Designing internal controls and accounting strategies, approving journal entries, and giving final signoff on technical accounting treatments is a clear breach of independence for an external auditor.

FORBES: Navistar Sues Deloitte Proving No Statute of Limitations On Idiocy

But the players in the final trial--the Enron Task Force, Judge Sim Lake, defense attorneys Dan Petrocelli and Mike Ramsey, and the two defendants--were not in Houston to provide closure for Enron shareholders and employees, or the final chapter of the corporate accounting scandals of the 1990s.

FORBES: Lessons From A Beaten Man

Reaching a final settlement with the Osage Tribe on its trust accounting and trust mismanagement claims has been a priority for the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior.

WHITEHOUSE: Osage Tribal Trust Settlement

Corporate boards say a proposed new accounting standard, known as FRS17, risks making final salary schemes too expensive.

BBC: Mobile phone giant denies pension risk

On a final note, Jeron points out that the difference between economic and accounting ownership plays a big role in valuation as well.

FORBES: Why Your Equity Could be Worth Less Than You Think (Or Possibly Nothing at All)

We exclude firms with significant legal problems or other open-ended liabilities and also consider accounting and corporate governance scores from Audit Integrity of Los Angeles in making our final cuts.

FORBES