Purpose – The Sarbanes‐Oxley Act has celebrated its fifth anniversary. This paper aims to discuss the effectiveness and usefulness to the accounting profession and the investing community of the reforms set forth in the Act. Design/methodology/approach – Various components of the...

Corporate governance has emerged from obscurity into being a mainstream topic which there is a need to know, as well as being incorporated into industrial and commercial training courses. There has been a plethora of reports starting in the USA and spreading to the UK, whose influence, example...

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to develop a research agenda on internal controls for offshored accounting processes. It further develops a linkage between internal controls of offshored accounting processes and auditing of the organization. Offshoring of accounting processes has become...

Purpose – This article seeks to provide insight into internal control principles within a significant non‐profit organisation. Design/methodology/approach – A review of archival and general literature sources. Findings – The article provides the background to the development of financial...

Society′s recognition of the importance of internal auditing has increased in recent years. This has resulted in an increased recognition of the need for improving and formalizing the manner in which internal auditors are educated. Suggests some of the forces that have led to this increased...

From a management viewpoint, identifies the quantitative information relative to environmental activities the management should have. Describes the types of auditing that should be conducted to protect the organization. Cost and liabilities must be established on an objective and realistic...

Is the “profession” of internal audit really delivering? Will it serve the needs of commerce/industry in the new millennium? Is it yet a profession? There is a growing sense of disquiet in companies over the increasing failure of internal control systems. Auditors seem reluctant to accept or...

Reports the author’s experience of visiting P&Y Company and its directors in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Indicates that this visit was very useful and in many ways inspiring. Maintains that a combination of foresight, shrewdness, business‐sense and, most importantly, human virtues has contributed...

Focuses on the functions and objectives of internal audit and the conditions necessary for them. Believes the basic function of internal audit is a special kind of economic control. In other words, internal audit itself is a special kind of control function over other controls within an...

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 and its amendment – the Trade and Competitive Act of 1988 – are unique not only in the history of the accounting and auditing profession, but also in international law. The Acts raised awareness of the need for efficient and adequate internal...