Accounting and the Global Economy After Sarbanes-Oxley

This book is essential for students and practitioners in accounting, international business, finance, and economics. In a straightforward and readable style, it focuses on the changing accounting and auditing standards in national and global economies in the post-Enron/Arthur Andersen era. The authors clarify the reasons behind and consequences of the accounting profession's failure in auditing and self-regulation, as most firms placed consulting profits ahead of public audit duties. They show how Sarbanes-Oxley solutions, while not perfect, are major contributors to the profession's redemption, and have enabled it to rise to new heights of service and revenue. The book offers a detailed examination of accounting practitioners' past challenges and future prospects. It provides a realistic analysis of specific issues facing accounting and auditing firms today, including the growing problem of independence; the need for one set of international accounting standards and one set of auditing standards; adjustments facing the global financial system; and the impact of the Internet and communication systems on accounting firms.

Introduction; Part I. The General Frame of Reference; 1. Accounting and Auditing Standards as Operating Parameters in the Global Economy; 2. Overview of Accounting Standards in the Global Economy; 3. The Role of Auditing Standards; 4. Changing Realities in the Post Enron/Arthur Andersen Era; Part II. Some Specific Issues Facing Accounting and Auditing Practice; 5. The Harmonization of Auditing Standards and the Firms; 6. Independence as a Growing Problem for Accounting Firms; 7. The Firms and Locational Adjustments in the Global Financial System; 8. The Impact of the Internet and Improving Communication Systems; Part III. The Firms in the New Global Environment; 9. Firm Effectiveness in the Face of Emerging Accounting and Auditing; 10. The Firms and the Practical Issues of Adjustment in the Global Economy; Bibliography; About the Authors; Index.