Financial Reporting In audits where the objective is financial reporting, emphasis is placed on the adequacy and effectiveness of management controls governing the reliability of financial data used for external reporting purposes. An audit based on such controls should provide reasonable assurance that no material misstatements exist in the examined data. Tracing audit controls and financial data back to the financial statements is indicative of an audit with a financial reporting objective.
An audit that reviews the assumptions and methods used to estimate contract costs-at-completion typically has a financial reporting objective. Similarly, audits of accounting controls that govern the preparation of financial statements generally will have financial reporting as their audit objective. Though there are exceptions, many finance-function audits focus on financial reporting since their scope often reflects the audit objective.
It might be initially difficult to determine, for example, whether an audit objective for accounts payable belongs in the operations or the financial reporting arena. The answer would depend on the kind of management controls to be audited. Likewise, audits of "cost screening for government allowability" could potentially address all three objectives: process efficiency and effectiveness—operations; adherence to Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) requirements—compliance; and reliability of cost classification and transaction processing—financial reporting. Selecting the objective is a matter of auditor judgment and depends on the nature and preponderance of management controls to be examined.
Compliance Audits based on compliance focus on the adequacy and effectiveness of management controls governing adherence to external laws and regulations. Such audits are primarily concerned with the correlation between laws and company procedure and actual practice. We usually consult our in-house legal counsel extensively during audits of this nature—an excellent indication that the audit should have compliance as its objective.
An audit of company adherence to the provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is illustrative of a typical compliance audit. Examples also include audits of controls governing compliance to FAR "cost disclosure," FAR "defective pricing" requirements, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s "unapproved parts" inspection requirements.