One of the critical elements of internal control over financial reporting is an effectively functioning audit committee. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) defines an audit committee as " committee (or equivalent body) established by and amongst the board of directors of an issuer for the...

In response to recent criticisms of audit committee performance, new SEC and stock exchange rules require companies to prepare an audit committee charter and to publish the charter in their proxy statement at least once every three years. Audit committees also must disclose how they discharged...

This study reports the results of an experiment that investigates the effects of financial-report timing, EPS proximity to analyst forecast, and external auditor argument consistency on audit committee members' support for a proposed audit adjustment. We use source credibility theory to predict...

To contribute to the PCAOB project on risk assessment in financial statement audits, we draw on the academic literature to offer insights and conclusions on the risk-assessment process. We use the PCAOB's (2005) recent briefing paper on risk assessment as the organizing framework for our...

This paper provides insight into financial statement fraud instances investigated during the late 1980s through the 1990s within three volatile industries-technology, health care, and financial services--and highlights important corporate governance differences between fraud companies and...

Economic developments and growth of Jamaica are discussed in this paper. Despite the good performance under the program through end-September, mounting spending pressures and delays in some fiscal reforms have required the adoption of corrective measures by the authorities. The authorities...

Uruguay’s Second Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement and Requests for Modification, Waiver of Nonobservance and Applicability of Performance Criteria are discussed. Growth remains robust, inflation is subdued, and the external position continues to strengthen, with buoyant exports and...

Most banks in Paraguay appear resilient to shocks, although the exposure to large borrowers is high. The mission strongly recommends the adoption of measures that would moderate credit growth and induce financial institutions to build cushions that can protect them and their clients from a...

The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region has weathered the global financial crisis reasonably well so far, although tighter global financial conditions began to take their toll on trade, capital flows and economic growth in late 2008. This resilience reflects the reforms put in place by many...

In just over a decade after independence, the three Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, have transformed themselves into fully functioning, small open-market economies that will be joining the European Union. Capital Markets and Financial Intermediation in The Baltics analyzes the...