This purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of increased accounting regulations on financial reporting practices. Specifically, this paper provides an in-depth look into two specific regulations, The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) and the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. SOX was enacted as a result of the many accounting scandals that occurred in the late 1990s, and its main intention was to reduce the likelihood that fraud would occur by establishing additional oversight and increasing the number of regulations for public accounting firms. This paper examines the costs associated with specific provisions within SOX and the effects that they have on public companies. Ultimately, this paper finds that SOX imposes an unfair burden to smaller public companies. Secondly, this paper examines the effect that regulations in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act had on the financial services industry. The 2008 financial crisis was caused by poor regulations of large financial institutions, which failed to prevent these institutions from engaging in behavior that would later have a negative impact on many Americans. In order to prevent this type of behavior from affecting the stability of the entire U.S. economy, Congress enacted the Dodd-Frank Act. Due to the recent enactment of this act, and because most of its provisions are still being implemented, this paper focuses on identifying and presenting valid arguments for and against some of the act’s most important provisions.

The aim of this work is the analysis of accounting scandals that took place at beginning of the 21st century. It describes the role that played audit firm in this context. It focuses on current and future situation in the audit market.

In the last decade Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become increasingly important and multiple corporations that have been exposed for unethical behavior have been harshly penalized by the market. This study aims at evaluating wealth effects of unethical corporate behavior by doing a case study, in which an in-depth analysis is conducted on four infamous corporate scandals; Wells Fargo, HSBC, Danske Bank, and Volkswagen. Share prices are compared to an approximation of what the prices could have been, had the scandals not been revealed, to give an indication on abnormal returns around the announcement of the corporate scandals. The approximation is based on the share’s previous correlation with market returns. Results of the study are then contrasted to and analyzed with regard to findings of previously conducted event studies on the wealth loss suffered due to exposed unethical behavior. It is found that the corporate scandals resulted in substantial direct wealth losses in terms of market cap value and shareholder wealth for two of our cases, Wells Fargo and Volkswagen. The value decrease that Danske Bank suffered was also substantial, but had a lag in discernible market reactions in comparison to Wells Fargo and Volkswagen. HSBC has in recent years been lagging behind our price approximation, but any direct negative effect from the scandal announcement cannot be observed.

The work concerns with ethical demands of auditing profession. The first part is pointed to general evolution in ethics. The second part deals with auditor's work, with its progress, aim and meaning. The third part describes laws and the ethical code of auditing profession. And finally, in the fourth part are mentioned accounting scandals, which happened in the past. It describes the role of audit firms and what impact it has for them.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar os recursos dramáticos utilizados na construção da narrativa sobre o julgamento do Mensalão pelo Jornal Nacional. Acreditase na perspectiva das notícias apresentadas em telejornais como dramas cotidianos e vistas como narrativas sobre o mundo. Como métodos de investigação, utilizou-se a análise da narrativa de forma a atingir os quatro objetivos específicos propostos: identificar o conflito em torno do qual se desenvolveu a história; analisar o papel atribuído aos personagens e a ação deles dentro da narrativa; buscar modelos de roteiro da informação nas reportagens e avaliar a existência de tom moralista na fiscalização de condutas explicitadas nas matérias. O corpus de pesquisa inclui vinte reportagens, exibidas pelo Jornal Nacional nos dias 30 e 31 de julho e 23 de outubro de 2012, 18 de setembro e 15 de novembro de 2013. Conclui-se que o conflito teve papel fundamental na narrativa sobre o julgamento do Mensalão e apareceu em 95% das cabeças das reportagens, que são as falas dos âncoras no estúdio para apresentar o material que será exibido. A pesquisa registrou a transformação das fontes de informação em personagens ao longo da história, com o desenvolvimento de treze papéis, entre eles vilão, vítima, herói e defensores. Percebemos, ainda, a existência de dois modelos do que convencionamos chamar de roteiro da informação. Por fim, encontramos, em 80% das unidades de análise, a inclusão de uma lição de fundo moral. Na maioria dos casos, reforçou-se a ideia de punição ao vilão e seus aliados. / The objective of this research is to analyze the dramatic resources used in the construction of the narrative about the trial of Mensalão by Jornal Nacional. It is believed the perspective of the news presented on TV news as everyday dramas and seen as narratives about the world. As research method, a narrative analysis was conducted in order to attain the specific objectives outlined: identify the conflict around which the history is developed, analyze the role assigned to the characters and their action within the narrative; search for model scripts of the information in the reports and evaluate the existence of a moralistic tone in inspecting explicit conduct in the field. The corpus research includes twenty reports, displayed at Jornal Nacional on 30th and 31th July and 23th October 2012, 18th September and 15th November, 2013. We conclude that the conflict played a key role in the narrative about the trial of the and appeared in 95% of the head stories, which are the lines of anchors in the studio to present the material to be displayed. The survey recorded the transformation of information sources on characters throughout the history, with the development of thirteen roles, including the villain, victim, hero and defenders. Also realize that there are two models that conventionally call script information. Finally, we found on 80% of the units of analysis , the inclusion of a moral background. In most cases, reinforced the idea of punishing the villain and his allies.

Research examines audit fee trends for a decade. The research focuses on audit fees of companies in the East Tennessee Area and compares the audit fees of these companies to similar companies based in similar regions of the United States. Possible causes for the fluctuations of audit fees during the decade are also discussed.

<p>The recent accounting scandals in large companies in both USA and Europe, such as Enron and Scandia, have led to a huge debate about the quality of financial reports approved by auditors who, at the same time, offer consultancy service to their audit clients. Many researchers and experts argued that there is a role conflict when an auditor offers consultancy service to audit clients. They argue that the main duty of an auditor is to verify the truthfulness of the company's financial statements. Giving consultancy service to the audit clients will impair the auditor's role to examine the company's books independently because of the economic bond between auditors and audit clients.</p><p>As a result of the Enron scandal, the legislators in the USA have made restrictions to how auditors provide non-audit service to audit clients. However, the legislators in Sweden, unlike the US, did not choose to introduce such restrictions. They instead introduced an <em>Analytical Model</em>, which is a tool designed to help auditors in their decision making process concerning their independence. This has led us to the following research question: <em>What is the auditors' attitude towards auditing a company that they also offer a consultancy service? What measures do auditors take to maintain their independence?</em></p><p>The purpose of this study is therefore to acquire knowledge about auditor's attitude to provide consultancy service to their clients and if this affects their independence. We also wanted to see if the existing tools, such as the "Analytical Model" help auditors to maintain their independency. Another purpose is to find out if a difference exists between how auditors who work in large or small public companies handle the different situations that might affect their independence.</p><p>A deductive methodology was applied to acquire the necessary theories and previous research contributions in the area. Most of the work is from other countries and the results are contradicting. Some researchers have found that there is a relationship between consultancy service to audit clients and the impairment of the auditor's independence while others oppose.</p><p>In order to answer our research question, we performed sex qualitative interviews with certified public accountants in both small and large auditing firms. Our findings show that the consultancy service to audit clients affects the auditor's independence, especially if the consultancy service is substantial. We also found that there is a difference between how small and large companies manage different situations that may undermine the auditor's independence. Furthermore, our results show that the larger the auditing firm is, the better it is equipped to offer consultancy service to audit clients and at the same time maintain the auditor's independence. This is mainly due to the fact that large auditing firms have more qualified consultants who work in different departments with in the company. This makes it possible that some of the consultants deal with the auditing while others offer consultancy service to the same client.</p> / <p>Revisorernas dubbla roller och hur det kan påverka revisorns oberoendeställning är ett återkommande problem som har debatterats flitigt efter redovisningsskandalerna. Vid redovisningsskandalerna har de inblandade revisorerna fått kritik med tanke på att de har gjort ett undermåligt arbete samt lämnat felaktig information. Ett exempel på detta är Enronskandalen där lagstiftarna i USA ansåg att revisorerna i Enron brustit gällande oberoendereglerna och därmed inte påpekat alla fel som ledningen i Enron undanhöll från intressenterna. Samma problematik men i mycket mindre proportioner har även drabbat Sverige. Där ledningen i Skandia "fifflat" med bokföringen och revisorerna som skulle upptäcka bristerna såg bara mellan fingrarna. Efter dessa skandaler har anklagelser gjorts mot revisorerna om varför de inte förvarnat allmänheten tillräckligt om vad som försiggick i skandalföretagen. Detta har väckt vårt intresse att närmare undersöka och få en ökad förståelse om problematiken. Vidare har Många forskare och experter påpekat att revisorerna dilemma just ligger vid tillhandahållandet av dubbla tjänster gentemot revisionsklienten. En del har påpekat att problematiken ligger just vid konsultationen som revisorer ger till sina revisionsklienter, och att detta i sin tur påverkar revisorns möjlighet att utföra ett självständigt granskningsarbete.</p><p> </p><p>Lagstiftarna i Sverige har för några år sedan infört ett verktyg som revisorer skall förhålla sig till vid hantering av de rollkonflikter som kan uppstå vid rådgivning och granskning av företag. För att ta reda på hur denna rollkonflikt påverkar revisorernas obereondeställning vill vi ta del av revisorernas uppfattning om problematiken med dubbla roller. Vidare är vi intresserad att få en ökad förståelse om dubbla roller medför att revisorerna tenderar brista gällande deras oberoendeställning. Detta ledde till vår forskningsfrågar:</p><p>Vad är revisorns inställning till att en och samma revisor/revisionsbyrå erbjuder både konsult- och revisionstjänster till klienten och vad gör då revisorn för att bevara sin oberoendeställning vid tillhandahållandet av dessa dubbla tjänster till klienterna?</p><p>Syftet med studien är att förvärva en ökad förståelse om revisorernas inställning till dubbla roller och dess påverkan på revisorernas oberoende. Vidare ett av delsyftena är att resonera om de befintliga lagar och verktyg hjälper dem att uppfylla oberoendekravet eller om det behövs ytterligare lagskärpningar. Ett annat delsyfte är att analysera om det finns skillnader mellan stora och små revisionsbyråer gällande hanteringen av dubbla roller.</p><p>För att få en bra grund att stå på före vår empiri har vi genom ett deduktivt angreppssätt skaffat de nödvändiga teorier, lagar och forskningsresultatet kring revisorer och revisorns olika roller. Exempel på dessa teorier är revision, revisorns dubbla roller, oberoendekrav, analysmodellen och konsult- och granskningsarvoden. Vidare har vi även inslag av det abduktiva angreppssättet för att kunna ta del av eventuella teorier som eventuella kan komma fram genom djupintervjuerna. För att undersöka problematiken har vi valt att genomföra en kvalitativ studie där vi har undersökt sex revisorer, fyra av dessa arbetar i stora revisionsbyråer och resterande två på mindre byråer. Denna studie är vidare skriven ur revisorperspektiv där vi med en hermeneutisk kunskapssyn skall förstå och tolka respondenternas syn på problemområdet.</p><p>Vår studie har i korthet visat att fristående rådgivning till revisionsklienterna påverkar revisorns oberoendeställning. Vidare har det visat sig att det finns skillnader på hur stora och mindre revisionsbyråerna minimerar eller eliminerar olika hot för att bevara oberoendekravet.</p>

This dissertation examines the phenomenon of stigma by association between firms in the context of corporate accounting scandals. I draw from the social psychology literature to develop a theoretical framework that supports the notion of director interlocks as a channel in which associated firms may experience stigma. I argue that allegations of corporate accounting scandal generate attributional search by investors to determine the cause(s) of the alleged scandal. Attribution theory suggests that investors are likely to attribute responsibility to corporate boards for failing to detect and prevent these scandals. Investors’ perceptions of incompetent and/or unwilling directors in firms accused of accounting scandals may then spill over to directorship positions in associated firms, resulting in the stigmatization of these associated firms. The results strongly support the above arguments. I further adopted an information-based approach to argue that firms associated with stigmatized firms will experience different amounts of stigma, and some firms may experience no stigma at all. I applied social inference theories and agency theory to develop four categories of variables that may influence the amount of stigma experienced by associated firms. The results of the dissertation present strong evidence in support of most of the hypotheses. The characteristics of the interlocking director, the characteristics of the board, the strength of the director interlock, and the quality of corporate governance in an associated firm appear to influence the amount of stigma experienced by the associated firm. This dissertation highlights the possible (1) negative consequences of director interlocks, (2) understatement of the social costs of corporate accounting scandals, and (3) need for response strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of stigma by association.

The recent accounting scandals in large companies in both USA and Europe, such as Enron and Scandia, have led to a huge debate about the quality of financial reports approved by auditors who, at the same time, offer consultancy service to their audit clients. Many researchers and experts argued that there is a role conflict when an auditor offers consultancy service to audit clients. They argue that the main duty of an auditor is to verify the truthfulness of the company's financial statements. Giving consultancy service to the audit clients will impair the auditor's role to examine the company's books independently because of the economic bond between auditors and audit clients. As a result of the Enron scandal, the legislators in the USA have made restrictions to how auditors provide non-audit service to audit clients. However, the legislators in Sweden, unlike the US, did not choose to introduce such restrictions. They instead introduced an Analytical Model, which is a tool designed to help auditors in their decision making process concerning their independence. This has led us to the following research question: What is the auditors' attitude towards auditing a company that they also offer a consultancy service? What measures do auditors take to maintain their independence? The purpose of this study is therefore to acquire knowledge about auditor's attitude to provide consultancy service to their clients and if this affects their independence. We also wanted to see if the existing tools, such as the "Analytical Model" help auditors to maintain their independency. Another purpose is to find out if a difference exists between how auditors who work in large or small public companies handle the different situations that might affect their independence. A deductive methodology was applied to acquire the necessary theories and previous research contributions in the area. Most of the work is from other countries and the results are contradicting. Some researchers have found that there is a relationship between consultancy service to audit clients and the impairment of the auditor's independence while others oppose. In order to answer our research question, we performed sex qualitative interviews with certified public accountants in both small and large auditing firms. Our findings show that the consultancy service to audit clients affects the auditor's independence, especially if the consultancy service is substantial. We also found that there is a difference between how small and large companies manage different situations that may undermine the auditor's independence. Furthermore, our results show that the larger the auditing firm is, the better it is equipped to offer consultancy service to audit clients and at the same time maintain the auditor's independence. This is mainly due to the fact that large auditing firms have more qualified consultants who work in different departments with in the company. This makes it possible that some of the consultants deal with the auditing while others offer consultancy service to the same client. / Revisorernas dubbla roller och hur det kan påverka revisorns oberoendeställning är ett återkommande problem som har debatterats flitigt efter redovisningsskandalerna. Vid redovisningsskandalerna har de inblandade revisorerna fått kritik med tanke på att de har gjort ett undermåligt arbete samt lämnat felaktig information. Ett exempel på detta är Enronskandalen där lagstiftarna i USA ansåg att revisorerna i Enron brustit gällande oberoendereglerna och därmed inte påpekat alla fel som ledningen i Enron undanhöll från intressenterna. Samma problematik men i mycket mindre proportioner har även drabbat Sverige. Där ledningen i Skandia "fifflat" med bokföringen och revisorerna som skulle upptäcka bristerna såg bara mellan fingrarna. Efter dessa skandaler har anklagelser gjorts mot revisorerna om varför de inte förvarnat allmänheten tillräckligt om vad som försiggick i skandalföretagen. Detta har väckt vårt intresse att närmare undersöka och få en ökad förståelse om problematiken. Vidare har Många forskare och experter påpekat att revisorerna dilemma just ligger vid tillhandahållandet av dubbla tjänster gentemot revisionsklienten. En del har påpekat att problematiken ligger just vid konsultationen som revisorer ger till sina revisionsklienter, och att detta i sin tur påverkar revisorns möjlighet att utföra ett självständigt granskningsarbete.   Lagstiftarna i Sverige har för några år sedan infört ett verktyg som revisorer skall förhålla sig till vid hantering av de rollkonflikter som kan uppstå vid rådgivning och granskning av företag. För att ta reda på hur denna rollkonflikt påverkar revisorernas obereondeställning vill vi ta del av revisorernas uppfattning om problematiken med dubbla roller. Vidare är vi intresserad att få en ökad förståelse om dubbla roller medför att revisorerna tenderar brista gällande deras oberoendeställning. Detta ledde till vår forskningsfrågar: Vad är revisorns inställning till att en och samma revisor/revisionsbyrå erbjuder både konsult- och revisionstjänster till klienten och vad gör då revisorn för att bevara sin oberoendeställning vid tillhandahållandet av dessa dubbla tjänster till klienterna? Syftet med studien är att förvärva en ökad förståelse om revisorernas inställning till dubbla roller och dess påverkan på revisorernas oberoende. Vidare ett av delsyftena är att resonera om de befintliga lagar och verktyg hjälper dem att uppfylla oberoendekravet eller om det behövs ytterligare lagskärpningar. Ett annat delsyfte är att analysera om det finns skillnader mellan stora och små revisionsbyråer gällande hanteringen av dubbla roller. För att få en bra grund att stå på före vår empiri har vi genom ett deduktivt angreppssätt skaffat de nödvändiga teorier, lagar och forskningsresultatet kring revisorer och revisorns olika roller. Exempel på dessa teorier är revision, revisorns dubbla roller, oberoendekrav, analysmodellen och konsult- och granskningsarvoden. Vidare har vi även inslag av det abduktiva angreppssättet för att kunna ta del av eventuella teorier som eventuella kan komma fram genom djupintervjuerna. För att undersöka problematiken har vi valt att genomföra en kvalitativ studie där vi har undersökt sex revisorer, fyra av dessa arbetar i stora revisionsbyråer och resterande två på mindre byråer. Denna studie är vidare skriven ur revisorperspektiv där vi med en hermeneutisk kunskapssyn skall förstå och tolka respondenternas syn på problemområdet. Vår studie har i korthet visat att fristående rådgivning till revisionsklienterna påverkar revisorns oberoendeställning. Vidare har det visat sig att det finns skillnader på hur stora och mindre revisionsbyråerna minimerar eller eliminerar olika hot för att bevara oberoendekravet.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was enacted as a response to some of the most egregious accounting scandals in history. Since SOX’s inception, experts continue to debate the costs and benefits associated with the act. Prior research suggests that some of the benefits associated with the Act may actually be attributable to other concurrent events such as firms’ reactions to the negative publicity. This paper investigates the effect that a firm’s publicity level has on the firm’s likelihood to issue a financial restatement. This study suggests that some of the benefits associated with SOX can actually be attributed to what I call the publicity effect. I find that although high publicity firms are more likely to issue a financial restatement post-SOX relative to low publicity firms, this difference is mitigated by the publicity effect. The empirical model suggests firms that are classified as having low publicity prior to SOX’s enactment are more likely to respond to the adverse publicity of the major accounting scandals. This study suggests that the benefit of more reliable financial statements is a combination of the stringent SOX regulations as well as the market’s reaction to negative publicity. My findings suggest that future cost-benefit analyses of SOX should attempt to capture the publicity effect.