Question
What is the formal definition of a material weakness in internal control? How do material weaknesses in internal control differ from significant deficiencies in internal
What is the formal definition of a "material weakness" in internal control? How do material weaknesses in internal control differ from "significant deficiencies" in internal control?Identify 2 material weaknesses in Exhibit 1 that you believe were most critical.
Exhibit 1 Material
Weaknesses in
Internal Control
Reported by
Navistar in Its
2005 Form 10-K
1. Control Environment: As of October 31, 2005, management was unsuccessful in
establishing an adequately strong consciousness regarding the consistent application
of ethics across all areas of the company and the importance of internal controls over
financial reporting, including adherence to GAAP.
2. Accounting Personnel: We did not have a sufficient number of accounting personnel with
an appropriate level of accounting knowledge, experience and training in the application
of GAAP.
3. Accounting Policies: We did not have a formalized process for monitoring, updating,
disseminating, and implementing GAAP-compliant accounting policies and procedures.
4. Internal Audit: Our internal audit department was not an effective monitoring control
over financial reporting.
5. Segregation of Duties: We did not maintain effective controls to ensure adequate
segregation of duties.
6. Information Technology ("IT"): Our IT general controls over computer program
development, computer program changes, computer operations and system user access to
programs and data were ineffectively designed.
7. Journal Entries: We did not maintain effective controls over the preparation, support,
review and approval of journal entries.
8. Account Reconciliations: We did not maintain effective controls over account
reconciliations and financial analysis and review.
9. Period End Close: We did not maintain effective controls over the period end close
process.
10. Pension Accounting: We did not maintain effective controls to accurately estimate our
pension and OPEB obligations.
11. Warranty Accounting: We did not have appropriate warranty cost accounting models and
methodologies in place to adequately estimate warranty accruals and we did not perform
appropriate financial analyses of the warranty cost estimates on a periodic basis.
12. Income Tax Accounting: We did not have sufficient modeling tools in place or a process
to validate the positive and negative evidence necessary to determine whether valuation
allowances were required to reduce the carrying values of deferred tax assets.
13. Inventory Accounting: We did not maintain effective controls over our inventory
accounting process.
14. Revenue Accounting: We did not maintain effective controls over the revenue accounting
process.
15. Contracts and Agreements: We did not perform effective reviews of contracts and
agreements, including customer agreements, supplier agreements, agreements related
to variable interest entities, derivatives, debt, and leases to assess the accounting
implications related to the contracts and agreements.
Source: Navistar International Corporation's 2005 Form 10-K.
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