Sarbanes-Oxley Act Primer

The corporate-responsibility scandals and business failures involving companies such as Enron, Adelphia and Global Crossing revealed widespread accounting, self-dealing and mismanagement issues. Seeking to instill greater accountability by senior management of public companies, Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002. The prevailing view among legal commentators is that the Act is by far the most significant federal securities law passed since 1934.

This Sarbanes-Oxley Act Primer online training course summarizes the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and describes the important new obligations and impacts it imposes — particularly for the senior management of public companies. Sarbanes-Oxley addresses a wide range of topics, including corporate-governance practices, ethics, executive compensation and financial disclosures. Its principal impacts are to (1) impose new obligations on corporate officers and directors, and (2) increase the scope and severity of the penalties that may be imposed on public companies and their officers and auditors for violations of federal securities laws.

Course Learning Objectives

By taking this online Sarbanes-Oxley Act Primer course, the user will learn to:

• Identify the provisions and obligations covered under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
• Describe the penalties for non-compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
• Understand the new trading restrictions stated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
• Identify the importance of audit committees.
• Describe the importance of anonymous non-compliance submissions and whistleblower protection.
• Identify new disclosure obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Course Outline

This online Sarbanes-Oxley Act Primer course is made up of the following sections:

1. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act
2. Certification
3. Profits and Bonuses
4. New Trading Restrictions
5. Audit Committees
6. Protection, Disclosure and Penalties

Course Audience

This Sarbanes-Oxley Act Primer online training course was designed for senior management of public companies.

If you have any concerns as to whether this course is appropriate for you or your industry, please browse our full selection of online courses.