Sarbanes-Oxley

I recommend your reading of article The Unexpected Benefits Of Sarbanes-Oxley in Harvard Business Review, April 2006 issue, by Steve Wagner, Deloitte & Touche LLP and Lee Dittmar, Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) for some companies has become a source of valuable insights into operations, which management has translated into improved efficiencies and cost savings. These areas of improvements include:

• strengthened control environment
  
• more reliable documentation
  
• better, less burdensome compliance with other statutory regimes
  
• more standardized processes for IT and other functions
  
• reduced complexity of organizational processes
  
• better internal controls within partner companies
  
• more effective use of both automated and manual controls
  
• increased audit committee involvement
  

For quality and environmental managers and engineers finding barriers with finance and accounting on SOX planning and implementation, should reference this remarkable and influential article for support.  Businesses run on discovering and creating value and need to start viewing SOX as an ally in that effort.