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I. Purpose
of Policy
Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Act"), and the rules of
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), the Audit
Committee of the Company's Board of Directors (the AAudit
Committee@) is responsible for the appointment, compensation and
oversight of the work of the independent auditor. The purpose of the
provisions of the Act and the SEC rules for the Audit Committee role
in retaining the independent auditor is twofold. First, the
authority and responsibility for the appointment, compensation and
oversight of the auditor should be with directors who are
independent of management. Second, any non-audit work performed by
the auditor should be reviewed and approved by these independent
directors to ensure that any non-audit services performed by the
auditor do not impair the independence of the independent auditor.
To implement the provisions of the Act, the SEC has issued rules
specifying the types of services that an independent auditor may not
provide to its audit client and governing the Audit Committee's
administration of the engagement of the independent auditor. As part
of this responsibility, the Audit Committee is required to
pre-approve the audit and non-audit services performed by the
Company's independent auditor in order to assure that they do not
impair the auditor's independence. Accordingly, the Audit Committee
is adopting this Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy
(the "Policy"), which sets forth the procedures and the conditions
pursuant to which services to be performed by the independent
auditor are to be pre-approved.
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II. Statement of
Principles
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Prohibited Services
The Audit Committee will not approve
nor will the Company's independent auditor perform for the
Company any services that constitute Prohibited Activities as
defined by the Act or by regulations promulgated by the SEC.
These prohibited activities include:
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bookkeeping or other services
related to the accounting records or financial statements of
the audit client;
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financial information systems
design and implementation;
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appraisal or valuation
services, fairness opinions, or contribution-in-kind
reports;
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actuarial services;
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internal audit outsourcing
services;
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management functions or human
resources;
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broker or dealer, investment
adviser, or investment banking services;
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legal services and expert
services unrelated to the audit; and
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any other service that the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board determines, by
regulation, is impermissible.
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Non-Prohibited Services
The SEC's rules establish two different approaches to
pre-approving non-prohibited services. Proposed non-prohibited
services may be pre-approved either by the Audit Committee
agreeing to a general framework with descriptions of allowable
services ("general pre-approval") or by the Audit Committee
pre-approving specific services ("specific pre-approval").
The Company's Audit Committee believes that the combination of
these two approaches will result in an effective and efficient
procedure to pre-approve services that may be performed by the
independent auditor. As set forth in this Policy, unless a type
of service has received general pre-approval, it will require
specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee if it is to be
provided by the independent auditor.
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III. Services
Subject to General Pre-approval
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Audit Services
The annual audit services engagement scope and terms will be
subject to the general pre-approval of the Audit Committee.
Audit services include the annual financial statement audit
(including required quarterly reviews) and other procedures
required to be performed by the independent auditor to be able
to form an opinion on the Company's consolidated financial
statements. Audit services also include the attestation
engagement for the independent auditor's report on management's
assertion on internal controls for financial reporting. The
Audit Committee will monitor the audit services engagement
throughout the year and will also approve, if necessary, any
changes in terms and conditions resulting from changes in audit
scope, Company structure or other items. The Audit Committee
will request that the audit engagement letter with the
independent auditor be addressed to the Chairman of the Audit
Committee and that the Chairman of the Audit Committee execute
the engagement letter on behalf of the Company.
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Audit-Related Services
Audit-related services are assurance and related services
that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or
review of the Company's financial statements (e.g., research and
consultation regarding accounting and financial reporting
transactions). Because the Audit Committee believes that the
provision of audit-related services does not impair the
independence of the auditor and is consistent with the SEC's
rules on auditor independence, the Audit Committee will grant
general pre-approval to audit-related services.
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Pension and Benefit Plan
Consulting and Compliance Services
The independent auditor can provide pension and benefit plan
consulting and compliance services to the Company without
impairing the auditor's independence. Hence, the Audit Committee
will grant general pre-approval to the pension and benefit plan
consulting and compliance services that have been historically
provided by the auditor, which the Audit Committee has reviewed
and believes will not impair the independence of the auditor,
and that are consistent with the SEC's rules on auditor
independence.
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IV. Services
Subject to Specific Pre-approval
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Preparation of Statutory
Accounts and Tax Planning Services
The Audit Committee believes that there exists the potential
for impairment of auditor independence or for an overlap with
prohibited services for certain tax planning services and for
the preparation of non-U.S. statutory accounts. Accordingly,
specific pre-approval will be required for these services in
order for the Audit Committee to have an opportunity to review
the scope of work to be provided by the auditor in connection
with these services.
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All Other Services
All other services not described in III. above are subject
to specific pre-approval and engagement by the Audit Committee.
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V. Procedures
The procedures the Audit Committee will employ in implementing this
policy are as follows:
- In advance of the October Audit Committee
meeting each year, the Chief Financial Officer and the
independent auditor shall jointly submit to the Audit Committee
a schedule of audit, audit-related, tax and other non-audit
services that are subject to general pre-approval.
- The Audit Committee will review and approve
the types of services and review the projected fees for the next
fiscal year at its regularly scheduled October meeting. The fee
amounts on the schedule will be updated as necessary at any
subsequent Audit Committee meetings. Additional pre-approval
will be required if actual fees for a service are expected to
exceed 10% of the originally pre-approved amount. This
additional pre-approval should be obtained in the same manner as
a specific pre-approval described below.
- If, subsequent to the general pre-approval of
scheduled services by the Audit Committee, the Company would
like to engage the independent auditor to perform a service not
included on the general pre-approval schedule, a request should
be submitted to the General Counsel and the Internal Auditor. If
they determine that the service can be performed without
impairing the independence of the auditor, then a discussion and
approval of the service will be included on the agenda for the
next regularly scheduled Audit Committee meeting. If the timing
for the service needs to commence before the next Audit
Committee meeting, the chairman of the Audit Committee, or any
other member of the Audit Committee designated by the Audit
Committee, can provide specific pre-approval.
- Approval by the Audit Committee for the
auditor to perform any non-audit service does not require that
management engage the Company's independent auditor to perform
those services. Company's management may engage other third
parties to perform non-audit services for which the Audit
Committee has given pre-approval to be performed by the
independent auditor.
- Once the Audit Committee has given
pre-approval for services to be performed by the independent
auditor, the appropriate Company management may engage the
auditor and execute any necessary document for the performance
of non-audit services within the scope of the pre-approval.
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VI. Delegation
As provided in the Act and the SEC's rules, the Audit Committee may
delegate either type of pre-approval authority to its chairperson or
any other Audit Committee member or members. The member to whom such
authority is delegated should report, for informational purposes
only, any pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next
meeting. The Audit Committee will not delegate to management the
Audit Committee's responsibilities to pre-approve services performed
by the independent auditor.
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