Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures: Control and Audit Best Practices

With the breadth of the charter of internal auditing reaching into all facets of an organization's activities, it is essential that control mechanisms be in place for the consideration of risk resulting from business combinations. This research will examine current practices employed by internal audit departments in support of mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances. The research will target the challenges to the control processes which emerge as different business cultures are blended into one entity. Similarly, this research will examine the participation of internal audit departments in organizing, staffing, reporting, and monitoring the business combination activities. This research should codify the activities of leading-edge companies and evolve consensus regarding elements of effective internal audit practice.