Extra Credit

The FASB mission statement states, “that it is to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting that foster financial reporting by nongovernmental entities and provides decision-useful information to investors and other users of financial reports. That mission is accomplished through a comprehensive

The Securities and Exchange Commission has the mission of protecting investors by maintaining fair, orderly and efficient markets. The SEC does this in a number of ways, and firms need to pay attention to these ways in order to ensure SEC compliance. The SEC has enforcement authority over a number of areas related to the nation's capital markets, including insider trading, accounting fraud, and providing false information. The SEC's jurisdiction extends to all securities that are traded publicly. Privately-held companies do not need to register with the SEC (SEC.gov, 2012).

* Common history shows that prior to PCAOB, the accounting industry was self-regulated through the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Create an argument that the public is either better or worse off since PCAOB assumed the

In general, the main criticisms of the PCAOB are that it has not made sufficient it’s regulatory power, it is slow to act in its investigations of enforcement cases, and that it targets enforcement on smaller firms in order to protect the Big 4 firms, which are regarded as “too big to fail.” While I do not disagree with the fact that the PCAOB is slow and has not produced a significant amount of regulation, I do disagree with the criticism of the PCAOB as a regulatory body in general. I feel that certain members of the public desire absolute transparency in financial reporting, but do not understand the economy required to so. It is nearly impossible, not to mention impractical, to breakdown every aspect of a multi-billion dollar corporation to ensure that every transaction is accounted for

In general, the main criticisms of the PCAOB are that it has not made sufficient it’s regulatory power, it is slow to act in its investigations of enforcement cases, and that it targets enforcement on smaller firms in order to protect the Big 4 firms, which are regarded as “too big to fail.” While I do not

The FASB is an agency of the federal government that has the broad powers to prescribe accounting standards to be employed by companies that fall within its jurisdiction.

First, Congress saw the need to create an independent body to oversee the audit of public companies that are subject to the securities laws. PCAOB was established to protect the investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate, and independent audit reports for public companies. Before the SOX, The

The PCAOB is responsible for providing independent oversight for public accounting firms. Auditors independence job is to limit conflict of interest and monitor the requirements of new auditor approvals. Corporate responsibility require that senior executives take sole responsibility for completeness and accuracy of all corporate financial reports. Last but not least, enhance financial disclosures assures the accuracy of financial reports and

In 1973, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) was created and their mission is “to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information.” (FASB.org, 2009a). The FASB is a private, not-for-profit organization whose primary purpose is to develop generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) within the United States. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) designated the FASB as the organization responsible for setting accounting standards for public companies in the U.S. Therefore, the FASB plays a vital and important role in protecting the financial well being and the overall stability of our

The SEC is the administrative agency responsible for regulating the sale of securities under both the 1933 and 1934 acts (Jennings, 2012). The Sec is responsible for issuing injunctions, institute criminal proceeding; bring civil suits and etc. (Jennings, 20104). The SEC gives organizations exemptions such as the Exempt Securities, Exempt Transactions and the offering of securities.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has many provisions. A few of the major provisions include the creation of the Public Company Oversight Board (PCAOB), Section 201, 203, 204, 302, 404, 809, 902, and 906. The PCAOB was the first true oversight of the accounting industry. It oversees and creates regulations, and it will monitor and investigate audits and auditors of public companies. The PCAOB has the authority to sanction firms and individuals for violations of laws, regulations, and rules. Section 302 requires the CEO and CFO to certify that they reviewed the financial statements, and that they are presented fairly. Section 404 requires management to state whether internal control procedures are adequate and effective, and requires an auditor to attest to the accuracy of the statement. Section 902 states that “It is a crime for any person to corruptly alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal any document with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official

The PCAOB gives a new meaning to the public accounting industry. The board must be composed of five members, appointed for a 5-year term, two of which are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) or have previously been CPAs, and three of which have never been CPAs. The chair of the PCAOB may be a CPA, but only if he has been out of practice for at least five years. "The members must be independent of the accounting profession as no member may, concurrent with service on the board, share in any of the profits of, or receive payments from, a public accounting firm, other than fixed payment such as retirement payments" (4). All members of the PCAOB must be appointed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The board performs various jobs which include: "oversee the audit of public companies, establish audit report standards and rules, inspect, investigate and enforce compliance on the part of registered public accounting firms and those associated with the firms" (4). Not only do public accounting firms who audit the financial reports of public companies have to register with the PCAOB, but foreign public accounting firms must register as well. The standards of auditing include:

The mission of the FASB is to “establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting that foster financial reporting by nongovernmental entities that provides decision useful information to investors and other users of financial reports (FASB 2014).” The FASB is also an independent organization that is different from any other business and professional organization. The FASB has seven members, and they serve full time. They are appointed for five year terms, and are eligible for an additional five year term. The FASB uses due process to implement the process of the standard setting process. The rules for setting or changing standards include; identifying financial reporting issues from stakeholders or other sources, and then the FASB decides whether or not to add the issue to the agenda. Once that is done the boards deliberates at one or more public meetings, and an Exposure Draft is issued for stakeholder input. The FASB staff then analyzes letters, discussions, and any other information received which the Board will redeliberate on the proposed provision at one or more public meeting, and then the Board will issue the standard update. The FASB uses what is called a cost benefit analysis which is a process for calculating and comparing the benefit cost to the proposed policy (FASB, 2014).

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has been around since 1973 and their organization’s duty and task is to set and provide effective and reliable financial accounting standards in the United States. The Financial Accounting Standards Board is also a private sector and is a not for profit organization, also recognized as U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) recognize their standards and consider them to have authority and to be dependable. (Facts About Fasb). The Financial Accounting Standards Board’s information is heavily used by different people such as investors, lenders, auditors and many more to influence their choices about how they designate their capital. (What We Do: Fasb) It also helps the different financial markets run smoothly.

These changes were outlined in the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). SOX completely revolutionized financial reporting, requiring senior management of firms to sign off on each financial statement that the company issues. It also stipulated that wrongful doing can result in not only termination but also imprisonment. SOX amplified the requirement for companies, requiring firms to maintain proper levels of internal controls when it comes to operating activities. SOX also established the creation of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) which implemented stricter auditing standards for public accounting firms. Not only were accounting firms required to consider internal controls, but they were also required report any significant deficiency directly to the board of directors. SOX stressed the importance of internal controls, and within internal controls it established the need for segregation of duties. Since this time, there have been many additions to accounting policies regards segregations of duties, and many functions of the business process dedicated to it.