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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Accounting Fraud

  Fraud Theories

  Prof. Dr. Klaus Henselmann, Dr. Stefan Hofmann

  …Fraud Case Analysis: Lessons Learned 276 3.3 Fraud Theories 3.3.1 The Fraud Triangle Although it is common knowledge today that people… …may commit fraud, it is often not understood why they do it. Donald R. Cressey, one of the pioneers in fraud re- search, came to the conclusion that… …less rationalization it takes to motivate someone to commit a fraud. Likewise, the more dishonest a person is, the less opportunity or the less… …pressure it takes to motivate fraud. Fraud-fighters focus their preventive efforts primarily on only one of the three elements of the fraud triangle… …simply in the outcome. Scientists call this motivation the “ego challenge”: it relates to the sense of superiority over others and to the gratification… …obtained from the mastery of an exciting situation. It also reflects the pride of a professional “con artist”. Attitudes are the values and ethical… …honest all the time. Another 20% are basically dishonest, and about 60% are “situationally honest” (that is, honest where it pays to be honest and… …dishonest where it pays to be dishonest). However, most of the organizations are convinced that their executives are among the 20% who are honest. Unfortu-… …nately, quite frequently, this is not the case. Rationalization is how the fraudster justifies his inappropriate actions. In other words, it is the… …soon as we get over this financial difficulty.” – “Business is business. Everybody else does it.” Of course, there are countless other…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Global Management Challenges for Internal Auditors

  Company Culture is Worth the Cost

  Sergey Martynov

  …if it is not included in financial reports, and helps to generate value for a company: it should therefore be audited, just like all other company… …than those caused by unfair competition or mass- media hostility. First of all, it is important to understand that company culture is a distinctive… …guaranteeing success and in the effi- ciency of a business, for various reasons. Firstly, it results in increased employee loyalty towards the company. A… …salary increase. 2 Development of Company Culture While in some organisations company culture is created and grows spontaneously, in others it is… …beliefs, come from various different entities. In these situations it is extremely im- portant for the management to make an effort to rapidly develop a new… …can be positive, but the process of establishing a com- pany culture by example may take a long time. It is extremely important, however, for the… …in order for this to happen it must know how to satisfy the individual needs of its employees. The management must also know how to value its workers… …employees, who will cer- tainly not share or defend its values as a result. It is also extremely important to en- sure that there is a relationship between… …, and it is es- sential that each member of the team feels that he is sharing in the recognition for his work. The development of company culture is… …it: it is therefore a factor that should be taken into consideration by the internal audit, just like all other signifi- cant company processes…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Accounting Fraud

  Case 6: Bausch & Lomb (1994)

  Prof. Dr. Klaus Henselmann, Dr. Stefan Hofmann

  …with a strong position in the optical products and eye-care sector. It was a leading manu- facturer of contact lenses and sunglasses, and it had charmed… …contact lenses, which were marketed to be worn for short intervals of several days. Bausch & Lomb had entered the disposable lens market late because it… …had not wanted to cannibalize existing product lines, and it wished to continue to maximize its traditional SVS sales. Unfortunately, during 1993, it… …optical practitioners. In September 1993, the CLD concluded a particularly aggressive promotion campaign whereby it sold its distributors a large amount… …estimates indicated that it might take some dis- tributors up to two years to sell the SVS lenses that CLD management was expect- Accounting Fraud in U.S… …US- GAAP, with respect to revenue recognition. Under GAAP, revenue should not be recognized in company statements until it is realized and earned… …date. The accounting scandal led to the departure of several CLD executives, and it severely tested inves- Accounting Fraud in U.S. Companies 53… …After the scheme was discovered, company management replaced all Hong Kong personnel that it held responsible for the fraud. There was no evidence that…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Global Management Challenges for Internal Auditors

  Internal Audit Standards: Everything for Everybody

  Inta Ozolina

  …they should do it. We all know that the Standards are extensive, cover most key areas of internal audit profession and work. Even more – the… …the management and owners? I do not think so. Does it make the compliance for smaller audit teams very hard if not impossible to obtain? Yes, it does… …assessment because the requirements are just unrealistic, the Standards really lose their meaning. I think it is a high time to raise this discussion and…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Accounting Fraud

  Case 7: Waste Management (1997)

  Prof. Dr. Klaus Henselmann, Dr. Stefan Hofmann

  …scandal that is far more than just a financial history lesson. It portrays a multiyear effort to inflate reported profits at Waste Management, Inc. (WMI)… …, using fraudulent accounting practices that allowed the company to hide about USD 1.7 billion in expenses from 1992 through part of 1997. It also… …client”. It indicated that WMI actively managed re- ported results, had a history of making significant fourth quarter adjustments, and was in an industry… …later described it as a “boondoggle”. Obviously lacking auditor independence, Andersen had too cozy a relationship with WMI. Eventually, Andersen… …Ander- sen’s willingness to bend on such issues was a result of the fees it was receiving from WMI. Andersen had actually quantified the misstatements and… …had annually presented company management with what it called “Proposed Adjusting Journal Entries” (PAJEs) to correct the misstatements. But WMI… …equipment”; then, it depreciated these costs over forty years) – avoided depreciation expenses on their garbage trucks by assigning unsup- ported and… …those assumptions, keeping the revi- sions hidden from the subsidiaries. “Keeping the process secret and centralizing it made it especially easy for top…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Accounting Fraud

  Case 19: Adelphia Communications (2002)

  Prof. Dr. Klaus Henselmann, Dr. Stefan Hofmann

  …prosecutions in U.S. history. The SEC called it “one of the most extensive financial frauds ever to take place at a public company”. However, the thing that… …of all the cases. It should become a show-and-tell in all busi- ness schools as the antithesis of public company management and stewardship.” In… …March 27, 2002, when it disclosed that the Rigas family had borrowed USD 2.3 billion from banks through various family-owned partnerships, using… …was already too deeply in debt. Barraged with questions, the company stated that it reviewed its accounting and would not meet the deadline for filing… …series of sham transactions (backed by fictitious documents) to give the false impression that it had actually repaid debts when, in truth, it had simply… …shifted them to off-balance sheet affiliates. Furthermore, it cre- ated misleading financial statements by giving the false appearance (through the use of… …footnotes) that the listed liabilities included all outstanding bank debt. Because Adelphia massively understated its liabilities, it falsely represented in… …public filings that it was complying with financial covenants and related financial ratio require- ments, when it was not. Misrepresentations… …secretly inflated its basic cable subscription numbers to make inves- tors think it was still growing at a healthy pace and expanding its customer base. For… …plant that had been “rebuilt” or made “two-way capable”, in order to convey the false impression that it had modernized its network. For Adelphia…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch IT-Unterstützung für Interne Revision und Wirtschaftsprüfung

  Ausblick

  Dr. Heinrich Schmelter

  …unvollständigen Kenntnisse der IT bzw. ihrer Potenziale bei Revisoren und IR-/WP-Leitern. In den IR weitgehend üblich ist inzwischen der fallweise Einsatz von… …einge- setzt werden können. – Hinsichtlich des in diesem Buch propagierten Einsatzes von IT- Standardanwendungen können die jeweiligen IR-Abteilungen und… …systematischen IT-Anwendung in IR und WP muss deren Ein- satz aber insbesondere von den IT- und WP-Leitern umfassend eingefordert und massiv unterstützt werden… …ternettechnologie zu nennen: Über das Internet ist es möglich, auf Daten und IT- Anwendungen auch von IR und WP weltweit von jedem Ort aus zuzugreifen. Bei der… …systematischen IT-Anwendung in IR und WP muss der IT- Einsatz aber insbesondere von den IT- und WP-Leitern umfassend eingefor- dert und massiv unterstützt werden…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Global Management Challenges for Internal Auditors

  International Professional Practices Framework – Overview of the current guidance of the Institute of Internal Auditors

  T. Flemming Ruud, Philipp Friebe, Daniela Schmitz, Shqiponja Isufi

  …Framework which came into effect on January 1, 2009. Although the new framework is consistent with the previous framework, it contains some significant… …established itself as the struc- tural basis for the activities of the Internal Audit. It is a self-contained framework which is recognized internationally by… …summer 2007. In order to emphasize the international focus of the framework, it was renamed as the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF)… …consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a… …perform audit engagements. In order to effectively help the board and the management, it is necessary that the Internal Auditors behave in a professional… …IT audits and other IT-related issues. ___________________ 9 Cf. The IIA (2009a), p. iii. 10 Cf. The IIA (2009a), p. v. 11 Cf… …. Significance The relative importance of a matter within the context in which it is being con- sidered, including quantitative and qualitative factors, such as… …reasons of independence. Standard 2110.A2 specifies that the Internal Audit activ- ity must assess whether the IT Governance of the organization supports… …2430 makes it clear that Internal Auditors may report that their engagements are conducted in conformance with the Standards only if the results of the… …and transparent processes. These processes make it possible for the IIA to issue guidelines faster. They also provide Internal Auditors with the…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Accounting Fraud

  Chapter 4: Conclusion and Outlook

  Prof. Dr. Klaus Henselmann, Dr. Stefan Hofmann

  …, relatively infrequent in occurrence), and it must be shocking (that is, counter to our norms and values). Wilson argued that the public pays little attention… …sible for fighting fraud, one inevitable reality remains: “fraud happens”. It is a given that economic crime will always be with us. Eliminating fraud is… …a super- human task. However, a review of the scandals shows that in most of the cases, it is basically the same common pattern. A company faced… …. Often it starts as a one-shot deal to meet short term fi- nancial expectations. But it escalates to ongoing fraudulent activity until, with some… …accounting fraud can be summarized as follows (see Young 2004, pp. 11–13): 1. It generally doesn’t origin from conscious dishonesty. It doesn’t start… …because the CEO is dishonest, or because the CFO is dishonest. It also doesn’t start because the company had the misfortune of hiring a group of dishonest… …employees in its accounting department. 2. It origins from pressure. In particular, it starts with an environment in which two things are present… …: challenging targets of financial performance, and the perception that missing these targets will be viewed as unforgivable. 3. It starts out small. The… …fraud starts with little alterations of results (typically in the form of borrowing from future quarters). It doesn’t start with a grand plan or… …conspiracy. Often, the one or two perpetrators don’t even realize that they are stepping over the line and might be violating accounting standards. 4. It…

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• eBook-Kapitel aus dem Buch Global Management Challenges for Internal Auditors

  Doing More with Less

  Neil Baker

  …does, and why it is important. He’s been making real progress. So how does he feel now that his budget is being cut? “If I was a newly minted auditor… …organisations. If I know in advance that I’m going to be somewhat resource constrained, then I can deal with it.” Despite the stoicism, Storms says he argued… …losing controls; it might even be a time to strengthen them,” he says. Storms is not alone. Other internal auditors have been waging the same battle, try-… …piece of a shrinking budget pie. So does internal audit really deserve special protection? And if it does have to take a share of the pain – which seems… …. He told the audit committee that performing fewer audits was better than cutting quality. How did the committee respond? “I’ll put it this way: It… …. The head of internal audit should ask the committee what areas it wants to priori- tise, he says. “It’s easy for chief audit executives to start by… …department wants to cut the budget? “If the chief financial officer has decided that the audit function should be reduced, it is vital for the audit com-… …mittee to be aware of that,” Chambers says. And if the committee members don’t know about it, internal audit should tell them, he adds. “I would never… …work on procurement fraud; for example, trying to spot fraudsters who submit fictional invoices in the hope they’ll be paid. It is also checking the… …way contracts are awarded, looking at background checks on suppli- ers, and auditing payroll. “Believe it or not, I even added petty cash audit to the…

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