Section 404 Sarbanes Oxley - 1957 Words

The Limitations of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Darren Abraham MSAF 670 University of Maryland University College The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) is a legislation enacted in 2002 under the sponsorship of U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and U.S. Representative Michael G. Oxley (R-OH). The law introduced increased government oversight for publicly held companies. It also imposes additional management responsibilities and corporate operating costs on companies trading under SEC regulations. Sarbanes-Oxley was enacted in direct response to a number of corporate accounting scandals, including those of Enron, Tyco International, and WorldCom. As a result of the SOX Act, Corporate Managers (CEOs, CFOs) are†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately, all those efforts have not been vindicated because of the following reasons: Accounting did not cause the recent corporate scandals such as Enron and WorldCom. Unreliable financial statements were the results of management decisions, fraudulent or otherwise. To blame management’s misdeeds on fraudulent financial statements casts accountants as the scapegoats and misses the real issue. Reliable financial reports rely to a certain extent on effective internal controls, but effective internal controls rely to a large extent on a reliable management system coupled with strong corporate governance. when management deliberately or even unlawfully manipulates business processes in order to achieve desirable financial goals and present untruthful financial reports to the public, accounting systems are abused and victims rather than perpetrators. An effective system of internal control must be built on the basis of the analysis of enterprise-wide risks. Therefore, to create value for its customers and other stakeholders, an organization must have in place the ability to systematically assess and analyze all material risks that affect the entity’s planned objectives. (Integrated Framework, Volume II Guidance, June 2008). Internal control of the accounting process is designed to detect unintentional data errors rather than intentional errors. Garbage in, garbage out! Even good accounting systems can not catchShow MoreRelatedSarbanes-Oxley Section 4046777 Words   |  28 PagesSarbanes Oxley Act, 2002. Outline In this paper the Sarbanes Oxley Act with particular reference to the section 404 is discussed in detail. We shall start the paper with providing background information to the Sarbanes Oxley Act, 2002. This section explores the environment that spurred the creation of the act and the need for such legislation. The second section provides an introduction to the Sarbanes Oxley Act section 404 which explores the provisions of Section 404. The next section on ‘InternalRead MoreEssay on Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 and Affect on Small Business2003 Words   |  9 PagesAnalysis of Sarbanes-Oxley – Section 404 And Affect on Small Companies Content I. Executive Summary 1 II. Background Facts 2 III. Issue Stated 3 IV. Analysis 4-5 V. Conclusion 6 VI. References 7 Executive Summary 404 of Sarbanes Oxley:Read MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act ( Sox ) For A Company1461 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction For this assignment I am going to try to describe the cost and benefits of implementing the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) for a company. I will then move on to describe what it is, how to go about it, and what a company may need to properly implement it. The Sarbanes Oxley Act was approved and activated in 2002 to protect investors and to renew confidence in American companies from what happened with the fall of companies like Enron, HealthSouth, and WorldCom. This act was trusted to fixRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act ( Sox ) For A Company1280 Words   |  6 PagesFor this assignment I am going to try to describe the cost and benefits of implementing the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) for a company. I will then move on to describe what it is, how to go about it, and what a company may need to properly implement it. The Sarbanes Oxley Act was approved and activated in 2002 to protect investors and to renew confidence in American companies from what happened with the fall of companies like Enron, HealthSouth, and WorldCom. This act was trusted to fix or find corruptionRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act Of 2002 Essay1343 Words   |  6 PagesSarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 The financial crisis of the early 2000s left many investors and stockholders nervous about the accuracy of financial statements issued by public companies. The financial crisis resulted after many previously successful companies suddenly tanked due to restatement of their financials. These companies include Enron, Tyco, Sunbeam, Rite-Aid, Xerox and WorldCom amongst others (Kieso, 2014, p. 17). How could many previously successful companies suddenly go belly-up? The evidenceRead MoreEssay on The Sarbanes-Oxley Act852 Words   |  4 Pagestoday that are using the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) legislation that helps to safeguard their company and their financial records. The Sarbanes-Oxley act began in 2002 and the purpose behind this act was to protect organizations, it had a major impact on accounting and record keeping. Because of Enron, they passed this act for publicly-traded corporations to better implement control to their enterprise data. â€Å"Named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley, who also set a number ofRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Outline676 Words   |  3 PagesThe Ineffectiveness of the Sarbanes Oxley Act In Corporate Management and Accounting In the early 1990s, a young company named Enron was quickly moving up Fortune magazine’s chart of â€Å"America’s Most Innovative Company.† As the corporate world began to herald Enron as the next global leader in business, a dark secret loomed on the horizon of this great energy company. Aggressive entrepreneurs eager to push the company’s stock price higher and a series of fraudulent accounting procedures involvingRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act : A Important Part Of Business1215 Words   |  5 PagesA vital part of business today is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. It was created to protect the integrity of business and the interest of consumers and investors. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act enforces the monitoring of finance data and information technology as it relates to storage of information. It requires the audit of a company’s assets, accounting and finance. The act requires certifications by top company officials’ to guarantee that data submitted i s true and accurate. Monitoring to ensure complianceRead MoreSarbanes Oxley : Corporate Responsibility For Financial Reports750 Words   |  3 Pagesimpact on corporations, accounting firms, and investors like Sarbanes-Oxley. Sarbanes-Oxley was passed by Congress in 2002 as direct result of the accounting scandals that plagued the public equity markets during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sarbanes-Oxley was developed to be a series of measures, safeguards, guidelines, and criminal punishments in order to prevent future accounting scandals on the scale of Enron and Worldcom. Sarbanes-Oxley has profoundly impacted both management and accountantsRead MoreSarbanes Oxley : Corporate Responsibility For Financial Reports Essay760 Words   |  4 Pagesimpact on corporations, accounting firms, and investors like Sarbanes-Oxley. Sarbanes-Oxley was passed by Congress in 2002 as a direct result of the accounting scandals that plagued the public equity markets during the late 1990s and earl y 2000s. Sarbanes-Oxley was developed to be a series of measures, safeguards, guidelines, and criminal punishments in order to prevent future accounting scandals on the scale of Enron and Worldcom. Sarbanes-Oxley has profoundly impacted both management and accountants