Auditors’ Usage of Non-Financial Data and Information during the Assessment of the Risk of Material Misstatement for an Audit Engagement: A Field Study

Abstract

Audit firms that fail to detect fraud or material misstatements in the financial statements of their audit clients may suffer substantial monetary penalties and negative publicity in the event of audit failure. The present study investigates auditors’ perception regarding the use of non-financial data and information to verify the validity of financial data and information reported by an audit client during an audit engagement. In addition, the current study considers the sources of information that auditors may depend on when searching for explanations for unusual trends in the financial statements of an audit client. The present study is based on a field study conducted in Egypt during the year 2014.

Using a questionnaire supplemented by in-depth interviews, the present study showed that auditors are likely to make moderate use of non-financial data and information when assessing the risk of material misstatements during an audit. However, it seems that auditors prefer to depend on financial data and information more than non-financial data and information when developing expectations about account balances during an audit engagement. Furthermore, the present study pointed out that auditors appear to rely more on inquiries of audit client personnel than other sources of information when searching for explanations for unexpected trends in the financial statements of an audit client.