...value of an audit to investors is critical because it allows them to assess performance, which in turn allows them to vote on organizational matters such as a board of directors. It also helps them make decisions on whether or not to buy or sell stock. As for creditors, an audit report serves a basis for realizing performance. With this they are able to make loan decisions and analyze risk. As far as the community as a whole, an audit reports shows true performance and therefore helps others understand its ability for future growth. With that being said, people have a chance to make investment decisions for the future. B. An audit of internal control is vital for the investing public because it assures them that there is no corruption and that their money is safer. Before 2002 auditors weren’t required to test internal controls, which lead to huge controversy over the collapse of several big time companies. Now, auditors serve somewhat as investigators to make sure internal controls are correctly doing their job. It is also management’s responsibility to assess and report the quality of its internal controls over financial reporting. C. An audit committee is responsible for hiring and firing an audit firm. The audit committee is established by a company as an independent subcommittee under the board of directors to provide oversight for audit functions. Because this committee is independent, it reduces any possible risk of bias when they elect the external audit. 1-40 A...
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...“Critically discussed if there are real reasons why institutional investors should be concerned about the independence and genuine effectiveness of the audit function? Search the findings of academic papers and other published sources to support your view.” Introduction An institutional investor is an organization that invests on behalf of the organization’s members. These investors are a part of corporate governance for companies and they have large amounts of money to invest. In Malaysia, there are five leading institutional investors; Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia (EPF), Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial (Social Security Organisation), Lembaga Tabung Haji (Pilgrimage Board), Khazanah Nasional, Permodalan Nasional Berhad (National Equity Corporation) and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (Armed Forces Fund Board) have taken various measures over the years to put better governance practices in their investee companies. As they can afford to buy more shares and bonds, sometimes automatically put them as majority and proactive shareholders. They have power to influence over management decision making, conduct regular engagements with management of companies, placing new shares, demand meetings with the senior managements of companies regards to their performance, vote on key issues at general meetings and communicate on other matters affecting shareholders' interest. The institutional investor which is an external party that are independence from the management can be seen...
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...large and small investors. Scandals that erupted in the largest U.S. companies as Enron, Tyco and WorldCom, have reduced the overall confidence in the capital market and had a devastating impact on pension assets. As a result, on July 30, 2002, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, creating the radical changes affecting the practice and regulation of accounting and auditing. Evaluation of effectiveness of regulations such as SOX over minimizing the corporate fraud and protecting investors and suggestion for improvement After the scandals, the public was demanding accountability from those who run corporations. It turned out that investors and stakeholders are vulnerable to corporate fraud and highly exposed to the risks of investment losses. Therefore, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act designed to protect the interests of the investing public and reduce their exposure to investment losses as a result of managerial fraud. Act introduced significant legislative changes to existing financial practices and announced a new corporate governance rules. The main objectives of these legislations are protection of investors and shareholders from fraudulent activities of the management as well as building confidence in the financial statements of public companies. The provisions of the Act dramatically changed the relationship between publicly held companies and their audit firms. For example, SOX significantly narrow the scope of non-audit services that may be provided to the audit client. Now, certain...
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...During his reign as CEO, Dennis Kozlowski, who was reported as one of the top 25 corporate managers by BusinessWeek, siphoned hordes of money from Tyco, in the form of unapproved loans and fraudulent stock sales. In early 2002, the scandal slowly began to unravel and Tyco's share price plummeted nearly 80% in a six-week period. Kozlowski was convicted of crimes related to his receipt of $81 million in unauthorized bonuses, the purchase of art for $14.725 million and the payment by Tyco of a $20 million investment banking fee to Frank Walsh, a former Tyco director. He was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. Tyco’s primary stakeholders included their shareholders, employees and customers. Their secondary stakeholders proved to be the SEC, the District Attorney of Manhattan, NY and the media, just to name a few. #1: Dennis Kozlowski, CEO. A: I believe that Kozlowski was in level one- the pre-conventional level of moral development. This is the level in which focus is generally on the self and where ethical egoism is dominant. Ethical egoism is based on the idea that the individual seeks to maximize his/her own self-interests; and this is exactly what Kozlowski did. Stage two of moral development is the seeking-of-rewards stage. At this stage, individuals might not completely understand the moral idea of “right” and “wrong” but rather learn to behave in accordance with the punishments or rewards that follow. Kozlowski enjoyed the rewards that came to him in terms of a lavish...
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...Andersen (AA) did not advise the Enron Audit Committee that Enron’s policies and internal control were not adequate to protect the shareholders’ interests even though AA had assumed Enron’s internal audit function (Brooks, 2007, 110). As their accountants they should have had and were supposed to have had reviewed the company's financial condition and truthfully report on that condition. This would have allowed the investors as well as the public to estimate and know about the risk of trusting Enron and investing in the company. They down played the risk which caused their actions to become illegal. Arthur Anderson helped Enron deceive investors and the public by helping the company keep substantial information private. Many people trusted Arthur Anderson, they were seen as being a respectfully and trustworthy accounting firm; they also believed that they were experts in their work which helped legitimized Enron and gave its financial reports and statement credibility that it may not otherwise have had. AA did not establish nor enforce internal controls for Enron, by doing some fraud would and could have been detected, charges and jail time would have been avoided, and the auditing of papers to cover up deficiencies would not have happened. Brooks, . (2007). Business & Professional Ethics for Directors, Executives, & Accountants. Retrieved from pg. 110 . 3. What was the prime motivation behind the decisions of Arthur Andersen’s audit partners on the Enron, WorldCom,...
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...The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 and commonly called SOX or Sarbox; July 30, 2002) is a United States federal law passed in response to a number of major corporate and accounting scandals involving prominent companies in the United States. This examination of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002, will address the following: 1.Analyze the new or enhanced standards for all U.S. public company boards, management, and public accounting firms that the SOX required. 2.Examine why the new enhanced standards are necessary 3. Evaluate the benefits and cost of the SOX Through research of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the above questions will be addressed. Analyze the new or enhanced standards for all U.S. public company boards, management, and public accounting firms that the SOX required. Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted following a number of major corporate and accounting scandals involving prominent U.S. companies. Public trust in accounting and reporting practices was in a spiraling decline, SOX was designed to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made in accordance with the securities laws. SOX standards must be followed or strict penalties for noncompliance can result. According...
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...professionals, CPAs perform an essential role in society. They are responsible to all those who use their professional services. They also have a continuing responsibility to improve the art of accounting, maintain the public’s confidence, and carry out the profession’s special responsibilities for self-governance. However, the role of a CPA in helping businesses come up with a good and effective decision-making is said to be one of the important responsibilities of a CPA. The many traditional roles of a CPA in assisting businesses take on even greater importance in a volatile economic environment. CPAs are relied upon so much because of not only their keen analytical and decision-making skills but also their objectivity, integrity and dedication to service. Many CPAs provide services well beyond accounting, auditing and reporting. The consumer often expects a CPA to be proficient at many specializations, even those just indirectly related to the traditional role of an accountant. The CPA's role has been quickly expanding, and one leading CPA proposed that the term CPA more appropriately stand for Certified Professional Advisor. (www.picpa.org) A CPA is much more than its definition of Certified Public Accountant. The term certified refers to the licensing to carry on business as a CPA and meeting the standards as promulgated by the American Institute of CPAs and the various state societies. The term public accountant refers to the role as an accountant, who handles...
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...professionals, CPAs perform an essential role in society. They are responsible to all those who use their professional services. They also have a continuing responsibility to improve the art of accounting, maintain the public’s confidence, and carry out the profession’s special responsibilities for self-governance. However, the role of a CPA in helping businesses come up with a good and effective decision-making is said to be one of the important responsibilities of a CPA. The many traditional roles of a CPA in assisting businesses take on even greater importance in a volatile economic environment. CPAs are relied upon so much because of not only their keen analytical and decision-making skills but also their objectivity, integrity and dedication to service. Many CPAs provide services well beyond accounting, auditing and reporting. The consumer often expects a CPA to be proficient at many specializations, even those just indirectly related to the traditional role of an accountant. The CPA's role has been quickly expanding, and one leading CPA proposed that the term CPA more appropriately stand for Certified Professional Advisor. (www.picpa.org) A CPA is much more than its definition of Certified Public Accountant. The term certified refers to the licensing to carry on business as a CPA and meeting the standards as promulgated by the American Institute of CPAs and the various state societies. The term public accountant refers to the role as an accountant, who handles...
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...Student ID: 082168461 The impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Corporate Governance and US Companies An examination to determine the impact of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, the costs and benefits of its implementation and how it has affected Corporate Governance and US Companies. Table Of Contents 1. Abstract...................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Methodology................................................................................................ 4 1.3. Limitations .................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Analysis and conclusion .............................................................................. 5 1.5 Further research ........................................................................................... 6 2. Literature Review: An Overview of Corporate Governance ..................................... 6 2.1 United Kingdom ........................................................................................ 14 2.2 Self-regulation prior to SOX ..................................................................... 18 3. Literature Review: The SOX Act ................................................................ 19 3.1 Enron, the trigger to SOX? ....................................
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...sweeping reforms required that a company strengthen auditor independence; have its chief executives sign off on the financial statements; obtain an opinion about its internal control systems; and have an internal audit function that is examined by external auditors” (Grumet, 2007). Part A Audit Committees The Sarbanes-Oxley Act affects audit committees of public company boards of directors. The committee of the board of directors is directly responsible for the public company financial statements, in addition to the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of any registered public accounting firm employed by that issuer. In the case of misunderstanding between management team and the auditor’s regarding financial reporting, it is the audit committee’s responsibility to get everyone involved on the same page. In addition, the audit committees need to monitor all financial information communicated to the public to ensure that investors are not receiving misleading information. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that the audit committee meet separately in private with the management team, internal and external auditors to verify their financial reporting. The audit committee responsible for selecting and replacing auditors and pre-approving audit and non-audit fees services also...
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...Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Utara Malaysia fhanim@uum.edu.my Abstract: This study aims to provide a concise view of the background of Saudi Arabia‟s legal system, important regulations and monitoring policies related to the corporate governance followed by the Saudi government to enhance the attractiveness of the business environment. In so doing, this study attempted to provide an overview on corporate governance in the emerging markets and more specifically in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, this study has shed lights on the main monitoring devices which play a significant role in regulating and developing the Saudi business environment. The focus was on some corporate governance mechanisms that might affect firm performance including board composition (BODCOM), CEO duality (DUAL), board size (BSIZE), audit committee independence (ACIND), audit committee activities (ACMEET) and audit committee size (ACSIZE). Keywords: Corporate governance, firm performance, emerging countries, Saudi Arabia. 1 British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences ISSN: 2046-9578, 1. Introduction The topic of corporate governance is assuming growing importance in emerging economies at the same time that financial scandals in the U.S. and other countries (Enron, Arthur Anderson, WorldCom, and Adelphia) have resulted in demands for improved corporate governance practices in developed economies...
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...Course Schedule Course Modules Review and Practice Exam Preparation Module 1: Conceptual issues in assurance Overview This module builds on the fundamental concepts of auditing and other assurance services introduced in your prerequisite auditing course. It begins with an overview of the key drivers in the demand for audits, and then surveys current challenges and issues such as the audit and regulatory environment and the expectation gap. You will also study issues related to the economics of auditing and their impact on auditor motivation and standard-setting; in the process, you will consider different perspectives on protecting the public interest and the public accountant’s role in helping to advance the profession. The various topics integrate information sources related to research in the field and readings from the Ethics Readings Handbook (ERH) , drawing on concepts from your prerequisite accounting theory course. In AU2 , you will study a wide variety of technical, practical, and theoretical material. This module lays the foundation for exploring some of the more difficult areas of professional judgment you will encounter as you progress through the course. When faced with issues that challenge your professional judgment, you are encouraged to think back to the concepts studied in this module to help frame your decision making. Please be sure that you have purchased the CPA Canada Handbook, CGA Student Edition mentioned in the course introduction, as it is required...
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...an effective fraud management program that also covers the organization response to the whistleblower in the company. It is clear that corporate have major responsibility in their response of complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting control or audit matters where they have to establish audit procedure for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints. Moreover, the organization has to build appropriate structure of line of reporting for the internal audit to support the effective fraud management program. The report discuss in deep on the Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002 in relation with bursa listing requirement. Furthermore, the whistleblowing also become the main issues on this report. The thorough discussion about what whistleblowing is and the key characteristics to support good whistleblower hotline also is conferred. REPORT Summary and compare the requirements of section 301.4 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002 and compare those requirement with those as required by Bursa Listing Requirement 2013. Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002 section 301 stated the corporate responsibility. It is following the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78f) section 10A that have been amended by adding standards relating to audit committees clause that contain of 6 sub sections. Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002 section 301.4 about complaints...
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...Course Schedule Course Modules Review and Practice Exam Preparation Resources Module 1: Conceptual issues in assurance Overview This module builds on the fundamental concepts of auditing and other assurance services introduced in your prerequisite auditing course. It begins with an overview of the key drivers in the demand for audits, and then surveys current challenges and issues such as the audit and regulatory environment and the expectation gap. You will also study issues related to the economics of auditing and their impact on auditor motivation and standard-setting; in the process, you will consider different perspectives on protecting the public interest and the public accountant’s role in helping to advance the profession. The various topics integrate information sources related to research in the field and readings from the Ethics Readings Handbook (ERH) , drawing on concepts from your prerequisite accounting theory course. In AU2 , you will study a wide variety of technical, practical, and theoretical material. This module lays the foundation for exploring some of the more difficult areas of professional judgment you will encounter as you progress through the course. When faced with issues that challenge your professional judgment, you are encouraged to think back to the concepts studied in this module to help frame your decision making. Please be sure that you have purchased the CPA Canada Handbook, CGA Student Edition mentioned in the course introduction...
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