The Unintended Consequences of Sarbanes-Oxley on Technology Innovation and Supply Chain Integration

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a series of case studies conducted to explore the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This issue is critical as the SEC and the PCAOB continue to defend the requirement that SMEs adhere to the internal control reporting requirements of Section 404 in the Act, albeit at a revised level of expectation focusing on more of a top-down risk-based approach. Cross-sectional case study data is used to explore the impacts of SOX on SMEs adopting organizational theories as a lens for observing behavior and outcomes. The results of the study confirm that there are both benefits and costs associated with SOX compliance. All of the organizations studied experienced substantial improvements in enterprise risk management approaches. However, the level of difficulty experienced by the various organizations in implementing SOX requirements was highly variable and could be traced back to the underlying factors in structural inertia theory: size, complexity, experience with change, experience with strict controls, and adaptability. Perhaps the most important finding is that SOX does impact organizational flexibility to various degrees as predicted by theory; and this impact can in turn affect production cycle times, information technology investment, supply chain performance, and ultimately, market competitiveness.