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The following consolidated financial statements have been prepared by management in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and include, where required, amounts based on the best estimates and judgments of management. The integrity and objectivity of data in the financial statements and elsewhere in this Annual Report are the responsibility of management. In fulfilling its responsibilities for the integrity of the data presented and to safeguard the Company’s assets, management employs a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance, at appropriate cost, that the Company’s assets are protected and that transactions are appropriately authorized, recorded and summarized. This system of control is supported by the selection of qualified personnel, by organizational assignments that provide appropriate delegation of authority and division of responsibilities, and by the dissemination of written policies and procedures. This control structure is further reinforced by a program of internal audits, including a policy that requires responsive action by management. The consolidated financial statements have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, whose report follows. Their audits were conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and included a review and evaluation of the Company’s internal accounting controls to the extent they considered necessary for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. This, together with other audit procedures and tests, was sufficient to provide reasonable assurance as to the fairness of the information included in the consolidated financial statements and to support their opinion thereon. The Board of Directors monitors the internal control system, including internal accounting controls, through its Audit Committee which consists of five outside Directors. The Audit Committee meets periodically with the independent auditors, internal auditors and financial management to review the work of each and to satisfy itself that they are properly discharging their responsibilities. The independent auditors and internal auditors have full and free access to the Audit Committee and meet with its members, with and without financial management present, to discuss the scope and results of their audits including internal control, auditing and financial reporting matters.
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors Becton, Dickinson and Company We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Becton, Dickinson and Company as of September 30, 1999 and 1998, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 1999. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Becton, Dickinson and Company at September 30, 1999 and 1998, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 1999, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
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