The undue influence threat relates to how an external factor can impact an auditor's independence.
All CPA Auditing and Attestation (AUD) Resources
