COSO FrameworksWe take our mission statement very seriously, and a fundamental component of our three pillars of client services is leveraging sound internal controls, both for our clients and through our audit services. To this end, we utilize the Internal Control Integrated Framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The COSO Control Framework is a vibrant collection of five components (control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and communication, and monitoring activities) and 17 supporting principles to help all sizes and types of organizations meet their operating, reporting and compliance objectives. Refer to the Frameworks Executive Summary for an abstract of the framework, including the 5 components and 17 principles. The COSO Control Framework defines internal control as: A process, effected by an entitys board of directors, management, and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives relating to operations, reporting, and compliance. The essence of any businesss ultimate reason for existence of protecting and maximizing shareholder value rests on the success of this very important definition. We also understand and can offer services associated with COSOs Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Framework. This Framework offers perspectives on concepts and applications for management to best manage risk for gaining competitive advantages. Cited benefits in the COSO ERM Frameworks Executive Summary, include:
It is important to note that the two COSO Frameworks complement each other, with neither superseding the other. The Internal ControlIntegrated Framework remains the most widely used control framework in North America. This framework is the one we use for advising on the design, implementation and assessment of the effectiveness of internal control, including financial statements. COSO contracted PwC as the author for both of these frameworks. Contact us to learn how you can benefit from these powerful frameworks. |