Ross 2008 Annual Report Download - page 58

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING
AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
None
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of
the effectiveness of our “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e)) as of the end of the
period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that
our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.
It should be noted that any system of controls, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, and not
absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system will be met. In addition, the design of any control system is based in part
upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in
Exchange Act Rule13a-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework
established by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) as set forth in Internal Control
— Integrated Framework. Based on our evaluation under the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework, our
management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of January 31, 2009.
Our internal control over financial reporting as of January 31, 2009 has also been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an
independent registered public accounting firm, and their opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial
reporting is stated in their report, dated March 26, 2009, which is included in Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. It should
be noted that any system of controls, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, and not absolute,
assurance that the objectives of the system will be met. In addition, the design of any control system is based in part upon
certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future
periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Quarterly Evaluation of Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, also conducted an evaluation
of our internal control over financial reporting to determine whether any change occurred during the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008
that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Based on that
evaluation, our management concluded that there was no such change during the fourth fiscal quarter.