Based on a survey between all national Institutes of Internal Auditing in Europe this book shows a widespread picture of European Corporate Governance activities and Internal Audit: - Specific questions regarding the current involvement of Internal Audit in Corporate Governance aspects; - the State of the art of Internal Audit: position, scope and quality management; - Focal points for improving the role of Internal Audit in Corporate Governance in Europe. All insights of the book are concentrated on European companies and offer European solutions for Internal Auditing. They are empirically founded and written in a clear and direct way for practical use. This is the first work for the European profession of Internal Audit that formulates eight focal points for improving the role of Internal Audit in Corporate Governance in Europe. The book shows how Internal Audit can fundamentally strengthen good Corporate Governance.

Internal audit (IA) is theoretically considered a key element of modern corporate governance. Surprisingly, the existing knowledge on IA and its relation to the internal corporate governance structure is miscellaneous and rare. Consequently, empirical findings on the internal audit function (IAF) within companies' corporate governance framework in the European Union (EU) are scarce. Due to this, the objective of our empirical analysis is to draw conclusions on the structural and process organization of the IAF within the overall corporate governance structure and the IAF's cooperation with the audit committee (AC). Based on data from 3,294 responses from the 2010 Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) study on 26 EU-member states conducting structural equation modeling we find that IA is an important mechanism of corporate governance structures. IA creates “value added” for the company either within the meaning of revealing problems and grievances or in the sense of precautionary measures. It is a powerful element for management supervision in the one and two tier system.

European Company Law Series, Volume 19 Compelling new perspectives on corporate governance – including attention to increased shareholder engagement, long-term value creation, and sustainability – have given rise to major changes in the management of companies. Yet, until this book, there has been no systematic account of the legislative and soft law instruments designed to promote good corporate governance practices across the range of sizes and types of companies. The book analyses the various instruments that legislators and others have used to promote good corporate governance in European companies and assesses their value in practice. Nineteen well-known scholars of business and corporate law delve into how such issues and topics as the following are approached across the spectrum of corporate governance instruments available in Europe: corporate codes of conduct; procedural rules regulating how directors make decisions; rules on board composition and remuneration; regulating boards in small- and medium-sized enterprises; public enforcement of directors’ duties; how digitalisation may affect implementation of corporate governance instruments; reporting rules; rules on the empowerment of minority shareholders; the role of the general meeting; regulation of the market for corporate control; certifications; rules on liability of directors; and role of auditors and accountants. In its in-depth analysis of the benefits and potential disadvantages of each instrument and what may be achieved both at company level and generally, this book will prove of value to all concerned with promoting responsible corporate governance, whether in business, government, or academia.

This comprehensive publication serves as a complete guide to the theory and practice of internal auditing, although founded on professional audit theory, it seeks to incorporate the real life experiences of the audit practitioner. Spencer Pickett covers the conventional audit topics as well as many specialist areas such as computer audit, fraud investigations, value for money, managing change and establishing an audit function. The developing scope of the new corporate auditor's work is reflected in the diverse material that is contained in the book. New material includes: the new definition of internal audit issued by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), a new set of professional auditing standards, new focus on risk management, the key role of auditors in corporate governance, and more emphasis on professionalism. The new edition will also have strong international dimension with coverage of key developments in audit, governance, risk management and control in the USA, Canada, Australia,, New Zealand, UK, Europe and Asia Pacific.

This book examines corporate governance through a holistic lens that integrates financial, social and environmental goals, e.g. increasing transparency and disclosure. In addition, it investigates the theoretical assumptions guiding the current corporate governance practices adopted by companies in Central Europe and Russia. The book presents a dynamic study on the evolution of corporate governance systems, which were practically non-existent just 30 years ago. In turn, it addresses criticism leveled at corporate governance, its impact on the outbreak of the financial crisis, and recommendations for changes after the crisis. The book employs a regional focus, exploring a group of countries that have often been neglected in corporate governance research. Carefully selected data and a variety of case studies prepared by leading authors from the region provide evidence to support the analysis.