The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources, 2nd Edition is the only book on the Internet written expressly for internal auditors. Expanded and updated to include the latest Internet trends and resources, the book provides all the Internet competency skills auditors need to become digitally literate. Order your copy now!  Call 877-867-4947 (Toll free in U.S. and Canada) or FAX 770-442-9742 or email iiapubs@pbd.com  Use Order Number KPR320 and receive the IIA member price. It pays to use AuditNet! 

Available on CD-ROM!

AuditNet Free!

AuditNet remains free to the global audit community because it is supported by sponsors. By supporting our sponsors you are supporting AuditNet and ensuring it's continued existence.

Support our sponsors to help keep AuditNet a free resource to the global audit community. There are many opportunities for corporations and vendors to sponsor the AuditNet site. Contact editor@auditnet.org for advertising, sponsorship and partner information.

AuditNet welcomes an article or audit tool each month from Andersen's KnowledgeSpace. KnowledgeSpace is a subscription-based web site that provides, tools, resources and best practices to help internal auditors save time, manage risk, and add value. For more information go to www.knowledgespace.com 

This month check out the Management Control  Structure Evaluation Tool

Read the entire article generously shared by Andersen's KnowledgeSpace® Internal Audit and Risk Management Community.  

Support the Relief Effort!

AuditNet joins the world in sympathy and prayer for those innocent lives lost at the hands of terrorists on September 11. If you would like to help please send donations to the:

 American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund

AutoAudit takes the "paper" out of paperwork for HUD Inspector General.

The Office of Inspector General at the Department of Housing and Urban Development implemented AutoAudit software to assist its 300 auditors in transforming the OIG office into a paperless environment. The HUD audit staff conducts 160 audits each year creating an average of 3,600 pages of information per audit. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the HUD audit staff is distributed across the country, working out of more than 15 local and district offices as well as the headquarters in Washington, DC. 

To read how OIG HUD uses AutoAudit click here.

Industry Links and Spreadsheets

AuditNet added pages for links to industry resources and spreadsheets. Watch for productivity additions to the Spreadsheet Resources page.

Auditors work in a variety of industries. AuditNet added an industry link page. The page provides
links to knowledge resources for auditors based on industry codes. Go to the Virtual Library and click on Industry Links.

Spreadsheets have been standard tools for auditors 
since the early days of personal computers. AuditNet
added a page with links to resources including auditor submitted spreadsheets and financial analysis templates.  Go to the Virtual Library and click on Spreadsheets

Need an answer to to an audit question? Looking for an audit program? Then perhaps you should give the ANA (Ask the 'Net Auditor) forum a try. Send your question along with a contribution of an audit work program, ICQ, checklist, or other audit resource and the audit gurus at AuditNet will try to answer the query to the best of their ability. No guarantees but with the Internet at our side we do a pretty good job!  

 
New Programs and Workpapers 
Added to AuditNet

The following programs are either text or word format or as indicated. To access the programs in another format go to the AuditNet home page or the  Audit Programs page. 

1. Access Security Checklist (Word)
2. Accounting for Advertising  Revenue (Word)
3. Branch Retail Operations Risk Assessment UK (Word)
4. Customer Privacy Audit Program (Word)
5. Dormant Accounts Audit Program
6. Firewall Audit Program (Word)
7. Grants Audit Program 
8. Inventory Observation Questionnaire (Word)
9. IS General Controls Review (Word)
10. Marketing Expenditures (Word)
11. Retail Operations Audit Program (Word)
12. Revenue Questionnaire
13. Voice Response Unit Audit Program (Word)
14. Warehouse Operations Audit Program (Word)

Auditors Sharing Audit Workpapers

1. Chemical Safety Audit Checklist

2. Confined Space Audit Checklist

3. Daily excavation checklist

4. Equipment inspection checklist

5. Electrical Safety Audit Checklist

6. Electrical safety checklist

7. General safety checklist

8. Monthly substation inspection checklist

Do you have an audit work program to contribute?  Send it to editor@auditnet.org. To see audit programs that auditors are looking for, go to Audit Programs and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Coming next month!

The following audit documents will be posted next month. Interested in them now? Send an audit work program, ICQ, checklist or other audit template and receive them via e-mail:

Project Management Audit Questionnaire (ISO based)

Partner with AuditNet

 

If you sell goods or services to the auditing community consider AuditNet as your partner for global outreach. Offer AuditNet users a discount on your product or service and we will include a link to your site on the AuditNet Partner Discounts page.

Fraud's Role in 9-11

 

None of us around the world will ever forget where we were and what we were doing as the tragic events of September 11 unfolded before our eyes. As we began to see the investigative process take place it was clear that fraud played a major role in perpetrating the terrorist activity. The current issue highlights the role of fraud in planning and exploiting the disaster and much more. 

 

White-Collar Crime Fighter www.wccfighter.com the only source of exclusive, authoritative "how-to" information for financial crime fighters offers AuditNet users a discounted subscription rate of $77-- a savings of $20 off the regular rate. 

This is a great publication and well worth the annual subscription rate. I find at least one practical article from each issue that helps me focus on fraud issues within my organization! 

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Productivity Tip

Virtual Internet Search Tips for Auditors (VISTA)
Understanding the Search Engine Logic

I have often commented when making presentations on search skills for auditors that you need to understand the logic that each search engine uses to maximize the results of your Internet queries.  Does your favorite search engine use Boolean logic, natural language or some other hybrid? Go to the "help" feature for your favorite search engine and review the guidelines for effective searching. It is time well spent as the more familiar you are with a specific search engine, the better the search results. And believe me when I say that no two search engines will return the same results with the same search terms.  The reasons for that are a combination of the search engine's logic as well as the database indexed by that search engine.   

Next month we'll get back on track and I will cover searches using titles.

 

For more productivity tips order a copy of The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources 2nd Edition from the IIA

 

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Employers Seeking Audit Candidates?

Looking to fill an audit position for your organization?

Consider using the AuditNet Audit Jobs area. The page provides exposure to over 17,000 audit professionals every month from all over the world. The Jobs page receives between 3000-4000 hits per month. The cost is low. Tell your HR department about using this option when you are looking for audit candidates. Go to the AuditNet home page at www.auditnet.org and click on Audit Jobs. Click on Post Jobs for posting information.

Looking to make a career change? Go to AuditNet's Audit Jobs section for the latest job opportunities. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week you have the ability to not only look at available jobs, but you can also post your resume, apply for open jobs, research companies and obtain career advice. If you are in the market for a new job, make AuditNet your first stop to check out what's available.

This is just another benefit of using AuditNet as your one stop shop for all your audit and career resources.

Help Keep AuditNet Current!

AuditNet is a tool used by auditors from around the world. It is therefore very important that the links are current.  If you find a link that is outdated, broken, or going to the wrong site, be a helpful user and let us know. Send an email to editor@auditnet.org and provide the details including the date, URL of the bad address and  the name of the site. We will do our best to  either correct the link or remove it so that all AuditNet users benefit. 

Thanks!  

The Editor

No Budget for Audit Software
(AuditNet Article exclusive from PCProfile)

An AuditNet exclusive from PCProfile discusses the issue of overcoming management resistance to investing in software audit tools. The article provides very convincing arguments on why management should be taking this risk seriously!

Click here for the complete AuditNet exclusive! 

Declaring War on Software Pirates 

Save $$ on the 
Software Compliance Auditors Toolkit

Be prepared when the software police come knocking on your door!

AuditNet Users Save $200 - Save $$ and get legal! Check it out!

Marketing Internal Audit Seminar Soon Available!

Another digital seminar titled "Marketing Internal Audit" will be available shortly.

Remember, anyone submitting an article, URL not already listed (as a sample), PowerPoint presentation, capabilities brochure, or other material that we use will receive a copy of the finished CD. We are particularly seeking capabilities brochures and presentation developed by Internal Auditors.

Authors that can author an entire CD can receive royalty payments - contact Joe Pleier at jpleier@pleier.com for details.

(I have copies of the previous CD's and they are excellent resources for all audit shops!)

For more workpaper solutions for your audit office check out the following AuditNet sponsors:

Many times auditors want to see what messages were posted to the list to see if their question can be answered there. Also new subscribers have an opportunity to review the archives as another research resource. AuditNet uses a public archive service for both Audit-l and AuditPrograms-l. The URL's to reach these archives is as follows.

Archives for Audit-L www.mail-archive.com/audit-l@list.auditnet.org/

Archives for Auditprograms-l www.mail-archive.com/auditprograms-l@list.auditnet.org/

CAREER TIPS FOR AUDITORS

Dressing for the Workplace

by Robbie Miller Kaplan

It used to be easy to dress for work. If you were a male, you wore a suit or sports jacket; if you were a female, you wore a dress, skirt and blouse, or a suit. You woke up each work day and knew just what was expected of you.

Somewhere in the 1990's, all that changed. Casual Fridays and Internet startups brought on a new phase of undisciplined dress that made it difficult to know who was working and who had the day off. With the current employment shifts from dot.coms and startups to more traditional sectors and industries, it's worthwhile to review appropriate dress for the workplace.

Professional business attire is the standard within governmental organizations and traditional industries such 

What is appropriate business attire? Clean and pressed suit, dress shirt, a tie, dress shoes, and appropriate hosiery for men. A suit, skirt and jacket, or dress, dress shoes, and hosiery for women.

If your research turns up a dress code of jeans, shorts, and sandals, ask specifics on how you should dress for a meeting or interview with the organization. If casual business attire is indicated, it means a quality sport shirt (no logos) for men as well as a good pair of slacks, often a sports jacket, and good shoes (not boat shoes). Women should wear quality slacks and tailored shirt, sweater set, or matching jacket to slacks and quality flats.

It's easy to feel professional when you look professional.

Each month the AuditNet Resource Newsletter includes a career-related tip from Robbie Miller Kaplan, author of How to Say It in Your Job Search (available November 2001). If you like these tips, check out her books! For more career tips go the Job-Resources Web site at www.job-resources.com.

Book Review 

Digital Analysis Using Benford's Law 

by Mark J. Nigrini

Benford's Law, first identified by Simon Newcomb in 1881, states that if you randomly select a number from a table of physical constants or statistical data, the probability that the first digit will be a "1" is about 30%, rather than 10% as we might expect if all digits were equally likely.

According to Mark Nigrini, the author of Digital Analysis Using Benford's Law, the audit technology known as Digital Analysis (DA), tests for abnormalities in the digit patterns and abnormal number duplication in corporate data. Mr. Nigrini does a formidable job of explaining how to use digital analysis in performing audit tests of data.

For the full book review click here!

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