Is SOX 404(a) Management Internal Control Reporting an Effective Alternative to SOX 404(b) Internal Control Audits?

Is SOX 404(a) Management Internal Control Reporting an Effective Alternative to SOX 404(b) Internal Control Audits? PDF Author: Yangyang Fan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX 2002) continues to be controversial. Using samples of SEC registrants with market capitalizations less than $150 million we find that, non-accelerated filers have significantly larger reduction in the likelihood of material misstatements, discretionary revenues and discretionary accruals compared to smaller accelerated filers after non-accelerated filers became subject to the requirements of Section 404(a). Our findings are consistent with the argument that management reporting on internal controls (Section 404 (a)) may be a cost effective alternative to internal control audits (Section 404(b)) for smaller U.S. public companies.

Do Control Effectiveness Disclosures Require SOX 404(b) Internal Control Audits? A Natural Experiment with Small U.S. Public Companies

Do Control Effectiveness Disclosures Require SOX 404(b) Internal Control Audits? A Natural Experiment with Small U.S. Public Companies PDF Author: Kinney, Jr. (William R.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 53

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Book Description
We use incremental and joint implementation of multiple SOX-based control effectiveness disclosure and audit mandates to assess relative performance of alternatives for small U.S. public companies. Using data from several low and high effort management disclosure and audit regimes implemented from 2003-2008, we find substantial and statistically significant increases in material weakness disclosure rates for small firms undergoing initial SOX 404(b) internal control audits, but find quantitatively and statistically similar increases for initial management reports of small firms exempt from such audits. As to audit cost, fees more than double for initial 404(b) audits in 2004 and remain high, while 404(b)-exempt firms' fees grow about ten percent annually. Our results support the view that, for small firms, management internal control reports and traditional financial audits may be a cost effective disclosure alternative to full application of SOX 404(b). Also, our results suggest that, even without management reports on internal control, analysis of the cause of known accounting mistakes may yield substantial material weakness disclosures.

SOX 404 for Small, Publicly Held Companies 2009

SOX 404 for Small, Publicly Held Companies 2009 PDF Author: Robert J. Sonnelitter
Publisher: CCH
ISBN: 9780808091981
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
SOX 404 for Small, Publicly Held Companies is a guide to assist the management of small, publicly held companies in complying with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This reference helps management with assessing the effectiveness of its company's internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting. In making the required internal control assessment, management may identify situations where internal controls can be improved in a cost-effective manner; this book will help management bring about these improvements.

How to Comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404

How to Comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 PDF Author: Michael J. Ramos
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471656879
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Designed specifically for Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance, How to Comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 features: A step-by-step approach to engagement performance Original material from a leading expert in auditing and accounting Practice aids, including forms, checklists, illustrations, diagrams, and tables In-depth explanations to help professionals understand how best to approach the internal control engagement Examples and action plans providing blueprints for implementing requirements of the Act Order your copy today!

OMB Circular A-123 and Sarbanes-Oxley

OMB Circular A-123 and Sarbanes-Oxley PDF Author: Cornelius E. Tierney
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470036893
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
How is A-123 different from Section 404 of the SOX Act? What is required of federal agencies with the revision of A-123? The definitive guide for federal compliance with OMB Circular A-123 and SOX Section 404, OMB Circular A-123 and Sarbanes-Oxley: Management's Responsibility for Internal Control in Federal Agencies leads readers through every step of the planning, evaluation, testing, and reporting/collecting of processes associated with OMB Circular A-123 and SOX Section 404 compliance, including: * Internal control criteria * Internal control assessment: project planning * Identifying significant control objectives * Documentation of significant controls * Testing and evaluating entity-level controls and activity-level controls The result of numerous consultations over many years with accountants, auditors, financial managers, and systems consultants specializing in the financial management issues of the federal government, this hands-on guide quickly brings you up to speed on the latest revisions and rules in federal financial internal control requirements.

Complying with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404

Complying with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 PDF Author: Lynford Graham
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470603992
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
A step-by-step approach for planning and performing an assessment of internal controls Filled with specific guidance for small-business compliance to SEC and PCAOB requirements relating to Sarbanes-Oxley 404, Complying with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404: A Guide for Small Publicly Held Companies provides you with specific guidance on working with auditors to achieve benefits and cost reductions. This practical guide helps you knowledgeably interpret and conform to Sarbanes-Oxley 404 compliance and features: Clear, jargon-free coverage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and how it affects you Links to current guidance online Specific guidance to companies on how to work with auditors to achieve benefits and cost reductions Coverage of IT and IT general controls Examples and action plans providing blueprints for implementing requirements of the act Easy-to-understand coverage of the requirements of the SEC and PCAOB Discussion of the requirements for assessing internal control effectiveness A look at how the new guidance will reduce your costs In-depth explanations to help professionals understand how best to approach the internal control engagement Practice aids, including forms, checklists, illustrations, diagrams, and tables Continuing to evolve and bring about business and cultural change, this area of auditing and corporate governance is demystified in Complying with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404: A Guide for Small Publicly Held Companies, your must-have, must-own guide to SOX 404 implementation and an effective tool and reference guide for every corporate manager.

Some Observations about SOX 404(b) Control Process Audits

Some Observations about SOX 404(b) Control Process Audits PDF Author: Kinney, Jr. (William R.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 26

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Book Description
In the decade since the July, 2002 passage of the quickly-legislated Sarbanes-Oxley Act, audit production in the U.S. has been substantially augmented by implementation of mandated internal control process audits. Audit production changes are important as the control audit mandate is unique and imposes substantial costs on U.S.-traded firms, yet little is known about the conduct of control process audits or the efficacy of substantially lower cost alternative mechanisms to provide auditor scrutiny and reporting on internal control quality. This paper reflects our collective experiences and observation of a consistent message across the decade from analyses of extensive public and limited non-public archival data, analytical studies, and numerous personal experiences of audit practitioners. Our primary observation is that, absent knowledge of any financial misstatements, auditors find it difficult to identify material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting. Conversely, with knowledge of misstatements, auditors can and do identify, at low incremental cost, most entities that have ineffective internal controls as identified by control audits. Financial misstatement detection is, of course, the primary tangible output of a financial statement audit. Thus, it appears possible to exploit this observation to obtain for investors information about companies with weak controls without incurring the cost of a full internal control process audit. We believe that U.S. markets could benefit from more transparency about the current U.S. audit production process and from informed debate about the best mechanism design for balancing the needs of all parties interested in internal control quality disclosure.

The Cambridge Handbook of Compliance

The Cambridge Handbook of Compliance PDF Author: Benjamin van Rooij
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108754139
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 1559

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Book Description
Compliance has become key to our contemporary markets, societies, and modes of governance across a variety of public and private domains. While this has stimulated a rich body of empirical and practical expertise on compliance, thus far, there has been no comprehensive understanding of what compliance is or how it influences various fields and sectors. The academic knowledge of compliance has remained siloed along different disciplinary domains, regulatory and legal spheres, and mechanisms and interventions. This handbook bridges these divides to provide the first one-stop overview of what compliance is, how we can best study it, and the core mechanisms that shape it. Written by leading experts, chapters offer perspectives from across law, regulatory studies, management science, criminology, economics, sociology, and psychology. This volume is the definitive and comprehensive account of compliance.

Sox 404 for Small, Publicly Held Companies 2011

Sox 404 for Small, Publicly Held Companies 2011 PDF Author: Sridhar Ramamoorti
Publisher: CCH Incorporated
ISBN: 9780808024040
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 600

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Book Description
SOX 404 for Small, Publicly Held Companies provides all the information that management needs to assess the effectiveness of a company¿s internal control over financial reporting and its disclosure controls. Written for small and very small companies, SOX 404 focuses on the SEC¿s rules for assessing internal control and the PCAOB¿s requirements for independent auditors. Numerous checklists and workpapers for small and very small companies make research and reporting quick and cost-effective; electronic versions are included on the companion CD-ROM. With the upcoming requirement for all public companies to comply with SOX sections 404(a) and 404(b) [SOX 404(b) refers to the requirement for auditor attestation of management¿s assessment of internal controls over financial reporting] beginning with periods on or after June 15, 2010, this CCH Guide could prove extremely informative and valuable for your compliance efforts.

Have the Effects of SOX Section 404(b) Compliance Changed Over Time?

Have the Effects of SOX Section 404(b) Compliance Changed Over Time? PDF Author: Jennifer McCallen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 55

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Book Description
We use regression discontinuity design to evaluate the effects of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) on audit costs and financial reporting and how these effects have changed over time. While audit fee premiums associated with 404(b) compliance were substantial in the initial years of compliance, we find that the premiums declined until 2010 before reversing and returning to early SOX levels by 2015. We also find that the likelihood that a company selects a Big 4 auditor is greater for 404(b) compliers and that this drives a portion of the audit fee premium. Although we find some evidence that compliance results in more effective internal controls, this effect is confined to the initial years following the extension of management internal control reporting to non-accelerated filers. We find no evidence that the audit of internal controls over financial reporting yields more informative internal control reports. Together, while evidence suggests that audit fees associated with internal control audits have not materially and sustainably declined since inception, we find no evidence that the increased audit effort is associated with improved internal control quality or reporting. Our findings directly respond to calls from regulators and academics for research on the updated Section 404(b) compliance rules recently introduced by the SEC and should be of interest to a variety of corporate stakeholders.