Introduction to External Auditing

Overview/Description
 Do you know what external auditing is and why it's important? Do you know that external auditors are subject to some of the most stringent legal responsibilities of any profession? This course will introduce you to the terminology, concepts, strategies, and techniques to promote effective and efficient auditing practices. You will also learn some of the major legal responsibilities that external auditors face. In addition, you will learn how the auditing profession has been altered by the use of computers and how computers are a tool that increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the audit process.

Target Audience
 This series of courses is designed for business professionals who perform internal or external audit duties, and individuals interested in understanding auditing, its complexities, and processes. It is also useful for managers, government officials, and employees who may require a general knowledge of internal and external auditing for their job.

Expected Duration
3.5 hours

Lesson Objectives:

Legal and Professional Duties of External Auditors

  • recognize the benefits of understanding the legal and professional duties of external auditors.
  • identify examples of how an external auditor is exposed to legal liability when conducting an audit.
  • match responsibilities of an external auditor to examples of professional conduct.
  • demonstrate professional conduct during an external audit, given a scenario.
  • match the factors that impair an external auditor's independence with examples of situations illustrating each.
  • determine whether an external auditor can maintain independence in a given scenario.
  • match the types of corporate fraud that external auditors have the ethical duty to report to corresponding examples.

    • Basic Communication Skills for the External Auditor

  • recognize the benefits of using good communication skills during an external audit.
  • match conflict avoidance methods to examples.
  • effectively avoid conflict in an external auditing scenario.
  • identify effective communication techniques for external auditing.
  • apply effective communication techniques in an external auditing scenario.

    • External Auditing and the Computer

  • recognize the benefits of understanding how computers assist in the external auditing process.
  • identify examples of ways in which the computer affects the external audit.
  • match the types of computer-related internal controls that an external auditor should examine to examples.
  • match the types of computer-assisted audit techniques with examples of their appropriate uses.

    • Course Number: FIN0234