In the last report “Redefining the Resilient Organization” of a three-part series on “Internal Audit in a Post-COVID World” by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the authors give internal auditors guidance on how to prepare organizations for potentially arising business transformations and disruptions. Part of this guidance is putting the internal auditor’s focus, especially […]
Increasingly common risks in the cybersecurity perimeter are considered particularly dangerous for businesses. Therefore, this report by the Institute of Internal Auditors of Spain is aimed at audit committee members to raise awareness for such risks, and to point out ways to monitor these. For this purpose, key questions are introduced to help explain the […]
The European Commission has adopted technical rules to be used by financial market participants when disclosing sustainability-related information under the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation. Under these standards, financial market participants will provide information about how they reduce possible negative impacts that their investments may have on the environment and society in general. The rules are […]
One of the biggest challenges CAEs face is having enough personell obtaining the right abilities to complete their audit plans. To meet this challenge, many CAEs engage third parties for some of their internal audit activities. This report will help internal audit practitioners, managers and audit committees to more effectively manage these chalenges.
Anyone following discussions about the growing importance of compliance as a rule-based management tool may get the impression that integrity and trust have become fundamentally dispensable and that the principles of the honorable businessman are no longer in keeping with the times. But on closer inspection, the opposite is true. In practice, compliance is mainly […]
The European Banking Authority (EBA) published its revised Guidelines on internal governance for investment firms under the Investment Firms Directive (IFD). The guidelines provide details on how the IFD governance provisions should be applied by Class 2 investment firms by setting out the roles, responsibilities, and organization of the management body, as well as the organization […]
What is the relationship between internal audit and compliance? This is the subject of a new report from the IIA entitled „GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES AND INSIGHTS: Internal audit and compliance: Clarity and collaboration for stronger governance“. To explain the relationship between internal audit and compliance, the report uses the three-line model and is a tool for […]
Whereas a decade ago boardrooms were concerned with the question „should we invest in digital transformation?“ today the focus is on „how much should we invest and, more importantly, how quickly should we invest if we are accountable to our shareholders?“ Although the question may not seem that complex at first glance, many other questions […]
The Covid 19 pandemic is not over yet, and broads and management teams need to address key issues to prepare for the next normality. A new article from McKinsey addresses the issues that managers should be aware of. For example, the first point is, „Boards must strike the right balance between hope for the future […]
The corporate world faced a number of complex challenges last year, including the COVID-19 crisis, new workplace paradigms, extreme climate change, political and economic economic volatility, and urgent calls for racial justice. Despite the expected continued challenges in the current year, the focus of companies must go beyond risk avoidance and compliance. These will, of […]
Companies around the world are adapting environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and shifting them to the center of strategic concerns. They recognize ESG as a driver of value creation and urgently develop a proactive ESG mindset. PwC’s most recent Global Responsible Investment Survey shows that mutual funds are on this path and, with decades […]
Companies face the challenge of positioning and aligning various governance functions. In this context, redundancies should be avoided and coordinated management should take place. In an article by Prof. Dr. Marc Eulerich, Joel Behrend and Benjamin Fligge titled „The New Three Lines Model: Positioning Risk Management“, the Three Lines Model is discussed as well as […]
Boards often focus on known risks that management has already identified. In this context, in an online survey of directors by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), nearly half of respondents said this tendency is a major impediment to the board’s ability to oversee disruptive risks. Disruptive risks include „risks that, whether internally- or […]
Governance has never been more important as organizations face the turbulence of a global pandemic, technological change, increasing economic disparities, geopolitics, globalization, climate change and much more. The governing bodies and management grapple with questions about disrupted work environments, changing markets and lost revenue. The three-line model of the IIA provides timely answers for organizations […]
Companies need to face and address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. For example, climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gases in business is a major issue in today’s world. Companies have to deal with various risks in this context. Consequently, this also has an impact on the internal audit function. For example, the […]
The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have drawn attention to grievances and injustices. Related to this, issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are essential for companies. To promote DEI, companies have to start at the top. A key question is, for example, how diverse are boards? The topic of diversity is addressed […]
How and why do boards get a distorted picture of their organisations‘ ability to protect themselves against cyber-related risks? This is the question addressed in the report „The Risky Six: Key questions to expose gaps in board understanding of organisational cyber resiliency“ by IIA and EY. They identified a total of 6 key questions which, […]
Companies have to deal with various challenges. These include the ubiquitous Corona pandemic, growing social unrest, new technologies, digitalization innovations, and new strategies and business models. The multitude of issues and the complexity associated with them does not make it any easier for companies. Protiviti’s new report presents the top risks currently facing boards and […]
The efficient and effective organization and coordination of corporate governance activities is still one of the major challenges of modern corporate management. For many years, it was precisely the so-called Three Lines of Defense model that was used to structure governance functions. However, as more and more open points of discussion regarding practical implementation have […]
Companies are surrounded by disruptive challenges. The Audit Committee is a key contributor to ensuring business agility and resilience in the year ahead, and to meeting the coming challenges. Provitivi’s new bulletin addresses these house demands and identifies the most important topics for the audit committee’s agenda in 2021. Financial reporting is addressed as well […]
To better deal with the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, companies are using technology. For example, companies are using AI both within a company and to interact with consumers. A key determinant of the successful use of AI is trust in the technology. According to KPMG, trust is based on a total of four pillars: Integrity, […]
Dir vier größten Herausforderungen von CEOs im Jahr 2020 bestanden darin das Wohlbefinden der Mitarbeiter und Innovationen aufrechtzuerhalten, rückläufige Umsätze zu bewältigen und Kunden anzusprechen. Vor dem Hintergrund des immer schnellen Tempos an Veränderungen, die die Unternehmen umgeben, geht im Kern nicht darum eine bessere „Landkarte“ zu haben. Maßgebend sind ein flexibles Team, Ressourcen und Systeme, die […]
Eine Vielzahl von Funktionen in Unternehmen, wie z. B. das Risikomanagement, die Compliance-Abteilung oder die interne Revision, beschäftigen sich mit Risiken. Es zeigt sich, dass einerseits die einzelnen Funktionen zumeist methodisch und personell gut aufgestellt sind, jedoch andererseits eine mangelnde Abstimmung zwischen den Funktionen besteht. Aufgrund von z. B. Überschneidungen oder häufigen Wiederholungen stellt sich […]
Auf der Jahrestagung 2020 des World Economic Forums entschieden sich 120 der weltweit größten Unternehmen dazu, sich um die Entwicklung eines gemeinsamen Kernsatz von Kennzahlen und Angaben zu nichtfinanziellen Faktoren für ihre Investoren und andere Interessengruppen zu bemühen. Gut ein halbes Jahr später wurde nun ein Bericht veröffentlicht, der die gemeinsamen Metriken für eine nachhaltige […]
Die neue Deloitte Publikation „Corporate Governance Inside“ versteht sich als Weiterentwicklung in Form eines Online-Magazines des bisher bekannten „Corporate Governance Forums“. Neben Beiträgen zu jeweils neuen Leitthemen, die sowohl für Aufsichtsräte als auch Bei- und Verwaltungsräte im Rahmen ihrer Tätigkeit relevant sein können, kommen News, Infos und Veranstaltungshinweise der Bereiche Audit & Assurance, Accounting & […]
Das Ende des Jahres 2018 hatte für die Corporate Governance, insbesondere für Aufsichtsräte börsennotierter Unternehmen, einige wesentliche Neuerungen zu bieten. Im Oktober 2018 wurde der Referentenentwurf des Gesetzes zur Umsetzung der zweiten Aktionärsrechterichtlinie (ARUG II) veröffentlicht. Kurz danach wurde am 6. November 2018 der Entwurf eines umfassend überarbeiteten Deutschen Corporate Governance Kodex (DCGK) von der […]
Unternehmen stehen unter Druck möglichst alle Unternehmensrisiken zu identifizieren, die den Unternehmenserfolg beeinträchtigen können. Diese bestehen beispielsweise in sozialen, ethischen, finanziellen oder auch operativen Bereichen, was die Identifikation erschwert. Grundsätzlich hat der Vorstand die Verantwortung dafür, dass die Risiken entsprechend gesteuert werden. Wegen der hohen Anzahl an meist sehr unterschiedlichen Risiken und ihrer Komplexität würde […]
Häufig wird der Begriff der „Corporate Governance“ im Zusammenhang mit der Internen Revision verwendet. Hierunter sind grundsätzlich die Prozesse und Strukturen zu verstehen, welche die Organisation bei der Erreichung ihrer Ziele unterstützen sollen. Die Erreichung der Ziele wird durch verschiedene Risiken gefährdet. Eine gute Corporate Governance sollte daher verhindern, dass sich Risiken realisieren und/oder deren […]
Es gibt eine Vielzahl an Teams, die der Organisation helfen, Risiken zu reduzieren. Beispielhaft seien die Interne Revision, das Risikomanagement, Compliance oder auch Forensik genannt. Jeder dieser Akteure hat eine einzigartige Perspektive auf die Organisation und kann unterschiedliche Stärken in das unternehmensweite Risikomanagement einbringen. Hieraus kann jedoch ein Koordinationsproblem entstehen, wenn die Verantwortungen der verschiedenen […]
Die Interne Revision gilt als Schlüsselkomponente für die Governance und den Erfolg eines Unternehmens. Um dieser Rolle gerecht zu werden, muss sie allerdings auch als Schlüsselkomponente wahrgenommen werden. Erst wenn die Interne Revision tatsächlich Mehrwerte für das Unternehmen generiert, kann sie das hierfür erforderliche Vertrauen schaffen. Hierzu hat das Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) das […]