Question

In response to accounting scandals and the collapse of Enron at the turn of the century, the U.S. Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to establish a system of federal oversight of corporate accounting practices. The purpose of the law is to hold CEOs accountable in matters of financial reporting, and to ensure the truthfulness of statements offered to investors. Despite the law's good intentions, businesses must now spend millions of dollars each year just to comply with the regulations. However, the steep challenges of compliance have created a boom in new accounting firms that specialize in helping companies meet the law's requirements.Answer the multiple choice questions that follow the video content.Congress passed Sarbanes-Oxley into law as a response to:a. Globalization b. Financial scandals and corporate fraud c. Consumer protection violations d. Executive CEO pay How does Sarbanes-Oxley attempt to improve business ethics?a. By regulating executive retirement plans b. By legally requiring companies to certify the truth of their statements to investors c. By enacting legal protections against discrimination d. By offering suggestions for how companies might be more transparent Which aspect of Sarbanes-Oxley has created severe difficulties for businesses?
a. The law's whistle-blower protections
b. The creation of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board c
. The law's aim to hold CEOs accountable
d. The cost and difficulties of compliance

Answer 1

Answer:

1. b. Financial scandals and corporate fraud.
2. b. By legally requiring companies to certify the truth of their statements to investors.
3. d. The cost and difficulties of compliance.

Explanation:

After the U.S. was rocked by the financial scandals and corporate fraud of companies like Enron and WorldCom, the U.S. Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to mitigate the risk of such ever occurring again.

The Act involves making the management personally liable for the accuracy of the statements by legally requiring companies to certify the truth in their statements to their investors.

While this seems easy enough, it requires a lot of information gathering which has left companies paying millions to comply.