2. Responsibility for Aspects of Organizational Risk Management
a. The division of responsibility is described in detail in Practice Advisory 2120-1, Assessing the Adequacy of Risk Management Processes.
1) “Risk management is a key responsibility of senior management and the board. To achieve its business objectives, management ensures that sound risk management processes are in place and functioning. Boards have an oversight role to determine that appropriate risk management processes are in place and that these processes are adequate and effective. In this role, they may direct the internal audit activity to assist them by examining, evaluating, reporting, and/or recommending improvements to the adequacy and effectiveness of management’s risk processes” (para. 1).
2) “Management and the board are responsible for their organization’s risk management and control processes. However, internal auditors acting in a consulting role can assist the organization in identifying, evaluating, and implementing risk management methodologies and controls to address those risks” (para. 2).
3) “In situations where the organization does not have formal risk management processes, the chief audit executive (CAE) formally discusses with management and the board their obligations to understand, manage, and monitor risks within the organization and the need to satisfy themselves that there are processes operating within the organization, even if informal, rhat provide the appropriate level of visibility into the key risks and how they are being managed and monitored”(para. 3).
4) “The CAE is to obtain an understanding of senior management’s and the board’s expectations of the internal audit activity in the organization’s risk management process. This understanding is then codified in the charters of the internal audit activity and the board. Internal auditing’s responsibilities are to be coordinated between all group and individuals within the organization’s risk management process. The internal audit activity’s role in the risk management process of an organization Cn change over time and may encompass:
a) No role
b) Auditing the risk management process as part of the internal audit plan.
c) Active, continuous support and involvement in the risk management process such ad participation on oversight committee, monitoring activities, and status reporting
d) Managing and coordinating the risk management process ”(para. 3).
5) “Ultimately, it is the role of senior management and the board to determine the role of internal audit in the risk management process. Their view on internal audit’s role is likely to be determined by factors such as the culture of the organization, ability of the internal audit staff, and local conditions and customs of the country. However, taking on management’s responsibility regarding the risk management process and the potential threat to the internal audit activity’s independence requires a full discussion and board approval.” (para. 5).
6) “The Techniques used by various organizations for their risk management practices can vary significantly. Depending on the size and complexity of the organization’s business activities, risk management processes can be :
a) Formal or informal
b) Quantitative or subjective
c) Embedded in the business units or centralized at a corporate level”(para. 6).
7) “The organization designs processes based on its culture, management style, and business objectives. (Author’s note: The assumption is that the objective of the choices made is to maximize stakeholder (shareholder) value.) For example, the use of derivatives or other sophisticated capital markets products by the organization could require the use of quantitative risk management tools. Smaller, less complex organizations could use an informal risk committee to discuss the organization’s risk profile and to initiate periodic actions. The internal auditor determines that the methodology chosen is sufficiently comprehensive and appropriate for the nature of the organization’s activities”(para. 7).
8)“Internal auditor need to obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence to determine that the key objectives of the risk management processes are being met to form an opinion on the adequacy of risk management processes” (para. 8)