Date of Defense
Fall 11-29-2004
Department
Accountancy
First Advisor
Jerry Kreuze, Accountancy
Second Advisor
Sheldon Langsam, Accountancy
Third Advisor
Chad Kerr
Keywords
whistleblowers, criminal penalties, securities analyst
Abstract
Over the past few years, numerous corporate accounting scandals have ensued, which have caused investors to doubt the integrity of public companies and their auditors. Lawmakers reacted to the scandals by passing The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Sarbanes-Oxley created the Public Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), overhauled the relationship between companies and their auditors to ensure auditor independence, and increased management's responsibility for internal controls and financial information. The Act strictly regulates public companies and their auditors so that accountants are no longer able to easily "move a few decimal points around." This paper provides a brief overview of the accounting scandals of the early twenty-first century, summarizes briefly the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, discusses the results of a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey that gauges the sentiments of senior executives toward the Act, and provides an analysis of how the Act impacts the accounting profession.
Recommended Citation
Courtade, Laura J., "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Effects on the Accounting Industry" (2004). Honors Theses. 23.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/23
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only