Tone at the Top: Foundation for Success - Part 1

The importance of Control Environment, or β€œTone at the Top,” on an organization’s risk management and control processes cannot be overstated. What elements contribute to an effective Control Environment?


The (COSO) of the Treadway Commission, a joint initiative of five professional finance, accounting and auditing organizations, identifies the following elements that influence the control consciousness of its people:

  • Organizational structure
  • Competence of personnel
  • Integrity and ethical values
  • Management’s operating style
  • Assignment of authority and responsibility
  • Processes for managing and developing its people

The importance of Control Environment is underscored by the Higher Learning Commission's placement of Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct as Criterion Two.

Criteria for Accreditation

When the Higher Learning Commission completed its most recent evaluation of ΊΓΙ«ΟΘΙϊ in 2016, it used five criteria for accreditation:

  1. Mission
  2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
  3. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources and Support
  4. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement
  5. Resources, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness

The importance of Control Environment is underscored by the Higher Learning Commission’s placement of Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct as Criterion Two, second only to the mission of the university.