Senior executives have long ......... ways to better control the enterprises they run.

Internal controls are put in ......... to keep the company on course toward profitability goals and achievement of its mission, and to minimize surprises along the way.

They ......... management to deal with rapidly changing economic and competitive environments, shifting customer demands and priorities, and restructuring for future growth.

Internal control is looked ......... more and more as a solution to a variety of potential problems.

This report defines and describes internal control to provide a standard ......... which business and other entities can assess their control systems and determine how to improve them.

Internal control is broadly defined as a process, ......... by an entity's board of directors, management and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives in several categories.

The first category, effectiveness and efficiency of operations, ......... an entity's basic business objectives, including performance and profitability goals and safeguarding of resources.

The second, reliability of financial reporting, relates to the preparation of reliable published financial statements, including interim and condensed financial statements and selected financial data ......... from such statements, such as earnings releases, reported publicly.

The third, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, deals with complying with those laws and regulations to which the entity is ..........

While internal control is a process, its effectiveness is a state or condition of the process at one or more points ......... time.