...Assignment 3: Fraud in the AIS Ditanyan Patterson Jay E. Wright, CPA, CFE Strayer University ACC.564 August 17, 2014 Abstract After researching for a firm that was involved in a fraud and/or embezzlement case I came upon the embezzlement of Koss Corp. Koss Corp was a company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that manufactured stero headphones, speaker phones, computer headsets, wireless headsets, and much more. The case of Koss came about because of inaccurate financial ststements, books and records, and the lack of adequate internal controls from the years of 2005-2009. Two of Koss former employees, Sujata Sachdeva and Julie Mulvaney were the ones to engage in a wide-range of accounting fraud to cover up Sachdeva's embezzlement scam. From the lack and inadequate internal controls and failures in overseeing the accounting and financial reports by the CEO and CFO they were able to embezzle a huge amount of money. Throughout my research I will write a paper in which I must assess the failures of the firms accounting information system to prevent the related fraud/ embezzlement; Also, evaluate the effectiveness of Koss stakeholders in the event that a third-party accounting system suffers a breach. Along with assessing the level of responsibility of the software provider to the business and their clients. This paper will determine what advances in accounting and/or information technology could have done to prevent such acts from occuring, the paper will give changes that should...
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...Financial Research Report: Lowe’s Companies, Inc Strayer University Abstract Review of Financial Research Report: This assignment is an analysis of a US publicly-traded company; its common stock could be a prospective investment. The report is due in Week 10, in needs to be at least 5 pages, and it needs to cover the following topics: Company Overview: Conduct research and describe the company, its operations, locations, markets, and lines of business. Collect financial statements for the past three years, fiscal or calendar. Ratio analysis: Perform trend and ratio analysis on current and fixed assets, current and long term liabilities, owner’s equity, sales revenues, EBIT, net income, and earnings per share. Project these trends for three years. Stock price analysis: Research the company’s common stock price for the past five years. Research the Standard & Poor’s Stock Market Index (S&P 500) for the past five years. Chart the price movement in the company’s common stock against the S&P price movement. State and support your opinion on the company’s common stock as an investment opportunity. References: Use at least five references and follow APA format when preparing the report. Lowe's Companies, Inc., is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the United States (trailing Home Depot Inc.), holding about six percent of the $140 billion home improvement market. No longer a low-profile company, Lowe's evolved from a regional hardware...
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...Financial Research Report ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. FIN 534 Name Instructor Date ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Financial Research Report 1.0. Introduction Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a publicly traded company in the United States of America in the biopharmaceutical industry. The company is devoted to discover, develop, and commercialize small molecule drugs that are useful in treating disorders in the central nervous system. The current engagement of the company is in treatment of induced dysfunction in Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, neuropathic pain and glaucoma. All company product candidates are a product of discoveries made at the company’s discovery platform. There is a strong team with industry experience which is put in place to aid in the development of these products. This team work together with the company’s world-class scientific and clinical advisors who are also hired by the company. It was found in 1993 and has it’s headquarter situated in San Diego, in California. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of the company using ratio and stock price analysis. The financial statements for the year ending 31st December 2012, 2011, and 2010 will be used in this analysis. These are complete financial statements covering the whole financial statements retrieved from yahoo finance. 2.0. Rationale for choosing the company for which to invest This company was selected because of interesting trend in the industry. For the past three years,...
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...Assignment 1-Financial Research Report FIN 534: Financial Management Hannah Fox Dr. Dana Leland August 30, 2015 The U.S. publicly traded company that I have selected is Kroger. Kroger is a grocery retail chain in the US. It operates supermarkets and multi-department stores under a number of banners including Kroger, Harris Teeter, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, Fry's, King Soopers, Smith's, Dillons, Jay C, QFC and City Market. According to The (Kroger Co. SWOT Analysis, 2015), the company holds the largest or the second largest market share position in 41 of the 49 major markets in which it operates. It ranks among the largest corporations in the US. Kroger's size provides it with significant pricing power over food producers, giving the company economies of scale over smaller supermarket operators. Kroger follows a strategy which has evolved to incorporate more elements of differentiation on factors other than price. The company has tried to identify various factors that drive customer visits and loyalty and has made several targeted investments to achieve the same. One such move is the increase in gasoline stations. The company has increased the number of stores with fuel centers to 1,240 in FY2014 from 376 in FY2003. Having more than 1,000 fuel centers is a key advantage for Kroger, enabling the company to drive traffic to its stores. In 2010, the company partnered with Shell to roll out the grocer rewards program in Cincinnati, Dayton, Knoxville, Nashville and San...
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...Financial Research Report: The Coca - Cola Company FIN 534 – Assignment #1 07 December 2014 Coca Cola Introduction: Coca Cola Company is an American, multinational company that is infamous for its beverage products. The company is commonly referred to as coca cola. Invented and patented in 1886 and 1887, respectively, by an American pharmacist named John Pemberton. Pemberton sold the company in 1889 to Griggs Candler who incorporated it in 1892. For more than 70 years, coca cola had been the sole beverage of the company. Although international expansion was tested in 1928, expansion of the company in the United States did not start until late 1955 (World of Coca-Cola, 2014). This expansion into other beverage flavors as well as diet and caffeine free choices has allowed the company to become a market leader in the beverage industry. The Company has found success in appealing to the needs and desires of a broad consumer base. Their customers derive from various backgrounds, lifestyles, demographics and age ranges. Currently, the Coca Cola brand expands in the integrated form of more than 500 brands of beverages across more than 200 nations worldwide. As markets changed and competition grew, Coca Cola decided to introduce Diet Coke and later followed with several others to include, but not limited to, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Cherry, Sprite, and Schweppes. As of today, it is estimated that the Coca Cola Corporation has more than 3500 beverages spread across a...
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...Business research is performed either to start a business or to assist managers in making business decisions. The purpose of conducting business research is to identify problems and opportunities. It can also be conducted to improve processes, strategies and tactics. Conducting business research is essential to make sound business decisions. For example, in local government, conducting research on finances assists with budgeting and planning. Since I work in local government, I searched for articles on research studies within local government agencies and their financial performance measures. The research study I found is called, “Local Government Measurement and Use of Performance Accounting and Financial Reporting Data in Planning and Budgeting Decision Support” (2009). The study used a multi case study approach. The study was done to identify debt obligation performance in financial reports to assess the measurement of debt performance. The researcher selected three county government agencies to perform the study. The selection of the county agencies was based on history and similarity of the use of performance measures and the use of debt performance data in their budget decision making. The counties also share similar characteristics in city age, population, general fund revenues and geographic region. The counties selected for the study are Solano County in California, Prince William County in Virginia and Kent County in Michigan. The study used the Comprehensive...
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...ACC 410 Assignment 1 Financial Statement / Audit Report Review Follow Below Link to Download Tutorial https://homeworklance.com/downloads/acc-410-assignment-1-financial-statement-audit-report-review/ For More Information Visit Our Website ( https://homeworklance.com/ ) Email us At: Support@homeworklance.com or lancehomework@gmail.com Assignment 1: Financial Statement / Audit Report Review Due Week 4 and worth 240 points Select one (1) local government in your state or area and review the financial statements and audit report for the county or municipality. The financial statements of the government you selected should have at least three (3) funds. Refer to the continuing problem homework for Weeks 1 through 3 for this assignment. Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you: 1.Compare and contrast the comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) of the selected local government entity with the city of Austin report from Week 1 homework. In your comparison, include: a.Publication method of the CAFR b.Audit and budget information in the CAFR c.The type of audit report issued d.Existence or non-existence of an internal audit function within the government entity 2.Prepare the analysis for the selected local government entity, including information on the introduction, financial section, and statistical section prepared in the city of Austin’s CAFR from chapter 2. 3.Analyze the methods used by the selected local government entity in comparing...
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...CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING FOR GOVERNMENTAL AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES OUTLINE |Number |Topic |Type/Task |Status | | | | |(re: 15/e) | |Questions: | | | | |1-1 |Unique characteristics of governments and NFPs that create demand for |Identify/Explain |New | | |accountability | | | |1-2 |Distinguishing between general purpose and special purpose governments|Identify |New | |1-3 |Standards-setting bodies |Contrast |Same | |1-4 |Determining which standard-setting body sets standards for a |Identify/Explain |New | | |nongovernmental NFP | | ...
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...businesses have profit as their main motive whereas the others have service. A primary purpose of financial reporting is to report on an entity’s accomplishments — how well it achieved its objectives. Accordingly, the financial statements of businesses measure profitability, their key objective. Financial reports of governments and other not-for-profits should not focus on profitability, since it is not a relevant objective. Ideally, therefore, they should focus on other performance objectives, such as how well the organizations met their service goals. In reality, however, the goal of reporting on how well they have achieved such goals has proven difficult to attain and the financial reports have focused mainly on financially-related data. 2. Governments and not-for-profits are “governed” by the budget, whereas businesses are governed by the marketplace. The budget is the key political and fiscal document of governments and not-for-profits. It determines how an entity obtains its resources and how it allocates them. It encapsulates most key decisions of consequence made by the organization. In a government the budget is not merely a managerial document; it is the law. 3. Owing to the significance of the budget, constituents want assurance that the entity achieves its revenue estimates and complies with its spending mandates. They expect the financial statements to report on how the budget was administered. 4. Interperiod equity is the concept that taxpayers of today...
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...ACC 410 Assignment 1 Financial Statement / Audit Report Review Follow Below Link to Download Tutorial https://homeworklance.com/downloads/acc-410-assignment-1-financial-statement-audit-report-review/ For More Information Visit Our Website ( https://homeworklance.com/ ) Email us At: Support@homeworklance.com or lancehomework@gmail.com Assignment 1: Financial Statement / Audit Report Review Due Week 4 and worth 240 points Select one (1) local government in your state or area and review the financial statements and audit report for the county or municipality. The financial statements of the government you selected should have at least three (3) funds. Refer to the continuing problem homework for Weeks 1 through 3 for this assignment. Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you: 1.Compare and contrast the comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) of the selected local government entity with the city of Austin report from Week 1 homework. In your comparison, include: a.Publication method of the CAFR b.Audit and budget information in the CAFR c.The type of audit report issued d.Existence or non-existence of an internal audit function within the government entity 2.Prepare the analysis for the selected local government entity, including information on the introduction, financial section, and statistical section prepared in the city of Austin’s CAFR from chapter 2. 3.Analyze the methods used by the selected local government entity in comparing...
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...The four elements of financial management are planning, controlling, organizing and directing, then decision making. Planning allows the financial manager to identify the steps needed to become successful towards accomplishing an organization’s goals. The manager must identify objectives and steps to accomplish the goals. The financial manager then controls each department of the organization. One way to oversee a departments’ progress is by comparing past and current departmental reports. Organizing and directing go hand in hand, but before directing the financial manager must organize and research an organization’s resources. The purpose of evaluating resources, determines how effectively objectives are accomplished. Directing ensures the effective use of resources and providing supervision. Decision making allows the manager to make intelligent choices about accomplishing the goals of an organization. The generally accepted accounting principles or G.A.A.P. are accepted ways of reporting and recording organizations financial information .They are the rules used to arrange and regulate financial account reporting. G.A.A.P. includes recognition of revenue, balance sheets, and outstanding share amounts. Organizations are required to follow the principles when reporting their financial statements. Professional accountants must abide by ethical standards that standarize the way they conduct business.The Financial Accounting Standards Board, professional accounting...
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...businesses have profit as their main motive whereas the others have service. A primary purpose of financial reporting is to report on an entity’s accomplishments — how well it achieved its objectives. Accordingly, the financial statements of businesses measure profitability, their key objective. Financial reports of governments and other not-for-profits should not focus on profitability, since it is not a relevant objective. Ideally, therefore, they should focus on other performance objectives, such as how well the organizations met their service goals. In reality, however, the goal of reporting on how well they have achieved such goals has proven difficult to attain and the financial reports have focused mainly on financially-related data. 2. Governments and not-for-profits are “governed” by the budget, whereas businesses are governed by the marketplace. The budget is the key political and fiscal document of governments and not-for-profits. It determines how an entity obtains its resources and how it allocates them. It encapsulates most key decisions of consequence made by the organization. In a government the budget is not merely a managerial document; it is the law. 3. Owing to the significance of the budget, constituents want assurance that the entity achieves its revenue estimates and complies with its spending mandates. They expect the financial statements to report on how the budget was administered. 4. Interperiod equity is the concept that taxpayers of today...
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...TO: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN FROM: SUBJECT: CITY OF DENVER CO, CAFR, ANALYSIS OF MD&A DATE: The following memo highlights 4 interesting aspects of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the City of Seattle Washington for Calendar Year January 1st – December 31st 2009. The complete report can be found following this link: http://www.seattle.gov/cafrs/2009/default.htm 1. On page #2 (and on the relevant statements on pages 10 and 11) of the Management’s Discussion and Analysis, it is noted that the fund financial statements are broken down by governmental funds, proprietary funds, and fiduciary funds. The governmental funds are broken down into general, special revenue, debt service, capital projects and permanent funds. It is interesting to note that the city of Seattle has identified 3 major governmental funds that are presented separately in the governmental funds balance sheet and statement of revenues, expenditures, and other changes in fund balances. The major funds are the General Fund, Transportation Fund, and Low-Income Housing Fund. The general fund should always be reported as a major fund. Other individual funds should be reported as major funds if, 1) total assets, liabilities, revenues, expenditures of that fund are at least 10% of the corresponding total for all funds of that category and 2) total assets, liabilities, revenues, expenditures of that fund are at least 5% of the corresponding total for all governmental and enterprise funds combined. For...
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...Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Briefing: Each year the Los Angeles County Office of Education issues a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The most recent report as the 2012 that was created by Alexander Cherniss, Ed.D., Chief Business Officer, fiscal year ending June 30, 2012. Presently no boundary changes during the fiscal year. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of government accounting and reporting. Governmental Accounting and Reporting Budgeting and accounting are predominantly vital for a government body. Any person with the competence to make decisions relating to the prevailing body should possess the essential understanding of budgeting and accounting. “The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) sets the accounting and financial reporting standards for state and local governments, whereas the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) sets these standards in for-profit business” (Granof &Wardlow, 2011). Governmental purpose and missions differ from those of a for-profit business. For-profit business is vastly measured by increasing profits and shareholder worth. Economic metrics are based exclusively on revenue and net income margins, where there may not be as measurable for governmental financial reporting. Government financial report cannot be always measured in monetary trends but more on a service oriented and focus cannot always be measured in dollars and cents and tends to be based more so on service...
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...Discuss the financial controls within governmental agencies, communication of the budgetary process as well as maintaining budget compliance? Local government implements budgets with the common purpose of any financially sound business; to plan and forecast how revenues will be managed. However, local government budget standards are fundamentally different from the common public business enterprises in several important ways. They have different purposes, processes of generating revenues, stakeholders, budgetary obligations, and propensity for longevity. These differences require more stringent audit and financial reporting in order to provide information to meet the same legal and political compliance requirements used to assess government accountability and to make political, social, and economic decisions. Being subject to the constant scrutiny of the public eye is a difficult objective as both, the accomplishments and the mistakes are visible in order to reflect a transparent posture. Nowadays, with the internet, dissemination is a very effective and effortless task. Releasable documents, as more are, become available almost as soon as they are generated. That said, keep in mind that human error, natural disasters, terrorism and other inevitable events may happen and a local government’s efforts and goals to remain in compliance can be destroyed overnight. To mitigate these probabilities of derailment, budgets are implemented with financial controls. Financial...
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