Establishing an Internal Audit Department
The CAE reports directly to CFO for administrative purposes. For purposes of governance, an advisory relationship is established between the IAD and the audit committee of the board of directors. These relationships, however, whether direct reporting or advisory, are flexible, depending on the management styles of individual managers. At present, The Schwan Food Company’s audit committee is very much a “hands on” chairman and views his relationship with the department to be as the CFO relationship.
The audit charter protects the IAD’s independence by ensuring full access the CAE to the audit committee and protecting the CAE from removal without the approval of the audit committee. In addition, the charter of the The Schwan Food Company’s audit committee establishes that the IAD is accountable to the board of directors through the audit committee. The Schwan Food Company’s IAD charter is shown in Exhibit 3.
The Schwan Food Company’s external auditor performed an analysis of the initial staffing level requirements for the IAD. Based on auditor recommendations, the audit committee and senior management seceded to staff the decided to department with 10 internal auditors supported by an annual budget allocation of approximately $1.63 million, although the size of the function is expected to increase as the company grows. Ideally, the CAE wanted people at senior and manager level with public accounting experience, as well as internal auditing work in industry. At the entry staff level, the CAE recognized that it was not possible to find people with that combination of experience. As a result, The IAD was staffed with a fairly broad-based assortment of expertise in financial, operational, compliance, and information systems auditing.
STAFFING
Initially, the greatest challenge faced by The Schwan Food Company in staffing its new depart was convincing qualified people to relocate headquarters in Marshall, Minnesota – a community this is a three-hour drive from Minneapolis and with a population of approximately 12,000. While this is an attractive community for individuals with a family-based lifestyle, it was a hurdle to overcome in seeking to completely staff a new department. The company used industry contacts to recruit staff, in addition to receiving assistance from outside recruiting organizations. Within a few months, the company was able to fill all of its internal audit positions.
DEPARTMENT’S OVERALL STRATEGY
With the staffing completed, the CAE then worked with two of his audit managers in developing an appropriate overall strategy for the IAD. To determine the scope of department’s services, they decided to use: 1) a risk-based assessment methodology that is tied to the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) internal used when he worked for KPMG LLP.
The consumer products business mofel describes how a company translates strategic objectives into business goals, processes and tactics to achieve those objectives. The model presented in Exhibit 4 outlines the following factors:
First, External Business Drivers and Stakeholders, which are the outside factors and pressures that can prevent an entity its objectives. These may include the political and legal environment, actions of competitors, customers, trade regulations others. The next factor is the set of various Markets that are relevant to the company’s business. Finally, the Business
EXHIBIT 3
The Schwan Food Company’s Internal Audit Services Charter
PURPOSE
The Purpose of the Schwan Food Company’s Audit Services department is provide independent, objective assurance services designed to add value the organization’s operations. It helps the organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the overall control environment and the network of enterprise business risk management, control, and governance processes.
SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of work of The Schwany Food Company’s Audit Services department is to determine whether the organization’s network of enterprise business risk management, control (including reporting and disclosure controls), and governance processes, as designed and represented by management, is adequate and functioning in a manner to ensure:
• Risks are appropriately identified and managed.
• Interaction with the various governance groups occurs as needed.
• Significant financial, managerial, and operating information is complete, reliable, and timely.
• Employees’ actions are in compliance with policies, procedures, and applicable laws and regulation.
• Resources are acquired economically, used efficiently, and adequately protected.
• Programs, plans, and objectives are achieved.
• Quality and continuous improvement are fostered in the organization’s control processes.
• Significant legislative or regulatory issues impacting the organization are recognized and addressed appropriately.
Opportunities for improving management control, profitability, and the organization’s image may be identified during audits. They will be communicated to the appropriate level of management.
INDEPENDENCE
To provide independence, the reporting relationships, authority and responsibility of The Schwan Food company’s Audit Services department are established by the Audit Committee on behalf of the Board of Directors. The chief audit executive reports to the chief financial officer for administrative purposes and also has full and independent access to the chief executive officer and the Audit Committee. Personnel in The Schwan Food Company’s Audit Services department report to the chief audit executive. The approval of the Audit Committee is required for the removal or replacement of the chief audit executive. It is the policy of the Audit Committee to devote a portion of each meeting to an executive session at which only the chief audit executive is present. In at least two meetings per year, outside director members of the Audit Committee shall consult privately with