Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Purposes. The Audit Committee (the Committee) is appointed by the Board of Directors
for the primary purposes of:
A.
B.
II.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
General.
1.
To develop and maintain free and open means of communication with the
Board, the Companys independent auditors, the Companys internal
auditors, the Companys ethics and compliance program leadership, and the
financial and general management of the Company;
2.
3.
4.
To report regularly to the Board and to review with the Board any significant
issues that arise with respect to the items listed in I.A.1 through I.A.7 above.
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B.
C.
b)
c)
2.
To discuss the results of the annual audit and any other matters required to
be communicated to the Committee by the independent registered public
accounting firm under generally accepted auditing standards, applicable law
or listing standards, including matters required to be discussed by PCAOB
Auditing Standard No. 16) with Company management and the
independent auditors, including the Companys disclosures under
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations and recommend to the Board that the audited financial
statements be included in the Companys filings with the SEC.
3.
b)
any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control
review, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), or
peer review, of the independent auditing firm;
c)
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any steps taken to deal with any issues raised in such internal quality
control reviews, (PCAOB reviews) peer reviews, or governmental or
professional authority inquiries or investigations; and
e)
2.
3.
To assure regular rotation of the lead audit partner, as required by law and
consider rotation of the accounting firm serving as the Companys
independent auditors.
4.
5.
6.
D.
d)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
To review and set clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of
the independent auditors
2.
To establish and review policies and procedures for the Committees preapproval of permitted services by the Companys independent auditors on
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E.
F.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
b)
c)
2.
3.
To receive and review summaries and reports from the internal audit leader
with respect to his or her review of the operations of the Company and the
systems of internal controls and, where deemed appropriate, managements
responses thereto.
4.
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G.
1.
2.
To, at least annually, review the results of the Companys assessment of the
implementation and effectiveness of its Ethics and Compliance program.
3.
To periodically (at least annually) meet separately with the Companys ethics
and compliance leader.
4.
2.
3.
To assist the Board and the Company in interpreting and applying the
Companys Worldwide Business Conduct Manual and other issues related to
Company and Employee Governance and Ethics.
4.
To receive quarterly a report from the Companys chief executive and chief
financial officer describing:
5.
H.
a)
b)
b)
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III.
2.
To discuss the Companys major risk exposures and the steps Company
management has taken to monitor and control such exposures;
3.
To review the status of Corporate Security, the security for the Companys
electronic data processing information systems, and the general security of
the Companys people, assets and information systems;
4.
5.
B.
2.
Removal. The Board may remove a member from the Committee at any
time; provided, however, that if removing a member or members of the
Committee would cause the Committee to have fewer than three (3)
members, then the Board must at the same time appoint enough additional
members to the Committee so that the Committee will have at least three
(3) qualified members.
S/he must have, or obtain within a reasonable period of time after his/her
appointment to the Committee, familiarity with the key issues relevant to
the work of the Committee;
2.
3.
S/he and members of his/her immediate family and entities of which s/he is a
partner, member, officer, director or significant (greater than 10%)
shareholder must not receive any compensation from the Company, except
for his/her directors fees (prohibited compensation includes fees paid for
accounting, consulting, legal, investment banking or financial advisory
services);
4.
S/he must not be the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than
ten percent (10%) of any class of the Companys voting equity securities, or
be an executive officer of the Company;
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C.
5.
6.
7.
2.
Removal. The Chair may be removed by the Board at any time, provided
that a new Chair is appointed by the Board at the same time.
D.
E.
F.
Required Vote. Action may be taken with the approval of a majority of the
Committee present at a duly constituted meeting. Actions may be taken without a
meeting with the affirmative vote or approval of all members of the Committee.
G.
H.
Meetings.
1.
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per year.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Reporting to the Board. At the next meeting of the Board after any
Committee meeting, the Chair or his/her nominee will provide the Board
with a report on the matters addressed at the Committee meeting.
IV.
Authority to Retain Advisors. The Committee has the authority, in its sole discretion, to
select, direct and, if appropriate, terminate such advisors, including legal counsel, as it
deems necessary in the performance of its duties. The Company will provide appropriate
funding, as determined by the Committee, to make reasonable compensation payments to
any advisor retained by the Committee.
V.
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