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Exploring Real-World Accounting Problems Through Case Studies, Molly Clark

Honors Theses

This thesis is made up of six different accounting case studies completed both individually and collaboratively over two semesters in Accy 420 under the guidance of Dr. Dickinson. These case studies required in-depth research on the topics and reflection on how accounting concepts apply to real-world business situations. In the fall semester, a variety of case studies were assigned to help broaden understanding of relevant accounting topics such as regulatory issues and financial reporting. In the spring semester, students were placed into groups to do research on the “Make America Healthy Again” movement and evaluate its potential impact on an …

Bridging Theory And Application: Case Studies In Financial Reporting, Regulation, And Ethics, Keili Cm Ikemori

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the intersection of financial reporting, regulation, and ethics through a series of applied case studies designed to bridge theoretical accounting concepts with real world application. The case studies focus on how accounting principles are implemented in corporate environments, how regulatory frameworks influence business operations, and how ethical considerations shape financial decision making. During the fall semester of Accy 420, we were tasked with case studies that increased our knowledge in financial statement literacy, accounting concepts, relevant accounting regulations, and ethics. During the spring semester of Accy 420, we used the knowledge gained from the prior semester in …

The Impact Of Forensic Accounting On The Effectiveness Of Fraud Detection In Private-Sector Banking And Merchandising Companies: Evidence From Sulaymaniyah City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Barham Khalid Hassan

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This study examines the impact of forensic accounting techniques, challenges, and accountants' skills on fraud detection effectiveness in the private sector of Sulaymaniyah City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The study employed a quantitative research design, with preliminary semi-structured interviews conducted to inform questionnaire development. In the qualitative phase, purposive sampling was used to interview eight forensic accountants with experience handling multiple fraud cases in Sulaymaniyah. Insights from these interviews guided the creation of a structured questionnaire, which was subsequently distributed to Seventy-four accounting professionals from private banks and merchandising firms for the main data collection. Data were analysed using SPSS …

Beyond Numbers: Decoding The Dynamics Of Qualitative Accounting Research Across Decades, Triana Eva Adiningsih

Jurnal Akuntansi dan Keuangan Indonesia

Background: This study examines the realm of qualitative research in accounting, highlighting its evolving methodologies and thematic emphasis. There has been increasing interest in qualitative methodologies, such as literature reviews, SLRs, archival research, bibliometric studies, and interviews, to explore the complex nature of accounting practices. Methods: This study identifies the principal themes, trends, and prominent authors in qualitative accounting research through a systematic approach that incorporates bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and a thorough assessment of Scopus-indexed journals. Findings: The findings highlight significant themes, including sustainability, technology, governance, and the impact of global occurrences, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on accounting …

The Role Of Smart Actuarial Calculations In Improving The Quality Of Financial Reports Of The Iraqi Insurance Company, Zena Abdulstar Allayla, Waheed Mahmood Al-Ibrahimi

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research aims to explore the role of actuarial calculations supported by artificial intelligence technologies (smart actuarial calculations) in enhancing the accuracy and quality of financial reporting. Companies face challenges related to the accuracy, transparency, and speed of preparing financial reports, necessitating innovative solutions based on smart technologies. The research analyzed the literature and employed an exploratory methodology to study the impact of smart actuarial calculations on the integrity of financial reports. The association between the application of artificial intelligence and professional standards and their impact on the performance of insurance companies and financial reporting practices was also examined. The …

Exploring Contemporary Issues Through Accounting Case Studies, Emaline Myers

Honors Theses

This thesis was completed as part of the course “Accounting 420- Independent Study” under the guidance of Dr. Victoria Dickinson and includes a collection of five case studies exploring the role of accounting, ethics, and policy in today’s world. Each case investigates how financial information, government decisions, and business strategy intersect, and what that means for professionals entering the accounting field. The topics covered in this thesis range from international financial fraud to environmental disclosures, military spending, public education, and small business development. Several key takeaways emerged from the completion of these cases. Case Study I highlights issues in global …

Regulatory Personhood: The Elixir For Redundancy Between The Sec And The Pcaob, Sarah Williams

Faculty Scholarly Works

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB” or “Board”) is a quasi-governmental regulatory agency created by Congress in 2002 in response to revelations of widespread financial fraud at major public companies. Since its creation, the agency has experienced significant challenges. Litigants have challenged its constitutionality, the Trump administration challenged its very existence, and legislation was introduced in 2021 to transfer its responsibilities to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

Proposals to eradicate the Board asserted vague concerns about the redundancy of its responsibilities with those of the SEC, and alleged resultant monetary waste. This Article, written in 2022, provides …

Forensic Accounting And Its Effectiveness On Achieving The Economic Dimension Of Sustainable Development, Jassim Fadhil Khudair, Suad Adnan Noman Al-Shammari

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research aims to clarify the concepts of Forensic accounting and the economic dimension of sustainable development and to explain the relationship that links them, and The research starts from a basic problem: the extent to which Forensic accounting contributes to achieving the economic dimension of sustainable development, To achieve the goal of the research, the researchers created a questionnaire consisting of two parts to test the two research hypotheses, The research sample consisted of (112) individuals working (academics and professionals) in the Federal Bureau of Financial Supervision and its affiliated bodies in Baghdad, and the researchers reached a set …

A Domain-Specific Language For Accounting, Janhavi Doshi

Theses

Accounting can be loosely described as a set of rules and best practices for recording and reporting financial transactions. Despite the seemingly straightforward nature of these principles, implementing them through programming has proven to be complex. Currently, over 550 accounting software solutions exist, developed using more than 17 programming languages. These diverse and often fragmented solutions have led to numerous instances of fraud and errors that elude early detection due to inadequate validity checks. This study investigates the need for a unified approach by developing a Domain-Specific Language (DSL) for Accounting. The proposed DSL aims to standardize accounting practices, enhance …

A Regulatory Budget For The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, J.W. Verret

Georgia State University Law Review

The Public Company Accounting Standards Board (PCAOB) was created by the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002 in response to the Enron and WorldCom auditing scandals. The PCAOB regulates the $20 billion annual auditing industry, which itself provides assurance for the financial integrity of $27 trillion in outstanding global publicly traded equity. The PCAOB is uniquely a quasi-private entity overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which approves its budget and must approve any changes in its rules. The PCAOB has undertaken initiatives to attenuate the cost–benefit calculus of its rules, most notably in a change from Auditing Standard 2 …

Addressing The Auditor Independence Puzzle: Regulatory Models And Proposal For Reform, Martin Gelter, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Auditors play a major role in corporate governance and capital markets. Ex ante, auditors facilitate firms’ access to finance by fostering trust among public investors. Ex post, auditors can prevent misbehavior and financial fraud by corporate insiders. In order to fulfill these goals, however, in addition to having the adequate knowledge and expertise, auditors must perform their functions in an independent manner. Unfortunately, auditors are subject to conflicts of interest by, for example, providing non-audit services or the mere fact of being hired and paid by the audited company. Therefore, even if auditors act independently, investors have reason to think …

The Auditor's Responsibilities For Fraud Detection And Disclosure: Do The Auditing Standards Provide A Safe Harbor?, James L. Costello

Maine Law Review

Eighty-seven percent of managers recently surveyed were willing to commit financial statement fraud. More than half were willing to overstate assets, forty-eight percent were willing to understate loss reserves and thirty-eight percent would "pad" a government contract. These disturbing results are underscored by the financial miseries still brewing in the savings and loan industry, as well as by other corporate and banking financial debacles of the past decade, including Lincoln Savings & Loan, Wedtech, and the Delorean sports car venture scandal. Amidst these financial ruins we find the chronic element of management fraud. Unfortunately for investors and depositors a troublesome …

Big Data: Challenges And Opportunities In Financial Management, Olga Pilipczuk, Natalia Cosenco, Olena Kosenko

European Management Studies

This paper describes the challenges and opportunities of using “big data” in the practice of financial management. The research question addressed in this work is what the major topics in existing research concerning the demand for big data skills are and where the resulting gaps in financial management occur. The experts noticed the transformation of the finance manager profession and predict that in next decade big data skills will be required for financial managers. The purposes of the paper are: to analyze the current state of the financial manager profession in selected labor markets, to identify the number of job …

Cryptocurrency Fraud: A Look Into The Frontier Of Fraud, Stafford C. Baum

Honors College Theses

This research project was conducted to look into what sort of frauds can be committed to steal unsuspecting investors’ cryptocurrencies. The inspiration for this research came in the form of the fact that millions of dollars are lost to cryptocurrency fraud each day, and many of these frauds are successful due to the public’s naivete towards the dangers of investing in cryptocurrencies. After researching many different cryptocurrency fraud cases, the frauds could be categorized into four major categories. These categories include Ponzi schemes, fake initial coin offering schemes, pump and dump schemes as well as cryptocurrency theft.

The Role Of Judicial Accounting In Improving The Quality Of Financial Reports, Zahraa Naji Obeid

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The quality of the financial reports depends on set of accounting standards ,most of wich have been studied for the purpose of ascertaining the relationship between the standard used and the quality of the financial reports that contribute significantly to improving the financial performance of the institution, Research aims to detect the relationship between forensic accounting and the quality of financial reports, The research included a key hypothesis that forensic accountability could be applied to improve the quality of financial reporting, A sample of gentlemen (external auditors, tax assessors, judges, university professors, shareholders) (45) individuals, The adoption of the questionnaire, …

An Analysis Of Fraud Prevention And Detection In Not-For-Profit Organizations In The State Of South Carolina, Mary Gibson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study analyzed fraud detection and prevention techniques and analyzed if there was a relationship between the techniques and the detection of fraud. The combined techniques were fraud risk assessment, fraud risk register, code of conduct, fraud assessment training, whistle-blower policy, fraud control plan, fraud control policy, and internal control review. Nonprofits are vulnerable to fraud and costly for the organizations that rely heavily on donations to provide needed services or goods to a community. Through analyzing 109 nonprofits surveyed in South Carolina, the researcher found 59 reported fraud occurrences and 86 percent were using fraud detection and prevention techniques. …

The Importance And Implications Of Forensic Accounting In The Financial World, Mackenzie Hitchcock

Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-

This thesis thoroughly explores fraud and the forensic accounting profession. It details the education, training, and careers of forensic accountants; and why demand for this profession has suddenly spiked. The necessary skills of forensic accountants and why these skills are valuable is explored; a need for better education and training is also proposed. It also details popular forensic accounting methods and how these may be used to detect fraud. This thesis explains several fraud schemes and famous frauds that were contributors to the growing demand of forensic accountants. The fraud triangle and other contributing factors are explored. This thesis also …

Evaluation Of Internal Control System Over According Misleading Accounting Information, Safwan Qusay Altaha, Tayseer Mohmmed Jumma

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The economic and financial crises in the world economy series led to increased awareness of the importance of the internal control system, because it is one of the main pillars of any economic unit, as it works to verify the application of policies, regulations and laws and verification of asset protection from theft and embezzlement procedures, it is also working on trust accounting information imparted through the validation of accounting information, analyze and detect the misleading. The existence the internal control system a factor in many of the accounting practices that limit the ability of the administration to produce misleading …

Accounting Information Systems: Ethics, Fraudulent Behavior, And Preventative Measures, Jasmine S. Smith

Honors College Theses

Most business organizations have implemented Accounting Information Systems to improve efficiency and to help optimize use of company resources. The evolution of Information Technology within financial and accounting processes has brought new ethical issues, forms of fraudulent behavior, and mechanisms to prevent compromising confidential, sensitive, and personal information. This investigation focuses on the evolution of Accounting Information Systems and their controls for limiting fraud and misconduct in financial and accounting processes.

The Fraud Under The Fair Value Exploratory Study, Hakeem Hammood Flayyih

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research aim is to identify the concept of fair value and its measurement approaches, shed light on the concept of fraud and its forms, motives, as well as how to identify fraud under the fair value method. I have been using the program package SSPS statistical in the calculation of the research variables, and the research sample was a group of university professors and auditors working in the federal board of Supreme Audit. The researcher has reached some conclusions, the most important; the lack of conclusive evidence about management's intent in adopting the use of fair value raises several …

Coins In The Air: A Literature Review On The Evolving Framework Of Bitcoin And Its Relevance To The Accounting Profession, Javin H. Forrester

Accounting

Bitcoin is an innovative virtual currency, which has gained much commercial traction, yet is widely overlooked by the accounting profession. Due to its parallels with actual currencies and its growing use, accountants should be aware of what bitcoin is, including its risks and benefits, in order to properly leverage its business uses. Of the existing financial instruments, derivatives stand out in their potential to stabilize the bitcoin market. Bitcoin regulation is sparse, but evolving, especially in the face of the emerging bitcoin securities and derivatives markets. The accounting profession is poised to play a major role in facilitating the future …

The Role Of Forensic Accounting In Detecting Financial Fraud, Nsaif Jasim ‎Aljbwry, Salah Hadi Mohammed Al_Khalidi

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

A Forensic Accounting is represent science that deals with the application of knowledge in the areas of accounting, finance, tax and audit for the analysis, investigation, inquiry, inspection and testing issues in the civil law and criminal law in an attempt to reach the truth through which enable the Forensic Accountant to provide his Expert opinion , forensic accounting plays a major role by providing a range of important services in the field of investigation for fraud and litigation support, As one of the most important legal and accounting functions is to investigate allegations of alleged by the related parties, …

Using Benford’S Law To Detect Financial Fraud, Nsaif Jasim ‎Aljbwry, Salah Hadi Mohammed Al-Khalidi

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Fraud Includes acts involving the exercise of deception by multiple parties inside and outside companies in order to obtain economic benefits against the harm to those companies, as they are to commit fraud upon the availability of three factors which represented by the existence of opportunities, motivation, and rationalization. Fraud detecting require necessity of indications the possibility of its existence. Here, Benford’s law can play an important role in direct the light towards the possibility of the existence of financial fraud in the accounting records of the company, which provides the required effort and time for detect fraud and prevent …

Finance And Accounting Outsourcing: Three Studies Related To The Ethical And Economic Dimensions Of Accounting Outsourcing, Renu V. Desai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation evaluates the economic and ethical considerations underlying the outsourcing of professional services such as finance and accounting. The dissertation is comprised of three separate, but related studies. The first study explores the adequacy of the disclosure rules recommended in the revised ethics rulings regarding disclosure of outsourcing relationships and the resulting ethical and economic repercussions for both, the AICPA members and their clients. The second study analyzes the disclosure rules recommended in the AICPA ethics rulings regarding disclosure of outsourcing relationships from an ethical standpoint. The third study adopts the perspective of the third party service provider. The …

Enron And The Special Purpose Entity. Use Or Abuse? The Real Problem - The Real Focus, Neal F. Newman

ExpressO

In December of 2001, Enron Corporation filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; one of the largest corporate bankruptcy filings at that time. When the investigations commenced and the tangled Enron web was unraveled, it was discovered that Enron had perpetrated a very sophisticated form of accounting fraud through its repeated use of what are referred to as Special Purpose Entities (“SPEs”). In their most basic forms, SPEs are business entities formed for the purpose of conducting a well specified activity such as construction of a gas pipeline, or collection of a specific group of accounts …

The Sec And Accounting, In Part Through The Eyes Of Pacioli, Matthew J. Barrett

Notre Dame Law Review

No abstract provided.

Law And Accounting: Cases And Materials, Lawrence A. Cunningham

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Accounting textbooks for law or business schools invariably provide secondary narrative presentations of materials in the authors' own words. A better approach to learning this subject is to present thematically arranged original accounting pronouncements. The design this innovative book, helps readers appreciate how accounting is a tool that provides conceptual organization to economic exchange. The tool facilitates analyzing legal, business and public policy aspects of the transactions that accounting addresses. The original accounting standards, as well as SEC enforcement actions, presented in this book illuminate why transactions are pursued and related decisions made, economic aspects of transactions, and the conceptual …

Strict Liability For Gatekeepers: A Reply To Professor Coffee, Frank Partnoy

University of San Diego Law and Economics Research Paper Series

This article responds to a proposal by Professor John C. Coffee, Jr. for a modified form of strict liability for gatekeepers. Professor Coffee’s proposal would convert gatekeepers into insurers, but cap their insurance obligations based on a multiple of the highest annual revenues the gatekeepers recently had received from their wrongdoing clients. My proposal, advanced in 2001, would allow gatekeepers to contract for a percentage of issuer damages, after settlement or judgment, subject to a legislatively-imposed floor. This article compares the proposals and concludes that a contractual system based on a percentage of the issuer’s liability would be preferable to …

Revisiting The Role Of The Future In Accounting Reform, Lawrence A. Cunningham

ExpressO

Overlooked in accounting-reform debate emanating from recent financial reporting scandals is the role of forward-looking disclosure inaugurated in the late 1970s and expanded throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Debate centered on whether accounting concepts developed during this period were too rule-bound. An SEC study largely resolved this debate by characterizing US GAAP as a mix of rules and principles embedded in an objectives-based accounting system. The SEC expressed a slight preference for principles over rules in future accounting standard-setting. Some see this resolution as transformative. This Article considers how it may disguise a false dichotomy likely providing false catharsis. Underappreciated …

The Sarbanes-Oxley Yawn: Heavy Rhetoric, Light Reform (And It Might Just Work), Lawrence A. Cunningham

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

A thorough examination of the much ballyhooed Sarbanes-Oxley Act reveals dominantly a federal codification of extant rules, regulations, practices, and norms. Despite advertising it as "the most far-reaching reforms of American business practices since the time of FDR," a soberly apolitical view sees the Act as more sweep than reform. Important are provisions calling for nine studies; redundant but much publicized were the certification requirements imposed during the summer of 2002; other moves are mere patchwork responses to precise transgressions present in the popularized scandals. The Act is far from trivial, however. A silver bullet relates to the structure and …