Should Influence Be Sold To The Highest Bidder?Group 32Holly Kosarek, Hunter Jasek, Travis Gray, Siddharth Shah, Kelsey Simons

• 1869 - Earliest recorded lobbying by Railroad Industry• Citizens United vs Federal Election Committee

Lobbying History

Lobbying Cycle

Understanding Lobbying

In 2011 Big 4 firms spent $9.4 million for lobbying the PCAOB and the congress to influence regulations such as• Auditors sign their own names on opinions rather than the firm’s name• Disciplinary action against firms made public earlier than currently allowed• Reducing audit requirements for smaller public companies which would result

in revenue loss for firms

Accounting Industry Effects

• Can the benefits of additional awareness outweigh the negative effects of forced policy?

• Should corporations have a say on congressional policies?

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Lobbying In Education

Professional Program Advisory Board

Texas A&M Facilities Impact

Texas A&M Student Impact

Ethics of Educational Partnerships

Texas A&M Mission Statement

Duty Driven Proposition

Program Duties

StudentsUniversity

Education

• Do educational partnerships allow universities additional opportunities for their students that might not exist otherwise?

• Should universities allow partnerships that drive the educational standards of a degree?

• Is it ethical to portray working for certain companies as the “right way” to become successful due to different amounts of financial contributions?

Discussion Topics