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Sarbanes-Oxley Quiz
Graziadio Business Report, 2003, Volume 6, Number 1

The following questions are merely a sampling of some of the issues related to the new Sarbanes-Oxley law. They are fairly technical, and unless one has studied the new law, he or she is not likely to know all of the answers. Reading Professor Bumgardner's article "Reforming Corporate America," will give you answers to many of the questions, although not to all. However, the links in the answers will take you to either the law itself or the SEC discussion of the rules. It is hoped that having to consider these questions will make you more aware of the issues with which you need to become familiar. (Select the answer that best completes the statement.)

Taking the quiz is completely anonymous. GBR does not record or tabulate results in any form -- you are the only one who will know how well you do. You will only be able to view results for those questions that you actually answer however. The answers provide background and explanations for the questions and, in some cases, links to related websites.

1. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was passed largely in response to:
A)  The corporate accounting scandals of the previous couple of years.
B)  The rise in the trade deficit.
C)  The fact that with the drop in the stock market, many corporations no longer had sufficient reserves to cover their obligations to retirees.
D)  None of the above.

2. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act sets out the general principles of the law. It gives which of the following agencies primary responsibility for writing specific rules to implement the law:
A)  The Financial Accounting Standards Board.
B)  The New York Stock Exchange.
C)  The Securities and Exchange Commission.
D)  The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

3. Sarbanes-Oxley applies to:
A)  All companies that do business in the United States, whether publicly or privately held.
B)  All companies that are required to file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
C)  Only publicly-held companies that have their primary headquarters in the U.S.
D)  Only privately-held companies that are headquartered in the U.S.

4. Only public accounting firms that are registered with the new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will be able to participate in the preparation or issuance of an audit report for a public company under Sarbanes-Oxley.
A)  True
B)  False

5. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires the Securities and Exchange Commission to prescribe minimum standards of professional conduct for attorneys appearing and practicing before it in the representation of companies that must report to the Commission. The standards require an attorney to:
A)  Immediately inform the Commission of any violation of securities laws or breach of fiduciary duty the he or she finds on the part of any employee of the firm in question.
B)  Immediately inform the Commission of any violation of securities laws or breach of fiduciary duty by senior management (as defined in the law) that he or she uncovers.
C)  Immediately inform the chief legal counsel or the chief executive officer of the company of any evidence of a material violation of securities laws or breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation that he or she finds by anyone within the company.
D)  Maintain complete confidentiality even if there is a material violation of securities laws or a breach of fiduciary duty is discovered, but try to convince the offending party to cease the behavior and to correct the situation.

6. A major section of Sarbanes-Oxley relates to the audit function. Among other things, the law requires that the audit committee of a board of directors of a public corporation:
A)  Be comprised entirely of independent directors.
B)  Approve the hiring and compensation of auditors.
C)  Provide procedures to receive confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the company about possibly-questionably accounting or auditing matters.
D)  Pre-approve any non-audit services provided by the auditor.
E)  All of the above

7. A primary goal of the law as it relates to audit committees and auditors is to:
A)  Ensure the independence of the auditor.
B)  Be sure that auditors are fairly compensated – neither overpaid nor underpaid.
C)  Increase the number of auditing firms and thereby increase competition for audit business.
D)  Expedite the audit process.

8. Under the new rules, an accounting firm that does an audit is prohibited from providing many other accounting services. Which of the following is specifically permitted under Sarbanes-Oxley?
A)  Broker or dealer, investment adviser, or investment banking services.
B)  Financial Information Systems Design and Implementation.
C)  Appraisal or Valuation Services.
D)  Tax services.

9. Not all possible services that might be provided by the auditing firm are expressly prohibited by Sarbanes-Oxley. If a non-audit service is not expressly prohibited, the auditing firm may provide that service:
A)  If no one on the board objects.
B)  If the audit committee gives its prior approval.
C)  Only in an emergency and only if the company being audited has not been able to find another accounting firm to provide this service after making a good-faith effort.
D)  Without any prohibitions or pre-conditions whatsoever.

10. To help make certain that auditors remain independent of the company they are auditing, Sarbanes-Oxley requires that auditors rotate off a given company's audit after a specified time. As interpreted by the regulations this means:
A)  No audit firm can provide audit services to the same company for more than five consecutive years.
B)  No individual may work on the audit of a given company for more than five years without rotating off for at least five years.
C)  The lead and concurring partners on an audit must rotate off after five years and stay off at least five years before returning to that company, although rules for other audit team members are less stringent.
D)  The lead and concurring partners on an audit must rotate off after seven years and may never return to audit the same company.

  

 


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