ANALYSIS OF THE INTERNAL AUDIT OF PUBLIC IN THE DISTRICT OF BRAGA

Purpose: This paper aims to verify the existence of an internal audit department in limited companies (S.A.) in the district of Braga, as well as its characteristics. It is also intended to assess the contribution of the audit to the company, mainly the management processes of the organizations. Methodology: A questionnaire survey was used, created from scratch based on the literature review. The questionnaire was sent through the Survey Monkey platform to all limited companies in the District of Braga, totaling 429. Sixty-six responses were obtained, making a response rate of 15.38%. Data were processed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation. Originality: This is a current and little-explored topic, the study being innovative, not only due to the questionnaire it presents but also due to the sample studied. Findings: Corroborating the literature review, the study revealed that internal audit helps organizations' management processes. The contribution of internal audit is evident in all areas of the company, mostly concerning the control and application of resources. However, only 33.3% of limited companies in the district of Braga have internal audit, and their implementation, in the majority, less than ten years ago. Even so, 50% of this companies reported allocating two workers to the internal audit department, and 45.5% reported having monthly meetings. The existence of an internal audit department is higher in the transport sector (100%), construction (50%), and services (43%). It was also found that all companies with more than 250 million in revenue have an internal audit, which highlights the importance of this audit for management. Practical implications: The results obtained highlight the importance of internal audit for management, alerting organizations to the need to have this type of audit. In academic terms, this study may open the door to other investigations that may arise in this area of knowledge. Research limitations: The limitation is related to the sample size, although it is considered that it allows drawing relevant conclusions Analysis of the internal audit of public limited companies in the district of Braga.