recent corporate scandals and accounting improprieties at major companies, such as Enron, WorldCom, Waste Management, Sunbeam and many others, have shaken investor confidence in the financial reporting process. This current demise in investor confidence was foreseen several years ago by former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Arthur Levitt. In a September 1998 speech, then chairman Levitt stated, “In the zeal to satisfy consensus earnings estimates and project a smooth earnings path, wishful thinking may be winning the day over faithful representation. As a result, I fear that we are witnessing an erosion in the quality of earnings and therefore the quality of financial reporting (Springsteel, 1998, p. 21).”