Skip to main content

Sarbanes - Oxley Act , 2002


The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is a federal law that established sweeping auditing and financial regulations for public companies.

Lawmakers created the legislation to help protect shareholders, employees and the public from accounting errors and fraudulent financial practices. Auditors, accountants and corporate officers became accountable for the new set of rules. These rules were amendments and additions to several laws enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The SEC enforces the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The main areas that the Act is focused on are:

  • Increasing criminal punishment

  • Accounting regulation

  • New protections

  • Corporate responsibility

The Act primarily sought to regulate financial reporting, internal audits and other business practices at publicly traded companies. However, some provisions apply to all enterprises, including private companies and nonprofit organizations.

Additionally, the Act established penalties for noncompliance with its provisions. Compliance with the Act is about financial disclosure and corporate governance.


Major provisions and further----  


https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/sarbanes-oxley-act/








Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Difference between Vouching , Verification and Valuation

  Difference between Vouching , Verification and Valuation  Vouching Verification Valuation Meaning Vouching is a process of comparing the entries in the books of accounts with the bonafide vouchers Verification is a process which proves the existence, ownership and title to the assets Valuation is a process which certifies the correct value of the assets and liabilities at the date of balance sheet. Subject Matter Vouching is made of the entries recorded in the books of original entry and their posting in the ledger Verification on the other hand is made of assets and liabilities appearing in the balance sheet at the end of the year Valuation is also made of assets and liabilities appearing in the balance sheet at the end of the year By whom Vouching is done by the senior auditor and audit clerks. Verification on the other hand is done by the auditor himself or his associates Verification on the other hand is done by the auditor himself or his associates When Vouching is done...

Financial statements & analysis

  Financial statements & analysis Financial statements are written records that convey the business activities and the financial performance of a company.  The financial statements are used by investors, market analysts, and creditors to evaluate a company's financial health and earnings potential. The three major financial statement reports are the  Balance sheet Income statement Cash flow statement Financial statements are often audited by government agencies, accountants, firms, etc. to ensure accuracy and for tax, financing, or investing purposes. Sources of financial information To effectively evaluate the financial performance of the business requires financial information from three sources: a balance sheet, an income statement and a cash flow statement.  Balance Sheet   A balance sheet is a statement of assets, liabilities, and capital of a business or an organization at a particular point in time, detailing the balance of income and expenditure ov...

Basic Principles Governing an Audit

  SA- 200 describes the nine basic principles that govern the procedure of auditing. It lists out the roles and responsibilities of the auditor and his general code of conduct during an audit.  1] Integrity, Independence and Objectivity The auditor has to be honest while auditing, he cannot be favoring the organization. He must remain objective throughout the whole process, his integrity must not allow any malpractice.  Another important principle is independence. So the auditor cannot have any interest in the organization he is auditing, which allows him to be independent and impartial at all times. 2] Confidentiality The auditor has access to a lot of sensitive financial information of the organization. It is important that he respect the confidential nature of such information and documents. He cannot disclose any sensitive information to any third party unless it is a requirement by law. And he must also be very careful with documents, certificates etc. that the organ...