What is Advocacy Threat? Impact to Auditor & Safeguard

Advocacy threat to auditor refers to a situation where the auditor’s objectivity and impartiality are compromised because they become too involved or aligned with the interests of their client. This can occur when the auditor is providing non-audit services to their client or has a close relationship with the client.

When it comes to the auditing process, ensuring the highest level of impartiality and objectivity is the most importance. However, there are certain situations and relationships that can compromise the independence of the auditor and affect the quality of the audit. One such situation is the advocacy threat.

Advocacy threat refers to a situation where an auditor’s relationship with a client, or their beliefs and opinions, affects their ability to carry out the audit impartially. This can occur when the auditor is in a position of advocating for the client or the client’s interests, rather than performing the audit objectively.

The advocacy threat can have a significant impact on the quality of the audit and the level of trust in the auditor’s findings. In situations where the auditor is advocating for the client, they may be more likely to overlook significant issues or downplay the significance of problems, thereby compromising the impartiality and objectivity of the audit.

Example

Examples of advocacy threat can include an auditor who is also an employee of the audit client, an auditor who has a significant investment in the audit client, or an auditor who has a close personal relationship with the audit client’s management. In each of these situations, the auditor may be influenced to present the financial information in a favorable light, rather than presenting an impartial and accurate assessment of the financial statements.

Other examples of advocacy

When the auditor is also the client’s legal representative in a lawsuit
When the auditor has a significant financial interest in the client or their business
When the auditor has close personal ties with the client, such as a family relationship
When the auditor is a former employee of the client or has previously worked with the client in a close capacity

Impact of Advocacy to Audit work

The potential impact of advocacy threat on audit quality is significant. When an auditor is influenced by a conflicting relationship or interest, they may overlook important issues or downplay the significance of material weaknesses in the financial statements. This can result in a failure to identify and report on material misstatements, which can in turn lead to a loss of confidence in the financial information provided by the audit client.

It is essential for auditors to understand and address advocacy threat in order to maintain the integrity and quality of their audits. This requires a commitment to maintaining independence and impartiality, as well as a robust process for identifying and mitigating potential advocacy threats. This may include steps such as rotating audit teams, establishing firewalls between the audit and other functions, and conducting regular training and development programs to ensure that auditors are aware of the risks and are equipped to address them.

Safeguard against advocacy

Professional Skepticism

Professional skepticism is an essential component of auditing and is critical to maintaining objectivity and impartiality in the face of potential advocacy threats. Professional skepticism is defined as a questioning mindset that auditors adopt when evaluating information and making judgments about the financial statements. This means that auditors must be diligent in their examination of information and take a critical and unbiased approach when evaluating the financial statements.

The importance of professional skepticism in auditing cannot be overstated. By adopting a professional skeptical approach, auditors can reduce the risk of being influenced by conflicting relationships or interests and can ensure that the financial information they provide is reliable and trustworthy.

To cultivate professional skepticism, auditors can take several steps, including:

Regularly updating their knowledge and skills through training and development programs.
Engaging in ongoing self-reflection and assessment of their own biases and potential conflicts of interest.
Collaborating with colleagues and seeking out second opinions to gain a fresh perspective.
Maintaining open lines of communication with stakeholders to gather additional information and insight.

Independence

Independence is another key factor in safeguarding against advocacy threat in auditing. Independence refers to the impartiality of the auditor and the absence of conflicts of interest that could compromise the integrity of the audit. Independence is important because it helps to ensure that auditors are not influenced by the audit client or other stakeholders, and that they are able to provide an objective assessment of the financial statements.

To maintain independence, auditors can take several steps, including:

Regularly rotating audit teams to reduce the risk of close relationships with the audit client.
Establishing firewalls between the audit function and other functions within the organization.
Avoiding conflicts of interest, such as investing in the audit client or accepting gifts or favors from the audit client.
Maintaining a rigorous code of conduct that outlines the principles of independence and impartiality and the steps required to maintain them.

Ethical Considerations

Finally, it is important for auditors to consider ethical considerations when addressing advocacy threat. Ethical considerations refer to the principles and values that guide the behavior of auditors, such as integrity, objectivity, confidentiality, and professional competence. These principles are critical to maintaining the credibility and trust of the auditing profession, and to ensure that auditors are able to provide reliable and trustworthy financial information.

Relevant ethical standards for auditors include the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and the Auditing Standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).

To maintain ethical behavior, auditors can take several steps, including:

Regularly reviewing and updating their knowledge of ethical standards and principles.
Engaging in ongoing self-reflection and assessment of their own ethical behavior.
Seeking guidance from peers and superiors when faced with ethical dilemmas.
Maintaining open lines of communication with stakeholders to ensure that ethical considerations are taken into account.