Sherstiuk O. Theory and methodology of audit of financial information.

The dissertation is devoted to solving the scientific and applied problem – development and scientific substantiation of theoretical and methodological principles of audit, organizational and methodical provision of measures aimed at solving problems related to providing of assurance for users with financial information. The necessity of researching the content of financial information, peculiarities of its formation and appointment in the context of realization of information needs of users is substantiated. The definition of financial information is proposed as a set of indicators characterizing the activities of business entities, have a cost value and defined and systematized in accordance with the criteria of the implementation of user’s information requests. It is proposed to determine the content characteristics of financial information by definition the objects of the first, second and third order depending on the way of their identification for the purposes of financial information. The generalized algorithm for the formation of financial information is proposed, regardless of its type. The levels of consumer behavior of financial information users are defined. The results of the research gave grounds for identifying of a positive and negative kind of assurance, defining the content of its elements, determined by the content of the audit tasks and the content of audit activities. Based on the methodology for assessing the level of assurance, approaches have been developed that include evaluation taking into account the work of the auditor, the assessment of the response characteristics of the internal control system of the entity to the deviations detected during the audit and the behavior of users of financial information.