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Sarbanes Oxley Act : A Important Part Of Business

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A vital part of business today is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. It was created to protect the integrity of business and the interest of consumers and investors. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act enforces the monitoring of finance data and information technology as it relates to storage of information. It requires the audit of a company’s assets, accounting and finance. The act requires certifications by top company officials’ to guarantee that data submitted is true and accurate. Monitoring to ensure compliance is performed by audits. Falsification of data or non-compliance to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act can results to in penalties of fines and/or imprisonment.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act also known as SOX came into existence in July 2002 and led to key changes to the regulation of corporate governance and financial practice in addition to setting a number of non-negotiable deadlines for compliance. Its purpose is to protect shareholders and the general public from accounting errors and fraudulent practices, as well as improve the accuracy of corporate disclosures. It is named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley, who were its main originators. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed through both houses of Congress on a surge of bipartisan political support. Public shock influenced the political process. Congress was compelled to react assertively to the Enron media fallout, a struggling stock market, and impending re-elections. As a result, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed in the Senate

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