Published On:Wednesday 14 December 2011

Posted by Muhammad Atif Saeed

Three types of audits are discussed in general, i.e.,
1. Financial statement audits
2. Operational audits
3. Compliance audits

Financial Statement Audits
An audit of financial statements is conducted to determine whether the overall financial statements (the quantifiable information being verified) are stated in accordance with specified criteria. Normally, the criteria are the requirements of the applicable International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and the Companies Ordinance 1984. The financial statements most commonly comprises of the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Statement of Changes in Equity, Cash Flow Statement, and Notes to the accounts. The assumption underlying an audit of financial statements is that these will be used by different groups for different purposes. Therefore, it is more efficient to have one auditor who will perform an audit and draw conclusions that can be relied upon by all users than to have each user perform his or her own audit. If a user believes that the general audit does not provide sufficient information for his or her purposes, the user has the option of obtaining more data. For example, a general audit of a business may provide sufficient financial information for a banker considering a loan to the company, but a corporation considering a merger with that business may also wish to know the replacement cost of fixed assets and other information relevant to the decision. The corporation may use its own auditors to get the additional information.

Operational Audits
An operational audit is a review of any part of an entity’s operating procedures and methods for the purpose of evaluating efficiency and effectiveness. At the completion of an operational audit, recommendations to management for improving operation are normally expected.
An example of an operational audit is evaluating the efficiency and accuracy of processing payroll transactions in a newly installed computer system. Another example, where most accountants would feel less qualified is evaluating the efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction in processing the distribution of letters and parcels by a courier company such as TCS.
Because of the many different areas in which operational effectiveness can be evaluated, it is impossible to characterize the conduct of a typical operational audit. In one organization, the auditor might evaluate the relevancy and sufficiency of the information used by management in making decisions to acquire new fixed assets, while in a different organization the auditor might evaluate the efficiency of the paper flow in processing sales.
In operational auditing, the reviews are not limited to accounting. They can include the evaluation of organization structure, computer operations, production methods, marketing, and any other area in which the auditor is qualified.
The conduct of an operational audit and the reported results are less easily defined than for either of the other two types of audits. Efficiency and effectiveness of operations are far more difficult to evaluate objectively than compliance or the presentation of financial statements in accordance with accounting conventions and principles; and establishing criteria for evaluating the quantifiable information in an operational audit is an extremely subjective matter.
In this sense, operational auditing is more like “management consulting” than what is generally regarded as “auditing”. Operational auditing has increased in importance in the past decade.

Compliance Audits
The purpose of a compliance audit is to determine whether the entity is following specific procedures, rules, or regulations set down by some higher authority. A compliance audit for a private business could include determining whether accounting personnel are following the procedures prescribed by the company controller, reviewing wage rates for compliance with minimum wage laws, or examining contractual agreements with bankers and other lenders to be sure the company is complying with legal requirements.
In the audit of governmental units such as districts school, there is extensive compliance auditing due to extensive regulation by higher government authorities. In virtually every private and non profit organization, there are prescribed policies, contractual agreements, and legal requirements that may call for compliance auditing.

Results of compliance audits are typically reported to someone within the entity being audited rather than to a broad spectrum of users.
Management, as opposed to outside users, is the primary group concerned with the extent of compliance with certain prescribed procedures and regulations. Hence, a significant portion of work of this type is done by auditors employed by the entity itself.
There are exceptions; when an organization wants to determine whether individuals or entities that are obligated to follow its requirements are actually complying, the auditor is employed by the entity issuing the requirements.
An example is the auditing of taxpayers for compliance with the federal tax laws, where the auditor is employed by the government to audit the taxpayers’ tax returns.