Audit

An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit-oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form, when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing also attempts to ensure that the books of accounts are properly maintained by such entities as required by law. Auditors consider the propositions before them, obtain evidence, document their findings, and evaluate the propositions in their auditing report. Audits provide third-party assurance to various stakeholders that the subject is free from material misstatement. The term is most frequently applied to audits of the financial information relating to a legal person. Other commonly audited areas include secretarial and compliance, internal controls, quality management, project management, water management, and energy conservation. As a result of an audit, stakeholders may evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance over the subject. Lately, auditing has expanded to encompass many areas of public and corporate life. Professor Michael Power refers to this extension of auditing practices as the “Audit Society”. Optimal auditing is a research field in economic theory and computer science that considers that auditing is costly and aims to construct auditing policies that are optimal for the principal.