remuneration and shareholdings.
9. Reinforcing the role of the audit committee should improve the relationship between the auditor and the company. The audit committee should recommend the hiring and firing of auditors and approve their fees, as well as review the audit plan.
10. The IFAC Code of Ethics should be the foundation for individual national independence rules. It should be relied on in making decisions on whether auditors should provide non-audit services. Non-audit services performed by the auditor should be approved by the audit committee.
11. All fees, for audit and non-audit services, should be disclosed to shareholders.
12. Key audit team members, including the engagement and independent review partners, should serve no longer than seven years on the audit .
13. Two years should pass before a key audit team member can take a position at the company as a director or any other important management position .
III. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a quasi-think tank made up of 30 member countries, including the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (UK), and it has working relationships with more than 70 other countries. In 2004, the OECD unveiled the updated revision of its \Corporate Governance\ (including the U.S. and UK) in 1999. Although they are non-binding, the principles provide a reference for national legislation and regulation, as well as guidance for stock exchanges, investors, corporations and other parties .
The principles have long become an international benchmark for policy makers, investors, corporations and other stakeholders worldwide. They have advanced the corporate governance agenda and provided specific guidance for legislative and regulatory initiatives in both the OECD and non-OECD countries.
The 2004 updated version of \of Corporate Governance\includes recommendations on accounting and auditing standards, the independence of board members and the need for boards to act in the interest of the company and the
shareholders. The updated version also sets more demanding standards in a number of areas that impact corporate executive compensation and finance, such as :
1. Granting investors the right to nominate company directors, as well as a more forceful role in electing them.
2. Providing shareholders with a voice in the compensation policy for board members and executives, and giving these stockholders the ability to submit questions to auditors.
3. Mandating that institutional investors disclose their overall voting policies and how they manage material conflicts of interest that may affect the way the investors exercise key ownership functions, such as voting .
4. Identifying the need for effective protection of creditor rights and an efficient system for dealing with corporate insolvency .
5. Directing rating agencies, brokers and other providers of information that could influence investor decisions to disclose conflicts of interest, and how those conflicts are being managed .
6. Mandating board members to be more rigorous in disclosing related party transactions, and protecting so-called \with confidential access to a board-level contact . 4、Conclusion
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was the U.S. government's response to the wave of fraudulent corporate financial reporting experienced during the 1990s and early 2000s an represented a significant step in regaining investors' confidence in the global financial reporting process. The SOA created new and stricter statutes to avoid a repeat of previous corporate financial disasters. The Act not only applies to U.S. entities but also covers primarily large non-U.S. companies whose securities are listed or traded on U.S. stock exchanges, as well as their non-U.S. external auditors, regardless of their nationality or place of business. Foreign entities have to comply with the SOA by June 2005 .
Across the Atlantic, the IFAC, OECD and EU have recognize the recent eruption of corporate scandals in Europe and affirmed the inevitable need for
corporate governance reforms and regulation of the public accounting profession worldwide. The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has passed the Code of Professional Ethics for international accounting firms. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has passed guidelines for improving corporate governance. The European Union (EU) has proposed a code of conduct for independent auditors, which include a five-year auditor rotation requirement. European countries are also individually involved in improving their corporate laws through governance codes of practice.
Sourse: Badawi, Ibrahim M. Review of Business; Spring2005, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p8-14, 7p
译文
全球公司会计舞弊和改革行为
一、前言
随着最近一系列公司虚假财务报告事件在美国发生,类似丑闻也在其他国家被曝光。几乎所有的案例中外国企业会计舞弊的行为是委托其在多个国家的业务实体,这些实体大多在美国上市。美国公司立法和管理改革——2002年的萨班斯法案在全球范围引起反响。该法案的目的是双重的：（1）识别有明显的虚假财务报告和会计手法不当的美国和外国公司；（2）突出强调国际上对恢复投资者对财务报告、会计职业和全球资本市场信心的反应。 二、全球企业会计舞弊的案例
大量的美国公司被列入公司财务会计丑闻的清单，而且每个案例都不止一个会计行为不规范。通过表1可以看到样本中的美国公司的虚假财务报告的欺骗行为。
表1 美国公司会计舞弊样本 家族以公司名义集资31亿美元贷款在资产负债表阿德菲亚传播公司 外，通过资本化费用和隐藏债务来虚增收入。 美国在线时代华纳 易货贸易和广告销售以收入的名义记录，以保持其高的收入增长率。通过与广告商和供应商的往返交易，销售额也被提高。 2001年膨胀的收入，利用“填塞分销渠道”的营销伎俩突击增加销售收入15亿美元或为了让批发商接受比他们的需求更多的存货给予不恰当的奖励，使公司能够达到2001年销售目标。 实行“往返(买卖)”交易人工提高能源成交量以及收入。 通过23次 \往返”交易来提高交易量及增加收入。 实行“往返”交易人工提高能源成交量、收入和现金流。 美国最大的榜首公司崩溃。公司通过不恰当的伙伴关系在几年内提高利润并隐瞒了债务总计超过10亿美元。它也操纵着得克萨斯州的电力和加利福尼亚州的能源市场, 在国外通过贿赂外国政府赢得合约。 在顾客同意支付前不恰当地确认了1亿美元的年度建设投入。 百时美施贵宝 CMS 杜克能源 达力智 安然 哈里伯顿
默克制药 奎斯特通讯公司 世界通信公司 施乐 在三年内，公司在其帐目中计入了来自于其子公司140亿美元的营收款项，但默克制药公司却从未收取此款项。 通过对长期交易的不恰当财务记录来虚增收入。前任CEO丹尼斯被指控逃税100万美元。证券交易委员会正在调查公司是否很清楚自己的行为，可能不恰当地运用公司资金和关联方交易，以及不恰当的合并行为。 从2001年开始，高层管理人员将90亿美元电信营业费用资本化来夸大收入和资产超过5个季度。创始人伯纳德贝斯收到400万美元的帐外贷款。 五年来滥用各种会计准则夸大收入，虚增15亿美元的收入。 三、公司会计改革的全球管理行为 （一）2002年萨班斯法案(SOA 2002)
会计丑闻的影响贯穿于整个美国经济，为了保护社会公共利益，令投资者恢复对资本市场的信心，美国立法者在2002年通过了萨班斯法案。布什总统2002年7月30日签署了该法案(公法107-204)。该法案的执行给在美国证券交易所上市交易的美国和非美国的公司带来巨大变化，要求行政人员、董事会和外部审计人员采取措施使财务报告更具责任心和透明度。基于法案条例的积极性，该法案被认为是从1933年以来最具象征意义的法律法规，影响着公司和会计职业。其他美国监管机构，比如纽约证券交易所、那斯达克和国家注册会计师协会也通过了新的法规,针对上市公司及其外部审计人员增加条款。
萨班斯法案适用于任何在美国证券交易所注册上市的公司，无论是在1933年证券管理条例下的还是在1934年证券交易法下的，不管是国营还是私营。此外，外部审计人员，不管他们的国籍和营业地点，受美国上市公司会计监管委员会(PCAOB)监督。
美国的萨班斯法案(SOA)在世界各地有反响,国际会计师联合会(IFAC)、经济合作与发展组织(OECD)、欧洲委员会(UC)和欧洲国家的个人权威机构参与了企业和会计改革行为。
（二）国际会计师联合会(IFAC)
IFAC是一个私人的管理机构，其成员是国家专业组织的会计师。IFAC把自己描述成会计这一职业的全球代表，目的在于为公共利益服务，强化全世界的会
全球公司会计舞弊和改革行为【外文翻译】(1)
