THE ROLE OF INTERNAL AUDITORS IN STOCK TAKING

This research work is designed for the study of the role of internal auditors in stock taking as it affect Total Nigeria Limited. Internal auditors may be defined as in house approval activity which provide services to management by examining the application and effectiveness of system and controls within the organization in a manner that is independent of those operations, systems and controls. In embarking on this project work, efforts should be made to limit the research to the areas of study which is hinged on their roles in stock taking activity in business organization.  In chapter one, this work deals with the general introduction of the work by describing both auditing and stock taking.  It also entails statement of problem, purpose of the study, significance, scope, limitation and statement of hypothesis and most of the terms used were defined in this chapter. Chapter two gives the review of the related literature and studies. Also, the role of internal auditor under the law, internal auditing, stock taking, structure of Total Nigeria Limited and its operation, position of the internal audit department in Total Nigeria Limited, functions of the department, an example of internal auditors report, importance of effective communication among and with the internal audit unit, and stock taking of black and white products were reviewed also in this chapter. Chapter three of this work deals with the research design and methodology. It also showed the sources of data and the sample used. Chapter four showed how the data collected was presented and analyzed using a simple or percentage analysis on the hypothesis. Finally, chapter five which is the last chapter of this work contains the summary of findings, conclusion and recommendations.    
 
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Many people tend to seriously think that auditing is a subdivision of accounting, probably that is how it was introduced to us and because every auditor is an accountant but every accountant is not an auditor. Auditing has its root elsewhere. The relationship of auditing and accounting is close, but they are not the same. There are business associates. Accounting is concerned with collecting, classification, correction, summarization and communication and financial information. It involves the measurement and communication of business events and conditions as they affect the peculiar enterprises or entity. The task of accounting is reduced a tremendous mass detailed information to manageable and understandable proportion. Auditing does more of these things.
Auditing is an independent examination and expression of opinion on the financial statement of an enterprise by an appointed or employed auditor in pursuance of that appointment and in compliance with the relevant statutory obligation, hence the role of the internal auditors in stocktaking.
Auditing is analytical not constructive. It is critical, investigative and concerned with the basis of accounting measurement and auditing emphasis is to