The Sarbanes Oxley Act ( Act ) Essay - 1432 Words

The Sarbanes Oxley Act is an act passed by the United States Congress to protect investors from the possibility of fraudulent accounting activities by corporation. The Sarbanes Oxley Act has strict reforms to improve financial disclosures from corporations and accounting fraud. The acts goals are designed to ensure that publicly traded corporations document what financial controls they are using and they are certified in doing so. The Sarbanes Oxley Act sets the highest level and most general requirements but it imposes the possibility of criminal penalties for corporate financial officers. The Sarbanes Oxley Act sets provisions that are used throughout numerous amounts of corporations. It holds companies to a larger responsibility and a higher standard with accounting principles and the accuracy of financial statements. The Securities Act of 1933 regulated the securities and the accounting standards before the Sarbanes Oxley Act was passed. Under the Securities Act, corporations and their investments bank were legally responsible for telling the truth and making sure the financial statements were audited correctly. Although corporations were responsible, the CEOs were not which was meant it was hard to prosecute them for fraud. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted in response to a series of high profile financial scandals that occurred in the early 2000s at companies including Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco that rattled investor confidence. The Sarbanes Oxley Act was named afterShow MoreRelatedSarbanes Oxley Act1322 Words   |  6 PagesSarbanes-Oxley Act 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 coversRead MoreAnalysis of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act3143 Words   |  13 PagesAnalysis of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Abstract The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was enacted in July 30, 2002, by Congress to protect shareholders and the general public from fraudulent corporate practices and accounting errors and to maintain auditor independence.    In protecting the shareholders and the general public the SOX Act is intended to improve the transparency of the financial reporting.    Financial reports are to be certified by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial OfficerRead 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 Mic hael Oxley, who also set a number ofRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act and the PCAOB Essay1661 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act Overview: The development of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was a result of public company scandals. The Enron and Worldcom scandals, for example, helped investor confidence in entities traded on the public markets weaken during 2001 and 2002. Congress was quick to respond to the political crisis and enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which was signed into law by President Bush on July 30 (Edward Jones, 1), to restore investor confidence. In reference to SOX, penaltiesRead MoreSarbanes-Oxley Act Research Paper1097 Words   |  5 PagesSarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Karla Azcue ACC 120-09 Mr. Donald Senior The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is one of the most important legislations passed in the 21st century effecting financial practice and corporate governance. This act was passed on July 30, 2002 thanks to Representative Michael Oxley a republican from Ohio and Senator Paul Sarbanes a democrat from Maryland. They both passed two different bills that pertain to the same problem which had to do with corporations auditing accountabilityRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesSarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ACC/561 Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Following a number of discovered fraud scandals committed by well-known corporations and in order to restore public confidence in the stock market and trading of securities, the United States congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the year 2002. As a result of the act endorsement by the New York Stock Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission, among many other national overseeing committees, a number of rules and regulationsRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act Research Paper1787 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Sarbanes Oxley Act Research Project Brielle Lewis MBA 315 March 6, 2014 I. Abstract The purpose of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities law, and for other purposes. (Lander, 2004) The Act created new standards for public companies and accounting firms to abide by. After multiple business failures due to fraudulent activities and embezzlement at companies such as Enron Sarbanes andRead MoreSarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) Essays1756 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction In July of 2002, Congress swiftly passed the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investors Protection Act at the time when corporations like Arthur Anderson, Enron and WorldCom fell due to fraudulent accounting practices and bad internal control. This bill, sponsored by Mike Oxley (R-OH) and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), became known as Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).It sought to restore public confidence in publicly traded companies and their accounting practices, though the companies listed aboveRead MoreEssay on Benefits of the Sarbanes Oxley Act893 Words   |  4 Pagesproblems for the company and its investors down the road. The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 is what enforces such internal controls of companies. This Act requires all United States companies to follow internal control guidelines and standards. Many argue that the egregious scandals such as Enron, Tyco and WorldCom gave Congress the impetus to pass such an act that has strict consequences if bypassed. Violators of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) can be subject to large fines and even imprisonmentRead MoreThe Implications of the Sarbanes Oxley Act on the Accounting Profession755 Words   |  4 PagesThe Implications of the Sarbanes Oxley Act on the Accounting Profession Abstract On July 30, 2002, the Sarbanes Oxley Act (also known as SOX) was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 is a federal law that set new or improved standards for all U.S. public company boards, management and public accounting firms. Covered in the eleven titles are additional corporate board responsibilities, auditing requirements and criminal penalties. This