Business scandals are always with us from the South Sea Bubble to Enron and Parmalat. As accounting forms a central element of any business success or failure, the role of accounting is crucial in understanding business scandals. This book aims to explore the role of accounting, particularly creative accounting and fraud, in business scandals. The book is divided into three parts. In Part A the background and context of creative accounting and fraud is explored. Part B looks at a series of international accounting scandals and Part C draws some themes and implications from the country studies.

Detect accounting fraud before it’s too late Accounting fraud is the deliberate manipulation of accounting records in order to make a company's financial performance seem better or worse than it actually is. Accounting scandals often have catastrophic consequences for shareholders and employees. Thus, analysts and auditors must be equipped to detect accounting fraud. This book is a comprehensive guide to detecting accounting fraud for auditors investigating accounting fraud and analysts/managers seeking to prevent it. A wide variety of warning signs are described, as are several techniques for detecting and addressing fraud. Understand the motivations and warning signs behind accounting fraud Get to know how accounting fraud is done and how to detect it Avoid the losses that often come from accounting fraud Benefit from case studies throughout to that help illustrate the author's points It’s unfortunate that managers, auditors, and analysts must be wary of accounting fraud—but this book equips you with the know-how to detect it before it’s too late.

Essential guidance on the new fair value rules for accounting managers, auditors, and fraud investigators Fair Value accounting is emerging as the next prime opportunity for financial statement fraud. Explaining the many complex applications of fair value accounting in the preparation of financial statements, Fair Value Accounting Fraud offers timely guidance on an up-and-coming issue as U.S. and international accounting rules pertaining to the use of fair value accounting continue to change. You'll find discussion of U.S. GAAP and IFRS rules on fair value accounting issues, highlighting the areas most vulnerable to fraud Explanations of 75 categories of fair value accounting fraud schemes Fraud risk checklist that you can put to immediate use Practical detection techniques useful for auditors, investigators and others who rely on financial statements Expert advice from Gerard Zack, CFE, CPA, author of Fraud and Abuse in Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Prevention and Detection Comparing US accounting standards to International Financial Reporting Standards-thereby making this book useful worldwide- Fair Value Accounting Fraud helps you understand the new rules and develop new auditing and investigative techniques to enable you to detect potential fraud.

Forensic Accounting provides comprehensive coverage of fraud detection and deterrence and includes the broader educational material of the forensic accounting field with all the necessary accompaniments. The text follows the model curriculum for education in fraud and forensic funded by the U.S. national Institute of Justice and developed by a Technical Working Group of experts in the field. The text serves as a comprehensive and authoritative resource for teaching forensic accounting concepts and procedures that is also and appropriate and pedagogically ready for class room use. This easy to read, comprehensive textbook includes case study examples to clearly explain technical concepts and bring the material to life.

Techniques to uncover and avoid accounting frauds and scams Inflated profits . . . Suspicious write-offs . . . Shifted expenses . . . These and other dubious financial maneuvers have taken on a contemporary twist as companies pull out the stops in seeking to satisfy Wall Street. Financial Shenanigans pulls back the curtain on the current climate of accounting fraud. It presents tools that anyone who is potentially affected by misleading business valuations­­from investors and lenders to managers and auditors­­can use to research and read financial reports, and to identify early warning signs of a company's problems. A bestseller in its first edition, Financial Shenanigans has been thoroughly updated for today's marketplace. New chapters, data, and research reveal contemporary "shenanigans" that have been known to fool even veteran researchers.

Scandals relating to manipulation and fraud have dominated much of the history of business and the accounting profession in America since the founding. Crooks, corruption, scandals and panics have been regular features of the business landscape ever since, with regulations and the expansion of financial disclosure, auditing, and regulatory agencies following major debacles. The importance of this topic is demonstrated by the major accounting and finance scandals of the 21st century, some of the most destructive in our history, including Enron and the multi-trillion dollar real estate crises. This pair of scandals has an extensive number of companions (if less severe and not as well known). The types of violations, causes, and results are equally valid and continue to be of concern today. This short book reveals the signs that suggest financial corruption in organizations and proposes remedies to contain it and prevent its recurrence. It can be used as a supplementary source in introductory financial accounting courses (elementary and intermediate), accounting- and finance-related MBA courses, and business history; or it can be used as part of forensic accounting and fraud detection for continuing education. In addition, it can be useful for accounting and finance professionals wanting exposure to financial disclosure issues and other accounting risks, along with executives looking to expand their knowledge of accounting fraud and risk areas.

Valuable guidance for staying one step ahead of financial statement fraud Financial statement fraud is one of the most costly types of fraud and can have a direct financial impact on businesses and individuals, as well as harm investor confidence in the markets. While publications exist on financial statement fraud and roles and responsibilities within companies, there is a need for a practical guide on the different schemes that are used and detection guidance for these schemes. Financial Statement Fraud: Strategies for Detection and Investigation fills that need. Describes every major and emerging type of financial statement fraud, using real-life cases to illustrate the schemes Explains the underlying accounting principles, citing both U.S. GAAP and IFRS that are violated when fraud is perpetrated Provides numerous ratios, red flags, and other techniques useful in detecting financial statement fraud schemes Accompanying website provides full-text copies of documents filed in connection with the cases that are cited as examples in the book, allowing the reader to explore details of each case further Straightforward and insightful, Financial Statement Fraud provides comprehensive coverage on the different ways financial statement fraud is perpetrated, including those that capitalize on the most recent accounting standards developments, such as fair value issues.

FRAUD AUDITING AND FORENSIC ACCOUNTING With the responsibility of detecting and preventing fraud falling heavily on the accounting profession, every accountant needs to recognize fraud and learn the tools and strategies necessary to catch it in time. Providing valuable information to those responsible for dealing with prevention and discovery of financial deception, Fraud Auditing and Forensic Accounting, Fourth Edition helps accountants develop an investigative eye toward both internal and external fraud and provides tips for coping with fraud when it is found to have occurred. Completely updated and revised, the new edition presents: Brand-new chapters devoted to fraud response as well as to the physiological aspects of the fraudster A closer look at how forensic accountants get their job done More about Computer-Assisted Audit Tools (CAATs) and digital forensics Technological aspects of fraud auditing and forensic accounting Extended discussion on fraud schemes Case studies demonstrating industry-tested methods for dealing with fraud, all drawn from a wide variety of actual incidents Inside this book, you will find step-by-step keys to fraud investigation and the most current methods for dealing with financial fraud within your organization. Written by recognized experts in the field of white-collar crime, this Fourth Edition provides you, whether you are a beginning forensic accountant or an experienced investigator, with industry-tested methods for detecting, investigating, and preventing financial schemes.

A must-have reference for every business professional, Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation for Non-Experts, Second Edition is a necessary tool for those interested in understanding how financial fraud occurs and what to do when you find or suspect it within your organization. With comprehensive coverage, it provides insightful advice on where an organization is most susceptible to fraud.

In 2009, high-profile fraud cases like the Ponzi schemes of Bernard Madoff and Arthur Nadel vividly illustrated the harm done to investors who placed their trust in these apparently successful money managers and then discovered their money had never been invested at all. News stories featured 90-year-olds forced by necessity to work in supermarkets, elderly people losing their homes because their life savings were gone, and wealthy retirees suddenly unable to pay their electricity bills. Charities were forced to curtail their services, lay off staff, and even close their doors forever as their funds evaporated. Almost every day, there are stories in the media about dishonest employees who have robbed their organisations of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not so well-publicised are the countless smaller thefts occurring every day from cash registers, warehouses, and business bank accounts. Sadly, the organisations that have the most to lose small businesses, family-run companies, churches, and charities are often the most vulnerable because of their size and inexperience. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, accounting fraud cost over $994 billion in 2008, and the average organisation lost 7 percent of its total revenue to fraud. How can you prevent this from happening to you as an investor, business owner, or a person attempting to acquire or merge with another firm? Read this book and you will be able to understand, detect, and avoid accounting fraud. You will learn how to identify fraud, how to spot minor abnormalities that may hide fraud, how to spot forgeries, and how to prove your case, as well as what to immediately suspect and methods for uncovering scams. You will know what signs to look for, including excessive turnover of lawyers and auditors, changing professionals in the middle of a transaction, inconsistent information, and significant declines in stock prices. In addition, you will know how to recognise the common manoeuvres, earnings manipulation, premature and fictitious revenue, overvalued assets, undervalued liabilities, bogus revenue, expenses that have been shifted to another period, overstating revenues, understating expenses, and the misuse and misdirecting of funds. This new book is filled with studies and discussions of fraud cases and how they could have been avoided, checklists for detecting accounts misdeeds, and advice from analysts, CFOs, and CPAs. This manual will be an indispensable aid for serious investors, industry pros, acquisition and merger managers, and small business owners alike. After reading this book you will no longer have to worry about accounting fraud and you can increase your company's profits.