Whirlpool 2004 Annual Report Download - page 34

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30
Management’s Report on Internal Control
Over Financial Reporting
The management of Whirlpool Corporation is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over
financial reporting. Whirlpool's internal control system is designed to provide reasonable assurance to the Company's man-
agement and board of directors regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation and fair presentation of
published financial statements.
All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems deter-
mined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.
The management of Whirlpool assessed the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2004. In making this assessment, it used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of
the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Based on our assessment and those criteria, man-
agement believes that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004.
Whirlpool Corporation's independent registered public accounting firm has issued an audit report on our assessment of the
Company's internal control over financial reporting. This report appears on page 31.
Jeff M. Fettig Roy W. Templin
Chairman of the Board, President and Executive Vice President and
Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer
March 4, 2005 March 4, 2005