BUSINESS PROCESS FOR ULTRA VIRES TRANSACTIONS

• US 20080183519A1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Grundfest, Joe, KING, Nigel
• Granted Patent: US 10,453,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

An audit system automatically ensures compliance with relevant policy by identifying an entity offering a non-audit service that also provides audit services to the enterprise, and ensuring the service is permissible and proper approval has been obtained. If the non-audit service is prohibited or proper approval from an audit committee has not been obtained, execution of the service is prevented. When a permissible non-audit service is executed, this service can be monitored and execution suspended when circumstances change such that the service is no longer permissible or approval for the service expires. The audit system can forward a message to the audit committee or other authority about any suspended business process. If the audit committee subsequently approves the suspended permissible non-audit service, execution of the instance of the business process resumes. The audit system determines whether the vendor entity was paid demands a refund where necessary.

Claims

1. A method of executing a business process in an enterprise, the method comprising:

identifying a type of vendor associated with an instance of a business process awaiting execution, the business process being associated with a non-audit service;

automatically executing the business process when the vendor is not of a type offering audit services to the enterprise; and

when the vendor is of a type offering audit services to the enterprise;

denying execution of the business process if the non-audit service is a prohibited service;

determining whether pre-approval for the non-audit service has been obtained when the non-audit service is a permissible service;

automatically executing the business process when the non-audit service is a permissible service and pre-approval has been obtained; and

automatically denying execution of the business process when the non-audit service is a permissible service and pre-approval has not been obtained.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a status of the instance of the executed business process.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising suspending execution of the instance of the business process when the vendor is determined to also offer audit services.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising suspending execution of the instance of the business process when the vendor is determined to no longer be permissible.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising suspending execution of the instance of the business process when the pre-approval for the non-audit service expires.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically forwarding a message to an authority of the enterprise in response to execution being denied.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the message includes at least one of information identifying the instance of the business process and information on a step to execute the instance of the business process.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

resuming execution of the instance of the business process in response to receiving approval for a permissible service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a determination of prohibited and permissible services is in accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the vendor has been paid in conjunction with the instance of the business process; and

creating a refund demand in response to a determination that the vendor has been paid in conjunction with the instance of the business process.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the refund demand includes a debit memo in an accounting system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the business process includes an accounts payable business process.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the instance of the business process includes an invoice from the vendor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the business process includes an purchasing business process.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the instance of the business process includes a purchase order directed to the vendor.

16. An information storage medium having a plurality of instructions adapted to direct an information processing device to perform an operation comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication of an initiation of an instance of a business process associated with a non-audit service;

identifying a vendor associated with the instance of the business process;

automatically determining if the vendor is prohibited from providing the non-audit service to the enterprise, the vendor being prohibited if the non-audit service is a prohibited service or if pre-approval has not been obtained when the non-audit service is a permissible service;

executing the instance of the business process in response to a determination that the vendor is permitted to provide the non-audit service to the enterprise; and

suspending execution of the instance of the business process in response to a determination that the vendor is prohibited from providing the non-audit service to the enterprise.

17. The information storage medium of claim 16, wherein suspending execution of the instance of the business process includes placing a hold on the instance of the business process.

18. The information storage medium of claim 16, further comprising automatically forwarding a message to an authority of the enterprise in response to a determination that the vendor is prohibited from providing the non-audit service to the enterprise.

19. The information storage medium of claim 18, wherein the message includes information identifying the instance of the business process.

20. The information storage medium of claim 18, wherein the message includes information on a step to continue execution of the instance of the business process.

21. The information storage medium of claim 18, wherein the authority includes an audit committee member of the enterprise.

22. The information storage medium of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an approval message from the authority;

storing at least a portion of the approval message; and

resuming execution of the instance of the business process in response to the approval message.

23. The information storage medium of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a denial message from the authority;

storing at least a portion of the denial message; and

terminating execution of the instance of the business process in response to the approval message.

24. The information storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining if the vendor has been paid in conjunction with the instance of the business process; and

creating a refund demand in response to a determination that the vendor has been paid in conjunction with the instance of the business process.

25. The information storage medium of claim 24, wherein the refund demand includes a debit memo in an accounting system.

26. The information storage medium of claim 16, wherein the business process includes an accounts payable business process.

27. The information storage medium of claim 26, wherein the instance of the business process includes an invoice from the vendor.

28. The information storage medium of claim 16, wherein the business process includes an purchasing business process.

29. The information storage medium of claim 28, wherein the instance of the business process includes a purchase order directed to the vendor.