The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed in 2002, has had an effect on the public accounting industry. The author points out that the act, which was designed to increase visibility and accountability throughout the industry, was a governmental response to major accounting scandals, including Enron, WorldCom and Tyco. The paper relates that the effects of the act are spilling over into private accounting firms, implicating corporate social responsibility and affecting the financial bottom lines of corporations and accounting firms.

From the Paper:

"The accounting industry has, as a whole, endured quite a lot of publicity in recent years. Accounting scandals at mega-corporations likes Tyco, Enron, and WorldCom have all made the public painfully aware of the limitations of internal accounting practices and the apparent ease with which corporate executives can manipulate the industry and report false financial information. In light of that limitation, the United States government passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002, which was primarily intended to restore the public's trust in public accounting. However, the act has had farther-reaching implications for the industry, the policy that was made with it spilling over into private accounting firms, implicating corporate social responsibility, and affecting the financial bottom lines of corporations and accounting firms."

More papers on The Sarbanes-Oxley Act:

• Analytical Essay # 71838 : "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act"
• Research Paper # 64146 : "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)"
• Term Paper # 53186 : "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: