Internal control
The Board of Directors is responsible for the internal control of the company in accordance with the Swedish Companies Act and the Code. This description has been prepared in accordance with Chapter 6, Section 6, Second Paragraph, Second Point of the Swedish Annual Accounts Act, and is thereby limited to the internal control and risk management of the financial reporting. The description of the Group’s internal control and risk management systems also includes the description of the company’s systems.
Control environment and steering documents
Effective 2010, the structure of Nobia was organised by function so that the first stage of the value chain, sourcing/purchasing, production and logistics have Group-wide management functions. The main task of these operations units is to capitalise on the opportunities of economies of scale that exist in each individual area. The commercial units are responsible for developing Nobia’s sales channels and brands in line with Nobia’s strategy.
The basis for the internal control of financial reporting is the control environment that comprises the company’s organisation, decision-making procedures, authority and responsibility, as documented and communicated in steering documents such as internal policies, guidelines, manuals and codes. Examples include the division of responsibility between the Board on the one hand and the President and other bodies established by the Board on the other, as well as instructions for attestation rights, accounting and reporting.
The documentation concerning principles and methods for reporting, internal governance, controls and monitoring are collected in Nobia’s Financial & Administration Manual. This Manual is available to all relevant employees on the Nobia intranet.
Each unit manager is ultimately responsible for maintaining a high level of internal control, and the finance manager at each unit is responsible for following up and ensuring daily compliance with Nobia’s accounting procedures and policies. These instructions are included in the aforementioned manual. All finance managers from the various units meet once a year to discussion various topics relevant to financial reporting.
Risk management
The Group has introduced methods for risk assessment and risk management to ensure that the risks to which the Group is exposed are managed within the established frameworks. The risks identified concerning financial reporting are managed in the Group’s control structure and are monitored and assessed continuously. One of the tools used for this purpose is self-assessment, a process that is performed by local management groups and evaluated annually according to established procedures. Risk assessments are described in more detail under Risks and risk management.
Financial information
The Group has established information and communication channels in order to support the completeness and accuracy of the financial reporting, for example, through steering documents in the form of internal policies, guidelines, manuals and codes regarding the financial reporting applied by the appropriate employees.
The Group monitors compliance with these steering documents and measures the efficiency of control structures.
In addition, the Group’s information and communication channels are monitored to ensure that these channels are appropriate for the financial reporting. Furthermore, the Group has developed checklists to ensure compliance with the disclosure requirements in the financial statements.
Monitoring by the Board
The outcome of the Group’s risk assessment and risk management processes is addressed each year by the Board, which ensures that these processes include all material areas and provide balanced guidelines for the various executives.
The Board receives monthly financial reports and each Board meeting addresses the company’s and Group’s financial position.
The Group’s Internal Control function, which is an integrated part of the central Finance function, followed up on viewpoints that emerged during the year from the self-assessments of the internal control at some of the larger units. The results of these reviews, the measures to be taken and their status are reported to the Board.
Nobia does not currently have an internal audit function. The Board has discussed this matter and found the existing monitoring and evaluation structure of the Group to be suitable. External services may also be engaged in the context of certain special examinations. The decision on this issue is reviewed every year.
Latest update: 1 April 2011