Brink's Modern Internal Auditing

Preface

This book is a complete guide and a definition of a common body of knowledge (CBOK) for the processes and profession of internal auditing—what professionals need to know to successfully perform individual internal audits and what an enterprise needs to know to launch an effective internal audit function. With a heritage that goes back to the first days of internal auditing after World War II when Victor Brink produced the first edition, the chapters following outline a professional CBOK and describe internal auditing today. Although it is often misused, the word modern beginning with the title of the first edition says a lot about this book’s heritage and the contemporary practice of internal auditing. In the first edition it described a new and evolving profession. The early internal auditors were often little more than accounting clerks or clerical support staff for their external auditors. Brink envisioned them as professionals performing much broader services to management.

Due to the pervasiveness of information technology processes and the Internet in all areas of commerce, the rules for a consistent definition of internal controls, and our evolution to a truly global economy, internal auditors today must operate in an ever-changing environment. Internal auditors need increasing levels of knowledge and understanding in many areas, but sorting through what is important and what is just nice to know represents challenges for internal auditors at all levels. This ...