...NAME: ADDRESS: EMAIL ADDRESS: TELEPHONE NUMBER: COURSE NUMBER: TITLE: INSTRUCTOR: DATE: INTRODUCTION Lifestyle auditing is the study of a person’s standards of living and uses this information to confirm whether it is consisted with their reported income. This involves the tax authorities conducting independent investigations on business trusts, individual tax payers and company. This is done to ensure that monthly living the monthly living expenses of the tax payer are consistent with his assets and income statements that what was declared. Lifestyle auditing is one of the critical tools used by the management in helping in the detection, prevention and correction of fraud and error on a timely basis. Life style auditing is a term that is used by forensic auditors to find out whether the lifestyle of an individual directly relates to their know income streams Lifestyle auditing is simply the putting together of various databases which give the management and also investigators a quick view into certain aspects of the life of an employee. The use of a life style audit will legitimately lead to the prevention and detection of fraud. HISTORY In the recent past, there has been an increase in corruption cases such as taxpayers colluding with tax collecting officials hence posing a great challenge to public service as the government cannot collect enough money to finance setting up of schools, hospitals and other infrastructure for...
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...Role of Internal Auditors in the Anti-Corruption Battle John FlahertyThe Challengeh Bribery, and other illicit payments are contrary to the public good. They thwart the competitive process and circumvent laws, regulations, and procedures put in place for the public good. They divert funds from owners, shareholders, and are usually paid as fees, commissions, or are paid without record. The cost to the public totals millions of dollars annually. The US Government is aware of almost 100 cases in which foreign bribes undercut the ability of US firms to win contracts valued at $45 billion in the 12 months before May 1995. "Corruption occurs when someone has monopoly power over a good or a service, has the discretion to decide whether or not you receive it and how much you receive, and lacks accountability." (Robert Klitgaard, Controlling Corruption, 1988). The level of corruption in international business transactions continues to be a critical problem. Companies need both the motivation and the governance practices to discontinue these payments Role of Internal Auditors in the Anti-Corruption Battle John FlahertyThe Challenge Bribery, and other illicit payments are contrary to the public good. They thwart the competitive process and circumvent laws, regulations, and procedures put in place for the public good. They divert funds from owners, shareholders, and are usually paid as fees, commissions, or are paid without record. The cost to the public totals millions of dollars...
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...IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTING FORENSIC ACCOUNTING IN LISTED COMPANIES IN MALDIVES BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS AIHAM MOHAMED AHMED TP029473 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 3 1.1 ITRODUCTION 3 1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 3 1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. 4 1.4 RESEARCH OBEJCTIVES 5 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 6 1.6 SCOPE OF FEASILBILTY OF THE STUDY 7 1.6.1 SCOPE 7 1.6.2 FEASIBILITY OF THE STUDY 7 CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW 8 2.1 DEFINITION OF FORENSIC ACCOUTING. 8 2.2 IMPORTANCE OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING IN LISTED COMPANIES IN MALDIVES. 9 2.2 FORENSIC ACCOUNTING HELPS TO ELIMINATE CORRUPTION. 10 2.3 FORENSIC ACCOUNTING INFLUENCES THE ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE 11 2.3 CURRENT SITUATION IN MALDIVES. 12 CHAPTER 3 – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 14 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 14 3.2 TYPES OF DATA 16 3.3 SAMPLING DESIGN 17 3.4 DATA ANALYSIS 17 3.5 HYPOTHESIS TESTING 18 4. CONCLUSION 19 REFERENCE 20 IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTING FORENSIC ACCOUNTING IN LISTED COMPANIES IN MALDIVES. CHAPTER 1 1.1 ITRODUCTION The main purpose for this research to be carried out is to investigate the importance of forensic accounting in the business world, and how important it is to implement a solid forensic accounting system in the listed companies in Maldives. This chapter provides an overview of the study that contains the background of the study, the statement of the problem, research objectives, significance of the study the limitations faced while doing the...
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...Introduction Auditing is an independent, objective assurance & consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes. Auditing is globally recognized. It is counter check to accounting data so that any error, mistake or fraud can be easily detected through the technique of auditing. It is the primary source of advice on efficiency, effectiveness and overall economy of an establishment. Auditing starts its journey where accounting end. In today’s society the exercise of an auditor’s to the economic and ethical leadership sets the bounding standard or in other words equips an auditor in such a way that recognizes him as a reliable body. With the growing conscious recognition of the importance of financial data in the ordering of everyday business and economic life, the need of basic economic facts is providing a constantly enlarging opportunity for the accounting profession. The auditors' reports have an especial capacity to fulfill the need for reliable and authoritative financial material not only because of the reputation or prestige of the certified statements, but also because of the significance generally attached by the business man to the functions of the auditor and his reports. These functions, and the scope of these reports, have in the past...
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...Fraud Auditing and Different type of fraud Introduction Over the years, the role of auditors become increasingly important especially in a capitalist economy as the process of wealth creation and political stability depends heavily upon confidence in processes of accountability and how well the expected roles are being fulfilled. An auditor has the responsibility for the prevention, detection and reporting of fraud, other illegal acts and errors is one of the most controversial issues in auditing. The most frequently debated areas amongst auditors, politicians, media, regulators and the public is where the fraud is coming from and by whom. This disagreement has been especially tinted by the collapse of big corporations like Enron and WorldCom. The unforeseen fall of Enron and WorldCom traumatized the world as both of these companies received clean bills of health from their auditors immediately prior to their for bankruptcy. Type of fraud Fraud itself comprises a large variety of activities and includes bribery, political corruption, business and employee fraud, consumer theft; network hacking, bankruptcy and divorce fraud, and identity theft. Many find it helpful to separate between internal and external fraud. Internal fraud is usually found by internal auditors. In the Statement of Auditing Standards 99, it’s defines fraud as an intentional act that results in a material misstatement in financial statements. There are two types of fraud considered: misstatements arising...
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...Introduction Auditing is an independent, objective assurance & consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes. Auditing is globally recognized. It is counter check to accounting data so that any error, mistake or fraud can be easily detected through the technique of auditing. It is the primary source of advice on efficiency, effectiveness and overall economy of an establishment. Auditing starts its journey where accounting end. In today’s society the exercise of an auditor’s to the economic and ethical leadership sets the bounding standard or in other words equips an auditor in such a way that recognizes him as a reliable body. With the growing conscious recognition of the importance of financial data in the ordering of everyday business and economic life, the need of basic economic facts is providing a constantly enlarging opportunity for the accounting profession. The auditors' reports have an especial capacity to fulfill the need for reliable and authoritative financial material not only because of the reputation or prestige of the certified statements, but also because of the significance generally attached by the business man to the functions of the auditor and his reports. These functions, and the scope of these reports, have in the past...
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...AN OVERVIEW OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING IN MALAYSIA Mohd Sarif Ibrahim and Mazni Abdullah Department of Financial Accounting & Auditing Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia sarif51@um.edu.my, mazni@um.edu.my ABSTRACT Forensic accounting may not be a new field in accounting. However it becomes so important recently and has been an interest to various stakeholders, from the government, investors, and practitioners to regulatory bodies. Corporate failures like the often cited Enron and WorldCom cases have placed forensic accounting into the limelight. The objective of this study is to present the views of practitioners regarding forensic accounting and its current development in Malaysia. For the purpose of this study, practitioners from the big and medium accounting firms and regulatory bodies in Malaysia were interviewed regarding the subject matter and unstructured interviews were used in the study. Keyword: Forensic Accounting, Auditing and Investigation. INTRODUCTION Corporate financial scandals like the often cited Enron and WorldCom cases of the last few years is a wake-up call to the accounting profession and has rejuvenated the interest in forensic accounting. Increasing government regulations and pressures from other stakeholders has made businesses acutely aware of the consequences of employees’ misdeeds and inadequate internal controls. Companies are now beginning to be more determined than ever to ensure...
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...European Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance Research Vol.4, No.7, pp.23-42, July 2016 ___Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org) EFFICIENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF PUBLIC SECTOR REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE IN NIGERIA (1970-2014) Omodero Cordelia Onyinyechi and Prof. M.C. Okafor 1 Doctoral Student of Accounting, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. 2 Department of Accounting, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. ABSTRACT: Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of oil and gas in the world, but the average Nigerian on the street is poor and there is poor infrastructure like power supply, roads, hospitals etc. This study examines the efficiency and accountability of public sector revenue and expenditure in Nigeria (1970-2014). Data on total federal government revenue and expenditure, state governments’ revenue and expenditure were collected from Statistical bulletin from the Central Bank of Nigeria from 1970-2014. The results were analysed using relevant statistical tools. The findings reveals that the level of accountability is very poor in Nigeria because the attributes of accessibility, comprehensiveness, relevance, quality, reliability and timely disclosure of financial information, social and political information about government activities are completely non available or partially available for the citizens to assess the performance...
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...accounting, auditing and investigative skills. The Jordanian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (JACC) struggle to investigate Maward’s, a Jordanian state-own company, suspected corruption has raised serious concerns regarding the weak state of forensic accounting in Jordan, and the need for its adaptation to suit the country’s peculiar context, to successfully institutionalize at the wider societal level and benefit the state in its aim for ensuring efficient utilization of the scarce resources at its disposal. This study is an attempt to deduce a country-specific conceptual framework for forensic accounting, which can be replicated, with suitable adaptations, to other countries with similar cultural backgrounds, and put forth some theory-supported suggestions to help guide future research in the area. Keywords: forensic accounting, conceptual framework, institutional theory, foucault Introduction: The rise in the white collar crimes, where evidences are comparatively moreobscure and difficult to detect (Gottschalk, 2011), has necessitated equipping of auditors with forensic skills, particularly over the recent years (DiGabriele, 2009a; Carnes & Gierlasinski, 2001). In the aftermath of several accounting scandals such as Enron and WorldCom in the USA, HIH Insurance in Australia, Royal Ahold in the Netherlands, Parmalat in Italy, and Equitable Life Assurance Society in the UK (Kleinman & Anandarajan, 2011), as well as the collapse of one of the “Big Five” auditing firms...
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...CORRUPTION Political corruption remains a major problem in Italy, particularly in Southern Italy including Calabria, parts of Campania and Sicily where corruption perception is at a high level. Political parties are ranked as the most corrupt institution in Italy, closely followed by public officials and Parliament, according to Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer 2013. Regarding business and corruption, foreign investments and economic growth are hindered by organised crime and corruption. Business executives from World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014 consider corruption one of the problems for doing business in Italy Procurement process, mainly in water, roads and railway projects, in Italy is affected by corruption. ------------------------------------------------- CORRUPTION CHALLENGES Government and politics Checks and balances in the Italian government are compromised. A 2012 study indicates that the legislative branch has little independence from the executive. This creates a disparity in power and enables the executive to govern without appropriate accountability. Integrity mechanisms are also poor in the public sector. According to a 2011 report, parliamentary and government codes of conduct are aspirational at best, and not enforceable. Weak – and often non-existent – sanctions cannot effectively deter corrupt acts. National corruption scandals also undermine public officials’ image. Political financing Corporate...
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...1. What is the importance of identifying a number of alternative solutions to good decision making? A couple points to make: 1. Good decision-making starts with gathering the facts. You should seek out all available information. If you don’t you are handicapping your decision-making ability. 2. Understanding your alternatives is the key to “economic” decision-making. Decisions aren’t made in a vacuum. You have to consider your “opportunity costs” or what you are giving up when you choose one option over another. For example, what is the cost of going to college? The answer is NOT just the tuition. It is also the money you would have made if you would have been working instead of going to class. Understanding the pros and cons of each alternative is the basis for making a strong decision. One caveat: Sometimes marketers and other salespeople will try to take advantage of you by giving you a false set of choices. A car salesman may show you a $50k car and then show you a $35k car and claim it to be a good value relative to the first car. But he did not show you the first car to give you “more alternatives.” He showed it to you to warp your perception of “good value.” It is a best practice to identify at least three alternative solutions that will meet the requirements to solve the problem. Requiring a minimum of three alternative solutions forces the integrated project team to identify solutions that may not be obvious. It helps to prevent automatically adopting...
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...focus will be on how the legislation enhanced the role of auditing and auditing firms, the impact of whistleblower legislation, and the recent Supreme Court decision. The paper attempts to show that though there continues to be opposition to SOX’s financial reform legislation, there is a case to be made in support of SOX. The research relies on historical data, such as the Enron scandal, and the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court decision that deems SOX as constitutional, to support that legislation is a necessary requirement in today’s global corporate environment, in which some of the largest corporations have proven that, left to their own devices, they will gravitate toward corporate malfeasance. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: WorldCom. Enron. Adelphia. Global Crossing. What do all these companies have in common? They will always be synonymous with the following: financial fraud, corporate malfeasance, internal corruption, and the reason behind the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). Not since the Crash of 1929 and the subsequent passage of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Bumgardner, 2003, para. 2), had the country seen such a push for financial reform. Triggered by investigations into corporate fraud by some of the largest and most successful corporations in the world, SOX would be marketed as the antidote to the epidemic of corporate corruption; that is until the financial crisis of 2007-2010. The purpose...
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...ACC460 –Auditing Video Case Fraud and Tone at the Top - Video Case Questions This video is an informative video made for accounting students and employees that outlines the danger of corruption and fraud in the workplace. The majority of the video is an interview with Walt Pavlo of MCI Worldcom. He explains his case and the steps that lead him to take the actions that landed him in prison. While he is telling his story two gentalmen describe how Walt’s story relates to the world of auditing as a whole and what steps a company and auditors need to take to avoid cases of fraud. 1. What were the three major fraud factors that led Walt Pavlo to commit fraud at MCI Worldcom? * Meeting Analysts’ Expectations * Compensation and Incentives * Pressure to reach goals 2. List five reasons employees don’t report unethical conduct. * No Corrective Action * Confidentiality of Reports * Retaliation by Superiors * Retaliation by Co-workers * Unsure whom to Contact 3. List the eight elements discussed in the video that lead to a negative work environment. * Not Rewarding Appropriate Behavior * Negative Feedback * Perceived Organizational Inequalities * Autocratic management * Low organizational loyalty * Unreasonable Goals and Expectations * Compensation * Promotional Opportunities * Organizational Responsibilities 4. List the seven steps management can take to help prevent fraud. *...
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...mismanagement scandals in publically held companies, along with the public outcry for stricter regulations and accountability in early 2000 led to the passing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX Act) of 2002. The primary purpose of the SOX Act is to overhaul the structure of corporate governance regulatory structure and impose stricter regulation and controls on the auditing, financial reporting and internal corporate governance procedures of corporations (Melvin, 2011). Significant portions of the Act are aimed towards creating solutions for specific failures in the auditing and accounting procedures of publically held companies. The Act also increased the jurisdiction, enforcement alternatives and enforcement budget of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) substantially (Melvin, 2011). The SOX Act of 2002 was implemented to effectively end corruption within publically held companies and restore the faith of investors in the corporate system, but how well is it working? The following is summary of the article “Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 (SOX) – 10 years later” which discusses the intentions of the SOX Act, the corruption and legislative environment which led to its implementation, and how its implementation has affected corporations and investors. History of legislation Prior to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002, the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 were passed in the purpose of providing investors comprehensive financial information and prohibiting...
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...When auditing succumbs to capitalism – Enron We all know why Enron failed. Everyone knows the story and everyone is pointing the finger at someone else. Let us not waste our time trying to pass the buck, but look at the failures of auditors in this saga for they were the ones entrusted to act as steadfast agents of independence to protect the interests of the common man from the capitalist vices of the modern era. Where did it go wrong? Capitalism, for all its glory and wonder is nevertheless flawed. It is its own worst enemy. The purpose of auditing is to make sure capitalism does not get ahead of itself and collapse taking us down with it. Of all the theories to support the existence and importance of auditing, independence has by far been the most if not the only solid argument. Its duty as an autonomous entity to reduce the information asymmetry so that the engines of our financial markets run efficiently and free from the flaws of the capitalist system. The role it plays as a fail-safe to prevent the house form crumbling down is as good a reason as it gets. But in this case it would seem as though, despite its best efforts auditing, ironically has itself been pulled into the very house it was meant to watch over. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because let us not forget auditors are also subject to the philosophies of capitalism despite being its nanny. This failure of the checks and balances meant to keep capitalism on a leash lead to synergistic corruption which saw...
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