passed by Congress in July 2002 has been described “as the most sweeping and significant change in securities law since the 1930's” (Parles, 2007). This act was largely in response to the highly publicized scandals of companies such as Enron and Worldcom. The “goal of SOX [is] to ensure the accuracy and reliability of financial information of companies trading on public markets” (Parles, 2007). While this act was written quickly in response to a crisis and is only 66 pages its effect on companies
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Sarbanes-Oxley: Benefits vs. Costs The American Competitiveness and Corporate Accountability Act of 2002, commonly referred to as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was enacted in response to corporate financial scandals involving companies such as Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco International. While SOX was written specifically for public companies; a few provisions, including whistleblower protection and document retention apply to all companies and nonprofit organizations (Levy, 2009). The stated purpose of
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was overwhelmingly passed by both houses of Congress in response to the widespread public and government outrage against corporate abuses. Fraudulent accounting practices and misleading financial reports issued by such corporate giants as Enron, WorldCom and Arthur Anderson caused millions of dollars in losses to investors and an irreparable damage to the public trust. To ensure the certifications were taken seriously, the act also created criminal penalties for noncompliance. The act states stipulates
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They are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, false statements, insider trading and money laundering. Fastow serves 6 years in prison, Lay passes away before sentencing and Skilling is sentenced to 24 years in prison. WorldCom scandal (2005): Bernard Ebbers the CEO of WorldCom loses $100 billion of shareholder value in the largest accounting scandal in US history (until Madoff). Ebbers is charged with securities fraud and conspiracy and is serving 25 years in prison. Bernard Madoff (2008): Bernard L
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CHAPTER 1 INTERCORPORATE ACQUISITIONS AND INVESTMENTS IN OTHER ENTITIES ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Q1-1 Complex organizational structures often result when companies do business in a complex business environment. New subsidiaries or other entities may be formed for purposes such as extending operations into foreign countries, seeking to protect existing assets
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CARMICHAEL SEE AS THE UNDERLYING MISSION OF THE PCAOB? Carmichael views the underlying mission of the PCAOB to be the restoration of the public’s confidence in the auditor’s reports and findings. Accounting scandals, involving companies like Enron and WorldCom, prompted Congress to adopt the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as a means to establish control over accounting and auditing functions. A main focus of Sarbanes-Oxley was the establishment of the PCAOB. The PCAOB is a nongovernmental body, fully funded by fees
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Regulation in Corporate America Christy Matheny Regulation November 24, 2014 The business world is governed by many stipulations and regulations. When looking at regulations, there are two types of approaches; command-and-control and performance based. The older approach was almost always command-and-control where the government sets prices, quantities and standards. There is a newer approach however, which is performance based. This type of regulation uses forces from the market to achieve
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guidelines for acceptable beliefs and interactional behavior. The Enron, WorldCom and Tyco financial debacles devastated many investors and employees and brought a lot of unwanted attention and questions about business ethics. The improprieties in their accounting books revealed to the world the crooked unethical accounting practices practiced by some seeming reputable organizations. Wondering why the Enron and WorldCom executives got involved in the scandal, the author of this article asserts
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Regulatory and Compliance Issues Introduction Reviewing the growth of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) which was made based on the public business outrages. The WorldCom and The Enron issues, for instance, gave shareholders self-confidence in entities traded on the open markets throughout ’01 and ’02. Congress was very fast to answer to the political disaster and made the bill of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which eventually the bill was signed into edict by President Bush on July 30 to give self-assurance
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Citigroup: Restoring Ethics and Image Before Growth Charles Prince, CEO of Citigroup, is facing a daunting challenge as the head of the largest financial services organization in world. He has joined a company that has experienced significant regulatory scrutiny and that has been linked to the biggest scandals in corporate history. Unfortunately for Prince, the problems are pervasive throughout most of Citigroup’s diverse service offerings. In March 2005, Prince announced his strategy to transform
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