This handy reference booklet contains the text of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, along with analysis and guidance from leading corporate and securities practitioners. The expert commentary provides: an overview of the Act's requirements; discussion on how the Act affects corporate officers and directors; and advice on how to implement the new certification requirements.

The collapse of Enron, WorldCom, and other large corporations in 2001 and 2002 motivated Congress to pass the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). The purpose of this legislation was to restore investor confidence in the United States stock markets, and to prevent and detect fraud in financial statements as well. This dissertation examines the effectiveness of SOX for the latter purpose of preventing and detecting fraud, using statistical enforcement data presented by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and financial statement restatement numbers published by the Huron Corporation. The two methodologies utilized to analyze the data were the unpaired t test and the chi square test. Surveys were also emailed to executives and certified public accountants across the country to extract opinions as to the effectiveness of SOX. The statistical analysis results displayed that in 61% to 65% of the data sets, the numbers prior to the enactment of SOX were no different than the numbers subsequent to the enactment of SOX. The majority of the survey respondents feel that the benefits of SOX are not worth the costs, it is not effective in the prevention and detection of fraud in financial statements, and that it should be modified, but not eliminated entirely. While some sentiment exists that SOX is salvageable if revisions are executed, both the quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate support of the null hypothesis, that SOX is not effective in the prevention and detection of fraud in financial statements.

Newly revised in 2011. Contains the auditing standards promulgated by the Comptroller General of the United States. Known as the Yellow Book. Includes the professional standards and guidance, commonly referred to as generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), which provide a framework for conducting high quality government audits and attestation engagements with competence, integrity, objectivity, and independence. These standards are for use by auditors of government entities and entities that receive government awards and audit organizations performing GAGAS audits and attestation engagements.

"Abortion. Ukraine. Voting rights. Climate change. These are just a few of the issues that Fortune 500 CEOs addressed publicly in the past twelve months. Speaking Out: The New Rules of Business Leadership Communication defines the changing landscape of CEO communication at a time when corporate leaders are expected to navigate an increasing range of complex political and social issues. Skeptics have already dubbed this change the victory of "woke" politics over the corporate sector. Others warn CEOs about the "talking trap" of speaking out on every issue du jour. But these critiques overlook the need for corporate leaders to manage political and social risks. Chief executives whose only strategy is to avoid risk by saying nothing do so at their peril. The ultimate question is not just what leaders say, but what they do. Speaking Out provides case studies of leaders who have spoken out and backed words with action, as well as others who have had mixed records on accountability, failed to show progress on public commitments, or faced consequences for taking a stance. Speaking Out offers a new lens for understanding the difference between PR efforts that can be easily dismissed as spin and authentic communication that enhances credibility and trust"--

Audits provide essential accountability and transparency over government programs. Given the current challenges facing governments and their programs, the oversight provided through auditing is more critical than ever. Government auditing provides the objective analysis and information needed to make the decisions necessary to help create a better future. The professional standards presented in this 2018 revision of Government Auditing Standards (known as the Yellow Book) provide a framework for performing high-quality audit work with competence, integrity, objectivity, and independence to provide accountability and to help improve government operations and services. These standards, commonly referred to as generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), provide the foundation for government auditors to lead by example in the areas of independence, transparency, accountability, and quality through the audit process. This revision contains major changes from, and supersedes, the 2011 revision.