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. Part 1 The General Frame of Reference; Chapter 1 Accounting and Auditing Standards as Operating Parameters in the Global Economy; Chapter 2 Overview of Accounting Standards in the Global Economy; Chapter 3 The Role of Auditing Standards; Chapter 4 Changing Realities in the Sarbanes-Oxley Era; Part 2 Some Specific Issues Facing Accounting and Auditing Practice; Chapter 5 The Harmonization of Auditing Standards; Chapter 6 Independence as a Growing Problem for Accounting Firms; Chapter 7 The Firms and Locational Adjustments in the Global Financial System; Chapter 8 The Impact of the Internet and Improving Communications Systems; Part 3 The Firms in the New Global Environment; Chapter 9 Firm Effectiveness in the Face of Emerging Accounting and Auditing Standards; Chapter 10 The Firms and the Practical Issues of Adjustment in the Global Economy;