Auditing involves assessing the efficiency of a company’s internal controls. The upkeep of a robust internal control system is crucial for achieving business objectives, ensuring reliable financial reporting, preventing fraud and asset misappropriation, and minimizing the cost of capital. Internal and independent auditors play distinct roles, both contributing significantly to the company’s audit system.
The important reasons why every company needs an audit system are as follows: –
- An Audit System Can Assess the Risk of Misstatement
Auditors evaluate the potential for significant errors in a company’s financial reports. In the absence of a well-organized internal control system or an audit framework, the company would lack the means to produce dependable financial reports for both internal and external use. Consequently, the company would face challenges in allocating resources effectively and would be unaware of the profitability or lack thereof in its various segments or product lines.
- Implementing an Audit System can Prevent and Detect Fraud
The internal audit plays a crucial role in preventing fraud within a company. Regularly analyzing the company’s operations and upholding robust internal control systems can effectively thwart and identify different forms of fraud and accounting irregularities. Audit professionals contribute to shaping and refining internal control systems with the specific aim of preventing fraud. Deterrence is a significant aspect of prevention, and the presence of an active and diligent audit system within a company, known through reputation, can discourage employees or vendors from attempting fraudulent schemes.
- An Audit System Allows to Pursuit the Business Objectives
Possessing a proficient audit system is paramount for a company as it empowers the pursuit and achievement of diverse corporate objectives. Business operations demand a range of internal controls to facilitate supervision and monitoring, prevent and identify irregular transactions, assess ongoing performance, uphold comprehensive business records, and enhance overall operational efficiency. Internal auditors play a role in evaluating the internal control design, offering informal suggestions for improvement, and prompting further investigation by management if circumstances warrant.
- An Audit System Can Reduce the Cost of Capital
The significance of the cost of capital extends to every company, irrespective of its size. This cost is predominantly influenced by the risk associated with an investment. When an investment carries higher risk, investors require a correspondingly higher rate of return. Implementing a robust audit system can effectively mitigate various risks within an enterprise, encompassing information risk (such as the potential for material misstatement in financial reporting), the risk of fraud and misappropriation of assets, and the risk of suboptimal management due to insufficient operational information.