Publications

August 22, 2011
12 Career Options for Experienced Auditors
Effective auditors possess several valuable and transferable competencies, for example critical thinking, professional skepticism, business writing and influencing ability. As the economy continues to make slow improvement, the hiring freezes at many organizations are thawing and thus creating job opportunities. So if you are contemplating your career options, looking for a change of pace or wondering about other ways to use your skills, I have 12 ideas for you.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Human Resources, Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Audit, Internal Audit Administration, Training & Development

August 22, 2011
2010 Mainland China & Hong Kong Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey
This is the third edition of the Mainland China and Hong Kong Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey. This year, along with reviewing the results of our latest survey, we also chart and comment on some of the more interesting trends that have emerged since 2008, when we first conducted this survey. We also comment on the capabilities and needs of energy companies, which accounted for the majority of survey respondents. Participants, including chief audit executives (CAEs) along with internal audit directors, managers and staff, answered more than 100 questions in three categories: General Technical Knowledge, Audit Process Knowledge, and Personal Skills and Capabilities; assessed their capabilities in internal auditing areas of priority; and provided their views on areas they considered most in need of improvement.
CONTENT AREA: Survey Reports
TOPICS: China, Internal Audit, Energy & Utilities Industry, Governance Risk & Compliance

August 22, 2011
2010 Mainland China & Hong Kong Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey (2010年中国大陆与香港内部审计能力与需求调查)
甫瀚咨询中国在内地和香港所组织的“内部审计能力与需求”调查已迈入第三年。今年，我们不但分析了最新的调查结果，更就连续三年的一些趋势予以探讨，也分析了占总体样本公司比例最大的能源企业的能力与需求。包括首席审计执行官、审计总监、审计经理和其他内部审计专业人员在内的160名受访者，围绕“一般技术知识”、“审计流程知识”与“个人技能和能力”这三大主题共100多个问题，评估了他们在内部审计重要领域方面的自身能力，并详细列出了他们认为当前最需要改进的领域。
CONTENT AREA: Survey Reports
TOPICS: China, Internal Audit, Energy & Utilities Industry, Governance Risk & Compliance

August 22, 2011
Alternate Approaches to Business Impact Analysis
Business impact analysis (BIA) probes into business processes to determine the processes that are vital to keep the business going. A BIA lays the basis for organizations to plan their recovery strategies. This article discuses the goals, processes and benefits of a BIA exercise.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Business Continuity Management, Disaster Recovery, Information Technology Risk, IT Infrastructure, Strategic Risk

August 22, 2011
Internal Audit Plan Poll
This week’s poll question asks: Does your organization’s current internal audit plan cover risk management, control and governance processes?
CONTENT AREA: Polls
TOPICS: Strategic Risk, Internal Audit, Audit Committee & Board, Change Management, Performance Management/Measurement

August 22, 2011
Refocusing the Internal Audit Agenda: Capitalizing on Changing Expectations
The IIA’s definition of internal auditing focuses on a broad range of evaluation and improvement activities, namely, “risk management, control and governance processes.” This definition has been viewed by some as ahead of its time, since many internal audit functions still lack the knowledge and skills required to expand the focus of the audit plan to address all of these activities fully. This issue of The Bulletin explores some of the factors that are driving higher expectations for internal audit and outlines how CAEs, with support from management and the audit committee, can respond to the challenge.
CONTENT AREA: Newsletters
TOPICS: Strategic Risk, Internal Audit, Audit Committee & Board, Change Management, Performance Management/Measurement

August 15, 2011
Companies Prepare for Executive Pay, Performance Disclosure
Per order of the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC should soon propose rules that require companies to disclose the relationship between executive compensation and company performance. Although many companies already provide that information, some open questions remain, such as how companies should compare their performance metrics with peers. More details inside.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Compensation & Benefits, Payroll, Audit Committee & Board, Dodd-Frank Act, Performance Management/Measurement

August 15, 2011
Creating a Risk Index – the Advantage of a Single-Number Snapshot of Organizational Risk Progress
Over the past few decades, organizations have grown increasingly rich with risk data, yet their volume or quality of risk analysis often remains low. Despite this abundance of data, quality analysis to steer recipients to the most salient points is often missing. This issue of FS Insights describes the advantages of a risk index.
CONTENT AREA: Newsletters
TOPICS: Enterprise Risk Management, Risk Assessment, Strategic Risk, Financial Services Industry, Performance Management/Measurement

August 15, 2011
Executive Compensation Plan Poll
This week’s poll question asks: Does your organization’s executive compensation plan currently tie company performance to compensation payouts?
CONTENT AREA: Polls
TOPICS: Compensation & Benefits, Payroll, Audit Committee & Board, Dodd-Frank Act, Performance Management/Measurement

August 15, 2011
Should You Review Your Schedule 46 Compliance Programme?
In April 2010, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) introduced a new penalty regime through the introduction of Schedule 24 of Finance Act 2007 and Schedule 40 of Finance Act 2008. The new penalty regime applies to all companies in the United Kingdom and significantly increases penalties HMRC can apply if a company has not taken due care when preparing a tax return.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Taxation, Corporate Governance, United Kingdom, Compliance