Regardless of context use, either academic or professional, terms like objectives, results, modern processes, performance or risk have gained both in occurrence and in importance. Furthermore, managerial decisions must be nowadays supported by meaningful and relevant analyses and evaluations. It is this framework, that allowed modern audit to shift from simply analyzing financial statements to finding its best use yet – unveiling risks to the organization and evaluating internal control systems.

Audit in general and mainly internal public audit in Romania have known a continuous development allowing it, due also to a good domain legislation, to optimize processes in institutions and structures throughout the public sector. Being an attribute of governance audit is evolving into an assistance tool for management, allowing it to more effectively and efficiently use the resources at its disposal.

The national development of the audit function is closely related to the European and international standards and requirements is motivated by the need to optimize internal processes of public entities. It represents also the premises to reaching set objectives under the constraints of efficiency, efficacy and economy. In this regard the role of internal public audit is so much more than giving assurance on process improvement. It offers added value not only to those processes mentioned before, but to the entire organization through its counselling missions, thus differentiating itself from all other forms of audit.

Mapping the Audit Work: Standards in Internal Audit Practice targets both students and professionals and might be regarded as a “conversation guide” during trip to a foreign country, speaking a foreign language. By combining both theoretical and practical aspects, the book is a guide to internal public audit practice. References to international audit standards are meant to help avoid certain conflicts of professional or ethical nature between auditor and managers. Not only the role and place of audit in an entity is being approached, but also its sphere of interest and influence, helping public audit professionals become the support tool of management they must become.

Adelina Peculea