The Sarbanes‐Oxley Act

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine the potential of The Sarbanes‐Oxley Act on financial accounting systems in publicly‐held companies.Design/methodology/approach – This article examines the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act 2002, commonly referred to as The Sarbanes‐Oxley Act, enacted by the US Congress in the wake of a series of business scandals in the USA. The focus is on the records management implications of the act.Findings – The Sarbanes‐Oxley clearly has the potential to elevate the records management function to a new and higher level than it has ever enjoyed in the life of US business corporations. Future developments must be watched to see whether this proves to be the case.Originality/value – This article will be helpful to those with more than just a passing interest in the significant happenings affecting records management in the USA.