What is recognized by the concept of reasonable assurance in the context of an entitys internal control?
What is Reasonable Assurance?Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance regarding material misstatements, but not an absolute one. Reasonable assurance includes the understanding that there is a remote likelihood that material misstatements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. To achieve reasonable assurance, the auditor needs to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to reduce audit risk to an acceptably low level. This means that there is some uncertainty arising from the use of sampling, since it is possible that a material misstatement will be missed. Show
When conducting an audit of financial statements, the high-level objectives of the auditor include obtaining reasonable assurance as to whether a client’s financial statements are free from material misstatement, thereby allowing the auditor to express an opinion on whether the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework (such as generally accepted accounting principles). Audit & Advisory Services is committed to assisting all levels of management and staff in the achievement of UCSF's goals and objectives by striving to provide a positive impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. To that end, the internal controls information provided below covers the basic concepts of internal controls and their application to UCSF, including: Internal controls summary Internal controls summaryInternal control is a process, effected by an entity’s board of directors, management and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance:
Internal controls are intended to prevent errors and irregularities, identify problems and ensure that corrective action is taken. In many cases, process owners within your department perform controls and interact with the control structure on a daily basis, sometimes without even realizing it because controls are built into operations. Control definition reflects certain fundamental concepts:
Internal controls are established to further strengthen:
Internal control structureThe internal control structure is derived from the way management runs an operation or function and is integrated with the management process. Although the components apply to the entire University, small and mid-size departments may implement them differently than large ones do. Together, they are designed to provide reasonable assurance that overall established objectives and goals are met. The internal control structure consists of five inter-related components:
Internal control typesDifferent risks and environments require different controls. The control types described below can be used in combination to mitigate risks to the organization. Preventive and detection controls
Hard vs. soft controls
Manual vs. automated controls
Key vs. secondary controls
To identify the correct control(s) to implement, you must know what risks are present. To know what risks are present, you need to understand what objectives are being sought. Therefore, Objectives → Risks→ Controls. Internal controls in my departmentControl activities within your department may include the following:
Remember, everyone in your department has responsibility for internal controls. Note: The above internal controls definition was developed by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), which is recognized by UCSF Audit & Advisory Services. What is reasonable assurance in internal control system?Management's assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting is expressed at the level of reasonable assurance . . . Reasonable assurance includes the understanding that there is a remote likelihood that material misstatements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
What is meant by the concept of reasonable assurance in terms of internal control What are the inherent limitations of internal control?6-7 The concept of reasonable assurance recognizes that the cost of an entity's internal control system should not exceed the benefits that are expected to be derived from the system. Thus, an internal control system will not detect every error that might occur because it would be too costly to design such a system.
What are the 3 objectives of an entity where internal controls are designed to provide reasonable assurance?What are the 3 Objectives of COSO? Design, implement, maintain, and evaluate internal control – easy enough, right? There are a lot of elements that go into developing an effective system internal control.
How the reasonable assurance is determined?To achieve reasonable assurance, the auditor needs to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to reduce audit risk to an acceptably low level. This means that there is some uncertainty arising from the use of sampling, since it is possible that a material misstatement will be missed.
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