Summary: The definition and objectives of internal accounting and administrative controls, as well as reporting requirements that could be adopted by the government, were examined by the Association of Government Accountants. The purpose of the examination was to provide meaningful guidance to senior administrative officials of the federal government, by assisting them: (1) obtain a clear understanding of the scope and objectives of the Financial Integrity Act of 1980; (2) assess their personal responsibility for assuring their organization's compliance with the substance and form of the Financial Integrity Act of 1980; (3) identify the resources required to achieve compliance; and (4) understand how compliance may be achieved with the legislation through the performance of meaningful evaluations and effective reporting. Additionally, the examination dealt with how to organize a review to determine the effectiveness of control systems and what factors to consider. It did not deal directly with the process of assessing whether individual controls are effective or ineffective or whether they are necessary or unnecessary.
