Guide to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act: What Business Needs to Know Now That it is Implemented

Book Description

Enron was once the seventh largest company on the Fortune 500, but after the greatest business scandal of a generation and one of the biggest of the last century, Enron took bankruptcy and essentially blinked out of existence following a wave of revelations of accounting regularities and securities fraud. Headlines soon linked Global Crossing, Tyco, WorldCom, Adelphia, HealthSouth and other companies to similar frauds, prompting Congress in June 2002 to pass the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), the most significant securities law changes since passage of the original federal securities laws in 1933 and 1934. Sarbanes-Oxley could ultimately prove to be one of America's most significant economic regulations. This short guide explains the ins-and-outs of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Students will be able to understand this major legislative change effecting CEOs, CFOs, and other financially responsible officers.

Customer Reviews:

"Cliff Notes" for SOX Act.......2007-06-15

Good overview of SOX Act. Provides a basis for non-financial types or students trying to get a basic understanding. Anyone with more direct responsibility should read the act itself.

Average customer rating:

Basic Info
Good, to the point, technical overview - A must read for any manager
Disappointing
Finance Manager
Insightful !

What is Sarbanes-Oxley?
Guy Lander
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Securities | Business | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Sarbanes-Oxley For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))
Manager's Guide to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Improving Internal Controls to Prevent Fraud
The Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 Implementation Toolkit : Practice Aids for Managers and Auditors
How to Comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404: Assessing the Effectiveness of Internal Control
Sarbanes-Oxley Guide for Finance and Information Technology Professionals

ASIN: 0071437967

Book Description

Everything corporate employees must know to understand--and comply with--the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

No law in recent memory has caused more confusion and apprehension in corporate America than the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOA). What Is Sarbanes-Oxley? is a concise, comprehensive overview of the act, filled with plain-English explanations of the vital details employees at every level must know and understand to help their firms achieve and maintain SOA compliance.

Summarizing the text of the law for ease of understanding and reference, this vital addition to McGraw-Hill's What Is . . . ? series provides readers with:

Guidelines for ensuring that a company's policies, procedures, systems, and controls are SOA compliant
Management certification responsibilities and noncompliance penaltiesunder hot-button Sections 302, 404, and 906
Techniques for modifying existing control systems and programs to meet new SOA specifications

Download Description

"Everything corporate employees must know to understand--and comply with--the Sarbanes-Oxley Act No law in recent memory has caused more confusion and apprehension in corporate America than the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOA). What Is Sarbanes-Oxley? is a concise, comprehensive overview of the act, filled with plain-English explanations of the vital details employees at every level must know and understand to help their firms achieve and maintain SOA compliance. Summarizing the text of the law for ease of understanding and reference, this vital addition to McGraw-Hill's What Is . . . ? series provides readers with: Guidelines for ensuring that a company's policies, procedures, systems, and controls are SOA compliant Management certification responsibilities and noncompliance penaltiesunder hot-button Sections 302, 404, and 906 Techniques for modifying existing control systems and programs to meet new SOA specifications "

Customer Reviews:

Basic Info.......2007-03-10

Book gave basic info on SOX. Not most interesting subject or book.

Good, to the point, technical overview - A must read for any manager.......2006-07-13

I am trying to educate myself on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and bought this, and another book by Scott Green to get started. "What is Sarbanes-Oxley", is an excellent starting place. At just over 100 pages, the book gives an overview of the sections of the Act (404, 302, etc.) one needs to know in order to navigate through the terms, terminology and subtleties of the Act.

It provides a good framework for parsing out specific provisions, and how they apply in a broad sense to organizations. Aside from the good accounting practices and control environment and attestation discussions, sections on corporate governance and board and committee composition is clear and concise.

Its a very good primer for anyone wanting to educate themself on the most important piece of legislation affecting corporate America to come down the pike in decades.

For the non-technical manager, who is, or will be (or should be) impacted by SOX, or to improve your own skills, I recommend this as a starting point on your road to enlightenment. Its every manager's responsibility to abide by the rules and protect your organization, and the 10 or so hours it will take you to read and understand this basic framework will put you on the right road and make you more valuable to your organization in the long run.

Its a critical piece of literature for any manager interested in educating and promoting their own knowledge base to further their careers, or, at the very least, remain current and protect what you'l achieved.

As a side note, SOX does not apply to non-publicly traded companies and 501C type organizations. READ THIS BOOK ANYWAY! There is always room for improvement in the internal control environment and for good corporate governance, and you can either lead or be dragged along with changes. Its only a matter or time before some scandal somewhere is going to break, and provisions of the Act will be expanded to more and more types of companies.

Disappointing.......2005-08-17

I needed to know more about Sarbanes-Oxley for work and ordered this book. While I was waiting for it to arrive, I went onto the Internet and downloaded some information, including the text of the legislation itself.

I read through the legislation. I'm not an attorney, and I wasn't motivated to cross reference the other laws/acts mentioned. In other words I just read the legislation as is, with no legal background.

When this book arrived, I expected it would provide information and/or interpretations that I was not able to get directly from reading the legislation and other free materials.

In truth, I found there was very little, if anything that I hadn't gathered directly from my other sources. If you are trying to learn what Sarbanes-Oxley is about and choose not to use the available information, this book does describe the basics.

I would not recommend it, because it does not significant add to, or simplify the information readily available for free.

Finance Manager.......2005-07-28

This book provided a brief overview and was short on application which I required. Perhaps the books intent did not comply with my needs. However,"Manager's Guide to Sarbanes Oxley Act" proved valuable and aided in presentation to our managers group for the need for internal controls.

Insightful !.......2005-02-24

This dry-as-bones handbook gives essential overview information about the numerous, varied requirements of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOA). Reading it is much easier than reading the Act itself, mainly because the book is much shorter. Author Guy P. Lander probably comes as close as possible for a practicing securities law attorney to writing in plain English. That does not mean that this book will appeal to the general reader. We believe it will see its best service as a handy reference on the bookshelves of executives responsible for discussing their firms' SOA compliance efforts with their attorneys, auditors and peers.

The Business Guide to Legal Literacy: What Every Manager Should Know About the Law

Average customer rating:

The Business Guide to Legal Literacy: What Every Manager Should Know About the Law

The Business Guide to Legal Literacy: What Every Manager Should Know About the Law
Hanna Hasl-Kelchner
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Business Law | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Legal Guides | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Intellectual Property | Law | Subjects | Books

Business | English Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Law | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Father Factor: How Your Father's Legacy Impacts Your Career
Never Bet the Farm: How Entrepreneurs Take Risks, Make Decisionsand How You Can, Too
Management by Baseball: The Official Rules for Winning Management in Any Field
Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths And Total Nonsense: Profiting From Evidence-Based Management
The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor--and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!

ASIN: 0787982555

Book Description

The Business Guide to Legal Literacy bridges the gap between law and business by translating legalese into language that makes business sense and offers a new way to think about the law¾as a useful business tool. The book is filled with dozens of real-life examples that illustrate a step-by-step process for avoiding lawsuits and transforming potential business legal problems that threaten growth and profitability into opportunities for

· Building stronger business relationships

· Delivering sustainable shareholder value

· Improving competitive advantage

· Embedding compliance into the corporate culture to achieve organizational excellence

This much-needed resource makes the connection between law, business, decision-making psychology, quality management, organizational change, and leadership and shows how these disciplines influence the company’s legal risk profile. It tackles legal literacy on both the employee and organizational levels and identifies the infrastructure needed to support legal literacy and promote effective communications throughout the organization.

Customer Reviews:

The Business Guide to Legal Literacy: What Every Manager Should Know About the Law.......2006-08-14

This book provides a refreshing perspective of the legal pitfalls that face business managers, sales personnel or anyone within an organization who maintains contact with their customers. The discussion of smoking guns gives clear and concise examples of what not to say or write and provides a means to develop competent communication both with the customer and internal to the company without the "litigation lighning rods" that can happen in our fast-paced business world. This is a must read for business majors entering the workplace, as well as all sales and business managers. The writer has a sense of humor which keeps you turning the page.

MP Principles of Auditing w/ Internal Control/What is Sarbanes Oxley/PW

Average customer rating:

MP Principles of Auditing

MP Principles of Auditing w/ Internal Control/What is Sarbanes Oxley/PW
Ray Whittington , and Kurt Pany
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0073107980

Customer Reviews:

MP Principles of Auditing .......2005-08-10

The product was as described and delivery was within timeframe selected.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Debacle: What We've Learned; How to Fix It (Aei Liability Studies)

Average customer rating:

Good Illustration of a Particular Viewpoint
Especially recommended reading for policymakers and professionals in the field of corporate business law.
A terrific evaluation of regulations that affect the value of your investments more than you know

The Sarbanes-Oxley Debacle: What We've Learned; How to Fix It (Aei Liability Studies)
Henry N. Butler
Manufacturer: AEI Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Business Law | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Corporate Law | Business | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Legal History | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

What is Sarbanes-Oxley?
Manager's Guide to Compliance: Sarbanes-Oxley, COSO, ERM, COBIT, IFRS, BASEL II, OMB's A-123, ASX 10, OECD Principles, Turnbull Guidance, Best Practices, and Case Studies (Manager's Guide Series)
Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge
Sarbanes-Oxley For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))
Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron

ASIN: 0844771945

Book Description

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) is a colossal failure, poorly conceived and hastily enacted during a regulatory panic. SOX should be repealed, but failing that, there is some hope that a recent lawsuit could provide the leverage to enact some major changes. The Sarbanes-Oxley Debacle seeks to salvage some lessons from the ruins of SOX.

Customer Reviews:

Good Illustration of a Particular Viewpoint.......2007-03-15

If your against Sarbanes-Oxley, or trying to learn more why people don't like it as I was, this will be a useful text. The authors find very little to like about the law and much to criticize. I personally think the authors are a little too critical of the law and tend to blow things out of porportion, but that's their viewpoint.

Especially recommended reading for policymakers and professionals in the field of corporate business law........2006-11-05

Written by economics professor Henry N. Butler and law professor Larry E. Ribstein, The Sarbanes-Oxley Debacle: What We've Learned, How to Fix It is a sharp-tongued denouncing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or SOX. SOX was a legal measure created in response to the misconduct of the Enron Corporation, with the intent of protecting investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures. Yet the strict new rules affecting financial practices and corporate governance regulation that comprise SOX cause a heavy direct and indirect cost - one so great, according to The Sarbanes-Oxley Debacle, that it harms the very investors it was supposed to protect as surely as the companies themselves. By creating opportunities for excessive litigation, increasing risk aversion by managers, and distracting executives' attention from maximizing shareholder value, among other flaws, SOX's disadvantages far outweigh its advantages according to the authors - who have come up with a far more viable plan to repeal or legally challenge SOX and address the issues SOX was meant to handle in a more effective manner. Especially recommended reading for policymakers and professionals in the field of corporate business law.

A terrific evaluation of regulations that affect the value of your investments more than you know.......2006-08-11

You can tell from the use of the debacle in the title that the authors evaluate the business effects of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) regulations negatively. Their arguments are interesting and convincing. One of the great things about our system of government is that we can revisit excesses of the past and fix them over time. Butler and Ribstein take us through the climate that led to the enactment of this set of regulation and that was an over reaction to some large business failures.

The collapse of the Internet Bubble led many to believe that the failures by fraud of Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Adelphia and others were examples of the entire business community. We now know, as many knew then, that these were indeed exceptions. Criminal and causing injury to many, yes, but exceptions nonetheless.

The authors make an argument that businesses and the investment community would have corrected the problems that led to the fraud on their own. Maybe. I think it likely that investors would have demanded that the things the fraudsters used to hide their bad deeds be done away with or without this regulation.

I think the authors are quite compelling in demonstrating the excessive cost of SOX, especially for small businesses. This has distorting effects for the market because it prevents some companies from going public in order to avoid these costs. While the costs of these regulations to large companies may only be cents per $1,000 in sales (not insignificant, by the way), the costs for small companies can be several dollars per $1,000 in sales. Such costs can be crippling to the growth of a small firm. The issues surrounding SOX and foreign companies deciding to list in our markets or not because of these costs is also significant.

The issues around outside directors and the legal liability put on CEOs are also quite significant. It sure sounds good to the public, but it can lead to a too conservative approach to business. Why take risk when it can lead to personal ruin? Yet, businesses exist to take risk. Establishing boards and hiring executives that are reticent to act can be costly for us all. Remember, it was fraud that caused the high profile failures, not risk taking in legitimate business ventures.

Yet, the legal liability is a time bomb waiting to happen. All businesses face times when things don't work out as hoped. Under SOX firms face an increased likelihood of being sued by shareholders who are unhappy with the performance of their investment. The authors also show us the difference in tort suits today against a century ago. Before it was neighbors suing each other being evaluated by a local jury. Today, it is too often a local complainant with a local jury feeling entitled to tap the supposed deep pockets of the out of state corporation. Hence, another reason for reform of not only SOX, but of tort law.

This is not a long book, but it is certainly informative. I recommend it for all business students who need to get up to date on their financial accounting, all business people for whom this is even remotely relevant, and any interested investor.

Auditing & Assurance Services w/Dynamic Accounting PowerWeb & What is Sarbanes-Oxley?

Average customer rating:

Auditing & Assurance Services w/Dynamic Accounting PowerWeb & What is Sarbanes-Oxley?
William F Messier
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0072980982

Book Description

The third edition of Messier employs the new audit approaches currently being used by auditing professionals, and soon to be adopted by the Auditing Standards Board. This approach places emphasis on understanding the entity (i.e., the organization or business being audited) and its environment (i.e. industry), and then assessing the business risks faced by the entity and how management controls those risks. This new audit process focuses on business processes instead of accounting cycles. This unique and innovative approach has been developed in response to changing market dynamics. The systematic approach, referred to in the subtitle of the text, reflects the early introduction of three basic concepts that underlie the audit process: materiality, audit risk, and evidence; this allows Messier to build upon this model in subsequent chapters. These are central to everything an auditor does and a unique feature of Messier. As such, this approach facilitates student development of auditor judgment, a vital skill in today’s auditing environment.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: Law and Explanation

Average customer rating:

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: Law and Explanation

Manufacturer: CCH Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0808008404

Has a dangerous shoe just dropped? What the 'Emerging Communications' case may mean for board members with specialized knowledge.(LEGAL BRIEF): An article from: Directors & Boards

Average customer rating:

Has a dangerous shoe just dropped? What the 'Emerging Communications' case may mean for board members with specialized knowledge.(LEGAL BRIEF): An article from: Directors & Boards
Doug Raymond
Manufacturer: Directors and Boards
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Directors & Boards, published by Directors and Boards on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 793 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Has a dangerous shoe just dropped? What the 'Emerging Communications' case may mean for board members with specialized knowledge.(LEGAL BRIEF)
Author: Doug Raymond
Publication: Directors & Boards (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: Directors and Boards
Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Page: 13(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The must-have record: board meeting minutes; It is more imperative than ever that what happens behind the closed doors of board meetings be preserved to ... An article from: Directors & Boards

Average customer rating:

The must-have record: board meeting minutes; It is more imperative than ever that what happens behind the closed doors of board meetings be preserved to ... An article from: Directors & Boards
Roscoe C., Jr. Howard , Mark E. Nagle , and Christopher M. Loveland
Manufacturer: Directors and Boards
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Directors & Boards, published by Directors and Boards on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1568 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The must-have record: board meeting minutes; It is more imperative than ever that what happens behind the closed doors of board meetings be preserved to answer any claim of irregularity.(BOARD PRACTICES)
Author: Roscoe C., Jr. Howard
Publication: Directors & Boards (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: Directors and Boards
Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Page: 52(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Webcast Series 2 (Webcast 5) Internal Audit Support of Audit Committees: What Works Best

Average customer rating:

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Webcast Series 2 (Webcast 5) Internal Audit Support of Audit Committees: What Works Best
The Institute of Internal Auditors
Manufacturer: The Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: 089413518X

Book Description

Series II Goals:

-Examine emerging trends and best practices relating to internal auditing in implementing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
-Discuss what other organizations are currently doing.
-Discuss best implementation practices.
-Preview legislation and requirements to come.
-Provide guidance for practitioners.
-Examine internal auditing's role and responsibilities.
-Facilitate benchmarking among internal auditors.
-Explore risks and opportunities.

Objectives of Webcast II-5:

-Learn how Internal Audit can support its Audit Committee
-Gain insight on what information to provide your Audit Committee
-Identify the education and knowledge your Audit Committee needs

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books