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Composition
The Audit Committee is
established as a standing committee of the Board of Directors.
The membership of the Audit Committee shall consist of at least
three non-employee directors who are (or will become within a
reasonable time after appointment) financially literate, including at
least one member who will be qualified as an "audit committee
financial expert" under applicable rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc.
(“NASDAQ”). No member
of the Audit Committee shall have participated in the preparation of
the financial statements of the Company or any current subsidiary of
the Company at any time during the three years prior to the date of
such determination. Each
member of the Audit Committee shall be free of any relationship that,
in the opinion of the Board of Directors, would interfere with the
exercise of his or her independent judgment and shall meet the independence
requirements of the applicable federal securities laws, SEC and NASDAQ
then in effect.
Meetings and Structure
The Board of Directors
shall appoint one member of the Audit Committee as chairperson.
He or she shall be responsible for leadership of the Audit
Committee and reporting to the Board of Directors.
The Audit
Committee shall meet as often as it deems necessary to execute its
duties and as is required by applicable laws, regulations and NASDAQ
standards. Such meetings
shall be at the times and places and by such means as the Chair shall
determine. A majority of
the members of the Audit Committee shall constitute a quorum.
Minutes of all Audit Committee meetings will be prepared and
filed with the minutes of the Board of Directors.
Statement of Policy
The Audit Committee will
provide assistance to the directors in fulfilling their
responsibilities to the shareholders and to the investment community
relating to accounting, reporting practices and the quality and
integrity of the financial reports of the Company. To
that end, it is the responsibility of the Audit Committee to maintain
free and open lines of communication between the Board of Directors,
the independent auditors and the Company's accounting and financial
management.
Responsibilities
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The Audit Committees primary responsibilities include:
(a)
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Review
and make recommendations to the Board of Directors as to
which independent auditors should be selected to audit the
financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries.
Confirm
the regular rotation of the lead audit partner and
reviewing partner as required by law.
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(b)
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Meet
with the independent auditors and financial management of
the Company to review the scope of the proposed audit for
the current year, and, after the completion of the audit,
to review the results of the audit, including any comments
or recommendations made by the independent auditors.
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(c)
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Ensure
that the independent auditors, on a periodic basis, submit
a formal written statement delineating all relationships
between the Company and the independent auditors, and
actively engage in a dialogue with the independent
auditors with respect to any disclosed relationships or
services that may impact the objectivity and independence
of the independent auditors.
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(d)
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Pre-approve
all audit and non-audit services expected to be rendered
by the independent auditors.
The
Audit Committee shall not engage the independent auditors
to perform the specific non-audit services proscribed by
law or regulation.
The Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval
authority for additional non-audit services to the Chair
of the Audit Committee, whose decisions shall be presented
to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
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(e)
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Review
with the independent auditors and the Company's financial
and accounting personnel the adequacy and effectiveness of
the accounting and financial controls of the Company, and
elicit any recommendations from the independent auditors
regarding the improvement of those internal control
procedures or particular areas where new or more detailed
controls or procedures might be necessary to protect
material assets of the Company.
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(f)
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Review
annually management’s report on internal controls and
the independent auditor’s attestation regarding
management’s assessment of internal controls, when and
as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
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(g)
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Provide
sufficient opportunity for the independent auditors to
meet with the members of the Audit Committee without
members of management present.
Items which could be discussed at such meetings
include the independent auditors' evaluation of the
Company's financial and accounting personnel, and the
cooperation that the independent auditors received during
the course of any current or recently completed audit.
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(h)
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Review,
evaluate and discuss with the outside auditors and
management the Company’s audited annual financial
statements and other information that is to be included in
the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, and the
results of the outside auditors’ audit of the
Company’s annual financial statements, including the
accompanying footnotes and the outside auditors’
opinion, and determine whether to recommend to the Board
that the financial statements be included in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for filing
with the SEC.
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(i)
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Retain
the outside auditors to review the Company’s interim
financial statements, and review and discuss with the
outside auditors and management the Company’s interim
financial statements and other information to be included
in the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q
prior to filing such reports with the SEC.
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(j)
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Review
and approve in advance all related party transactions as
defined by SEC regulations with the Company. |
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Prohibit
the Company’s hiring of employees or former employees of
the independent auditors that meet the applicable federal
securities laws, SEC regulations and NASDAQ standards.
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| (l) |
Submit
the minutes of all meetings of the Audit Committee to, or
discuss the matters discussed at each Audit Committee
meeting with, the Board of Directors.
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| (m) |
Investigate
any matter brought to its attention within the scope of
its duties, with the power to retain, at the Company’s
expense, outside legal counsel and other advisors for this
purpose if, in its judgment, that is appropriate.
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| (n) |
Establish
procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of
complaints received by the Company regarding accounting,
internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and (ii)
the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the
Company of concerns regarding questionable accounting or
auditing matters.
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| (o) |
Review
and reassess the adequacy of this Charter on an annual
basis. |
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The Board of Directors and
the Audit Committee will have ultimate authority and responsibility to
select, evaluate and replace the independent auditors.
The independent auditors are ultimately accountable to the
Board of Directors and the shareholders.
In addition to
the above responsibilities, the Audit Committee shall undertake such
other duties as the Board of Directors delegates to it.
Revised: February 12, 2007
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