Romney Ch06

C
HAPTER 6
Control and Accounting

Information Systems
2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing
Accounting Information Systems, 11/e
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INTRODUCTION
Questions to be addressed in this chapter:
What are the basic internal control concepts, and why are
computer control and security important?
What is the difference between the COBIT, COSO, and ERM
control frameworks?
What are the major elements in the internal environment of a
company?
What are the four types of control objectives that companies
need to set?
What events affect uncertainty, and how can they be identified?
How is the Enterprise Risk Management model used to assess
and respond to risk?
What control activities are commonly used in companies?
How do organizations communicate information and monitor
control processes?
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INTRODUCTION
Why AIS threats are increasing
Control risks have increased in the last few years
because:
There are computers and servers everywhere, and
information is available to an unprecedented number of
workers.
Distributed computer networks make data available to many
users, and these networks are harder to control than
centralized mainframe systems.
Wide area networks are giving customers and suppliers
access to each others systems and data, making
confidentiality a major concern.
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INTRODUCTION
Historically, many organizations have not adequately
protected their data due to one or more of the following
reasons:
Computer control problems are often underestimated and
downplayed.
Control implications of moving from centralized, host-based
computer systems to those of a networked system or Internetbased system are not always fully understood.
Companies have not realized that data is a strategic resource
and that data security must be a strategic requirement.
Productivity and cost pressures may motivate management to
forego time-consuming control measures.
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INTRODUCTION
Some vocabulary terms for this chapter:
A threat is any potential adverse occurrence
or unwanted event that could injure the AIS or
the organization.
The exposure or impact of the threat is the
potential dollar loss that would occur if the
threat becomes a reality.
The likelihood is the probability that the
threat will occur.
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INTRODUCTION
Control and security are important
Companies are now recognizing the problems and
taking positive steps to achieve better control,
including:
Devoting full-time staff to security and control concerns.
Educating employees about control measures.
Establishing and enforcing formal information security
policies.
Making controls a part of the applications development
process.
Moving sensitive data to more secure environments.
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INTRODUCTION
To use IT in achieving control objectives,
accountants must:
Understand how to protect systems from
threats.
Have a good understanding of IT and its
capabilities and risks.
Achieving adequate security and control

over the information resources of an
organization should be a top management
priority.
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INTRODUCTION
Control objectives are the same regardless of
the data processing method, but a computerbased AIS requires different internal control
policies and procedures because:
Computer processing may reduce clerical errors but
increase risks of unauthorized access or modification
of data files.
Segregation of duties must be achieved differently in
an AIS.
Computers provide opportunities for enhancement of
some internal controls.
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INTRODUCTION
One of the primary objectives of an AIS is to
control a business organization.
Accountants must help by designing effective control
systems and auditing or reviewing control systems
already in place to ensure their effectiveness.
Management expects accountants to be control

consultants by:
Taking a proactive approach to eliminating system
threats; and
Detecting, correcting, and recovering from threats
when they do occur.
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INTRODUCTION
It is much easier to build controls into a
system during the initial stage than to add
them after the fact.
Consequently, accountants and control
experts should be members of the teams
that develop or modify information
systems.
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OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

In todays dynamic business environment,
companies must react quickly to changing
conditions and markets, including steps to:
Hire creative and innovative employees.
Give these employees power and flexibility to:
Satisfy changing customer demands;
Pursue new opportunities to add value to the organization;
and
Implement process improvements.
At the same time, the company needs control

systems so they are not exposed to excessive
risks or behaviors that could harm their
reputation for honesty and integrity.
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Internal control is the process implemented by the
board of directors, management, and those under their
direction to provide reasonable assurance that the
following control objectives are achieved:
Assets (including data) are safeguarded.
This objective includes prevention or timely
detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or
disposal of material company assets.
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Records are maintained in sufficient detail to accurately and
fairly reflect company assets.
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Accurate and reliable information is provided.
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There is reasonable assurance that financial reports are
prepared in accordance with GAAP.
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Operational efficiency is promoted and improved.
This objective includes ensuring that company
receipts and expenditures are made in accordance
with management and directors authorizations.
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Adherence to prescribed managerial policies is encouraged.
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Adherence to prescribed managerial policies is encouraged.
The organization complies with applicable laws and
regulations.
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Internal control is a process because:
It permeates an organizations operating activities.
It is an integral part of basic management activities.
Internal control provides reasonable, rather than

absolute, assurance, because complete
assurance is difficult or impossible to achieve
and prohibitively expensive.
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Internal control systems have inherent
limitations, including:
They are susceptible to errors and poor decisions.
They can be overridden by management or by
collusion of two or more employees.
Internal control objectives are often at odds with

each other.
EXAMPLE: Controls to safeguard assets may also
reduce operational efficiency.
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Internal controls perform three important
functions:
Preventive controls
Deter problems before they arise.
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functions:
Preventive controls
Detective controls
Discover problems quickly when they do arise.
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functions:
Preventive controls
Detective controls
Corrective controls
Remedy problems that have occurred by:
Identifying the cause;
Correcting the resulting errors; and
Modifying the system to prevent future
problems of this sort.
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Internal controls are often classified as:
General controls
Those designed to make sure an
organizations control environment is stable
and well managed.
They apply to all sizes and types of systems.
Examples: Security management controls.
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Internal controls are often classified as:
General controls
Application controls
Prevent, detect, and correct transaction errors

and fraud.
Concerned with accuracy, completeness,
validity, and authorization of the data captured,
entered into the system, processed, stored,
transmitted to other systems, and reported.
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An effective system of internal controls
should exist in all organizations to:
Help them achieve their missions and goals.
Minimize surprises.
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SOX AND THE FOREIGN CORRUPT

PRACTICES ACT
In 1977, Congress passed the Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act, and to the surprise of the profession, this
act incorporated language from an AICPA
pronouncement.
The primary purpose of the act was to prevent the
bribery of foreign officials to obtain business.
A significant effect was to require that corporations
maintain good systems of internal accounting control.
Generated significant interest among management, accountants,
and auditors in designing and evaluating internal control
systems.
The resulting internal control improvements werent sufficient.
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PRACTICES ACT
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a series
of multi-million-dollar accounting frauds
made headlines.
The impact on financial markets was
substantial, and Congress responded with
passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
(aka, SOX).
Applies to publicly held companies and their
auditors.
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PRACTICES ACT
The intent of SOX is to:
Prevent financial statement fraud
Make financial reports more transparent
Protect investors
Strengthen internal controls in publicly-held
companies
Punish executives who perpetrate fraud
SOX has had a material impact on the way

boards of directors, management, and
accountants operate.
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PRACTICES ACT
Important aspects of SOX include:
Creation of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (PCAOB) to oversee the auditing
profession.
Has five members, three of whom cannot be

CPAs.
Charges fees to firms to fund the PCAOB.
Sets and enforces auditing, quality control,
ethics, independence, and other standards
relating to audit reports.
Currently recognizes FASB statements as
being generally accepted.
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PRACTICES ACT
Creation of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (PCAOB) to oversee the auditing profession.
New rules for auditors
They must report specific information to the companys audit

committee, such as:
Critical accounting policies and practices
Alternative GAAP treatments
Auditor-management disagreements
Audit partners must be rotated periodically.
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PRACTICES ACT
Auditors cannot perform certain non-audit services, such as:

Bookkeeping
Information systems design and implementation
Internal audit outsourcing services
Management functions
Human resource services
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PRACTICES ACT
Permissible non-audit services must be approved by the

board of directors and disclosed to investors.
Cannot audit a company if a member of top management was
employed by the auditor and worked on the companys audit
in the past 12 months.
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PRACTICES ACT
New rules for audit committees
Members must be on the companys board

of directors and must otherwise be
independent of the company.
One member must be a financial expert.
The committee hires, compensates, and
oversees the auditors, and the auditors
report directly to the committee.
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ACT
The CEO and PRACTICES
CFO must certify that:
The financial statements and disclosures are fairly

Important
aspects
of SOXbyinclude:
presented,
were reviewed
management, and are not
misleading.
Creation
of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Management
responsible
for internal
Board
(PCAOB)isto
oversee the
auditingcontrols.
profession.
The auditors were advised of any material internal control
New
rules for auditors
weaknesses
or fraud.
New
rules
for audit
committees
Any
significant
changes
to controls after managements
evaluation
were
disclosed and corrected.
New
rules for
management
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PRACTICES ACT
If management willfully and knowingly violates the

certification,
they canofbe:
Important
aspects
SOX include:
Imprisoned up to 20 years
Creation
of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Fined up to $5 million
Board
(PCAOB) to oversee the auditing profession.
Management and directors cannot receive loans that would not
New
rules for
auditors
be available
to people
outside the company.
New
for auditoncommittees
They rules
must disclose
a rapid and current basis material
changes to their financial condition.
New rules for management
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New internal
control requirements:
PRACTICES
ACT
Section 404 of SOX requires companies to issue a

report accompanying
the financial statements that:
Important aspects
of SOX include:
States management is responsible for
Creation of the
Public Company
Accounting
Oversight
establishing
and maintaining
an adequate
internal
Board (PCAOB)
to oversee
profession.
control
structure the
and auditing
procedures.
Contains
New rules for
auditorsmanagements assessment of the
companys internal controls.
New rules for audit committees
Attests to the accuracy of the internal controls,
New rules forincluding
management
disclosures of significant defects or
noncompliance
found during the tests.
New internalmaterial
control
requirements
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PRACTICES ACT
SOX also requires that the auditor attests to and reports
New rules
for audit committees
on managements
internal control assessment.
New rules
management
Eachfor
audit
report must describe the scope of the
auditorscontrol
internal control
tests.
New internal
requirements
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PRACTICES ACT
After the passage of SOX, the SEC further
mandated that:
Management must base its evaluation on a
recognized control framework, developed using a
due-process procedure that allows for public
comment. The most likely framework is the COSO
model discussed later in the chapter.
The report must contain a statement identifying the
framework used.
Management must disclose any and all material
internal control weaknesses.
Management cannot conclude that the company has
effective internal control if there are any material
weaknesses.
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PRACTICES ACT
Levers of control
Many
people feelcompany
there core
is a values
basictoconflict
Communicates
employees and
between
creativity
and
controls.
inspires
them to live
by those
values.
Draws attention to how the organization creates value.
Robert
Simons has espoused four levers of
Helps employees understand managements intended
controls
to help companies reconcile this
direction.
conflict:
Must be broad enough to appeal to all levels.
A concise belief system
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PRACTICES
Helps employees
act ethicallyACT
by setting limits beyond
which they must not pass.
Does not create rules and standard operating
procedures that can stifle creativity.
Many
people employees
feel thereto is
a basic conflict
Encourages
think and act creatively to
between
creativity
solve problems
and and
meet controls.
customer needs as long as
they operate within limits such as:
Robert
Simons has espoused four levers of
Meeting minimum standards of performance
controls
to help
companies
Shunning
off-limits
activitiesreconcile this
conflict:
Avoiding actions that could damage the companys
reputation.
A concise
belief system
Levers of Control
A boundary system
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PRACTICES ACT
Levers of control
Ensures
efficient
effective
of important
Many
people
feeland
there
is a achievement
basic conflict
controls.
between
creativity and controls.
This system measures company progress by comparing
actual
to planned
performance.
Robert
Simons
has
espoused four levers of
Helps to
managers
track critical performance
controls
help companies
reconcile outcomes
this
and monitor performance of individuals, departments,
conflict:
and locations.
AProvides
concise feedback
belief system
to enable management to adjust and
Afine-tune.
boundary system
A diagnostic control system
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Helps top-level
managers with
high-level activities that
PRACTICES
ACT
demand frequent and regular attention. Examples:

Developing company strategy.
Setting company objectives.
Understanding
and assessing
threats
and risks.
Many people
feel there
is a basic
conflict
Monitoring
changes
competitive conditions and
between
creativity
andincontrols.
emerging technologies.
Robert
Simons has
espoused
four
levers
of
Developing
responses
and action
plans
to proactively
high-level issues.
controlsdeal
to with
helpthese
companies
reconcile this
Also helps managers focus the attention of subordinates
conflict:
on key strategic issues and to be more involved in their
A concise
belief system
decisions.
Data from this
system are best interpreted and discussed
A boundary
system
in face-to-face meetings.
Levers of Control
A diagnostic control system

An interactive control system
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
A number of frameworks have been
developed to help companies develop
good internal control systems. Three
of the most important are:
The COBIT framework
The COSO internal control framework
COSOs Enterprise Risk Management
framework (ERM)
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
The COBIT framework
framework (ERM)
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
COBIT framework
Also know as the Control Objectives for
Information and Related Technology
framework.
Developed by the Information Systems Audit
and Control Foundation (ISACF).
A framework of generally applicable
information systems security and control
practices for IT control.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
The COBIT framework allows:
Management to benchmark security and
control practices of IT environments.
Users of IT services to be assured that
adequate security and control exists.
Auditors to substantiate their opinions on
internal control and advise on IT security and
control matters.
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To satisfy business objectives,

information must conform to
certain criteria referred to as
business requirements for
information.
The criteria are divided into
seven distinct yet overlapping
categories that map into COSO
objectives:
objectives Effectiveness (relevant,
pertinent, and timely)
Efficiency
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Compliance with legal
requirements
Reliability
CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
The framework addresses the issue of

control from three vantage points or
dimensions:
Business
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
dimensions:
Business objectives
IT resources Includes:
People
Application systems
Technology
Facilities
Data
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
dimensions:
Business objectives
IT resources
IT processes Broken into four domains:
Planning and organization

Acquisition and implementation
Delivery and support
Monitoring
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
COBIT consolidates standards from 36 different
sources into a single framework.
It is having a big impact on the IS profession.
Helps managers to learn how to balance risk and
control investment in an IS environment.
Provides users with greater assurance that security
and IT controls provided by internal and third parties
are adequate.
Guides auditors as they substantiate their opinions
and provide advice to management on internal
controls.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
good internal control systems. Three of
the most important are:
The COBIT framework
framework (ERM)
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
COSOs internal control framework
The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations
(COSO) is a private sector group consisting
of:
The American Accounting Association

The AICPA
The Institute of Internal Auditors
The Institute of Management Accountants
The Financial Executives Institute
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
In 1992, COSO issued the Internal
Control Integrated Framework:
Defines internal controls.
Provides guidance for evaluating and
enhancing internal control systems.
Widely accepted as the authority on internal
controls.
Incorporated into policies, rules, and
regulations used to control business activities.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
COSOs internal control model has five
crucial components:
- Control environment
The core of any business is its people.

Their integrity, ethical values, and competence make
up the foundation on which everything else rests.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
crucial components:
- Control activities
Policies and procedures must be established and

executed to ensure that actions identified by
management as necessary to address risks are, in
fact, carried out.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
crucial components:
- Control activities
- Risk assessment
The organization must be aware of and deal with the

risks it faces.
It must set objectives for its diverse activities and
establish mechanisms to identify, analyze, and
manage the related risks.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
crucial components:
-
Control environment
Control activities
Risk assessment
Information and communication
Information and communications systems surround the

control activities.
They enable the organizations people to capture and
exchange information needed to conduct, manage, and
control its operations.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
crucial components:
-
Control environment
Control activities
Risk assessment
Information and communication
Monitoring
The entire process must be monitored and modified

as necessary.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
The COBIT framework
framework (ERM)
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Nine years after COSO issued the preceding
framework, it began investigating how to
effectively identify, assess, and manage risk so
organizations could improve the risk
management process.
Result: Enterprise Risk Manage Integrated
Framework (ERM)
An enhanced corporate governance document.
Expands on elements of preceding framework.
Provides a focus on the broader subject of enterprise
risk management.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Intent of ERM is to achieve all goals of the
internal control framework and help the
organization:
Provide reasonable assurance that company
objectives and goals are achieved and problems and
surprises are minimized.
Achieve its financial and performance targets.
Assess risks continuously and identify steps to take
and resources to allocate to overcome or mitigate
risk.
Avoid adverse publicity and damage to the entitys
reputation.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
ERM defines risk management as:
A process effected by an entitys board of
directors, management, and other personnel.
Applied in strategy setting and across the
enterprise.
To identify potential events that may affect the
entity.
And manage risk to be within its risk appetite.
In order to provide reasonable assurance of
the achievement of entity objectives.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Basic principles behind ERM:
Companies are formed to create value for
owners.
Management must decide how much
uncertainty they will accept.
Uncertainty can result in:
Risk
The possibility that something will happen to:

Adversely affect the ability to create value; or
Erode existing value.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Basic principles behind ERM:
Companies are formed to create value for
owners.
Management must decide how much
uncertainty they will accept.
Uncertainty can result in:
Risk
Opportunity
The possibility that something will happen to

positively affect the ability to create or preserve
value.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
The framework should help management
manage uncertainty and its associated risk to
build and preserve value.
To maximize value, a company must balance
its growth and return objectives and risks with
efficient and effective use of company
resources.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
COSO developed a
model to illustrate
the elements of
ERM.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Columns at the top
represent the four types of
objectives that
management must meet to
achieve company goals.
Strategic objectives
Strategic objectives are

high-level goals that are
aligned with and support
the companys mission.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Columns at the top
represent the four types of
objectives that
achieve company goals.
Operations objectives
Operations objectives deal with

effectiveness and efficiency of
company operations, such as:
Performance and
profitability goals
Safeguarding assets
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Reporting objectives help

ensure the accuracy,
completeness,
Columns
at the and
top reliability of
internal and
company
represent
theexternal
four types
of
reports of both a financial and
objectives
that
non-financial nature.
Improve decision-making and
achieve
goals. and
monitorcompany
company activities
performance
more efficiently.
Operations objectives
Reporting objectives
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Compliance
objectives
help the
Columns
at the
top
company the
comply
represent
fourwith
types of
applicable laws and
objectives
that
regulations.
management
must meet to
External parties often set
achieve
company goals.
the compliance
rules.
Strategic
objectives
Companies
in the same
Operations
objectives
industry often
have similar
concerns
in this area.
Reporting
objectives
Compliance objectives
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
ERM can provide reasonable

assurance that reporting and
compliance objectives will be
achieved because companies
have control over them.
However, strategic and
operations objectives are
sometimes at the mercy of
external events that the
company cant control.
Therefore, in these areas, the
only reasonable assurance the
ERM can provide is that
management and directors are
informed on a timely basis of the
progress the company is making
in achieving them.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Columns on the
right represent the
companys units:
Entire company
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Columns on the
right represent the
companys units:
Entire company
Division
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Columns on the
right represent the
companys units:
Entire company
Division
Business unit
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Columns on the
right represent the
companys units:
Entire company
Division
Business unit
Subsidiary
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
The horizontal rows are
eight related risk and
control components,
including:
Internal environment
The tone or culture of the

company.
Provides discipline and
structure and is the foundation
for all other components.
Essentially, the same as control
environment in the COSO
internal control framework.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
control components,
including:
Objective setting
Ensures that management implements a process to formulate

strategic, operations, reporting, and compliance objectives that
support the companys mission and are consistent with the companys
tolerance for risk.
Strategic objectives are set first as a foundation for the other three.
The objectives provide guidance to companies as they identify riskcreating events and assess and respond to those risks.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
control components,
including:
Objective setting
Event identification
Requires management to identify events that may affect the companys
ability to implement its strategy and achieve its objectives.
Management must then determine whether these events represent:
Risks (negative-impact events requiring assessment and
response); or
Opportunities (positive-impact events that influence strategy and
objective-setting processes).
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Identified risks are assessed to

determine how to manage them
and how they affect the
companys ability to achieve its
objectives.
Qualitative and quantitative
The
horizontal
rowstoare
methods
are used
assess
eight
related
risk and
risks
individually
and by
category
in terms of:
control
components,
Likelihood
including:
Positive
and negative
Internal
environment
impact
Objective setting
Effect on other
Event
identification units
organizational
Risk assessment
Risks
are analyzed on an
inherent and a residual basis.
Corresponds to the risk
assessment element in COSOs
internal control framework.
CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
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Management aligns identified risks

with the companys tolerance for
risk by choosing to:
Avoid
Reduce
The
horizontal rows are
Share
eight
related risk and
Accept
control components,
Management
takes an entity-wide
including:
or
portfolio view of risks in
assessing
likelihood of the
Internalthe
environment
risks, their potential impact, and
Objective setting
costs-benefits of alternate
responses.
Risk assessment
Risk response
CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Tohorizontal
implement rows
managements
The
are
riskrelated
responses,
eight
risk control
and policies
and procedures are established
control
components,
and implemented
throughout
including:
the various levels and
functions
of the organization.
Corresponds
to the control
Objective setting
activities element in the COSO
internal
control framework.
Risk assessment
Risk response
Control activities
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Information about the company

and ERM components must be
identified, captured, and
communicated so employees
can fulfill their responsibilities.
Information must be able to
The
horizontal
rows
areand
flow
through all
levels
eight
relatedinrisk
and
functions
the company
as
well as
flowing to and from
control
components,
external parties.
including:
Employees should understand
their role and importance in
ERM
Objective
setting
and how
these
relate to those
responsibilities
others.
of
Risk
assessment
Has a corresponding element
Risk response
in the COSO internal control
framework.
Control activities
Information and
communication
CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
control
ERM processes
must be
components,
monitored on an ongoing basis
including:
and modified as needed.
Accomplished
with ongoing
Objective setting
management
activities and
separate
evaluations.
Deficiencies
are reported to
Risk assessment
management.
Risk response
Corresponding module in
Controlinternal
activitiescontrol
COSO
Information and
framework.
communication
Monitoring
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
The ERM model is
three-dimensional.
Means that each of
the eight risk and
control elements are
applied to the four
objectives in the
entire company
and/or one of its
subunits.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
ERM
Framework
Vs. the
Examining
controls without
first Internal
examining purposes and
risks of
business processes provides little context for
Control
Framework
evaluating the results.
The
internal
control
framework has been
Makes
it difficult
to know:
Which
controlas
systems
are most important.
widely
adopted
the principal
way to
Whether
they adequately
risk. by SOX.
evaluate
internal
controlsdeal
as with
required
Whether important control systems are missing.
However,
there are issues with it.
It has too narrow of a focus.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
ERM framework vs. the internal control
framework
The internal control framework has been
widely adopted as the principal way to
May contribute to systems with
evaluate internal controls
as required by SOX.
many controls to protect
However, there are issues
with
it. that are no longer
against
risks
important.
It has too narrow of a focus.
Focusing on controls first has an inherent bias
toward past problems and concerns.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
These issues led to COSOs development of the
ERM framework.
Takes a risk-based, rather than controls-based,
approach to the organization.
Oriented toward future and constant change.
Incorporates rather than replaces COSOs internal
control framework and contains three additional
elements:
Setting objectives.
Identifying positive and negative events that may affect the
companys ability to implement strategy and achieve
objectives.
Developing a response to assessed risk.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Controls are flexible and relevant because
they are linked to current organizational
objectives.
ERM also recognizes more options than
simply controlling risk, which include
accepting it, avoiding it, diversifying it, sharing
it, or transferring it.
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CONTROL FRAMEWORKS
Over time, ERM will probably become the
most widely adopted risk and control
model.
Consequently, its eight components are
the topic of the remainder of the chapter.
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INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
The most critical component
of the ERM and the internal
control framework.
Is the foundation on which the
other seven components rest.
Influences how organizations:
Establish strategies and
objectives
Structure business activities
Identify, access, and respond
to risk
A deficient internal control

environment often results in
risk management and control
breakdowns.
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Internal environment consists of the following:
Managements philosophy, operating style, and risk
appetite
The board of directors
Commitment to integrity, ethical values, and
competence
Organizational structure
Methods of assigning authority and responsibility
Human resource standards
External influences
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Managements philosophy, operating style, and
risk appetite
competence
External influences
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Managements philosophy, operating style,
and risk appetite
An organizations management has shared beliefs
and attitudes about risk.
That philosophy affects everything the organization
does, long- and short-term, and affects their
communications.
Companies also have a risk appetite, which is the
amount of risk a company is willing to accept to
achieve its goals and objectives.
That appetite needs to be in alignment with company
strategy.
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The more responsible managements
philosophy and operating style, the more
likely employees will behave responsibly.
This philosophy must be clearly
communicated to all employees; it is not
enough to give lip service.
Management must back up words with
actions; if they show little concern for internal
controls, then neither will employees.
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This component can be assessed by asking
questions such as:
Does management take undue business risks or
assess potential risks and rewards before acting?
Does management attempt to manipulate
performance measures such as net income?
Does management pressure employees to achieve
results regardless of methods or do they demand
ethical behavior?
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appetite
competence
External influences
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An active and involved board of directors
plays an important role in internal control.
They should:
Oversee management
Scrutinize managements plans, performance, and
activities
Approve company strategy
Review financial results
Annually review the companys security policy
Interact with internal and external auditors
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Directors should possess management,
technical, or other expertise, knowledge,
or experience, as well as a willingness to
advocate for shareholders.
At least a majority should be independent,
outside directors not affiliated with the
company or any of its subsidiaries.
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Public companies must have an audit
committee, composed entirely of independent,
outside directors.
The audit committee oversees:
The companys internal control structure;
Its financial reporting process; and
Its compliance with laws, regulations, and standards.
Works with the corporations external and internal

auditors.
Hires, compensates, and oversees the auditors.
Auditors report all critical accounting policies and practices to
the audit committee.
Provides an independent review of managements

actions.
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appetite
competence
External influences
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Commitment to integrity, ethical values,
and competence
Management must create an organizational
culture that stresses integrity and commitment
to both ethical values and competence.
Ethical standards of behavior make for good
business.
Tone at the top is everything.
Employees will watch the actions of the CEO, and
the message of those actions (good or bad) will
tend to permeate the organization.
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Companies can endorse integrity as a basic
operating principle by actively teaching and
requiring it.
Management should:
Make it clear that honest reports are more important than
favorable ones.
Management should avoid:
Unrealistic expectations, incentives, or temptations.

Attitude of earnings or revenue at any price.
Overly aggressive sales practices.
Unfair or unethical negotiation practices.
Implied kickback offers.
Excessive bonuses.
Bonus plans with upper and lower cutoffs.
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Management should not assume that employees
would always act honestly.
Consistently reward and encourage honesty.
Give verbal labels to honest and dishonest acts.
The combination of these two will produce more
consistent moral behavior.
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Management should develop clearly stated
policies that explicitly describe honest and
dishonest behaviors, often in the form of a
written code of conduct.
In particular, such a code would cover issues that are
uncertain or unclear.
Dishonesty often appears when situations are gray
and employees rationalize the most expedient action
as opposed to making a right vs. wrong choice.
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SOX only requires a code of ethics for senior
financial management. However, the ACFE
suggests that companies create a code of
conduct for all employees:
Should be written at a fifth-grade level.
Should be reviewed annually with employees and
signed.
This approach helps employees keep themselves out
of trouble.
Helps the company if they need to take legal action
against the employee.
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Management should require employees to report
dishonest, illegal, or unethical behavior and discipline
employees who knowingly fail to report.
Reports of dishonest acts should be thoroughly investigated.
Those found guilty should be dismissed.
Prosecution should be undertaken when possible, so that other
employees are clear about consequences.
Companies must make a commitment to competence.

Begins with having competent employees.
Varies with each job but is a function of knowledge, experience,
training, and skills.
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The levers of control, particularly beliefs
and boundaries systems, can be used to
create the kind of commitment to integrity
an organization wants.
Requires more than lip service and signing
forms.
Must be systems in which top management
actively participates in order to:
Demonstrate the importance of the system.
Create buy-in and a team spirit.
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Management should require employees to
report dishonest, illegal, or unethical
behavior and discipline employees who
knowingly fail to report.
Reports of dishonest acts should be
thoroughly investigated.
Those found guilty should be dismissed.
Prosecution should be undertaken when
possible, so that other employees are clear
about consequences.
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Companies must make a commitment to
competence.
Begins with having competent employees.
Varies with each job but is a function of
knowledge, experience, training, and skills.
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The levers of control, particularly beliefs
and boundary systems, can be used to
create the kind of commitment to integrity
an organization wants.
Requires more than lip service and signing
forms.
Must be systems in which top management
actively participates in order to:
Demonstrate the importance of the system.
Create buy-in and a team spirit.
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appetite
competence
External influences
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A companys organizational structure defines
its lines of authority, responsibility, and
reporting.
Provides the overall framework for planning,
directing, executing, controlling, and monitoring its
operations.
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Important aspects or organizational structure:
Degree of centralization or decentralization.

Assignment of responsibility for specific tasks.
Direct-reporting relationships or matrix structure.
Organization by industry, product, geographic
location, marketing network.
How the responsibility allocation affects
managements information needs.
Organization of accounting and IS functions.
Size and nature of company activities.
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Statistically, fraud occurs more frequently
in organizations with complex structures.
The structures may unintentionally impede
communication and clear assignment of
responsibility, making fraud easier to commit
and conceal; or
The structure may be intentionally complex to
facilitate the fraud.
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In todays business world, the hierarchical
organizations with many layers of management
are giving way to flatter organizations with selfdirected work teams.
Team members are empowered to make decisions
without multiple layers of approvals.
Emphasis is on continuous improvement rather than
on regular evaluations.
These changes have a significant impact on the
nature and type of controls needed.
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appetite
competence
External influences
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Methods of assigning authority and
responsibility
Management should make sure:
Employees understand the entitys objectives.
Authority and responsibility for business objectives is
assigned to specific departments and individuals.
Ownership of responsibility encourages employees to

take initiative in solving problems and holds them
accountable for achieving objectives.
Management:
Must be sure to identify who is responsible for the IS security
policy.
Should monitor results so decisions can be reviewed and, if
necessary, overruled.
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Authority and responsibility are assigned through:
Formal job descriptions

Employee training
Operating plans, schedules, and budgets
Codes of conduct that define ethical behavior, acceptable
practices, regulatory requirements, and conflicts of interest
Written policies and procedures manuals (a good job reference
and job training tool) which covers:
Proper business practices
Knowledge and experience needed by key personnel
Resources provided to carry out duties
Policies and procedures for handling particular transactions
The organizations chart of accounts
Sample copies of forms and documents
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appetite
competence
External influences
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Human resources standards
Employees are both the companys greatest control
strength and the greatest control weakness.
Organizations can implement human resource
policies and practices with respect to hiring, training,
compensating, evaluating, counseling, promoting, and
discharging employees that send messages about the
level of competence and ethical behavior required.
Policies on working conditions, incentives, and career
advancement can powerfully encourage efficiency
and loyalty and reduce the organizations vulnerability.
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The following policies and procedures are
important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Evaluating and promoting
Discharging
Managing disgruntled employees
Vacations and rotation of duties
Confidentiality insurance and fidelity bonds
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important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Discharging
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Hiring
Should be based on educational background,
relevant work experience, past achievements,
honesty and integrity, and how well
candidates meet written job requirements.
Employees should undergo a formal, in-depth
employment interview.
Resumes, reference letters, and thorough
background checks are critical.
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Background checks can involve:
Verifying education and experience.
Talking with references.
Checking for criminal records, credit issues, and other
publicly available data.
Note that you must have the employees or
candidates written permission to conduct a
background check, but that permission does not need
to have an expiration date.
Background checks are important because recent
studies show that about 50% of resumes have been
falsified or embellished.
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Sometimes professional firms are hired to do the
background checks because applicants are
becoming more aggressive in their deceptions.
Some get phony degrees from online diploma mills.
A Pennsylvania district attorney recently filed suit against a
Texas university for issuing an MBA to the DAs 6-year-old
black cat.
Others actually hack (or hire someone to hack) into

the systems of universities to create or alter
transcripts and other academic data.
No employee should be exempted from

background checks. Anyone from the custodian
to the company president is capable of
committing fraud, sabotage, etc.
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important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Discharging
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Compensating
Employees should be paid a fair and
competitive wage.
Poorly compensated employees are more
likely to feel the resentment and financial
pressures that lead to fraud.
Appropriate incentives can motivate and
reinforce outstanding performance.
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important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Discharging
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Policies on training
Training programs should familiarize new employees
with:
Their responsibilities.
Expected performance and behavior.
Company policies, procedures, history, culture, and operating
style.
Training needs to be ongoing, not just one time.

Companies who shortchange training are more likely
to experience security breaches and fraud.
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Many believe employee training and
education are the most important elements of
fraud prevention and security programs.
Fraud is less likely to occur when employees
believe security is everyones business.
An ideal corporate culture exists when:
Employees are proud of their company and
protective of its assets.
They believe fraud hurts everyone and that they
therefore have a responsibility to report it.
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These cultures do not just happen. They must
be created, taught, and practiced, and the
following training should be provided:
Fraud awareness
Employees should be aware of frauds prevalence and
dangers, why people do it, and how to deter and detect it.
Ethical considerations
The company should promote ethical standards in its
practice and its literature.
Acceptable and unacceptable behavior should be defined
and labeled, leaving as little gray area as possible.
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Punishment for fraud and unethical behavior.
Employees should know the consequences (e.g.,
reprimand, dismissal, prosecution) of bad behavior.
Should be disseminated as a consequence rather
than a threat.
EXAMPLE: Using a computer to steal or commit
fraud is a federal crime, and anyone doing so
faces immediate dismissal and/or prosecution.
The company should display notices of program
and data ownership and advise employees of the
penalties of misuse.
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Training can take place through:
Informal discussions
Formal meetings
Periodic memos
Written guidelines
Codes of ethics
Circulating reports of unethical behavior and
its consequences
Promoting security and fraud training
programs
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important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Discharging
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Do periodic performance appraisals to help
employees understand their strengths and
weaknesses.
Base promotions on performance and
qualifications.
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important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Discharging
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Discharging
Fired employees are disgruntled employees.
Disgruntled employees are more likely to
commit a sabotage or fraud against the
company.
Employees who are terminated (whether
voluntary or involuntary) should be removed
from sensitive jobs immediately and denied
access to information systems.
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important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Discharging
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Disgruntled employees may be isolated and/or
unhappy, but are much likelier fraud candidates than
satisfied employees.
The organization can try to reduce the employees
pressures through grievance channels and
counseling.
Difficult to do because many employees feel that seeking
counseling will stigmatize them in their jobs.
Disgruntled employees should not be allowed to

continue in jobs where they could harm the
organization.
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important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Discharging
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Some fraud schemes, such as lapping and
kiting, cannot continue without the constant
attention of the perpetrator.
Mandatory vacations or rotation of duties can
prevent these frauds or lead to early
detection.
These measures will only be effective if
someone else is doing the job while the usual
employee is elsewhere.
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important:
Hiring
Compensating
Training
Discharging
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Confidentiality agreements and fidelity
bond insurance
Employees, suppliers, and contractors should
be required to sign and abide by
nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements.
Key employees should have fidelity bond
insurance coverage to protect the company
against losses from fraudulent acts by those
employees.
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In addition to the preceding policies, the
company should seek prosecution and
incarceration of hackers and fraud perpetrators
Most fraud cases and hacker attacks go
unreported. They are not prosecuted for several
reasons.
Companies fear:
Public relations nightmares
Copycat attacks
But unreported fraud and intrusions create a false

sense of security.
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Law enforcement officials and courts are busy with
violent crimes and may regard teen hacking as
childish pranks.
Fraud is difficult, costly, and time-consuming to
investigate and prosecute.
Law enforcement officials, lawyers, and judges often
lack the computer skills needed to investigate,
prosecute, and evaluate computer crimes.
When cases are prosecuted and a conviction
obtained, penalties are often very light. Judges often
regard the perps as model citizens.
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appetite
competence
External influences
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External influences
External influences that affect the control
environment include requirements imposed
by:
FASB
PCAOB
SEC
Insurance commissions
Regulatory agencies for banks, utilities, etc.
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OBJECTIVE SETTING
Objective setting is the
second ERM
component.
It must precede many
of the other six
components.
For example, you must
set objectives before
you can define events
that affect your ability
to achieve objectives
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OBJECTIVE SETTING
Top management, with board approval, must
articulate why the company exists and what it
hopes to achieve.
Often referred to as the corporate vision or mission.
Uses the mission statement as a base from

which to set corporate objectives.
The objectives:
Need to be easy to understand and measure.
Should be prioritized.
Should be aligned with the companys risk appetite.
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OBJECTIVE SETTING
Objectives set at the corporate level are
linked to and integrated with a cascading
series of sub-objectives in the various subunits.
For each set of objectives:
Critical success factors (what has to go right)
must be defined.
Performance measures should be established
to determine whether the objectives are met.
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OBJECTIVE SETTING
Objective-setting process proceeds as follows:
First, set strategic objectives, the high-level goals that
support the companys mission and create value for
shareholders.
To meet these objectives, identify alternative ways of
accomplishing them.
For each alternative, identify and assess risks and
implications.
Formulate a corporate strategy.
Then set operations, compliance, and reporting
objectives.
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OBJECTIVE SETTING
As a rule of thumb:
The mission and strategic objectives are
stable.
The strategy and other objectives are more
dynamic:
Must be adapted to changing conditions.
Must be realigned with strategic objectives.
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OBJECTIVE SETTING
Operations objectives:
Are a product of management preferences,
judgments, and style.
Vary significantly among entities:
One may adopt technology; another waits until the
bugs are worked out.
Are influenced by and must be relevant to the

industry, economic conditions, and competitive
pressures.
Give clear direction for resource allocationa
key success factor.
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OBJECTIVE SETTING
Compliance and reporting objectives:
Many are imposed by external entities, e.g.:
Reports to IRS or to EPA
Financial reports that comply with GAAP
A companys reputation can be impacted

significantly (for better or worse) by the quality
of its compliance.
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EVENT IDENTIFICATION
Events are:
Incidents or occurrences that
emanate from internal or
external sources.
That affect implementation of
strategy or achievement of
objectives.
Impact can be positive,
negative, or both.
Events can range from
obvious to obscure.
Effects can range from
inconsequential to highly
significant.
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By their nature, events represent
uncertainty:
Will they occur?
If so, when?
And what will the impact be?
Will they trigger another event?
Will they happen individually or concurrently?
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Management must do its best to anticipate all
possible eventspositive or negativethat
might affect the company:
Try to determine which are most and least likely.
Understand the interrelationships of events.
COSO identified many internal and external

factors that could influence events and affect a
companys ability to implement strategy and
achieve objectives.
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Availability
of capital; lower or higher costs of
EVENT
IDENTIFICATION
capital
Lower barriers to entry, resulting in new
competition
Price movements up or down
External factors:
Ability to issue credit and possibility of default
Economic
factors
Concentration of competitors, customers, or
vendors
Presence or absence of liquidity
Movements in the financial markets or
currency fluctuations
Rising or lowering unemployment rates
Mergers or acquisitions
Potential regulatory, contractual, or criminal
legal liability
Some of these factors include:
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External factors:
Economic factors
Natural environment
Natural disasters such as fires,

floods, or earthquakes
Emissions and waste
Energy restrictions or
shortages
Restrictions limiting
development
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External factors:
Economic factors
Natural environment
Political factors Election of government
officials with new agendas

New laws and regulations
Public policy, including higher
or lower taxes
Regulation affecting the
companys ability to compete
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Changing demographics, social

mores, family structures, and
work/life priorities
Consumer behavior that
changes demand for products
and services or creates new
buying opportunities
Corporate citizenship
Privacy
Terrorism
Human resource issues
causing production shortages
or stoppages

External factors:
Economic factors
Natural environment
Political factors
Social factors
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New e-business technologies

that lower infrastructure costs
or increase demand for ITbased services
Emerging technology
Increased or decreased
availability of data
Interruptions or down time
caused by external parties

External factors:
Economic factors
Natural environment
Political factors
Social factors
Technological factors
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Internal factors:
Infrastructure
Inadequate access or poor allocation of capital

Availability and capability of company assets
Complexity of systems
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Internal factors:
Infrastructure
Personnel
Employee skills and capability

Employees acting dishonestly or unethically
Workplace accidents, health or safety
concerns
Strikes or expiration of labor agreements
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Internal factors:
Infrastructure
Personnel
Process
Process modification without proper change

management procedures
Poorly designed processes
Process execution errors
Suppliers cannot deliver quality goods on time
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Internal factors:
Infrastructure
Personnel
Process
Technology
Insufficient capacity to handle peak IT usages

Security breaches
Data or system unavailability from internal factors
Inadequate data integrity
Poor systems selection/development
Inadequately maintained systems
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Lists can help management identify factors,
evaluate their importance, and examine those
that can affect objectives.
Identifying events at the activity and entity levels
allows companies to focus their risk assessment
on major business units or functions and align
their risk tolerance and risk appetite.
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Companies usually use two or more of the
following techniques together to identify
events:
Use comprehensive lists of potential
events
Often produced by special software that can

tailor lists to an industry, activity, or process.
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events:
Use comprehensive lists of potential events
Perform an internal analysis
An internal committee analyzes events, contacting

appropriate insiders and outsiders for input.
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events:
Monitor leading events and trigger points
Appropriate transactions, activities, and events
are monitored and compared to predefined
criteria to determine when action is needed.
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events:
Conduct workshops and interviews
Employee knowledge and expertise is gathered in
structured discussions or individual interviews.
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events:
Monitor
leading events and trigger points
Examine data on prior events to identify trends
causes that help
possible events.
Conductand
workshops
andidentify
interviews
Perform data mining and analysis
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events:
Analyze
internal and
external
factors that affect
Conduct
workshops
and
interviews
inputs, processes, and outputs to identify events
Perform
and analysis
thatdata
mightmining
help or hinder
the process.
Analyze processes
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RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK

RESPONSE
The fourth and fifth
components of
COSOs ERM model
are risk assessment
and risk response.
COSO
indicates
The
risk that
exists before
management
steps to
there aretakes
twoany
types
control the likelihood or impact
ofa risk:
of
risk.
Inherent risk
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RESPONSE
The fourth and fifth
components of
COSOs ERM model
are risk assessment
and risk response.
COSO indicates
two types
there
The riskare
that remains
after
ofmanagement
risk: implements
controls or some other

internal
Inherent
riskto risk.
form
of response
Residual risk
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RESPONSE
Companies should:
Assess inherent risk
Develop a response
Then assess residual risk
The ERM model indicates four ways to respond

to risk:
The most effective way to reduce
Reduce it
the likelihood and impact of risk is

to implement an effective system of
internal controls.
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RESPONSE
Companies should:
Develop a response

to risk:
Reduce it
Accept it
Dont act to prevent or mitigate

it.
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RESPONSE
Companies should:
Develop a response

to risk:
Reduce it
Accept it
Share it
Transfer some of it to others via

activities such as insurance,
outsourcing, or hedging.
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RESPONSE
Companies should:
Develop a response

to risk:
Reduce it
Accept it
Share it
Avoid it
Dont engage in the activity that

produces it.
May require:
Sale of a division
Exiting a product line
Canceling an expansion plan
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RESPONSE
Accountants:
Help management design effective controls to
reduce inherent risk.
Evaluate internal control systems to ensure
they are operating effectively.
Assess and reduce inherent risk using the risk
assessment and response strategy.
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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Event
identification
Identify the events or threats

that confront the company
Estimate the likelihood or
probability of each event occurring
Estimate the impact of potential
loss from each threat
The first step in risk

assessment and
response strategy is
event identification,
which we have already
discussed.
Identify set of controls to

guard against threat
Estimate costs and benefits
from instituting controls
Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes
Reduce risk by implementing set of

controls to guard against threat
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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Estimate likelihood
and impact
Some events pose
more risk because they
are more probable than
others.
Some events pose
more risk because their
dollar impact would be
more significant.
Likelihood and impact
must be considered
together:
If either increases, the
materiality of the event
and the need to protect
against it rises.

Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Identify controls
Management must
identify one or more
controls that will protect
the company from each
event.
In evaluating benefits of
each control procedure,
consider effectiveness
and timing.

Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
All other factors equal:
A preventive control is
better than a detective
one.
However, if preventive
controls fail, detective
controls are needed to
discover the problem,
and corrective controls
are needed to recover.
Consequently, the three
complement each other,
and a good internal
control system should
have all three.
Similarly, a company
should use all four
levers of control.

Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Estimate costs and
benefits
It would be costprohibitive to create an
internal control system
that provided foolproof
protection against all
events.
Also, some controls
negatively affect
operational efficiency,
and too many controls
can make it very
inefficient.

Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
The benefits of an
internal control
procedure must
exceed its costs.
Benefits can be hard
to quantify, but include:
Increased sales and
productivity
Reduced losses
Better integration with
customers and suppliers
Increased customer loyalty
Competitive advantages
Lower insurance
premiums

Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Costs are usually
easier to measure
than benefits.
Primary cost is
personnel, including:
Time to perform control
procedures
Costs of hiring
additional employees to
effectively segregate
duties
Costs of programming
controls into a system

Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Other costs of a poor
control system include:
Lost sales
Lower productivity
Drop in stock price if
security problems arise
Shareholder or
regulator lawsuits
Fines and penalties
imposed by
governmental agencies

Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
The expected loss

related to a risk is
measured as:
Expected loss =
impact x likelihood
The value of a
control procedure
is the difference
between:
Expected loss with
control procedure
Expected loss without it

Is it
costbeneficial
to protect
system
No
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Determine costbenefit effectiveness
After estimating
benefits and costs,
management
determines if the control
is cost beneficial, i.e., is
the cost of
implementing a control
procedure less than the
change in expected
loss that would be
attributable to the
change?

Is it
costbeneficia
l
No
to protect
system
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
In evaluating costs and
benefits, management
must consider factors
other than those in the
expected benefit
calculation.
If an event threatens an
organizations existence, it
may be worthwhile to
institute controls even if
costs exceed expected
benefits.
The additional cost can be
viewed as a catastrophic
loss insurance premium.

Is it
costbeneficia
l
No
to protect
system
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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Expected Loss without control procedure = $800,000 x .12 = $96,000.

Expected loss with control procedure = $800,000 x .005 = $4,000.
Estimated value of control procedure = $96,000 - $4,000 = $92,000.
Estimated cost of control procedure = $43,000 (given).
Benefits exceed costs by $92,000 - $43,000 = $49,000.
Lets go through an example:
In this case, Hobby Hole should probably install the motion detectors.

RESPONSE
Hobby Hole is trying to decide whether to install a

motion detector system in its warehouse to reduce
the probability of a catastrophic theft.
A catastrophic theft could result in losses of $800,000.
Local crime statistics suggest that the probability of a
catastrophic theft at Hobby Hole is 12%.
Companies with motion detectors only have about a .
5% probability of catastrophic theft.
The present value of purchasing and installing a
motion detector system and paying future security
costs is estimated to be about $43,000.
Should Hobby Hole install the motion detectors?
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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Implement the
control or avoid,
share, or accept the
risk
When controls are cost
effective, they should
be implemented so risk
can be reduced.

Is it
costbeneficia
l
No
to protect
system
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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RISK ASSESSMENT
AND RISK RESPONSE
Risks that are not
reduced must be
accepted, shared, or
avoided.
If the risk is within the
companys risk tolerance,
they will typically accept
the risk.
A reduce or share
response is used to bring
residual risk into an
acceptable risk tolerance
range.
An avoid response is
typically only used when
there is no way to costeffectively bring risk into
an acceptable risk
tolerance range.

Is it
costbeneficia
l
No
to protect
system
Avoid,
share, or
accept
risk
Yes

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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
The sixth component of
COSOs ERM model.
Control activities are
policies, procedures,
and rules that provide
reasonable assurance
that managements
control objectives are
met and their risk
responses are carried
out.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
It is managements responsibility to develop a
secure and adequately controlled system.
Controls are much more effective when built in on the
front end.
Consequently, systems analysts, designers, and end
users should be involved in designing adequate
computer-based control systems.
Management must also establish a set of

procedures to ensure control compliance and
enforcement.
Usually, the purview of the information security officer
and the operations staff.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
It is critical that controls be in place during
the year-end holiday season. A
disproportionate amount of computer
fraud and security break-ins occur during
this time because:
More people are on vacation and fewer
around to mind the store.
Students are not tied up with school.
Counterculture hackers may be lonely.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Generally, control procedures fall into one
of the following categories:
Proper authorization of transactions and
activities
Segregation of duties
Project development and acquisition controls
Change management controls
Design and use of documents and records
Safeguard assets, records, and data
Independent checks on performance
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
activities
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Proper authorization of transactions
and activities
Management lacks the time and resources to
supervise each employee activity and
decision.
Consequently, they establish policies and
empower employees to perform activities
within policy.
This empowerment is called authorization
and is an important part of an organizations
control procedures.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Authorizations are often documented by signing
initializing, or entering an authorization code.
Computer systems can record digital
signatures as a means of signing a document.
Employees who process transactions should
verify the presence of the appropriate
authorizations.
Auditors review transactions for proper
authorization, as their absence indicates a
possible control problem.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Typically at least two levels of authorization:
General authorization
Management authorizes employees to handle routine
transactions without special approval.
Special authorization
For activities or transactions that are of significant
consequences, management review and approval is required.
Might apply to sales, capital expenditures, or
write-offs over a particular dollar limit.
Management should have written policies for

both types of authorization and for all types of
transactions.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
activities
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Good internal control requires that no single
employee be given too much responsibility
over business transactions or processes.
An employee should not be in a position to
commit and conceal fraud or unintentional
errors.
Segregation of duties is discussed in two
sections:
Segregation of accounting duties
Segregation of duties within the systems function
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
employee be given too much responsibility
over business transactions or processes.
An employee should not be in a position to
commit and conceal fraud or unintentional
errors.
Segregation of duties is discussed in two
sections:
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
To learn a little about segregation of

duties, lets first meet Bill.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Bill is in charge of a pile of the

organizations moneylets say $1,000.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
Bill also keeps the books for that

money.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
Bill has a date tonight, and hes a little desperate to

impress that special someone, so he takes $100 of
the cash. (Thinks hes only borrowing it, you know.)
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$900
Bill also records an entry in the books to show that

$100 was spent for some legitimate purpose. Now
the balance in the books is $900.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$900
How will Bill ever get caught at his

theft?
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Now lets change the story. Bill is in

charge of the pile of cash.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
But Mary keeps the books.

This arrangement is a form of segregation of duties.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
Bill gets in a pinch again and takes

$100 of the organizations cash.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
How will Bill get caught?

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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Effective segregation of accounting duties is achieved
when the following functions are separated:
AuthorizationApproving transactions and decisions.
RecordingPreparing source documents; maintaining
journals, ledgers, or other files; preparing reconciliations; and
preparing performance reports.
CustodyHandling cash, maintaining an inventory
storeroom, receiving incoming customer checks, writing
checks on the organizations bank account.
If any two of the preceding functions are the

responsibility of one person, then problems can arise.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
CUSTODIAL FUNCTIONS
Handling cash
Handling inventories, tools,
or fixed assets
Writing checks
Receiving checks in mail
RECORDING FUNCTIONS
Preparing source
documents
Maintaining journals,
ledgers, or other files
Preparing reconciliations
Preparing performance
reports
EXAMPLE OF PROBLEM: A person who has custody of cash receipts and the
AUTHORIZATION
recording for those receipts can
steal some of the cash and falsify accounts to
FUNCTIONS
conceal the theft.
Authorization of
SOLUTION: The pink fence (segregation
of custody and recording) prevents
transactions
employees from falsifying records
to conceal theft of assets entrusted to them.
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EXAMPLE OF PROBLEM: A
person who has custody of
checks for transactions that
he has authorized can
authorize fictitious
transactions and then steal
RECORDING
the payments.FUNCTIONS
Preparing source
SOLUTION:
The green fence
documents of custody and
(segregation
authorization)
prevents
ledgers, orfrom
otherauthorizing
files
employees
fictitious
orreconciliations
inaccurate
Preparing
transactions
as a means of
concealing
a theft.
reports
CONTROL ACTIVITIES
CUSTODIAL FUNCTIONS
Handling cash
Handling inventories, tools,
or fixed assets
Writing checks
Receiving checks in mail
AUTHORIZATION
FUNCTIONS
Authorization of
transactions
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EXAMPLE OF PROBLEM: A
person who can authorize a
transaction and keep
records related to the
transactions can authorize
and record fictitious
CUSTODIAL
FUNCTIONS
payments
that might,
for
Handling
cashto the
example,
be sent
employees
addresstools,
Handlinghome
inventories,
or the
address
of a shell
or fixed
assets
company
creates.
Writinghe
checks
SOLUTION:
purple
ReceivingThe
checks
in mail
fence (segregation of
recording and authorization)

prevents employees from
falsifying records to cover
up inaccurate or false
transactions that were
inappropriately authorized.
AUTHORIZATION
FUNCTIONS
Authorization of
transactions
CONTROL ACTIVITIES
RECORDING FUNCTIONS
Preparing source
documents
ledgers, or other files
Preparing reconciliations
reports
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
In a system that incorporates an effective
separation of duties, it should be difficult
for any single employee to commit
embezzlement successfully.
But when two or more people collude,
then segregation of duties becomes
impotent and controls are overridden.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
If this happens . . .
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
Then segregation of duties is out the window.

Collusion overrides segregation.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Employees can collude with other employees or
with customers or vendors.
The most frequent form of employee/vendor
collusions include:
Billing at inflated prices
Performing substandard work and receiving full
payment
Payment for non-performance
Duplicate billings
Improperly funneling more work to or purchasing
more goods from a colluding company
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
The most frequent form of
employee/customer collusions include:
Unauthorized loans or insurance payments
Receipt of assets or services at unauthorized
discount prices
Forgiveness of amounts owed
Unauthorized extension of due dates
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
employee be given too much responsibility over
business transactions or processes.
An employee should not be in a position to commit
and conceal fraud or unintentional errors.
Segregation of duties is discussed in two sections:
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Segregation of duties within the
systems function
In a highly integrated information system,
procedures once performed by separate
individuals are combined.
Therefore, anyone who has unrestricted
access to the computer, its programs, and live
data could have the opportunity to perpetrate
and conceal fraud.
To combat this threat, organizations must
implement effective segregation of duties
within the IS function.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Authority and responsibility must be divided clearly
among the following functions:
Systems administration
Responsible for ensuring that

the different parts of an
information system operate
smoothly and efficiently.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Ensures that all applicable devices are

linked to the organizations internal
and external networks and that the
networks operate continuously and
properly.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Security management
Ensures that all aspects of the

system are secure and protected
from internal and external
threats.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Security management
Change management
Manages changes to the

organizations information
system to ensure they are made
smoothly and efficiently and to
prevent errors and fraud.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Security management
Change management
Users Record transactions, authorize
data to be processed, and use
system output.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Security management
Change management
Users
Help users determine their
information needs and design
Systems analysts
systems to meet those needs.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Security management
Change management
Users
Systems analysts
Programming Use design provided by the
systems analysts to write the
computer programs for the
information system.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Security management
Change management
Users
Systems analysts
Programming
Computer operations
Run the software on the

companys computers.
Ensure that data are input
properly, correctly processed,
and needed output is produced.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Security management
Change management
Users
Maintains custody of corporate
Systems analysts
databases, files, and programs in
Programming
a separate storage area.
Computer operations
Information systems library
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Network management
Ensures that source data have
Security management
been properly approved.
Change management
Monitors the flow of work
Users
through the computer.
Systems analysts
Reconciles input and output.
Programming
Maintains a record of input
Computer operations
errors to ensure their correction
Information systemsand
library
resubmission.
Data control Distributes system output.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
It is important that different people perform the
preceding functions.
Allowing a person to do two or more jobs exposes the
company to the possibility of fraud.
In addition to adequate segregation of duties,

organizations should ensure that the people who
design, develop, implement, and operate the IS
are qualified and well trained.
The same holds true for systems security
personnel.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Generally, control procedures fall into one of the
following categories:
Proper authorization of transactions and activities

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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Its important to have a formal, appropriate, and proven
methodology to govern the development, acquisition,
implementation, and maintenance of information systems and
related technologies.
Should contain appropriate controls for:
Management review and approval
User involvement
Analysis
Design
Testing
Implementation
Conversion
Should make it possible for management to trace information
inputs from source to disposition and vice versa (the audit
trail).
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Examples abound of poorly managed
projects that have wasted large sums of
money because certain basic principles of
project management control were ignored.
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A multi-year strategic plan

should align the organizations
information system with its
business strategies and show
the projects that must be
The following basic principles completed
of controlto
should
belongachieve
applied to systems development
in goals.
order to reduce the
range
potential for cost overruns and
project
failurehardware,
and to
Should
address
software, personnel,
and
improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of the IS:
infrastructure requirements.
Strategic master plan
Each year, the board and top
management should prepare
and approve the plan and its
supporting budget.
Should be evaluated several
times a year to ensure the
organization can acquire
needed components and
maintain existing ones.
CONTROL ACTIVITIES
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A project development plan

shows how a project will be
completed, including:
Modules or tasks to be
The following basic principles of performed
control should be
Who will perform them
in order to reduce the
Anticipated
completion
potential for cost overruns andproject
failure
and to dates
Project costs
of the IS:
Project milestones should be
specifiedpoints when progress
Project controls
is reviewed and actual completion
times are compared to estimates.
Each project should be assigned
to a manager and team who are
responsible for its success or
failure.
At project completion, a project
evaluation of the team members
should be performed.
CONTROL ACTIVITIES
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
The following basic principles of control should be
applied to systems development in order to reduce the
potential for cost overruns and project failure and to
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the IS:
Project controls
Data processing schedule
Data processing tasks should
be organized according to a
schedule to maximize the use
of scarce computer resources.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES

Project controls
Steering committee A steering committee should
guide and oversee systems
development and acquisition.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
To
evaluated
properly,
The following basic principles
of be
control
should
be a
system should be assessed
in order to reduce the
with measures such as:
potential for cost overruns andproject failure and to
Throughput (output per
of the IS:
unit of time)

Utilization (percent of time
Project controls
it is used productively)
Response time (how long it
takes to respond)
Steering committee
System performance measurements
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES

A review should be performed
Project controls
after a development project is
completed to determine if the
anticipated benefits were
Steering committee
System performance measurementsachieved.
Post-implementation review Helps control project
development activities and
encourage accurate and
objective initial cost and
benefit estimates.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
To simplify and improve systems development,
some companies hire a systems integratora
vendor who uses common standards and
manages the development effort using their own
personnel and those of the client and other
vendors.
Many companies rely on the integrators assurance
that the project will be completed on time.
Unfortunately, the integrator is often wrong.
These third-party systems development projects are
subject to the same cost overruns and missed
deadlines as systems developed internally.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Before third parties bid, provide clear

specifications, including:
Exact descriptions and definitions of the system
Explicit deadlines
Precise acceptance criteria
Although its expensive to develop these
specifications, it will save money in the end.
When using systems integrators,

companies should adhere to the same
basic rules used for project management
of internal
projects. In addition, they
should:
Develop clear specifications
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A sponsors committee should monitor third-party

development projects.
Established by the CIO and chaired by the
projects internal champion.
Should include department managers from all
units that will use the system.
Should establish formal procedures for
measuring and reporting project status.
Best approach is to:
Divide project into manageable tasks.
Assign responsibility for each task.
Meet on a regular basis (at least monthly)
to review progress and assess quality.
clear specifications
CONTROL ACTIVITIES
When using systems integrators,

companies should adhere to the same
basic rules used for project management
of internal projects. In addition, they
should:
Develop
Monitor the systems integration project
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
activities
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Organizations constantly modify their information
systems to reflect new business practices and take
advantage of information technology advances.
Change management is the process of making sure
that the changes do not negatively affect:
Systems reliability
Security
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
activities
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Design and use of adequate documents and
records
Proper design and use of documents and records
helps ensure accurate and complete recording of all
relevant transaction data.
Form and content should be kept as simple as
possible to:
Promote efficient record keeping
Minimize recording errors
Facilitate review and verification
Documents that initiate a transaction should contain a

space for authorization.
Those used to transfer assets should have a space for
the receiving partys signature.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Documents should be sequentially prenumbered:
To reduce likelihood that they would be used
fraudulently.
To help ensure that all valid transactions are
recorded.
A good audit trail facilitates:

Tracing individual transactions through the system.
Correcting errors.
Verifying system output.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
activities
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
When people consider safeguarding assets, they
most often think of cash and physical assets, such as
inventory and equipment.
Another company asset that needs to be protected is
information.
According to the ACFEs 2004 National Fraud Survey,
theft of information made up only 17.3% of non-cash
misappropriations; however, the median cost of an
information theft was $340,000. This cost was 126%
higher than the next most costly non-asset theft.
(Equipment theft had a median cost of $150,000.)
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Many people mistakenly believe that the
greatest risks companies face are from
outsiders.
However, employees pose a much greater
risk when it comes to loss of data
because:
They know the system and its weaknesses
better.
They are better able to hide their illegal acts.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Insiders also create less-intentional threats to
systems, including:
Accidentally deleting company data.
Turning viruses loose.
Trying to fix hardware or software without appropriate
expertise (i.e., when in doubt, unplug it).
These actions can result in crashed networks,

corrupt data, and hardware and software
malfunctions.
Companies also face significant risks from
customers and vendors that have access to
company data.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Many steps can be taken to safeguard
both information and physical assets from
theft, unauthorized use, and vandalism.
Chapters 7 and 8 discuss computer-based
controls. In addition, it is important to:
Maintain accurate records of all assets
Periodically reconcile recorded amounts to
physical counts.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Use restricted
storage areas
Chapters 7 and 8 discuss
computer-based
for inventories and equipment.
controls. In addition, it Use
is important
cash registers,to:
safes,
lockboxes,
and safe deposit
Maintain accurate records
of all assets
boxes to limit access to cash,

recorded
amounts
to assets.
securities,
and paper
Periodically reconcile
physical counts
Restrict access to assets
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Chapters 7 and 8 discuss
Use computer-based
fireproof storage areas,
locked
filing cabinets,
controls. In addition, it is
important
to: backup
of files (including copies at

Maintain accurate records
of all
assets
off-site
locations).
Periodically reconcile recorded
amounts
to checks
Limit access
to blank
physical counts
and documents to authorized
Restrict access to assets personnel.
Protect records and documents

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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
activities
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
Lets look at Bill and Mary again. Assume that Bill

stole cash but Mary did NOT alter the books.
Romney/Steinbart
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
Can Bills theft be discovered if an independent party

doesnt compare a count of the cash to whats
recorded on the books?
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Ledger
$1,000
Segregation of duties only has value when

supplemented by independent checks.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Internal checks to ensure that transactions
are processed accurately are an important
control element.
These checks should be performed by
someone independent of the party(ies)
responsible for the activities.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
The following independent checks are
typically used:
Top-level reviews
Management at all levels should monitor company

results and periodically compare actual performance
to:
Planned performance as shown in budgets, targets,
and forecasts
Prior-period performance
The performance of competitors
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
typically used:
Top-level reviews
Analytical reviews
Examinations of relationships between different sets of

data.
EXAMPLE: If credit sales increased significantly during
the period and there were no changes in credit policy,
then bad debt expense should probably have increased
also.
Management should periodically analyze and review
data relationships to detect fraud and other business
problems.
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
Check the accuracy and completeness of records by

reconciling them with other records that should have the
same balance.
EXAMPLES:
Bank reconciliations
Top-level
reviews
Comparing accounts payable control account to sum
Analytical
reviewsaccounts.
of subsidiary

typically used:
Reconciliation of independently
maintained sets of records
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
typically used: Periodically, count significant assets
and reconcile the count to company

Top-level reviews
records.
EXAMPLE: Annual physical inventory.
Analytical reviews
High-dollar items and critical
Reconciliation ofcomponents
independently
maintained
should be
counted more
sets of records frequently.
Comparison of actual quantities with

recorded amounts
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
typically used:
Top-level reviews
Analytical reviews
Reconciliation of independently maintained
sets of records
Comparison of actual quantities
Ensure that with
debitsrecorded
equal
credits.
amounts
Double-entry accounting
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CONTROL ACTIVITIES
typically used:
Top-level reviews
Analytical reviews
Reconciliation of independently maintained
sets of records
Comparison of actual quantities with recorded
After one person processes a
amounts
transaction, another reviews
their work.
Double-entry accounting
Independent review
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

The seventh component of
COSOs ERM model.
The primary purpose of the AIS is
to gather, record, process, store,
summarize, and communicate
information about an organization.
So accountants must understand
how:
Transactions are initiated
Data are captured in or
converted to machine-readable
form
Computer files are accessed
and updated
Data are processed
Information is reported to
internal and external parties
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Accountants must also understand the
accounting records and procedures,
supporting documents, and specific
financial statement accounts involved in
processing and reporting transactions.
The preceding items facilitate an audit trail
which allows for transactions to be traced
from origin to financial statements and
vice versa.
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According to the AICPA, an AIS has five
primary objectives:
Identify and record all valid transactions.
Properly classify transactions.
Record transactions at their proper monetary
value.
Record transactions in the proper accounting
period.
Properly present transactions and related
disclosures in the financial statements.
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How to safeguard information and physical
assets:
Create and enforce appropriate policies and
procedures.
Maintain accurate records of all assets.
Restrict access to assets.
Protect records and documents.
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Accounting systems generally consist of several
accounting subsystems, each designed to
process transactions of a particular type.
Though they differ with respect to the type of
transactions processed, all accounting
subsystems follow the same sequence of
procedures, referred to as accounting cycles.
The five major accounting cycles and their
related control objectives and procedures are
detailed in Chapters 1014.
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MONITORING
The eighth
component of
COSOs ERM
model.
Monitoring can be
accomplished with a
series of ongoing
events or by
separate
evaluations.
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MONITORING
Key methods of monitoring performance include:
Perform ERM evaluation

Implement effective supervision
Use responsibility accounting
Monitor system activities
Track purchased software
Conduct periodic audits
Employ a computer security officer, a Chief
Compliance Officer, and security consultants
Engage forensic specialists
Install fraud detection software
Implement a fraud hotline
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MONITORING

Employ a computer security officer and security
consultants
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MONITORING
Can measure ERM effectiveness through a
formal evaluation or through a selfassessment process.
A special group can be assembled to conduct
the evaluation or it can be done by internal
auditing.
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
Involves:
Training and assisting employees;

Monitoring their performance;
Correcting errors; and
Safeguarding assets by overseeing employees
with access.
Especially important in organizations that:

Cant afford elaborate responsibility reporting; or
Are too small for segregation of duties.
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
Includes use of:
Budgets, quotas, schedules, standard costs, and
quality standards;
Performance reports that compare actual with
planned performance and highlight variances; and
Procedures for investigating significant variances
and taking timely actions to correct adverse
conditions.
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
Risk analysis and management software
packages are available to:
Review computer and network security measures;

Detect illegal entry into systems;
Test for weaknesses and vulnerabilities;
Report weaknesses found; and
Suggest improvements.
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MONITORING
Cost parameters can be entered to
balance acceptable levels of risk tolerance
and cost-effectiveness.
Software is also available to monitor and
combat viruses, spyware, spam, pop-up
ads, and to prevent browsers from being
hijacked.
Also helps companies recover from frauds
and malicious actions and restore systems
to pre-incident status.
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MONITORING
System transactions and activities should be
recorded in a log which indicates who accessed
what data, when, and from which terminal.
Logs should be reviewed frequently to monitor
system activity and trace any problems to their
source.
Data collected can be used to:
Evaluate employee productivity;

Control company costs;
Fight corporate espionage and other attacks; and
Comply with legal requirements.
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MONITORING
Companies that monitor system activities need to ensure
they do not violate employee privacy rights.
Employers cannot discreetly observe communications of
employees when those employees have a reasonable
expectation of privacy.
Employers must therefore ensure that employees realize
their business communications are not private. One
way to accomplish that objective is to have written
policies that employees agree to in writing which indicate:
The technology employees use on the job belongs to the
company.
Emails received on company computers are not private and can
be read by supervisory personnel.
Employees should not use technology in any way to contribute to
a hostile work environment.
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) aggressively
tracks down and fines companies who violate
software license agreements.
To comply with copyrights, companies should
periodically conduct software audits to ensure that.
There are enough licenses for all users; and
The company is not paying for more licenses than needed.
Employees should be informed of the consequences

of using unlicensed software.
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
To monitor risk and detect fraud and errors,
the company should have periodic:
External audits
Internal audits
Special network security audits
Auditors should test system controls and

browse system usage files looking for
suspicious activities (discussed in Chapter 9).
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MONITORING
Again, care should be exercised that
employees privacy rights are not violated.
Therefore, inform employees that auditors
will conduct random surveillance, which:
Avoids privacy violations
Creates a perception of detection that can
deter crime and reduce errors
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MONITORING
Internal auditing involves:
Reviewing the reliability and integrity of
financial and operating information.
Providing an appraisal of internal control
effectiveness.
Assessing employee compliance with
management policies and procedures and
applicable laws and regulations.
Evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of
management.
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MONITORING
Internal audits can detect:
Excess overtime
Under-used assets
Obsolete inventory
Padded expense reimbursements
Excessively loose budgets and quotas
Poorly justified capital expenditures
Production bottlenecks
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MONITORING
Internal auditing should be
organizationally independent of the
accounting and operating functions.
The head should report to the audit
committee of the board of directors rather
than to the controller or CFO.
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
Employ a computer security officer and
computer consultants
The computer security officer (CSO) is in
charge of AIS security
Should be independent of the IS function
Should report to the COO or CEO
Many companies also use outside computer

consultants or in-house teams to test and
evaluate their security procedures and
computer systems.
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
Forensic accountants specialize in fraud
detection and investigation.
Now one of the fastest growing areas of
accounting due to:
SOX
SAS-99
Boards of Directors demanding that forensic accounting
be an ongoing part of the financial reporting and
corporate governance process.
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MONITORING
Most forensic accountants are CPAs and may
have received special training with the FBI, CIA,
or other law enforcement agencies.
In particular demand are those with the necessary
computer skills to ferret out and combat fraudsters
who use sophisticated technology to perpetrate their
crimes.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
has created a professional certification program for
fraud examiners.
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MONITORING
Management may also need to call on
computer forensic specialists for help.
They assist in discovering, extracting,
safeguarding, and documenting computer
evidence so that its authenticity, accuracy,
and integrity will not succumb to legal
challenges.
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MONITORING
Common incidents investigated by
computer forensic experts include:
Improper internet usage
Fraud
Sabotage
Loss, theft, or corruption of data
Retrieving information from emails and
databases that users thought they had erased
Determining who performed certain actions on
a computer
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
People who commit fraud tend to follow certain patterns and
leave behind clues.
Software has been developed to seek out these fraud
symptoms.
Some companies employ neural networks (programs that
mimic the brain and have learning capabilities), which are very
accurate in identifying suspected fraud.
For example, if a husband and wife were each using the same
credit card in two different stores at the same time, a neural
network would probably flag at least one of the transactions
immediately as suspicious.
These networks and other recent advances in fraud detection
software are significantly reducing the incidences of credit card
fraud.
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MONITORING

consultants
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MONITORING
People who witness fraudulent behavior are
often torn between conflicting feelings.
They want to protect company assets and report
fraud perpetrators.
But they are uncomfortable in the whistleblower
role and find it easier to remain silent.
They are particularly reluctant to report if they

know of others who have suffered
repercussions from doing so.
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MONITORING
SOX mandates that companies set up
mechanisms for employees to anonymously
report abuses such as fraud.
An effective way to comply with the law and resolve
employee concerns is to provide access to an
anonymous hotline.
Anonymous reporting can be accomplished through:
Phone lines
Web-based reporting
Anonymous emails
Snail mail
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MONITORING
Outsourcing is available through a number of third
parties and offers several benefits, including:
Increased confidence on the part of employee that his/her
report is truly anonymous.
24/7 availability.
Often have multilingual capabilitiesan important plus for
multinational organizations.
The outsourcer may be able to do follow up with the
employee if additional information is needed after the initial
contact.
The employee can be advised of the outcome of his report.
Low cost.
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MONITORING
A downside to anonymous reporting
mechanisms is that they will produce a
significant amount of petty or slanderous reports
that do not require investigation.
The ACFEs 2004 Report to the Nation indicates
that companies without fraud hotlines had
median fraud losses that were 140% higher than
companies that had fraud hotlines.
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SUMMARY
In this chapter, youve learned about basic internal control
concepts and why computer control and security are so
important.
Youve learned about the similarities and differences between
the COBIT, COSO, and ERM control frameworks.
Youve learned about the major elements in the internal
control environment of a company and the four types of
control objectives that companies need to set.
Youve also learned about events that affect uncertainty and
how these events can be identified.
Youve explored how the Enterprise Risk Management model
is used to assess and respond to risk, as well as the control
activities that are commonly used in companies.
Finally, youve learned how organizations communicate
information and monitor control processes.
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Control and Accounting

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

Achieving adequate security and control

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

Management expects accountants to be control

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

At the same time, the company needs control

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

Internal control provides reasonable, rather than

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

Internal control objectives are often at odds with

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

Discover problems quickly when they do arise.

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS

2008 Prentice Hall Business Publishing

Accounting Information Systems, 11/e

OVERVIEW OF CONTROL CONCEPTS