Verified Document

SAS Number 99 And The Corporate Audit Term Paper

SAS Number 99 and the Corporate Audit This report attempts to explain how the new SAS No.99 will change the way accounting firms will be required to conduct corporate audits. News about the collapse of Enron continues to dominate the American media circuits and in the wake of the now infamous Enron accounting scandal, accounting firms will be required to pay more attention then ever. Since the recent American Institute of Certified Public Accounts issue of SAS 99, the approach of auditors in the United States will for ever more be greatly enhanced. With SAS 99 for example, external auditors will be required to discuss and gather facts with internal auditors. As of SAS 99, corporate America will now be required to monitor and share the findings of internal auditors who may be privy to critical fraud-related data residing with their clients. SAS 99 will therefore provide new opportunities for external and internal auditors to partner up and therefore improve external audit process.

As can be expected, the Enron collapse in Texas and the WorldCom scandal in Mississippi have each dramatically demonstrated how critical it is that regulating bodies ensure that Corporate America provides high quality, trustworthy, and reliable financial reporting. "The 40-year-old accountant is accused of creating and managing the complex web of partnerships that disguised the true state of affairs at the disgraced energy firm." (BBCi, Enron finance chief denies charges) Enron basically opened America's eyes into what may actually be going on in many organizations throughout our nation. The philosophy of everyone must be doing it was confirmed only a few short months later when the chief financial officer of the telecoms giant WorldCom was indicted because of another multi-billion dollar accounting fraud. "The company's collapse...

The American Institute of Certified Public Accounts concurs. The consensus is that internal auditors should be able to discriminate between an organization's fraudulent financial reporting methodologies and external auditors should be aware that fraud is a very real possibility thus eliminating the rubber stamp audit. Therefore, Enron and WorldCom in a sense have ensured that both external and internal auditors will from this point forward work together to recognize attempted fraudulent reporting for financial information.
There is no doubt that any audits conducted throughout 2003 were very different from those conducted prior to Enron and WorldCom. There were numerous scenarios throughout 2002 and 2003 where organizations purposely manipulated their books to make themselves either look profitable or at least solvent. The accounting community is now on high alert. No firm wants to be the next Arthur Anderson. The American Institute of Certified Public Accounts issued the new audit standards that focus specifically on nabbing fraud offenders. The standards, SAS 99, went into effect on December 15, 2002.

It is critical that an audit team, be it internal or external, recognize when fraud related conditions are caught. The main objective of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts SAS 99 focuses on the three fundamental areas usually present in a fraudulent financial reporting system:

Often there are…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

BBCi. "Enron finance chief denies charges" BBC International. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2756345.stm6 November, 2002..

BBCi. "Ex-WorldCom Finance Boss Indicted." BBC International. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2222137.stm28 August 2002.

SAS 99. Ed. AICPA. AICPA. http://www.aicpa.org/index.htm.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Auditing Cases
Words: 1618 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Accounting and Corporate Governance How can managers fraudulently manipulate financial statements? Managers can manipulate financial statements in a variety of ways. One approach involves inflating earnings on the income statement for the current reporting period by artificially inflating revenue and gains or by deflating expenses. This approach results in making the financial condition of the company look better than its actual condition and allows the company to meet established expectations. Another approach

Impact of Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 in Reducing Fraudulent Financial...
Words: 6052 Length: 15 Document Type: Literature Review

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in reducing fraudulent financial reporting Introduction to Fraudulent Financial Reporting Available research on financial statement fraud relies mostly on anecdotal evidence (for example, Wells, 2001, 2002, 2004a, and 2004b; Rezaee, 2003). This evidence offers advice on how mechanisms related to the fraud triangle can be curtailed. It leads to theoretical sense to reduce factors which lead to more instances of fraud. However, deterrence and established deterrence methods

Market Driven Management
Words: 25695 Length: 75 Document Type: Term Paper

Pharmaceutical industries have to operate in an environment that is highly competitive and subject to a wide variety of internal and external constraints. In recent times, there has been an increasing trend to reduce the cost of operation while competing with other companies that manufacture products that treat similar afflictions and ailments. The complexities in drug research and development and regulations have created an industry that is subject to intense

Amgrow the Year of 2010 Was Not
Words: 2499 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Amgrow The year of 2010 was not a good year for Amgrow. When considering the three financial measures listed, none demonstrated good performance. The change in cash position is not a good measure of financial performance so should be considered without a thorough examination of the statement of cash flows. The net income was poor in 2010. Whereas in 2009, Amgrow turned a profit of $63,057, it lost $68, 801. Any

How to Perform Valuations for Municipalities in South Africa
Words: 64599 Length: 254 Document Type: Dissertation

……South African Municipalities Municipal Revenue Loss Reduction through Improved Municipal Valuation Methodologies:Balance Sheet Enhancement of South African Municipalities to Improve Rates and Taxes Revenue GenerationAbstractThis study examines the property valuation process of Municipalities in South Africa and develops a strategy for strengthening that process in order to more efficiently value properties and ultimately to enhance municipal balance sheets and increase revenue streams. This study proposes an innovative valuation method based

Fundamental Analysis of Johnson and Johnson, Inc.
Words: 7682 Length: 25 Document Type: Term Paper

JOHNSON & JOHNSON The Fundamental Analysis of Johnson & Johnson Inc. (J& J, 2005) Economic and Market Analysis Globalization Industry Analysis Company Analysis Brief History of the Company Analysis of Capital Asset Pricing Model Intrinsic Value Valuation Measures Trading Information Competitors Awards & Recognition Our modern business world consists of an extremely competitive global economy where manufactures search for opportunities to strategically reduce costs and increase market share and profitability. Historically, the most often chosen solution for holding down costs was to systematically reduce

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now