Created in 2002 by the United States Congress and Government, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) grants more responsibility and accountability to corporate executives regarding audits and certification of accounting reports. After the act was passed, all publicly-traded companies have been required to prove that the processes they use to generate financial reports and statements are protected against fraud.
The act introduced strict corporate governance rules, such as criminal punishment for corporate fraud, whose purpose is to guarantee the transparency of corporations' tax results and to grant more independence and autonomy to external auditors. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act also established the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) under the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) to oversee public accounting firms and issue accounting standards.
As an immediate result, there has been an increase in the pressures faced by executives, who now have an additional responsibility, together with that of increasing their companies' profits and market share, as well as and creating competitive advantages for their organizations.