In the recent past, a number of organisations across the world failed irrespective of internal controls. This has raised concerns about the relevance and influence of internal control, especially as it affects the financial performance of an organisation. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of internal control on financial performance of hospitality organisations (HOs) in Rivers State. The survey research design was adopted for this study. The population of the study was made up of all HOs operating in Rivers State. Convenience sampling technique was adopted in selecting twenty HOs that constitute the sample of this study. Data collection was done primarily using structured questionnaire and secondarily through journals, textbooks and the internet. The questionnaire was validated by senior academic and professional colleagues. The reliability index of the instrument was 0.765 obtained using the Cronbach Alpha technique. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics of percentages, means and standard deviations. Linear regression and correlation analysis were used in testing the hypotheses postulated. The investigation found that internal controls to a significant extent influence financial performance of HOs and that a positive relationship exist between internal control and financial performance of HOs in Rivers State. The study concluded that the control environment affects total revenue as such influences the financial performance of HOs, its non-existence or inadequacy may spell doom for an orgainsation. One of the recommendations made was that management of HOs should regularly upgrade their information and communication framework to enable them cope with the frequent changes in the global environment and as such improve their financial performance.
Keywords: Control Environment, Financial Performance, Information and Communication, Internal control, Risk Assessment
