Internal Audit Reports Post Sarbanes-Oxley: A Guide to Process-Driven Reporting

✍ Scribed by Susan M. Switzer

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 257
• Series: IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors) Series
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Brimming with commonsense advice delivered in a conversational, easy-to-read style, Internal Audit Reports Post Sarbanes-Oxley: A Guide to Process-Driven Reporting helps you transform raw data into useable information and then translate that information into actionable messages while complying with the SOX Act.

✦ Table of Contents

Internal Audit Reports Post Sarbanes-Oxley: A Guide to Process-Driven Reporting......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 7
PREFACE......Page 9
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 13
ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 15
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF INTERNAL AUDITORS......Page 16
SECTION ONE: FROM VENI, VIDI, VICI TO SOX......Page 17
REPORT WRITING AS PROGRAMMING......Page 21
PROCESS-DRIVEN REPORTING DEFINED......Page 23
THE COMPREHENSIVE AUDIT REPORTING PROCESS......Page 27
CHAPTER 2: THE LATEST STANDARDS......Page 41
WHAT IS DIFFERENT SINCE SOX?......Page 42
SEC REGULATIONS......Page 49
PCAOB STANDARDS......Page 50
AICPA PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS......Page 53
REPLACEMENT FOR SAS NO. 61......Page 54
THE COSO FRAMEWORK......Page 55
READABILITY STANDARDS......Page 56
CHAPTER 3: NEW RULES AND NEW TOOLS......Page 59
SAS THREE WAYS......Page 60
AUTOMATION ADVANTAGES......Page 61
AUTOMATION CHALLENGES......Page 63
WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOES NOT?......Page 66
SECTION TWO: GOING WITH THE FLOW......Page 71
ADVANTAGES OF AUTOMATED, LIMITED SPACE......Page 73
CLEAR EXPECTATIONS AND COMPANY EXPECTATIONS......Page 75
SAMPLE TEMPLATES......Page 76
FORMAT TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES......Page 90
CHAPTER 5: THE VALUE-ADDED SPOKEN (AND E-MAILED) WORD......Page 92
SHARED INTERPRETATIONS ARE VALUABLE......Page 93
IIA RECOMMENDATIONS......Page 94
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS......Page 96
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROBES......Page 97
THE POWER OF PROGRAMMING AND DEFERENCE......Page 98
TELEPHONE TALK......Page 99
SECTION THREE: REPORT WRITING 101, ER, MAKE THAT 404......Page 107
WORD CHOICE CRITERIA......Page 111
RULES OF THE VERB......Page 115
PRECISE AND SPECIFIC WORDS......Page 120
CODE WORDS AND ACRONYMS......Page 121
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SPECIFIC......Page 122
CONCISENESS......Page 123
THE “WHATEVER” STEP......Page 127
CHAPTER 7: STRUCTURED SENTENCES......Page 129
IDENTIFYING THE SUBJECT......Page 130
OTHER SENTENCE COMPONENTS......Page 132
SENTENCE SCHEMATA......Page 136
MOVING ON TO MODIFIERS......Page 139
ABOUT PREPOSITIONS......Page 140
CHAPTER 8: PARAGRAPHS, PUNCTUATION, AND CAPITALIZATION......Page 145
PARAGRAPH GUIDELINES......Page 146
PUNCTUATION MATTERS......Page 150
CAPITAL RULES......Page 154
MAKING REPORTS LOOK GOOD......Page 156
TABLES, FOOTNOTES, AND GRAPHS......Page 157
ANOTHER LOOK AT REPORTS......Page 160
SECTION FOUR: IT’S A FLAT WORLD AFTER ALL......Page 165
PART ONE: THE LONG REACH OF SOX......Page 167
PART TWO: ANALYZING AUDIENCES......Page 168
PART THREE: WHY ENGLISH?......Page 173
PART FOUR: GETTING STARTED......Page 175
PART FIVE: LAST WORDS......Page 177
APPENDICES......Page 181
INTRODUCTION......Page 183
ATTRIBUTE STANDARD 1200—PROFICIENCY AND DUE PROFESSIONAL CARE......Page 185
PERFORMANCE STANDARD 2400—COMMUNICATING RESULTS......Page 186
SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002......Page 188
PUBLIC COMPANY ACCOUNTING OVERSIGHT BOARD......Page 191
OBJECTIVES OF AUDIT DOCUMENTATION......Page 219
AUDIT DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENT......Page 221
DOCUMENTATION OF SPECIFIC MATTERS......Page 223
INTERNAL CONTROL—INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK......Page 227
VERB FLAWS......Page 238
MODIFIER FLAWS......Page 240
PUNCTUATION FLAWS......Page 242
Appendix C: BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 245
INDEX......Page 247