US President George W Bush has proposed a series of measures to tighten up accountability in the wake of the recent auditing scandals at Enron and WorldCom.
In a speech to Wall Street executives, Mr Bush called for "a new era of integrity in corporate America", with strict enforcement and higher ethical standards.
The proposals include heavier jail sentences and a strengthening of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which investigates corporate malpractice.
Mr Bush proposed new criminal penalties for wayward executives, vowing to root out corruption and what he called "cooking the books".
