Beyond Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance

Now that most accelerated filers have undergone the greatest initial challenge of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act-Section 404 compliance-what's next? What do you need to know to ensure ongoing monitoring and maintenance of strong systems of internal controls? How can you leverage the knowledge gained through regulatory compliance activities to positively impact the bottom line? What steps do you need to take to assume a proactive, forward-looking role of identifying and mitigating threats beyond basic regulatory compliance?

Written by Anne Marchetti, a practice leader for Sarbanes-Oxley, Beyond Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance guides accounting and finance managers through both the necessary requirements and value-added activities in enterprise risk management in the post-Sarbanes environment. This practical book includes a host of invaluable tools, including ongoing compliance checklists, key internal and external timelines, quarterly close checklists that incorporate SOX 302/404/409 compliance and financial reporting activities, and tables that summarize technology options and alternative approaches. Broken down into three accessible sections-Initial Compliance, Ongoing Maintenance and Monitoring, and Beyond Compliance-coverage includes:
* An overview of the Act provisions for Sections 302, 404, and 409 and suggested action steps necessary to comply with the requirements
* A section that defines and contrasts the terms reportable conditions, material weaknesses, and significant deficiencies and provides practical examples of each
* The responsibilities of the financial manager, after initial compliance with the Act, including quarterly compliance processes, interfacing with both internal audit and registered public auditors, control testing, software considerations, and SAS 70 letters that provide the financial manager with practical applications
* The opportunity to move Sarbanes-Oxley compliance from a routine checklist, and one-time internal controls improvement process, to a defining cultural-change initiative
* How the financial services industry may be affected by the ever-expanding, local and global regulatory, compliance, and reporting requirements
* The implications for future European Union-listed companies with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in 2005 and the differences that exist between IFRS and U.S. GAAP

Essential reading for controllers, finance managers, CFOs, compliance officers, and project managers in charge of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, Beyond Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance is written for any financial manager who has a firm grasp on the present and a keen eye on the future.