Most companies could still wring more efficiency out of their Sarbanes-Oxley compliance efforts, according to a new study, even after four years of practice at SOX compliance and relaxed standards from the Securities and Exchange Commission issued last year.
The report, based on interviews with more than 30 senior finance and internal control professionals, concludes that while much of the potential benefit of the new SEC guidance has already been achieved, opportunities exist to further rationalize the scope and structure of internal control over financial reporting. That’s likely to be an important goal for compliance and financial reporting executives in 2009, ...