Verified Document

Internal Controls Companies Need To Be Aware Essay

Internal Controls Companies need to be aware of the varying influences that are acting upon their organization. One method of examining the current situation is to divide the perception into ideas and influences that are arriving from the external environment and those that are internally controlled. Internal controls are important because they rely on leadership, courage and skill for these actions to take hold. The purpose of this essay is to prepare a comprehensive checklist for evaluating controls. The essay will use Louwers et al. (2007) basic five tiered framework to create this checklist and ensure that it can indeed be used for practical and pragmatic purposes at the internal business strategic level.

The checklist is divided into 5 distinct sections: Control Environment, Risk Assessment, Control Activities, Information and Communication, and finally, Monitoring. Each component of this checklist plays an important role in ensuring that a company or organization is on the right track in controlling their internal environment.

Part 1: Control Environment

The first part of internally controlling an organization is to get a firm grip on the business' environment. This would include such things as the ethics, integrity, leadership philosophy...

Knauss (2010) suggested that "whatever a management team can do to engender that trust with customers, with suppliers or with whichever constituency it's dealing with -- consistent with a set of values and principles that it just will not violate -- is only to its long-term benefit." Establishing core principles and following them provides a sense of honesty and consistency that customer, vendors and others certainly can appreciate and will draw them closer to the organization.
Structuring the organization in the right fashion must be done correctly as well or much energy and time may be wasted. It is important to evaluate the processes with an honest approach and keep the emotional temptations at bay. This preliminary step will ensure that the rest of the internal control checklist is in correct accordance with the objectives, goals and intentions of the leadership of the organization and can provide the ability to establish or maintain a competitive advantage within the chosen industry.

Part 2: Risk Assessment

Risk assessment and risk management are integral parts of any internal control checklist. Threats to the security and well-being of the institution all can be effectively managed with a health risk assessment.…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Culp, S. (2013). Risk Management Can Stimulate, Rather than Deter, Innovation. Forbes, 7 Jan 2013. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveculp/2013/01/07/risk- management-can-stimulate-rather-than-deter-innovation/

Knauss, D. (2010). The Role of Business Ethics In Relationships with Customers. Forbes, 19 Jan 2010. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/19/knauss-clorox-ethics- leadership-citizenship-ethics.html

Louwers, T. et al. (2007) Auditing and Assurance Services. McGraw Hil/Irwin.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Internal Controls Are "Methods Put in Place
Words: 931 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Internal controls are "methods put in place by a company to ensure the integrity of financial and accounting information," and to protect the organization's assets from misappropriation by internal sources (Investopedia, 2013). Internal controls help to prevent fraud, but they also allow the company to have reliable data on all transactions, which can be used for any number of control purposes. Further, internal controls promote operational efficiency and they encourage adherence

Internal Control
Words: 924 Length: 3 Document Type: Case Study

Internal Control In the United States, all corporations planning to go public have to maintain an adequate internal control system. LJB is a small company that does local distribution and wants to go public. The president has decided to get an independent audit firm to carry out the assessment while identifying its areas of weakness. In case failure is reported by this audit firm, it could be fined or the officers

Internal Controls the Generalized Lack
Words: 1133 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

This implies a comparison of the results of the internal and external audits. Additionally, aside results and documents consulted, it is also necessary to assess the various variables used in the evaluations. It is for instance possible for the company to alter the findings by focusing on more favorable variables. As a specific example, a financial audit could reveal increased organizational abilities to honor company debts, but this conclusion could

Internal Controls
Words: 816 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

President Inform the President of any new internal control requirements if the company decides to go public. Instituting a system of internal checks and balances would be foremost in my recommendations to the company president since most internal control systems provide for independent internal verification; this principle involves the review of data prepared by employees. To obtain maximum benefit from independent internal verification: Companies should verify records periodically or on a surprise basis. An

Company Boards Have Decided That
Words: 1475 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

However, that does not mean that the COO, for instance, is much more suited for this kind of activities. Analytical skills and community involvement are also qualities that determine the success of a CEO. Executive officers need strong analytical skills in today's fast changing marketplace. The needs of many groups have to be addressed everyday, while the interests of the organization must also be fostered. A CEO, cannot appear distant,

Internal Theft Subways Internal Theft/Shrinkage
Words: 1877 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Presently, the Red Line consists of three segments Downtown LA, Wilshire Center and N. Hollywood and the total coverage is 17.4 miles. Apart from this, the review identified the possible financial and schedule risks. It was inferred that the cost and completion schedules were justified; however funding risks were present for the North Hollywood segment. Apart from that, MTA's overall finances and the operating budget shortfalls might impact the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now