Comprehensive energy audit

Introduction

The audit (from the Latin verb audire, 'to hear', in turn from the first auditors who exercised their function by judging the truth or falsity of what was submitted to their verification, mainly by observing) is, in general terms, the action of verifying that a certain fact or circumstance occurs according to plan.[1] In the case of an organization, it refers to the tests carried out on financial, operational or administrative information based on compliance with legal obligations. or fiscal, as well as the policies and guidelines established by the entity itself according to the way in which it operates and is managed.[2].

The purpose of an audit is to certify the reliability of the financial statements (or accounting statements) for users in a given period, for which the auditor has to design and apply procedures that help him obtain the appropriate information to then generate reasonable conclusions and issue an independent opinion on the presentation of the figures that appear in said statements.

History

The audit was born with the need that the State had to keep entities controlled and monitored in aspects such as:

• - Issuance of shares "Action (finance)") and securities among investors.

• - Business expansion in one's own country or abroad (transnational companies).

• - Try to maintain homogeneity in the registration of operations.

Given this environment, firm auditors and public accountants in the United States began to take control by reviewing the financial information of affiliated entities, subsidiaries, branches, transnational companies, among others; However, it did not obtain much success because there were not the same rules, foundations or guidelines regarding the application of the audit, nor the accounting theory and technique exercised in the United States and other countries.

After this, some transnational companies and firms examined the financial situation and initiated an ideology that allowed them to both standardize and compare information in accounting and auditing terms. It was not until the 1930s that Mexican firms were invited to join US public accounting firms for the purpose of auditing transnational companies.

Code of Professional Ethics

Comprehensive energy audit

Introduction

History

The audit was born with the need that the State had to keep entities controlled and monitored in aspects such as:

• - Issuance of shares "Action (finance)") and securities among investors.

• - Business expansion in one's own country or abroad (transnational companies).

• - Try to maintain homogeneity in the registration of operations.

Audit in an organization

Contenido

Se dice que la auditoría es una serie de métodos de investigación y análisis que tiene el objetivo de hacer una revisión y evaluación profunda de la gestión efectuada. Por lo que se refiere a la auditoría dentro de una organización, es el examen crítico y/o sistemático que realiza una persona o grupo de personas calificadas e independientes del sistema auditado en donde el principal propósito es emitir una opinión independiente y competente acerca de la información financiera, operativa y administrativa. Se apoya en el cumplimiento de las obligaciones fiscales o jurídicas; o bien, de las políticas internas.[3].

Aunque hay muchos tipos de auditoría, la expresión se utiliza generalmente para designar a la «auditoría externa de estados financieros», que es aquella realizada por un profesional generalmente experto en contabilidad, temas fiscales, financieros") y registros en general de una entidad.

Financial audit

The accounting audit is based on carrying out a formal analysis of the accounts that a company has by an external auditing firm with the purpose of verifying that the accounting presented is coherent and generates confidence in the financial situation of the organization that is audited. The comprehensive audit is a key point in correct decision making because it provides an external report on the most important or relevant information in the financial statements to comply with the requirements in regulatory aspects.[4].

Auditors must review all receipts from the company and its clients, in addition to interviewing workers and clients to identify the indicator(s) of different types of fraud such as bribery, illegal commissions, extortion, theft, embezzlement, among others.[5].

The financial audit consists of a process whose final result is the issuance of a report, in which the auditor makes known his opinion on the financial situation of the company. This process can only be carried out through an element called audit evidence, since the auditor does his work after the operations of the company. It is also an elementary part of the control that the company must exercise over its structure and financial management, since the success or failure of any organization depends on its proper development.[6].

To effectively and efficiently perform an audit of the Financial Statements, it is important that the auditor obtain a reasonable understanding of the accounting systems as well as the internal controls involved in the generation of financial information. This will have a strong impact on the procedures to be carried out on the material accounts of the Financial Statements, since it is a factor that can determine the size of the sample to be reviewed.[7].

Types of audit

• - Communication audit"): is one carried out by a professional, an expert in communication and image, on the states of internal and external communication") of an organization.

• - Account audit: is one of the most in-demand among companies since it focuses on analyzing, reviewing and verifying the annual accounts statement of a company. Information that reflects the financial health of the company which is necessary to request more financing, go to banks, make agreements with other companies, etc.

• - Audit of financial statements"): is one carried out by a professional, audit expert who performs the examination of the financial statements - called accounting in some countries -") of an entity or entity, in order to issue an independent opinion on the adherence of said statements to the International Financial Reporting Standards or other applicable regulations according to the legislation or particular guidelines according to the activity of the audited subject.

• - Administrative audit"): is the administrative control technique that examines - systematically and comprehensively - the degree of efficiency in the application of the administrative process to the different functions of an entity, as well as the way in which this efficiency influences their effectiveness.[8][9].

• - Energy audit: an inspection, study and analysis of energy flows in a building, process or system with the objective of understanding the dynamic energy of the system under study.

• - Legal audit"): carried out by a legal professional, with capacity and experience, who carries out the review, examination and evaluation of the results of a specific or general management of an institution or body, with the purpose of reporting or ruling on them, making the pertinent observations and recommendations to improve their effectiveness and efficiency in their performance.

• - Financial audit: ensures reliability and integrity of financial and complementary operational and administrative information, as well as the means used to identify, measure, classify and report that information.

• - Internal audit: is a single function that is practiced internally in an organization, and its focuses will be administrative, operational or financial.

• - Operational audit: this evaluates the efficiency, effectiveness and economy with which resources are being used.

• - Computer audit: process of collecting, grouping and evaluating evidence to determine if an information system safeguards business assets. Additionally, it maintains data integrity, effectively carries out organizational purposes, and efficiently utilizes resources.

• - Web audit"): process whose execution gives rise to a report of the vulnerabilities, risks, potential security flaws, analysis of performance and loading times, code efficiency, etc. of a web page.

• - Environmental audit: quantification of an organization's environmental achievements and position.

• - Social audit: process that a company or organization carries out with the aim of presenting an assessment of its social action and ethical behavior.

• - Information systems security audit: analysis and management of systems to identify and subsequently correct the various vulnerabilities that may arise in an exhaustive review of workstations, communications networks or servers.

• - Innovation audit"): process of obtaining information about the current situation of the company regarding innovation.

• - Political audit: systematic review of the ideologically oriented decision-making processes and activities of a group to achieve objectives, for the benefit of all.

• - Electoral audit"): carried out on electoral systems of different countries with a democratic system and are carried out to give reliability and transparency to the system.

• - Accessibility audit"): review of the accessibility of a website by an expert.

• - Brand audit"): methodology to measure the value of a brand.

• - Application code audit"): process of reviewing an application's code to find errors at design time.

• - Sarbanes-Oxley Audit") or SOx audit: review is carried out on the auditing firms of listed companies, in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley law.

• - Scientific-technical audit"): carried out at institutions in charge of scientific and technical research in different areas of human work.

• - Pharmaceutical audit"): verify that the delivery of medications to clients has been correct.

• - Forensic audit"): when historical data and documents of companies are reviewed and compared in order to mainly detect fraud, theft, tax tricks, accounting tricks or any other anomalous situation in which the intellectual and material parties involved in the event are investigated; monetary estimates are regularly made of the misappropriated figures.

• - Prevention Audit"): constitutes the only tool to be able to monitor the effective compliance of preventive activities developed by companies, whether they assume prevention or have it partially or completely outsourced.

Types of Prevention audits

Regulatory or legal audit.

Ohsas 18001 Certification Audit.

Voluntary Audit.

Ohsas 18001 Internal Audit.

Continuous Audit.

Prior Diagnostic Audit.

Specific Audits.

Code of Professional Ethics

The accounting profession needs both the monitoring and compliance of moral standards to which all people who practice this profession are subject.

The Code of Professional Ethics is made up of twelve postulates.

• - Postulate one: The Code of Professional Ethics is applicable to all public accountants, regardless of the practice of another profession, the activity or specialty in which they act independently or at the service of any company, whether public or private.

• - Postulate two: Refers to independence of criteria. The public accountant has the obligation to be impartial and have free judgment when expressing his or her opinion.

• - Postulate three: Refers to the professional quality with which the work is carried out. The public accountant must act with care and diligence in the face of the commitment and responsibility acquired in an audit project to demonstrate being a true professional.

• - Postulate four: Refers to the quality and preparation of the professional. The public accountant must have the technical and professional skills needed to be able to accept the commitment to provide this type of service in a company.

• - Postulate five: Refers to personal responsibility. The public accountant has both personal and moral responsibility for the work carried out by him or under his supervision.

• - Postulate six: Refers to professional secrecy. The public accountant in the course of his work cannot reveal for any reason and under any circumstances the information or data provided and trusted by the person or company that hired his service. This is why you have the obligation to maintain professional secrecy unless the interested party authorizes it. The only exception to this rule is when the reports that may be requested by the respective laws are given.

• - Postulate seven: Refers to the organization of rejecting tasks that are not in accordance with morality. When there is any proposal to do work that lacks the morality and dignity of the profession, it must be rejected by the accountant regardless of whether it is directly or indirectly related.

• - Postulate eight: Refers to loyalty towards the sponsor of the services. The public accountant must not take advantage of circumstances that affect the company or person that hired their services.

• - Postulate nine: Refers to economic remuneration. The public accountant has the right to payment for the audit service for which he was hired.

• - Postulate ten: Refers to respect for colleagues and the profession. Every public accountant must seek to maintain the dignity of the profession; as well as taking care of relationships with their work team, with the institutions that group them together or with their collaborators.

• - Postulate eleven: Refers to the dignity of the professional's image based on quality. In order to occupy a place and acquire a good image in front of society and before the person or company that hires the professional's services, it is of great importance that the public accountant acts and does his or her work with professional quality.

• - Postulate twelve: Refers to the dissemination and teaching of technical knowledge. Every public accountant who transmits, shares and disseminates their knowledge will have the obligation to express good conduct and adherence to the standards of the profession.