The Internal Control Institute is conducting certification training in a classroom format for the internationally recognized CICS (Certified Internal Control Specialist) certification in internal control. Information on these programs regarding dates and schedules can be found on the Events tab on our Website or directed to the affiliate named below:

Botswana:

ICI has entered into an agreement with Internal Control Institute of Botswana (ICI Botswana":) as its representative for Products, Services and Internal Control Certifications (CICS/CICP) in this territory. ICI Botswana will be responsible for all development activities in this area, including professional training and Certification.  Individuals or companies interested in internal control training or Certification should contact:

Contact: Humphrey Chawafambira

E-Mail:  humphrey@internalcontrolinstitute.co.bw

Next sessions are planned in Brussels:

E-mail:  summit@broccoliandcarrots.com

Phone: +91 9810575613

Better Business Governance - APAC PTE LTD (BBG) has become a representative for Products, Services and Internal Control Certifications (CICS/CICP) in Myanmar and Cambodia.  Better Business Governance will be responsible for all development activities, including professional training and Certification.  For more information on upcoming activities in this area please contact:

Assistant General Manager

O SOOL for Training & Consulting

Mob Oman:  +968 95 98 98 20

Mob Jordan: +962 7 99589666

Tel:   +962 6 5927171 Ext. 107

Fax:  +962 6 5927172

E-mail: Lina@osooltc.com

Individuals or companies interested in internal control training or Certification should contact:

For more information on activities being planned please contact:

GOP Mahallesi, İran Caddesi, Karum İs Merkezi

No:21, D Blok, 4. Kat, D:398-399

06700

Kavaklıdere/Çankaya/Ankara

The FCPA Blog recently published the  Top 40  FCPA penalties of all time. If you look at the companies that paid the largest penalties, you'll see that four of the top ten are telecom companies: Ericsson and Telia (both from Sweden), Mobile TeleSystems (Russia), and Vimpelcom (Netherlands). These four companies paid a collective $3.67 billion for their resolutions with the DOJ and SEC.  As enthusiasts for the (usually) good intentions of Scandinavian citizens, we found it hard to credit that several generations of company leaders at Ericsson and Telia were knowingly and persistently exposing their companies to the risks involved in breaking the law. But the DOJ  release  was unequivocal, "Ericsson's corrupt conduct involved high-level executives and spanned 17 years and at least five countries, all in a misguided effort to increase profits."

From airlines to zoos, organizations continue to strategically leverage rewards and loyalty programs to win over and retain customers. There are many organizational benefits to the implementation and management of loyalty programs; however, the advantages gained from such programs will be lost if fraud risks are not effectively managed. This blog post is part one of a two-part series on loyalty program fraud. It addresses two types of internal fraudsters: customers and insiders. Please check back next week for the second part, which will cover external frauds involving cyber-criminal activity.

One of the  key benefits  of implementing robotic process automation (RPA) is the ability to quickly launch automated processes in limited scope while standardizing the processes as you go. But rapid deployment also presents several potential risks for Sarbanes-Oxley project management teams to assess and monitor.  Gartner's  Future of Finance  research recently identified RPA as putting internal controls at risk, as a rush to adoption has created risk management blind spots. Accountability and governance throughout the RPA lifecycle are essential for mitigating fraud and maintaining effective controls. Further, not having a clear enterprise-wide structure for roles and responsibilities on an RPA team risks leaving gaps in qualifications for the people completing the duties and providing the oversight that RPA requires.

Back in 2013 Amazon suffered an internet outage. It cost the e-commerce giant some £2m in lost sales and a 40% drop in web traffic. But this outage did not last weeks or even hours. It lasted just 30 minutes. Today, most UK companies are reliant on internet and mobile service providers for the smooth running of their businesses. But the digital infrastructures many organisations depend on are extremely vulnerable to collapse. Even in 2020 - 46 years after Telenet, the first internet service provider (ISP), was created - telecommunications networks can still black out for a whole host of reasons, be it electrical power outages, bad weather, damage to cables and infrastructure, human error, or network changes and upgrades. All can have a devastating effect on business, causing significant disruption and damage to profitability, brand reputation and morale.