...CAPSTONE CASE STUDY ON ORGANIZATIONAL ARCHITECTURE: ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP 1. Discuss the environmental, strategic and organizational changes that occurred over the life of Andersen in the context of Figure 11.1. Architectural design of firm may vary among companies. There are most common categories are business environment, strategy, and organizational architecture. Business environment of Andersen includes technology that was used effectively; structure of its markets, regulations which helped Andersen to grow along with its reputation. The second category is strategy which includes Andersen’s primary goals, choice of business, and services. Finally, the last category is organizational architecture which explains how authority is distributed among Andersen’s employees, and how rewards determined. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY | MARKETS | REGULATIONS | Company started using computers for bookkeeping.Company developed the largest technology practice. | Arthur Andersen was well respected, reputable auditing company for many customers.Early 1950s Andersen entered in computer consulting business. | The federal law in 1930’s which required companies to provide their financial statements to an independent auditor each year helped Andersen’s grow. | STRATEGY Quality audits were valued more than higher short-run firm profits.“Four cornerstones” of good service, quality audits, well managed staff and profits.Auditors were rewarded and promoted for making sound audit...
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... Which of the following bodies has the ultimate authority to issue accounting pronouncements in the United States? a. Securities and Exchange Commission b. Financial Accounting Standards Board c. International Accounting Standards Committee d. Internal Revenue Service Answer 2. What historical evidence of the business operations of the private estate of Apollonius was discovered early inthe20th century? a. The Iliad b. Plato's Republic c. The Zenon papyri d. Pacioli’s work, Summa de Arithmetica Geometria Proportioni et Proportionalita, Answer 3. Who has been given credit or developing the double-entry system of bookkeeping? a. Francis Wheat b. Fra Luca Pacioli c. A. C. Littleton d. William Paton Answer 4. Which of the following was not a criticism of the development of accounting standards by the Accounting Principles Board? a. The independence of the members of the APB. The individuals serving on the board had full-time responsibilities elsewhere that might influence their views of certain issues. b. The structure of the board. The largest eight public accounting firms (at that time) were automatically awarded one member, and there were usually five or six other public accountants on the APB. c. Harmonization. The accounting standards developed were dissimilar to those developed by the International Accounting Standards Committee. d. Response time. The emerging accounting problems were not being investigated and solved quickly enough by the...
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...E. AUDIT EVIDENCE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The Use of Assertions by Auditor Audit Procedures The Audit of Specific Items Audit Sampling and Other means of Testing Computer-Assisted Audit Techniques Not-for-Profit Organisations The Use of Assertions by Auditor What are substantive procedures? Substantive procedures are tests to obtain audit evidence to detect material misstatements in the financial statements. Substantive procedures generally include analytical procedures and test of detail of transactions, account balances and disclosures. What are the assertions used by auditors? Hint: PROVE Presentation and disclosures (or Classification and understandability) Records completeness, accuracy, cut-off (correct accounting period) Obligation (or rights and obligation) Valuation and allocation Existence Audit Procedures What are some of the typical audit tests? Confirming compliance with law and accounting standards Reviewing notes for understandability Reviewing of post year-end items Cut-off testing Analytical review Confirmations Reconciliations to control accounts Recalculation of correct amounts Third party confirmation Reviewing invoices for proof that item belongs to the company Matching amounts to invoices Confirming accounting policy consistent and reasonable Reviewing post year-end payments and invoices Expert valuation Physical verification Inspection...
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...Control TRUE/FALSE 1. Corporate management (including the CEO) must certify monthly and annually their organization’s internal controls over financial reporting. ANS: F PTS: 1 2. Both the SEC and the PCAOB require management to use the COBIT framework for assessing internal control adequacy. ANS: F PTS: 1 3. Both the SEC and the PCAOB require management to use the COSO framework for assessing internal control adequacy. ANS: F PTS: 1 4. A qualified opinion on management’s assessment of internal controls over the financial reporting system necessitates a qualified opinion on the financial statements? ANS: F PTS: 1 5. The same internal control objectives apply to manual and computer-based information systems. ANS: T PTS: 1 6. The external auditor is responsible for establishing and maintaining the internal control system. ANS: F PTS: 1 7. Segregation of duties is an example of an internal control procedure. ANS: T PTS: 1 8. Preventive controls are passive techniques designed to reduce fraud. ANS: T PTS: 1 9. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires only that a firm keep good records. ANS: F PTS: 1 10. A key modifying assumption in internal control is that the internal control system is the responsibility of management. ANS: T PTS: 1 11. While the Sarbanes-Oxley Act prohibits auditors from providing non-accounting services to their audit clients, they are not prohibited from performing such services for non-audit clients or privately held companies. ...
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...– 10.00 p.m. Professor Information: Dr. Jones Olajide E-mail: jones.olajide@strayer.edu Phone: 240-217-0141 Welcome, students! I have the privilege of being your Financial Accounting course instructor for this term. I’m excited about the opportunity to get to know you, and I’m looking forward to a happy and productive summer 2014 Quarter. I will always be available to meet with individual student before or after class on Mondays for mini-conferencing. You can also contact me on my above e-mail or phone number outside the official class hour Monday to Friday. Biographical Information: My professional experience includes working as an Accountant in the Nigeria Foreign Ministry, Abuja – Nigeria from 1984 to 2003, during which I served as Finance Attaché to the Nigerian High Commission, London – UK (1989 – 2003), and Nairobi – Kenya (1998 – 2003). I also worked as an Accountant in the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Abuja – Nigeria (2004 – 2007). During the course of my professional career, I have had opportunities to conduct job training for subordinates and staff, and delivered practical tutoring sessions as per the Nigerian government public service norms. I joined Strayer University as Adjunct Instructor Accounting in March 2012, and as a Full-time faculty since spring 2013 quarter. We hope you have a successful spring semester at Strayer University. I look forward to working with you. PLEASE NOTE: ...
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...FASB Statement No. 13: Accounting for Leases Asim Yunus ACC 632 – Critique of Accounting Theory Professor Lynch October 16, 2012 FASB Statement 13: Accounting for Leases FASB Statement 13, Accounting for Leases, was established by the FASB and made effective starting January 1st, 1977. As early as 1949, leasing was recognized as an important financial tool by the accounting business when the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) issued Accounting Research Bulletin No. 38, “Disclosure of Long-Term Leases in the Financial Statements of Lessees.” In the 1960s, the APB recognized how important accounting for leases was when they included it in the top five topics that were to be studied by the AICPA’s Accounting Research Division. In 1962, the Accounting Research Study No. 4, “Reporting of Leases in Financial Statements”, was released and eventually APB picked up the subject. For the next ten years, the APB released four opinions (No. 5, 7, 27 & 31) concerning leases which were improved by three AICPA Accounting Interpretations. Even though progress was made when it came to the topic of Accounting for Leases, certain questions remained. The SEC helped out on the topic as well by issuing three pronouncements concerning leases (Accounting Series Releases No. 132, 141 & 147) on October 5, 1973. Like APB Opinion No. 31, Accounting Research Series No. 147 only dealt with disclosure. There were still many holes in the lease accounting practice. The FASB realized...
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...Reporting Discuss how your company’s financial statement would differ if they reported under IFRS. Be as specific as possible and discuss any costs and benefits to the company. There are many similarities in US GAAP and IFRS. Convergence continued to be a high priority for both the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). However, the convergence process is designed to address only the most significant differences. While standards will be more similar, differences will continue to exist. In general, US GAAP tends to have more specific rules while IFRS rules are more flexible and requires more interpretation. The materiality of the reporting difference to a company’s financial statements depends on a variety of factors, including the nature of the company, the details of the transactions and interpretation of rules. Discussed below are some major aspects that would change if Colgate reports under IFRS. 1. Classification of deferred tax assets and liabilities on balance sheet Under US GAAP, for deferred tax asset, current or non-current classification is required. In the perspective of IFRS reporting rules, all deferred tax asset amounts should be classified as non-current in balance sheet. Referring to the footnote on Income Taxes (page 80 of 10k), Colgate included 284 of deferred tax asset in other current asset in compliance with US GAAP, while under IFRS, the 284 current deferred tax asset should be reclassified...
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...Accounting: Focus on the Red Flags Written by Richard M. Rockwood May 2002 © Copyright 2002, FocusInvestor.com. All rights reserved. This material is for personal use only. It is a violation of federal copyright law to reproduce part or all of this publication without written permission from FocusInvestor.com. The goal of this short article is to show the investor examples of how companies can manipulate their reported earnings. This article also provides information on what warnings signs to look for. The article has taken information from a variety of sources in order to provide the reader with a quick overview of accounting red flags. Focused investors practicing portfolio concentration should be particularly aware of these issues. I have written the article for the individual investor who has an intermediate level of accounting knowledge. That being said I believe the beginning investor with only a moderate understanding of accounting will benefit from a close reading of this article if for no other reason that to understand what elements of accounting they should study more closely. While this article focuses on accounting issues all investors should investigate the management team of a company before investing since the management team has such a strong influence of any companies operations and how they report their results. To this end I would strongly urge all investors to first study the way management treats their shareholders. Do they provide...
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...REPORT OF INVESTIGATION BY THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF WORLDCOM, INC. Dennis R. Beresford Nicholas deB. Katzenbach C.B. Rogers, Jr. Counsel Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering Accounting Advisors PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP March 31, 2003 I. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................. 1 A. The Nature of the Accounting Fraud....................................................................... 9 1. 2. B. C. D. E. Reduction of Reported Line Costs .............................................................. 9 Exaggeration of Reported Revenues ......................................................... 13 WorldCom’s Culture ............................................................................................. 18 Compromising Financial Arrangements ............................................................... 24 Why WorldCom’s Auditors Did Not Discover the Fraud..................................... 25 WorldCom’s Governance...................................................................................... 29 1. 2. 3. 4. Board’s Lack of Awareness of Accounting Fraud .................................... 29 Adequacy of Board’s Oversight of Company ........................................... 30 Stock Sales ................................................................................................ 33 Lease of Airplane to Chairman of Compensation Committee ......
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...Task 2: Change Management and Business Performance (LO2: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and M2,M3,D2) 5 a) Identify and discuss how Cambridge Satchel Company Ltd managed its weaknesses and the methods deployed to reposition itself in the competitive environment. 5 (b) Explain the measures put in place in taking advantage of the opportunities with specific reference to Personnel Management 6 Task 3: Business Objectives, plans and changes ( LO 1: 3.1,3.2,3.3 and M3, D1,D2,D3) 8 a) Evaluate the main objectives of Cambridge Satchel Company Ltd and discuss how they have been incorporate in their business plan. 8 (b) What changes would you recommend to management to make on the basis of the above plan (s)? 8 Task 4: Change Management and its impact (LO4: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and M3,D1,D2) 11 Describe the operational changes which have occurred within the Cambridge Satchel company Ltd since formation (2008) and suggest how these might best be managed. 11 References 14 Task 1: Performance of a Small Business Enterprise (LO1: 1.1, 1.2, and M1, M3, D2) Describe the nature and objectives of the Cambridge Satchel company Ltd and conduct a comparative analysis of it operations using the data presented. The Cambridge Satchel Company was formed in 2008 and it is a small enterprise company and located in Cambridge, England. The company founders are Julie Deane and her mother, Freda Thomas. Their products are based on the leather with the best quality. The company has earned within three years turnover...
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...UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Marshall School of Business Revised Syllabus for FBE 560-Mergers and Acquisitions Office Hours T,TH 1:30-3:00 and TH 5:00-6:00 in HOH701E Spring 2007 I. Purpose of the M&A Course This course covers the broad field of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. The primary objective of the course is for each student to gain a well-rounded understanding of the major strategic, economic, financial, and governance issues of mergers and acquisitions. Takeovers and mergers are a daily fact of life and have evolved into a critical part of every CEO or manager’s strategic toolbox. Every person who enters the corporate world will most likely be affected by a merger or acquisition at some point in their career. Students will apply learned content to real mergers and acquisitions and have the opportunity to present to the class their findings and conclusions. Specific academic course objectives include: • Examining the role that M&A plays in the contemporary corporate world, and its use as a strategic tool to provide growth, enhance competitive position, transform a company or industry, and create shareholder value. • To provide the student a framework for analyzing transactions including understanding strategic rationale, valuation methodologies, deal structures, bidding strategies, and the need for a value proposition. • Show how M&A can be used successfully as well as its pitfalls, dangers...
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...Understanding Financial Statements and Cash Flow 2 LO 1 LO 2 LO 3 LO 4 Financial Statements, Taxes, and Cash Flow W hen a company announces a “write-off,” it frequently means that the value of the company’s assets has declined. AFTER STUDYING THIS CHAPTER, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO: Differentiate between accounting value (or “book” value) and market value. Distinguish accounting income from cash flow. Explain the difference between average and marginal tax rates. Determine a firm’s cash flow from its financial statements. For example, in the first quarter of 2009, luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers said it was writing down $157 million in assets, much of which was a reflection of the reduced value of land the company owned. Of course, Toll Brothers was not the only homebuilder suffering. Hovnanian Enterprises announced it would take a $132 million write-off, and Centex Corp. announced a $590 million writeoff. At the same time, D. R. Horton, the largest homebuilder by volume, had a much smaller write-off of only $56 million. However, D. R. Horton had already written off $1.15 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008. So did stockholders in these homebuilders lose hundreds of millions of dollars (or more) because of the write-offs? The answer is probably not. Understanding why ultimately leads us to the main subject of this chapter: that all important substance known as cash flow. Visit us at www.mhhe.com/rwj I 22 n this chapter, we examine financial statements, taxes...
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...principal place of business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Koss designs, manufactures and sells stereo headphones. KOSS went public in 1965. Over the last ten years, its stock price has ranged from $8 in July 2002, to its peak at $15 in July 2006 to its low at $4 in July 2010. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Michael J. Koss (MJK), the founder’s son, and his family directly or indirectly own in excess of 70 percent of the company’s 851,000 shares. A $34 million embezzlement of cash from the KOSS occurred over a 12-year period from 1997 through December 2009. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1. What is the problem in the Koss Corporation case? This case evolves about a wide-ranging fraud committed by senior members of the accounting department of Koss Corporation. Over a period of years, Sachdeva, the Principal Accounting Officer, Secretary and Vice-President of Finance at Koss had stole over $30 million from the Company. Sachdeva used the embezzled funds to finance her extravagant lifestyle and for her personal spendings. Mulvaney, working in concert with Sachdeva, prepared false journal entries to disguise Sachdeva's misappropriation of funds. Sachdeva and Mulvaney attempted to hide the embezzlement in the Company's financial statements by overstating assets, expenses, and cost of sales, and by understating liabilities and sales. Over the last 12 years, Koss never realised the embezzlement made by the culprit. The embezzlement was revealed on December 18, 2009, when American Express (principal...
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...Global Perspectives on Accounting Education Volume 3, 2006, 27-48 ENRON AND ARTHUR ANDERSEN: THE CASE OF THE CROOKED E AND THE FALLEN A Gary M. Cunningham Visiting Professor Department of Business Administration Åbo Akademi University Turku, Finland Jean E. Harris Accounting Department Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg Campus School of Business Administration Middletown, Pennsylvania USA ABSTRACT Outside the US, the failures of Enron and Arthur Andersen remain puzzles. How could the accounting and audit failures associated with Enron and Arthur Andersen happen in the US where auditing is sophisticated, accounting principles are strong, and disclosure is emphasized? This is a teaching case for persons outside the US to review the financial reporting and auditing issues related to Enron and to explain the regulation of accounting and auditing in the US. It has broad implications for corporate governance and accounting regulation in other countries as well. n the years after the Enron Corporation declared bankruptcy in 2001 and Arthur Andersen failed in 2002, people are still asking, especially those outside the US, how could this happen? What went wrong? The US has a well-developed set of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) that requires extensive disclosures in audited financial statements, and a well-established federal agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that monitors financial reporting. This case is written for accounting students and others...
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...Global Perspectives on Accounting Education Volume 3, 2006, 27-48 ENRON AND ARTHUR ANDERSEN: THE CASE OF THE CROOKED E AND THE FALLEN A Gary M. Cunningham Visiting Professor Department of Business Administration Åbo Akademi University Turku, Finland Jean E. Harris Accounting Department Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg Campus School of Business Administration Middletown, Pennsylvania USA ABSTRACT Outside the US, the failures of Enron and Arthur Andersen remain puzzles. How could the accounting and audit failures associated with Enron and Arthur Andersen happen in the US where auditing is sophisticated, accounting principles are strong, and disclosure is emphasized? This is a teaching case for persons outside the US to review the financial reporting and auditing issues related to Enron and to explain the regulation of accounting and auditing in the US. It has broad implications for corporate governance and accounting regulation in other countries as well. n the years after the Enron Corporation declared bankruptcy in 2001 and Arthur Andersen failed in 2002, people are still asking, especially those outside the US, how could this happen? What went wrong? The US has a well-developed set of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) that requires extensive disclosures in audited financial statements, and a well-established federal agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that monitors financial reporting. This case is written for accounting students and others...
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