ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONSelect a publicly traded company using the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) EDGAR System at http://sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html and submit to the instructor for approval. Please note that each student must research a different company. Once the instructor has approved the company selection, obtain the Annual Report (Form 10K) and Proxy Statement (Form DEF 14A) of the company for the immediate past fiscal year. Review these documents in addition other financial information available on the company’s Investor Relations Web site to evaluate the following items.Internal ControlsReview the report of the independent registered public accounting firm on internal controls. Explain components of the report that meet the criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and the PCAOB.Explain management’s responsibility relative to internal controls and maintaining the integrity of the accounting information systems.Discuss the implications of computer technology on the internal control structure and auditing procedures. Develop data flow diagrams and accounting cycle flow charts that illustrate the relationship between information systems and the accounting process.Describe at least two audit tests and procedures designed specifically to assess control risks and the integrity of internal controls over accounting information systems.Accounting Information SystemSummarize the primary information flows within the business environment and evaluate the relationship between traditional accounting records and their magnetic equivalents in computer-based systems.Explain and analyze the differences between batch and real-time processing and the impact of these technologies on transaction processing.Prepare a 10-12 page research paper (excluding title page, abstract, references page, and appendices) in APA format that presents the findings of your analysis of the company’s SEC filings. Your paper should also discuss the following:Explain of the benefits of adopting an REA approach to information systems compared to a traditional approach.Discuss the general functionality and key elements of ERP systems and understand of the key considerations and risks associated with ERP implementation.Explain the Internal control system, its role in a business and its significance in the auditing process.Discuss the use of computer assisted auditing techniques within GAAS, PCAOB, and COSO requirements for audits of publicly traded companies.In addition to the SEC Forms, a minimum of five (5) peer-reviewed academic or professional references must be used in the paper.

THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS FOR THE QUIZ IN CLASS ON MONDAY The historian Walter Rodney posits several factors in the development of the European run Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (TAST). The development and growth of the TAST was a slow process that went through several stages. What began as a trickle at the end of the fifteenth century became a flood by the middle of the eighteenth century. According to Walter Rodney: (1) How did the appearance and rise of a new class of individuals in West African coastal communities allied to the European slave trade contribute to this process of enslavement? This new class contributed to the European slave trade by obtaining European commodities in exchange for their captives. And what name did Rodney give this new group? The name given to this group was new elites (2) How did the fragmented structure and small size of many West African societies who were too small and vulnerable to protect themselves from slave raiders contribute to the process? The societies that were too small and vulnerable contributed to the process of slave trade due to the fact that they didn’t have the man power to protect themselves from slave raiders and hunters which led to them being raided and any form of resistance overshadowed leading to surrender, then captured and taken in as slaves Your answer must provide specific examples from the reading. An example is the Yoruba political federation which was disintegrated due to slave raiding by the neighboring countries. (3) How did the corruption of the old African systems of government by the new breed of local African entrepreneurs (businessmen) tied to and working on behalf of the global capitalist market contribute to the process? Corruption of the old African systems of government by the breed of local African entrepreneurs tied to working on behalf of the global capitalist market contributed to slave trade by taking advantage of the legal authority to classify people as criminals and sentence them to slavery Your answer must provide specific examples from the readings. For example, it was easy to bring up untrue charged of adultery against perfectly innocent individuals. (4) How did the growth in the influence of European slave traders and European slave trading companies like the Royal Africa Company and the Dutch West India Company contribute to this process? The growth of the Royal Africa Company and the Dutch West India Company contributed to this process of slavery because as these companies grew larger there grew a more demand for slave laborers which in turn lead to more hunting of slaves. (5) How did constant warfare fuelled by the TAST contribute to this process? This constant warfare fueled by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (TAST) contributed to slavery as it led to the capturing of slaves for reasons of trading for other commodities. This led to the capturing of slaves by slave merchants through any was possible.