Resources for Investors

Quality of earnings, transparency of disclosure, integrity of reporting, risk management and compliance – these are just a few of the issues that investors must come to terms with as they sort through the myriad information sources available to them in today’s global investment world. Investors must be able to understand both the content and the implications of the information provided by public companies. To do so, they need the ability to identify and separate the critical facts from the remainder of the details provided through the various information sources.

One important area investors should become well informed about is reporting on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Three disclosure systems currently operate around the world, each with its own set of issues and implications:

• the U.K. approach, which is focused on the board, with board reporting on risk management and internal control;
• the U.S. approach, which requires management reporting with auditor attestation; and
• the Canadian approach, which is centred around the CEO/CFO certification with board oversight.

Investors need to be aware of the disclosures that are required in each jurisdiction, and also understand how to read the disclosures included in the MD&A.

The following resources and tools are provided to help investors understand the issues related to reporting on internal controls:

• Deloitte Update Webcasts
• Standard Setting Activities
• Dbriefs Webcast Series (Deloitte U.S.)
• Accounting Roundup (Deloitte U.S.)
• HeadsUp (Deloitte U.S.)
• The Directors’ Series
• On the Agenda