...ETHICS ACCOUNTING FRAU By Paul Sweeney Learning from the Wrongs S unbeam Corp. will long be remembered as more than a household name for electric appliances and camping equipment. It will also be notable for more than a decade of mismanagement and dubious experiment.s in ruthless cost-cutting and wholesale firings. For years to come, the name "Sunbeam" will bring to mind a company that relied on questionable accounting gimmicks and outright fraLid in sacrificing the company's reputation on the altar of enhanced earnings and a jacked-up stock price. It happened under the direction of disgraced CEO Albert Dunlap — the notorious, take-no-prisoners West Point graduate and veteran corporate downsizer unaffectionateiy known as "Chainsaw Al" — who put company managers under orders to get the stock price up at any cost. One way to do that, as it turned out, was to report robust .sales of electric blankets in the summer and barbecue grills in late autumn. Eventually, earnings woes and Dunlap's bluster prompted his ouster by an aroused board of directors in June 1998. That was followed shortly by the replacement of accounting firm Arthur Andersen and a series of investigations and shareholders lawsuits, most of which are still pending. Sunbeam joins an ignominious cluster of companies — Rite Aid, c u e International (now part of Cendant Corp.), Livent, Oxford Health Plans, Phar-Mor, Miniscribe and, most recently. MicroStrategies — in business's hall of shame. All of these...
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...7/1/2015 Adelphia founder sentenced to 15 years in jail Business Corporate scandals | NBC News Adelphia founder gets 15year term; son gets 20 Recommend Tweet 0 0 0 Below: Discuss Data Related 108 Rigases were convicted of stealing $100 million in company funds updated 6/20/2005 7:04:56 PM ET NEW YORK — John Rigas, who turned a $300 investment a half century ago into cable behemoth Adelphia Communications Corp., was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for his role in the looting and debthiding scandal that pummeled the company into bankruptcy. Rigas’ son Timothy, 49, who like his father was convicted last year of bank fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Sand could have sentenced both men to life. The sentences are among the harshest handed down in any U.S. court since the fall of Enron in 2001 touched off a rash of corporate scandals that rocked the markets and have cost investors billions of dollars. Raising the possibility that the frail, 80yearold Rigas could die behind bars, U.S. District Judge Leonard Sand said the sentence might be cut Former Adelphia Communications CEO John Rigas, 80, enters Manhattan federal court for his sentencing M stealing millions of dollars from the cable company and deceiving investors by hiding its crushing debt. short if Rigas serves at least two years and prison doctors believe he has less than three months to live. “This is a tragedy lacking in heroes...
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...The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Brandice Vasquez, University of Phoenix July 22, 2012 Linda Moore As businesses progress throughout the years, so must laws and regulations to ensure legal business practices remain ethical. Unfortunately, rules and regulations must be made because regrettable actions from large corporations are tainted with greed and power. Corporate Governance Within the past few years headlines have told distressing stories of unethical practices from large corporations such as Merrill Lynch, Enron, Martha Stewart, Adelphia, Boeing, Rite Aid, Xerox, and many more (Arjoon, 2013). According to Arjoon (2013), the definition of corporate governance, “is the system by which business corporations are directed and controlled. The corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation, such as, the board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions in corporate affairs. By doing this, it also provides the structure through which the company objectives are set and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance.” The object of corporate governance is to ensure that a corporation is held to strict guidelines that promotes fairness, transparency and accountability, and that any action taking by a manager is of the interest of the major stakeholder groups. The key...
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...is registered with the Commission pursuant to 12(b) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78l (b)] and traded on the New York Stock Exchange until December 19, 2002, when it was delisted. Kmart fiscal year ends the last Wednesday in January. Before filing for bankruptcy, Kmart operated approximately 2,100 stores throughout the United States and employed approximately 250,000 workers. Kmart's annual sales averaged $37 billion, and the company was the nation's second largest discount retailer and third largest general merchandise retailer. Its direct competitors were Wal-Mart and Target. This research paper will illustrate an accounting fraud committed by Kmart when improperly recognized as revenue a $42.3 million payment from American Greetings Corporation. Kmart negotiated a multi-year contract (5 years) for exclusivity rights and company’s policies and accounting procedures required that the $42.3 million be recognized over the term of the agreement. The litigation release No.18000, dated on February 26, 2003, states that the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) filed a civil action against two former Officers of Kmart, Enio A. Mortini, Jr. Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Kmart’s Drug Store Division, and Joseph A. Hofmeister, divisional vice president of merchandising within the drug store division. The case was presented in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of...
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...Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 SE584: Forensic and Business Investigations Techniques February 22, 2009 The passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) changed how accounting is practiced and how corporations handle their accounting departments, to include auditing and internal controls. Some of these changes are for better accountability and some are for governing the application of stricter rules. The accounting profession was dramatically affected by the events leading up to and after the passing of this law. In the days before SOX, there were many high valued fraudulent activities. The news was flooded with employees, managers, and executives who were committing fraud against their investors, their organizations, or both. Millions and billions of dollars were being lost. The acts that brought about SOX began many years before its inception but were especially prevalent during the dot-com boom. These company’s executives fraudulently reported increases in revenue dollars, bringing their net income up in order to keep pace with their growth projected by analysts. The collapse of these “fast and furious” companies did not mean the last of the major fraudulent activities by executives against organizations or their investors. The 1990s was a time that saw many changes affecting business. The Internet was beginning to open more to commercial use, no more was it just for academics and the government. The age of technology that had started in the 1960s truly took off. The...
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...Page 10-11 Summary……………………………………………………...Pages 11-12 References…………………………………………………………Page 13 Preface In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the country witnessed accounting scandals in several large companies like Enron (which included Arthur Anderson), WorldCom, Rite Aid and Bristol-Myers Squibb. These companies were faced with satisfying investor’s desire for profits, trying to obtain loans on non-existing profits and they had to keep investor confidence high to keep revenues flowing in. However, in doing so, they cut corners and ultimately collapsed due to the lack of mitigating controls within their organizations, lack of management oversight and other acts of fraud. In 2002, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, also known as (SOX) to help circumvent these issues as it was having a devastating impact on the world economy. This legislation, specifically section 404, changed the face of how publicly traded companies handle their financial matters and the role of executive leadership within the organization in regards to the management assessment of internal controls. This is interpreted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to mean “controls that pertain to the preparation of financial statements for external purposes that are fairly presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as addressed by the Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards §319 or any superseding definition or other literature that is issued or adopted by...
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...Lecturer, Department of Finance, University of Dhaka, who has assigned us a fictional case about a corporate scandal. We choose to work with Xerox scandal that took place in 2002. We use our knowledge of audit while working in this report. Also we learn about the ways of accounting manipulations that took place in the real world. Letter of transmittal 12th Nov, 2011 Mohammad Salahuddin Chowdhury Lecturer Department of Finance University of Dhaka Dear Sir Here is a report on the “Corporate scandal of Xerox Corporation”. In this report we have presented the whole history of the scandal, identified the cause of the mishap and showed the result of the scandal. At University of Dhaka, we appreciate having this assignment. If you need any assistance in interpreting this report or if you have any query, please contact with us on the given mail address starz@yahoo.com Sincerely yours, Shahriar Azad Shashi On behalf of the group 2nd Year 2nd Semester B.B.A 16th Batch Department of Finance. Executive Summary On April 11, 2002, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint against Xerox. The complaint alleged Xerox deceived the public between 1997 and 2000 by employing several "accounting maneuvers," the most significant of which was a change in which Xerox recorded revenue from copy machine leases – recognizing a "sale" when a lease contract was signed, instead of...
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...as feedback and images, are available for question creation. Add Name Description Instructions Modify Creation Settings Chapter 2--Why People Commit Fraud Add Question Here Multiple Choice 0 points Modify Remove Question Which of the following is NOT a common rationalization of fraud perpetrators? Answer The organization owes me I'm only borrowing the money No one will get hurt I don’t deserve more. Add Question Here Multiple Choice 0 points Modify Remove Question Which of the following is NOT a primary control procedure to minimize the occurrence of fraud? Answer Dual custody Systems of authorization Internal audit department Documents and records Add Question Here Multiple Choice 0 points Modify Remove Question Each of the following is an example of an inadequate control environment EXCEPT: Answer The HR department failed to check an applicant's background and hired someone who had committed fraud in the past. A manager instructs employees not to share passwords, and then shares her passwords with others. A company does not establish codes of conduct and does not have training meetings to teach employees to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The employees know who has responsibility for each business activity. Add Question Here Multiple Choice 0 points Modify Remove Question A fraud perpetrator uses the float time between banks to give the impression that he had money in his accounts. Which crime is he committing? Answer Floating Strip...
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...accounting fraud and auditor legal liability c a S eS inc lu de d in t hiS Se ction 4 89 99 4.1 Enron Corporation and Andersen, LLP Analyzing the Fall of Two Giants . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 Comptronix Corporation 4.3 Cendant Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Identifying Inherent Risk and Control Risk Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 119 127 137 Assessing the Control Environment and Evaluating Risk of Financial Statement Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 Waste Management, Inc. 4.5 Xerox Corporation 4.6 Phar-Mor, Inc. Manipulating Accounting Estimates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evaluating Risk of Financial Statement Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Accounting Fraud, Litigation, and Auditor Liability instructor resource Manual — do not coPy or redistribute instructor resource Manual — do not coPy or redistribute enron corporation and andersen, llP analyzing the fall of two giants inS tr uc t ional o b je c t ive S [1] c a s e 4.1 Mark S. Beasley · Frank A. Buckless · Steven M. Glover · Douglas F. Prawitt [2] [3] To help students understand what happened at Enron Corporation and how Andersen’s involvement with Enron led to the accounting firm’s downfall. To enhance students’ appreciation of the importance of understanding an audit client’s core business strategies. To develop students’...
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...Licensed to: iChapters User Licensed to: iChapters User Fraud Examination, Fourth Edition W. Steve Albrecht Chad O. Albrecht Conan C. Albrecht Mark F. Zimbelman VP/Editorial Director: Jack W. Calhoun Editor-in-Chief: Rob Dewey Sr. Acquisitions Editor: Matt Filimonov Associate Developmental Editor: Julie Warwick Editorial Assistant: Ann Mazzaro Marketing Manager: Natalie Livingston Marketing Coordinator: Nicole Parsons Content Project Management: PreMediaGlobal Sr. Manufacturing Buyer: Doug Wilke Production House/Compositor: PreMediaGlobal © 2012, 2009 South-Western, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Cengage Learning Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706. For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at www.cengage.com/permissions Further permissions questions can be e-mailed to permissionrequest@cengage.com Library of Congress Control Number: 2010940986 ISBN-13:...
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...A GUIDE TO FORENSIC ACCOUNTING INVESTIGATION THOMAS W. GOLDEN, STEVEN L. SKALAK, AND MONA M. CLAYTON JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. A GUIDE TO FORENSIC ACCOUNTING INVESTIGATION THOMAS W. GOLDEN, STEVEN L. SKALAK, AND MONA M. CLAYTON JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2006 by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. PricewaterhouseCoopers refers to the individual member firms of the worldwide PricewaterhouseCoopers organization. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this...
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...Annals of the University of Petroşani, Economics, 11(1), 2011, 187-196 187 INTERNAL CONTROLS IN ENSURING GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS KOSMAS NJANIKE, MARGARET MUTENGEZANWA, FUNGAI B. GOMBARUME * ABSTRACT: This paper assessed factors that influence the internal controls in ensuring good corporate governance in financial institutions in developing economies with special reference to Zimbabwe. The research paper assessed how lack of internal controls affected good corporate governance and aimed to bring out elements of good corporate governance. It emerged that failure to effectively implement internal controls contributed significantly to poor corporate governance. The study discovered that internal control system overrides and the issue of “fact cat” directors also contributed to poor corporate governance. The study recommended that there is need for the board of directors to guarantee an organizational structure that clearly defines management responsibilities, authority and reporting relationships. There is also need to ensure that delegated responsibilities are effectively carried out to ensure compliance with internal controls of the financial institution concerned. KEY WORDS: internal controls; corporate governance; ethical behaviour. JEL CLASSIFICATION: G21, G28; G30; G38. 1. INTRODUCTION The year period December 31 2003 to December 31 2004 witnessed the collapse of a number of financial institutions in Zimbabwe. This period witnessed a...
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...Vodafone showcases CSR strategy at conference | | Maher addressing the CSR conference in Doha | Vodafone Qatar CEO Grahame Maher showcased the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy at the second Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility which took place at The Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday. Organised by the Qatar Ministry of Business and Trade under the patronage of the Minister of Business and Trade HE Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz bin Jassim al-Thani, the conference aimed to lay the foundations to apply the principles of social responsibility in Qatari companies, as well as developing recommendations to implement these standards locally. “The world is a big place and each of us has an important role to play in shaping what kind of world we live in. Vodafone Qatar’s market position as an innovator and leader brings with it a responsibility to conduct our business in an exemplary manner,” Maher stated. He declared that Vodafone Qatar is committed to using its position as a business leader to help build stronger communities, while accepting the challenge as individuals for each and every one to lead by example. “At Vodafone Qatar we believe that being a responsible company lies at the very heart of our purpose to make a world of difference for all people in Qatar,” Vodafone Qatar’s corporate responsibility head Luisa Gentile said. Corporate responsibility goes beyond just making money. It is about helping those less fortunate, using resources...
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.... . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2.2 2.3 2.4 Dell Computer Corporation Evaluation of Client Business Risk Flash Technologies, Inc. Asher Farms Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Risk Analysis and Resolution of Client Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Understanding of Client’s Business Environment s e ct ion 3 Professional and ethical issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 S o l u tio nS inc lu de d in t h iS Section 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 A Day in the Life of Brent Dorsey Staff Auditor Professional Pressures Nathan Johnson’s Rental Car Reimbursement Solving Ethical Dilemmas–Should He Pocket the Cash? Recognizing It’s a Fraud and Evaluating What to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 The Anonymous Caller WorldCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 The Story of a Whistleblower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79...
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...CHAPTER 10 Auditing Revenue and Related Accounts 1 Explain the concept of accounting cycles and their impact on audit approaches, and identify the accounts in the revenue cycle. 2 Discuss the importance of proper revenue recognition and the characteristics of revenuerelated fraud. 3 Describe the major types of fraud and misstatements that have occurred in the revenue accounts. 4 Describe how to use analytical procedures to identify possible misstatements in the revenue cycle. 5 Assess inherent and control risk regarding revenue cycle accounts. 6 Use audit procedures to test the effectiveness of controls in the revenue cycle. 7 Link the auditor’s control risk assessment to the development of substantive tests of accounts in the revenue cycle. 8 Describe the factors that influence the effectiveness and efficiency of audits of account balances. 9 Apply auditing concepts to test revenue. 10 Apply auditing concepts to test accounts receivable. 11 Describe fraud indicators in the revenue cycle and related audit procedures. 12 Evaluate the adequacy of a client’s allowance for doubtful accounts. Th om so n LEARNING OBJECTIVES Le ar ni ng ™ The overriding objective of this textbook is to build a foundation to analyze current professional issues and adapt audit approaches to business and economic complexities. Through studying this chapter, you will be able to: CHAPTER OVERVIEW This chapter illustrates the audit concepts developed in Chapters...
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