What is the risk of material misstatement occurring within
the current entity and its environment?
The control environment element is a view of internal
controls from the entity’s perspective, including both the
environment it creates for business processes and controls
internally, and the influences of its environment on its ability to
establish and/or maintain an effective system of internal
controls. Some of the ways the control environment can be
evaluated regarding the risks associated with the control
environment include:
• Communication and enforcement of integrity and ethical values
• Commitment to competence
• Participation of those charged with governance
• Management’s philosophy and style
• Organizational structure
• Assignment of authority and responsibility
• Human resource policies and practices
• Industry factors
Thinking about this element of the COSO model and
auditors’ obligations to comply with SAS No. 109 is valuable
to financial auditors. Financial auditors are required to gain an
understanding of the “entity and its environment” to ascertain
the risk of material misstatement associated with that aspect of
the financial statements, and the COSO model is extremely
valuable as a tool to comply with this standard