Publications

May 21, 2012
Finding FCPA Violations in Employee Expense Reports
Travel and entertainment expenses have long been a haven for abuse, but since the dollar amounts are often insubstantial, companies don't always pay close attention to them. Companies are now finding, though, that they can be a conduit for bribes. "If T&E goes unchecked, it can make a company susceptible to allegations of corruption," says Andrew Levi, a former assistant U.S. attorney.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Expense Reporting, Payroll, Human Resources

May 21, 2012
Improving Working Capital Management Processes
There are three fundamental building blocks of effective cash management: working capital optimization, cash flow forecasting and liquidity management. All three must be tightly linked to maximize cash flow benefits.This issue of The Bulletin focuses on aspects of working capital optimization, the first building block.
CONTENT AREA: Newsletters
TOPICS: Cash & Treasury, Investments & Foreign Exchange, Enterprise Risk Management, Strategic Risk

May 21, 2012
SEC Staff Issues More Guidance on Emerging Growth Companies
On May 3, the SEC issued more guidance on a variety of topics related emerging growth companies. While this additional guidance does not represent rules, regulations or statements of the Commission, it reflects the SEC staff’s thinking on matters germane to the rules related to an emerging growth company (EGC). This Flash Reports summarizes some of the points included in the SEC staff’s latest guidance.
CONTENT AREA: Regulatory Updates
TOPICS: Corporate Governance, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, External Auditor, PCAOB, Section 404-Internal Control Reporting

May 21, 2012
The Social Enterprising Environment
This article talks about the significance of an enterprise social network environment which aims at improving interaction among employees to foster better relationships and achieve a common goal.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Information Technology Risk, Social Media Risk, Project Management

May 14, 2012
Even Retailers and Consumer Products Manufacturers Must Manage Compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Other Anti-Bribery Laws
Recent reports of alleged bribery and corruption risk in the retail industry have sent a strong signal that bribery and corruption risk can affect global companies in all industries, including retailing and consumer products manufacturers with retail outlets. As more of these global companies expand their retail operations into markets where consumer demand is growing, it is important they understand the requirements of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) in the United States and similar laws in other countries in which they do business. Given these recent reports, this Flash Report takes a look at corruption risk from a retail industry perspective.
CONTENT AREA: Regulatory Updates
TOPICS: Consumer Products & Retail Industry, Ethics, Fraud, Compliance

May 14, 2012
From Bland and Boring to Captivating and Compelling: What Virtual Leaders Must Know
Even the most experienced team leaders can make us weep with boredom. Tuning out boring virtual leaders is far easier. So, how can boring virtual leaders learn to become more captivating? This article takes a look at some steps even the blandest leader can take to evolve into an engaging, stimulating and captivating leader, from near or far.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Human Resources, Self-Assessment, Training & Development

May 14, 2012
The Financial Version of Competing in a Marathon? Comments on the Enhanced Prudential Standards Proposal
It’s no secret that financial institutions will continue to face many obstacles, including the proposed Enhanced Prudential Standards and Early Remediation Requirements for Covered Companies (Regulation YY). The proposal, while lengthy, covers a broad range of topics. This white paper initially focuses on a subset of the provisions – specifically, those that drive an immediate impact. These areas include risk-based capital, single-counterparty credit limits, risk management and risk committee requirements and stress testing.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Services Industry, Strategic Risk, Compliance, Dodd-Frank Act

May 14, 2012
Top Priorities for Internal Audit in Financial Services
The continuing turbulent wake of the global recession and the dynamically changing regulatory landscape have prompted financial services companies to strike a balance among risk management, maximizing profitability, and achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance. As the regulatory environment continues to expand in scope, achieving the right balance among these areas will continue to be a challenge for financial services institutions. These challenges are evident in the financial services industry findings from Protiviti’s 2012 Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey.
CONTENT AREA: Survey Reports
TOPICS: Enterprise Risk Management, Financial Services Industry, Compliance, Dodd-Frank Act

May 7, 2012
Assessing Risk: An Operational Perspective
This issue of Board Perspectives: Risk Oversight discusses the appropriate risk assessment approach to take for operational risk, which should be directed at understanding the risk of loss of any of the key links in the value chain.
CONTENT AREA: Newsletters
TOPICS: Materials Management & Inventory, Supply Chain, Risk Assessment

May 7, 2012
COSO Framework Overhaul Sparking Deeper Debates
COSO's effort to update its famous 20-year-old framework for managing internal controls has sparked a deeper debate this spring about how companies should approach internal control overall. "Some of COSO's own members are critical of the draft. It speaks to the fact that these organizations took their role seriously," says Norman Marks, vice president at SAP.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: COSO, Process-Level Control, Internal Controls, Entity-Level Control