Assignment: Accounting Quality

Based on the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and SEC reporting requirements for publically traded companies,

Write a four to five page paper in which you:

1. Assess the roles of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of a public company for establishing an ethical environment that generates quality accounting and reliable financial reporting for use by shareholders and investors. Provide support for your assessment.

2. Recommend a strategy for a CEO to implement, leading to an ethical environment that leads to high-quality accounting, reporting, and forecasting. Provide support for your recommendation.

3. Suggest how corporate management can provide assurances to investors that the performance forecast and expected earnings will be realized, minimizing the volatility of the stock price. Provide support for your suggestions.

4. Evaluate the consequences to a publically traded company when there is a lack of quality within financial accounting and reporting, indicating how these consequences may be minimized. Provide support for your answer.

5. Assess the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act related to accounting quality, indicating whether or not you believe the requirements are sufficient to protect stockholders and potential investors. Provide support for your position.

6. Use at least five quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

· Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

· Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

· Understand the reporting of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements for publically traded companies.

· Evaluate the quality of accounting information for an organization, including the economic content and earnings sustainability.

· Use technology and information resources to research issues in financial analysis and reporting.

· Write clearly and concisely about financial analysis and reporting using proper writing mechanics.