Audit Committee
The audit committee is established with the aim of enhancing confidence in the integrity of an organisation's processes and procedures relating to internal control and corporate reporting including financial reporting. Audit Committee provides an ‘independent’ reassurance to the board through its oversight and monitoring role. Among many responsibilities the boards entrust the Audit Committee with are the transparency and accuracy of financial reporting and disclosures, effectiveness of external and internal audit functions, robustness of the systems of internal audit and internal controls, effectiveness of anti-fraud, ethics and compliance systems, review of the functioning of the whistleblower mechanism. Audit Committee may also play a significant role in the oversight of the company’s risk management policies and programs.
Audit Committee has thus become one of the main pillars of the corporate governance system in Indian public companies. In steering companies through today’s complex business environment, boards are going to need strong leadership from their audit committees. Expanding the field of vision, clearly defining who’s tracking the company’s risk radar, and taking a step back to re-evaluate its own performance are some of the important steps every Audit Committee should consider.
This section of the site includes a range of useful publications relating to the audit committee’s operations and oversight responsibilities.
Audit Committee Effectiveness
Effective use of audit committees for corporate governance
The document describes roles, powers, independence and competency of the audit committee as important factors that influence the effectiveness of the committee. It also emphasizes on the board of director’s role in effectively leveraging audit committee in the discharge of its oversight responsibility.
Effective functioning of the audit committee at this time of global crisis
In the present global financial crisis, upgrading the corporate governance to regain the confidence of the stakeholders
is utmost important. Audit committees could play a very vital role in improving the stakeholder’s confidence and corporate governance by bringing out better internal control systems, better monitoring and oversight, and better disclosures and quality of internal and external reporting.
Role of the audit committee in ensuring good corporate governance in banks
The global financial crisis and recent incidents of corporate frauds have brought into sharp focus the importance of the critical role to be played by the audit committees in ensuring good corporate governance particularly due to vulnerability of the economy to any turmoil in the financial system. This article traces the evolution of the concept of audit committee in the Indian banking system.
Assessing audit committee effectiveness
The audit committee is seen as a key fulcrum of any company. The responsibility for assessing effectiveness of the audit committee is thus assuming more and more importance. This document discusses some of the key factors in this regard.
Audit committee best practices
The document provides an illustrative list of some of the best practices in regard to communication practices and procedures for the audit committee and the external auditor.
Dig Deeper
Related Party Transactions and Minority Shareholder Rights new
The report, based on the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, focuses on the corporate governance framework that manages related party transactions with the aim to protect minority investors. It covers over 30 jurisdictions, including in-depth reviews of Belgium, France, Israel, Italy and India.
Completing the Puzzle: Financial, Sustainability and Governance Reporting
This publication from the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Yearbook 2011 discusses the role that the auditor should play in bringing together financial, sustainability, and governance reporting.
>> Download report
Whistleblower services: Overview and example
The document discusses communication tips for audit committee and the management to ensure that employees, investors and others are aware of the whistleblower policy and process for submission of anonymous complaints including any third party services sought.
Vigilance rating mechanism
Whistleblower provisions: Questions to ask
In India, whistleblower mechanism is still a non- mandatory requirement. However, Clause 49 of Listing Agreement with stock exchanges entrusts the audit committee to review the functioning of the mechanism where it exists. The document provides questions that the audit committee may wish to raise in reviewing and approving whistleblower process.
Employee complaint procedures: A sample draft
Employee complaint procedures are designed to ensure fullest observation of the company’s business principles and procedures. In addition they also satisfy non-mandatory provisions for companies to institute a whistleblower mechanism. This document is a sample draft of a whistleblower policy.
Comprehensive compliance management
Role of professionals in promoting ethical business practices and clean governance
The essence of corporate governance is to ensure that there is transparency in the system of decision making. This transparency is required to fix accountability. The article explores the importance of basic principles of transparency, accountability and protecting the interests of all shareholders and stakeholders in conducting an ethical business.
Tools
Creating audit committee charter – A benchmarking tool
The tool examines eight key elements of audit committee responsibility, and identifies practices for each that relate to minimum statutory requirements, current best practices, and current leading-edge practices.
Audit committee meeting agenda builder
This tool is a worksheet that enlists the key responsibilities of the Audit Committee allowing members to determine the frequency of review of each of the items on the basis of criticality/regulatory requirement. Thus, determining whether or not a particular issue is to form part of a particular meeting agenda.
Audit committee effectiveness – Self assessment
The tool is designed in the form of a checklist of Audit Committee functions which have to be rated on a graded scale of perceived effectiveness in the areas of risk management, financial reporting and compliance, internal control environment, and corporate governance.
Specimen audit committee report
As a best practice, the Audit Committee should report its findings to the board, identifying any matters on which it considers that action or improvement is needed, and make recommendations on the steps to be taken. This tool provides a sample of the report that Audit Committees can consider for reporting to the Board.
Sample audit committee charter
This sample audit committee charter was developed from a combination of charters, with the addition of necessary modifications resulting from the Companies Act 1956 and Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement of stock exchanges in India.
Additional Resources
- Audit Committee Best Practices for Executive Sessions
- Conducting an Audit Committee Self Evaluation
- Report on the Survey of Audit Committee Members
- Eight Habits of Highly Successful Audit Committees
- AICPA: Engaging independent counsel and other advisors
- AICPA: Anonymous Submission of Suspected Wrongdoing
- Deloitte: Audit committee - Calendar of activities
- IIA: Audit committee - Purpose, process, professionalism
- IIA: Audit committee: Discussions on performance
- IIA: Audit committee priorities
- IIA: A new level of audit committee involvement