Which of the following audit is mainly designed to evaluate the internal control structure in a given process or area? 

Answer options:

A. Compliance Audit
B. Financial Audit
C. Operational Audit
D. Forensic audit

C

Operational audit is mainly designed to evaluate the internal control structure in a given process or area. Operational Audit is a systematic review of effectiveness, efficiency and economy of operation. Operational audit is a future-oriented, systematic, and independent evaluation of organizational activities. In Operational audit financial data may be used, but the primary sources of evidence are the operational policies and achievements related to organizational objectives. Operational audit is a more comprehensive form of an Internal audit. For your exam you should know below information about different types of audit: What is an audit? An audit in general terms is a process of evaluating an individual or organization`s accounts. This is usually done by an independent auditing body. Thus, audit involves a competent and independent person obtaining evidence and evaluating it objectively with regard to a given entity, which in this case is the subject of audit, in order to establish conformance to a given set of standards. Audit can be on a person, organization, system, enterprise, project or product. Compliance Audit - A compliance audit is a comprehensive review of an organization`s adherence to regulatory guidelines. Independent accounting, security or IT consultants evaluate the strength and thoroughness of compliance preparations. Auditors review security polices, user access controls and risk management procedures over the course of a compliance audit. Compliance audit include specific tests of controls to demonstrate adherence to specific regulatory or industry standard. These audits often overlap traditional audits, but may focus on particular system or data. What, precisely, is examined in a compliance audit will vary depending upon whether an organization is a public or private company, what kind of data it handles and if it transmits or stores sensitive financial data. For instance, SOX requirements mean that any electronic communication must be backed up and secured with reasonable disaster recovery infrastructure. Health care providers that store or transmit e-health records, like personal health information, are subject to HIPAA requirements. Financial services companies that transmit credit card data are subject to PCI DSS requirements. In each case, the organization must be able to demonstrate compliance by producing an audit trail, often generated by data from event log management software. Financial Audit - A financial audit, or more accurately, an audit of financial statements, is the verification of the financial statements of a legal entity, with a view to express an audit opinion. The audit opinion is intended to provide reasonable assurance, but not absolute assurance, that the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, and/or give a true and fair view in accordance with the financial reporting framework. The purpose of an audit is to provide an objective independent examination of the financial statements, which increases the value and credibility of the financial statements produced by management, thus increase user confidence in the financial statement, reduce investor risk and consequently reduce the cost of capital of the preparer of the financial statements. Operational Audit - Operational Audit is a systematic review of effectiveness, efficiency and economy of operation. Operational audit is a future-oriented, systematic, and independent evaluation of organizational activities. In Operational audit financial data may be used, but the primary sources of evidence are the operational policies and achievements related to organizational objectives. Operational audit is a more comprehensive form of an Internal audit. The Institute of Internal Auditor (IIA) defines Operational Audit as a systematic process of evaluating an organization`s effectiveness, efficiency and economy of operations under management`s control and reporting to appropriate persons the results of the evaluation along with recommendations for improvement. Objectives - To appraise the effectiveness and efficiency of a division, activity, or operation of the entity in meeting organizational goals. To understand the responsibilities and risks faced by an organization. To identify, with management participation, opportunities for improving control. To provide senior management of the organization with a detailed understanding of the Operations. Integrated Audits - An integrated audit combines financial and operational audit steps. An integrated audit is also performed to assess overall objectives within an organization, related to financial information and asset, safeguarding, efficiency and or internal auditors and would include compliance test of internal controls and substantive audit step. IS Audit - An information technology audit, or information systems audit, is an examination of the management controls within an Information technology (IT) infrastructure. The evaluation of obtained evidence determines if the information systems are safeguarding assets, maintaining data integrity, and operating effectively to achieve the organization`s goals or objectives. These reviews may be performed in conjunction with a financial statement audit, internal audit, or other form of attestation engagement. The primary functions of an IT audit are to evaluate the systems that are in place to guard an organization`s information. Specifically, information technology audits are used to evaluate the organization`s ability to protect its information assets and to properly dispense information to authorized parties. The IT audit aims to evaluate the following: Will the organization`s computer systems be available for the business at all times when required? (known as availability) Will the information in the systems be disclosed only to authorized users? (known as security and confidentiality) Will the information provided by the system always be accurate, reliable, and timely? (measures the integrity) In this way, the audit hopes to assess the risk to the company`s valuable asset (its information) and establish methods of minimizing those risks. Forensic Audit - Forensic audit is the activity that consists of gathering, verifying, processing, analyzing of and reporting on data in order to obtain facts and/or evidence - in a predefined context - in the area of legal/financial disputes and or irregularities (including fraud) and giving preventative advice. The purpose of a forensic audit is to use accounting procedures to collect evidence for the prosecution or investigation of financial crimes such as theft or fraud. Forensic audits may be conducted to determine if wrongdoing occurred, or to gather materials for the case against an alleged criminal. The following answers are incorrect: Compliance Audit - A compliance audit is a comprehensive review of an organization`s adherence to regulatory guidelines. Independent accounting, security or IT consultants evaluate the strength and thoroughness of compliance preparations. Auditors review security polices, user access controls and risk management procedures over the course of a compliance audit. Compliance audit include specific tests of controls to demonstrate adherence to specific regulatory or industry standard. These audits often overlap traditional audits, but may focus on particular system or data. Financial Audit- A financial audit, or more accurately, an audit of financial statements, is the verification of the financial statements of a legal entity, with a view to express an audit opinion. The audit opinion is intended to provide reasonable assurance, but not absolute assurance, that the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, and/or give a true and fair view in accordance with the financial reporting framework. The purpose of an audit is to provide an objective independent examination of the financial statements, which increases the value and credibility of the financial statements produced by management, thus increase user confidence in the financial statement, reduce investor risk and consequently reduce the cost of capital of the preparer of the financial statements. Forensic Audit - Forensic audit is the activity that consists of gathering, verifying, processing, analyzing of and reporting on data in order to obtain facts and/or evidence - in a predefined context - in the area of legal/financial disputes and or irregularities (including fraud) and giving preventative advice. Reference: CISA Review Manual 2014 Page number 44 http://searchcompliance.techtarget.com/definition/compliance-audit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_audit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_auditing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology_audit http://www.investorwords.com/16445/forensic_audit.html