Barton and Sons, Inc. is a small, privately-held corporation that operates two retail stores in western Kentucky. Jorge Barton and his two sons own all of the company’s stock and manage the store operations. The family takes pride in the corporation’s success in terms of growing sales and lack of borrowing. The company is currently considering expansion into other regions of Kentucky and Indiana. Such expansion would likely require long-term borrowing and surrendering certain management responsibilities to non-family member employees. However, the family does not wish to sell stock in the company.

Required:
a. Discuss the factors that would make it beneficial for a company like Barton and Sons to have an external audit.
b. Discuss the factors that would make it beneficial for a company like Barton and Sons to implement an internal audit function.