Case 6 McClain Plastics has been an audit client of Belcor, Rich, Smith & Barnes, CPAs (BRS&B), for several years. McClain Plastics was started by Evers McClain, who owns 51% of the companys stock. The balance is owned by about 20 stockholders, who are investors with no operational responsibilities. McClain Plastics makes products that have plastic as their primary material. Some are made to order, but most products are made for inventory. An example of a McClainmanufactured product is a plastic chair pad that is used in a carpeted office. Another is a plastic bushing that is used with certain fastener systems. McClain has grown from a small, two-product company, when they first engaged BRS&B, to a successful, diverse company. At the time Randall Sessions of BRS&B became manager of the audit, annual sales had grown to $200 million and profits to $10.9 million. Historically, the company presented no unusual audit problems, and BRS&B had issued an unmodified opinion every year. The audit approach BRS&B always used on the audit of McClain Plastics was a sub- stantive audit approach. Under this approach, the in-charge auditor obtained an under- standing of internal control as part of the risk assessment procedures, but control risk was assessed at the maximum (100%). Extensive analytical procedures were done on the income statement, and unusual fluctuations were investigated. Detailed audit procedures emphasized balance sheet accounts. The theory was that if the balance sheet accounts were correct at year-end and had been audited as of the beginning of the year, then retained earnings and the income statement must be correct.

Part I

In evaluating the audit approach for McClain for the current years audit, Sessions believed that a substantive approach was really only appropriate for the audits of small nonpublic companies. In his judgment, McClain Plastics, with sales of $200 million and 146 employees, had reached the size where it was not economical, and probably not wise, to concentrate all the tests on the balance sheet. Furthermore, although McClain is not a public company, Sessions recognized that similar public companies are required by Section 404 of the SarbanesOxley Act and related PCAOB standards to have an integrated audit of the financial statements and internal control over financial reporting. Therefore, he designed an audit program that emphasized identifying internal controls in all major transaction cycles and included tests of controls. The intended economic benefit of this reducing control risk approach was that the time spent testing controls would be more than offset by reduced tests of details of the balance sheet accounts.

In planning tests of inventories, Sessions used the audit risk model included in auditing standards to determine the number of inventory items BRS&B would test at year-end. Because of the number of different products, features, sizes, and colors, McClains inventory consisted of 2,450 different items. These were maintained on a perpetual inventory management system that used a relational database.

In using the audit risk model for inventories, Sessions believed that an audit risk of 5% was acceptable. He assessed inherent risk as high (100%) because inventory, by its nature, is subject to many types of misstatements. Based on his understanding of the relevant transaction cycles, Sessions believed that internal controls were effective. He therefore assessed control risk as low (50%) before performing tests of controls. Sessions also planned to use substantive analytical procedures for tests of inventory. These planned tests included comparing gross profit margins by month and reviewing for slow-moving items. Sessions believed that these tests would provide assurance of 40%. Substantive tests of details would include tests of inventory quantities, costs, and net realizable values at an interim date two months before year-end. Cutoff tests would be done at year-end. Inquiries and substantive analytical procedures would be relied on for assurance about events between the interim audit date and fiscal year-end.

Required

Decide which of the following will likely be done under both a reducing control risk approach and a substantive approach:

Assess inherent risk.

Obtain an understanding of internal control.

Perform tests of controls.

Perform substantive analytical procedures.

Assess planned detection risk.

What advantages does the reducing control risk approach Sessions planned to use have over the substantive approach previously used in the audit of McClain Plastics?

What advantages did the substantive approach have over the reducing control risk approach?