Preview

Accounting Profession: The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
154 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Accounting Profession: The Sarbanes-Oxley Act
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act authorizes the establishment of a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which will oversee the accounting profession. Under Section 1 of the act, the board will have five financially experienced members who appointed in five-year terms. Two of the members must be or have been certified public accountants, and the remaining three must not be, and must never have been, CPAs. One of the CPA members may hold the chair, if he has not engaged as a practicing CPA for five years. In addition, the board's members will serve on a full-time basis. Members of the board are appointed by the SEC "after consultation with" the chairperson of the FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD and the secretary of the Treasury. Moreover, no member may, concurrent

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is mandatory. All large and small organizations must comply with this act. The legislation came into existence in 2002 as a result of a number of corporate and accounting scandals and introduced major changes to the regulation of financial practice and corporate governance. The main architects of the acts were Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley. The SOX act protects the shareholders from forged representations in corporate financial statements. The financial information on which the investors rely should be truthful and its accuracy must be verified by an independent third party.…

    • 187 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Sarbanes Oxley Act

    • 3132 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Financial reporting has been dissected over and over again by legislation. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) hold the key to providing protection and integrity when companies are submitting their financial statements. Although their mission is to provide order and efficiency for financial markets, insidious plans are still developed by companies which ultimately result in turmoil to the economy. To provide a safeguard to investors, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was passed by congress in 2002, which was constructed because of fraudulent acts of well-known companies such as Enron. Before the SOX was inaugurated, two sets of accounting rules were used as guides for CPA firms.…

    • 3132 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sarbanes-Oxley Act

    • 534 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, often abbreviated as SOX, is a legislative act passed by Congress in response to the Enron and WorldCom financial scandals. The primary purpose of SOX is to protect shareholders from errors or fraudulent reporting by the company they have invested in. The Sarbanes-Oxley act is enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission, a department dedicated to ensuring compliance to SOX from all firms, and is also responsible for revising provisions of the act in order to keep it current and up to date.…

    • 534 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    A quasi- governmental agency called the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) was created and charged with direct oversight and regulation of the accounting industry (Jahmani et al., 2008). PCAOB works in conjunction with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to provide oversight of all public accounting firms and publically traded companies with the expressed purpose of protecting “ the interests of investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, fair and independent audit report” (PCAOB 2002)…

    • 1488 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sarbanes-Oxley Act

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (often shortened to SOX) is legislation enacted in response to the highprofile Enron and WorldCom financial scandals to protect shareholders and the general public from accounting errors and fraudulent practices in the enterprise. The act is administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which sets deadlines for compliance and publishes rules on requirements. Sarbanes-Oxley is not a set of business practices and does not specify how a business should store records; rather, it defines which records are to be stored and for how long. The legislation not only affects the financial side of corporations, it also affects the IT departments whose job it is to store a corporation's electronic records. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act states that all business records, including electronic records and electronic messages, must be saved for "not less than five years." The consequences for non-compliance are fines, imprisonment, or both. IT departments are increasingly faced with the challenge of creating and maintaining a corporate records archive in a cost-effective fashion that satisfies the requirements put forth by the legislation. FAQ: What is the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on IT operations? The following sections of Sarbanes-Oxley contain the three rules that affect the management of electronic records. The first rule deals with destruction, alteration, or falsification of records.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sarbanes-Oxley Act

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is an act passed by U.S. Congress in 2002 to protect investors and the general public from the possibility of fraudulent accounting activities by corporations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act authorized strict modifications to improve financial disclosures from corporations and to prevent accounting fraud. This law was passed after a couple of big the accounting scandals like Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom shook investor assurance in financial statements and required an overhaul of regulatory standards. The act is administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which sets deadlines for compliance and publishes rules on requirements. It is not a set of business practices and does not specify how a business should store records; rather it tells more which records are to be stored and for how long in case of hearings.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sarbanes-Oxley

    • 1874 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act applies to all public companies in the U.S. and international companies that have registered equity or debt securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the accounting firms that provide auditing services to them. The Act mandated a number of reforms to enhance corporate responsibility, enhance financial disclosures, combat corporate and accounting fraud, and created the "Public Company Accounting Oversight Board," also known as the PCAOB, to oversee the activities of the auditing profession. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act also created new penalties for acts that were unethical, negligent or fraudulent. It hoped to change how corporate boards and executives interacted with each other and with corporate auditors. Its aim is to remove the defense/excuse of "I wasn't aware of or didn't know about the financial issues regarding the company" from CEOs and CFOs. It aims to hold management accountable for the accuracy of the financial statements in order to protect the shareholders and others that rely on those financial statements. The Act also specifies new financial reporting responsibilities,…

    • 1874 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages

    I have written this report in order to fulfill my graduation requirements at Southwestern College. Also to become more knowledgeable on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) and the impact it has had on the business world.…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning years of the new century a series of huge corporate frauds predominated the business sections and front pages of dominant newspapers, shaking public confidence in the integrity of corporate America. Those scandals also raise serious questions about the integrity, acuity and prudence of business leaders and accountants who structure and document business transactions, approve required financial disclosures, and, in the case of accountants, certify the accuracy of required reports (Enrione, Mazza, & Zerboni, 2006).…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The PCAOB consists of five members, of which one of them is the chairperson. All members are appointed by the Securities and Exchange Commission and serve a five year term. Two members of the PCAOB must be or have been a certified public accountant. However, if the chairman is one of the CPAs, they may not have been a practicing CPA for at least five years. The organization has a staff of over 500 and its headquarters is in Washington D.C. The PCAOB has been given many powers and responsibilities under section 101 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. They have the power to register public accounting firms that prepare audit reports for public companies. The PCAOB sets auditing, quality control, ethics, independence and other standards relating to the preparation of audit reports. They conduct inspections of registered public accounting firms. They also conduct investigations and disciplinary proceedings concerning violations of rules and impose appropriate sanctions where needed against public accounting firms. The PCAOB has the power to perform other duties or functions that are determined necessary to promote high…

    • 1182 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

    • 1327 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002(SOX which is also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act was enacted in July, 30, 2002 as a prompt response to the financial crimes scandals (Adelphia, Enron, WorldCom, Peregrime Systems , Arther Anderson and Tyco International). SOX establishes new, stricter standards for all US publicly traded companies. It does not apply to privately companies. The Act is administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which deals with compliance, rules and requirements. The Act also created a new agency, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, which is in charge of overseeing, regulating, inspecting, and disciplining accounting firms in their roles as auditors of public companies. In my opinion, the benefits of the act cant be able to overcome the frustration and the cost of it.…

    • 1327 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

    • 1467 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was established in 2002 and has initiated extensive transformation to the parameter of economic practice and shared bureaucracy. Nevertheless, it was named after Legislator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley, who were the founders, given it the title Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. On July 30, 2002, President George Bush signed off on SOX, revising the security laws that, moderately, reevaluate the responsibility of accountants. Although the focal point of this statute is on shared organizations, it is projected that banks and investors, who necessitate reviewed reports of the…

    • 1467 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Sarbanes-Oxley act was enacted in 2002 following corporate financial scandals like those involving Enron and WorldCom. The act was created in order to combat corporate accounting fraud and enhance the quality of corporate financial disclosures. To accomplish this, the act created the "Public Company Accounting Oversight Board", or PCAOB to oversee audits and compliance.…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sarbanes Oxley Act

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Sarbanes-Oxley is a U.S. federal law that has generated much controversy, and involved the response to the financial scandals of some large corporations such as Enron, Tyco International, WorldCom and Peregrine Systems. These scandals brought down the public confidence in auditing and accounting firms. The law is named after Senator Paul Sarbanes Democratic Party and GOP Congressman Michael G. Oxley. It was passed by large majorities in both Congress and the Senate and covers and sets new performance standards for boards of directors and managers of companies and accounting mechanisms of all publicly traded companies in America. It also introduces criminal liability for the board of directors and a requirement by the SEC (Securities and Exchanges Commission), the agency responsible for regulating the securities market in the United States. Supporters of this law argue that the legislation was necessary and useful, while critics believe it will cause more economic damage than it prevents.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

    • 2083 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Chapter 5: the Sarbanes- Oxley act of 2002 involved the public anger that started when Enron, WorldCom, and other big companies scandals. This is when there was support for white collar crime when it came to accounting standards. Under the law of federal sentencing rules to make sure that white collar criminals are being punished. (Barnes, 2012). 1. For someone to alter or get rid of documents and there intensions to obstruct or effect the crime/case. 2. The CEO (chief executive officer) and the CFO (chief financial officer) must clarify that repots have been submitted to the SEC (securities and exchange commission.) it is a crime if the CEO and CFO make a report that is false. 3 CEO and CFO must reimburse the company for any raises and if…

    • 2083 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays