audit
An audit is the ceremonial wander through ledgers purportedly to unmask fraud, yet in reality a ritual of endlessly inspecting paper edges. Management presents its dance of numbers, and auditors sit as if judges at the gala spectacle. When issues arise, they are proclaimed with fanfare; when overlooked, everyone retreats to the safe zone of shared ignorance. Audit reports rest in dusty cabinets, contractual incantations never to be read. In this way organizations put on a show of "transparency" while trading in the comforting illusion of "security".