The Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 is an American piece of legislation. The aim is to improve the quality and transparency of of financial reports and audits in relation ot public companies. The main trigger for the Act was the collapse of Enron and Worldcom following the dotcom crash.

Sarbanes-Oxley sets out to :-

   *Create a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
   *Enhance the standard setting process for accounting practices
   *Strengthen the independence of firms auditing public companies
   *increase financial disclosure
   *Protect the objectivity of securities analysts
   *Improve the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) resources

Training and seminars are both widely available to introduce the Act.