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1 – 10 of over 20000The focus of this paper is to provide an understanding to the economics of accounting crime. The accounting crime is considered to be part of the white-collar crime, where…
Abstract
The focus of this paper is to provide an understanding to the economics of accounting crime. The accounting crime is considered to be part of the white-collar crime, where economists believe that white-collar criminals are rational men. Thus, this paper assumes that a person commits an accounting crime is a rational man. In making choices, the criminal managers take account of expected gains and costs from various available actions. If they estimate that there is a net gain from their actions, they do commit an accounting crime. External pressures, internal pressures, capital requirements, and compensation pressures are the circumstances that may lead managers to commit an accounting crime. The paper concludes by arguing that if white-collar criminals know that costs of their action are more than the benefits of the action, as a rational man they will not take that action. Thus, the most important step to prevent white-collar crime is to make the cost of the crime so high that it will never generate an estimated net gain for white-collar criminals.
This paper examines the role of professional associations, governmental agencies, and international accounting and auditing bodies in promulgating standards to deter and detect…
Abstract
This paper examines the role of professional associations, governmental agencies, and international accounting and auditing bodies in promulgating standards to deter and detect fraud, domestically and abroad. Specifically, it focuses on the role played by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the US Government Accounting Office (GAO), and other national and foreign professional associations, in promulgating auditing standards and procedures to prevent fraud in financial statements and other white‐collar crimes. It also examines several fraud cases and the impact of management and employee fraud on the various business sectors such as insurance, banking, health care, and manufacturing, as well as the role of management, the boards of directors, the audit committees, auditors, and fraud examiners and their liability in the fraud prevention and investigation.
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Oluwatoyin Esther Akinbowale, Heinz Eckart Klingelhöfer and Mulatu Fikadu Zerihun
The purpose of this study is to develop an innovative approach of combating economic crime using the forensic accounting techniques.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop an innovative approach of combating economic crime using the forensic accounting techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach considered the identification of the effective forensic accounting techniques from the available literature and also explored the anti-economic crime policy, capable of assisting in the combating of economic crime. This brought about the development of two conceptual models, which incorporate all the requirements for the implementation of forensic accounting and the integration of forensic accounting technique into the organizational control system for effective fraud mitigation.
Findings
The analysis of the literature review indicated that one of the drawbacks, which has continue to mitigate the implementation of forensic accounting as a tool for combating fraud is lack of a suitable framework. This was the major focal point of this work, which produced two simplified conceptual models suitable for effective fraud mitigation.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to the development of conceptual models for fraud mitigation only.
Practical implications
The simplified model can easily be adopted into the structure of an organization to provide a sustainable solution to mitigate fraud occurrences.
Originality/value
The novelty of this study lies in the development of two simplified conceptual models. The first model addressed the incorporation of forensic accounting into the organization structure while the second captured the detailed investigation and comprehensive data analysis processes of uncovering fraud. The development of conceptual models with all these peculiarities for fraud mitigation has not been widely reported by the existing literature.
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Nadia Murtaza and Urooj Fatima
The purpose of this chapter is to examine how the broader characteristics of Pakistan’s public policies reflect Islamic law, how the financial crime rate has been affected by…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to examine how the broader characteristics of Pakistan’s public policies reflect Islamic law, how the financial crime rate has been affected by policy rules, and if the policies do indeed reflect Islamic law, how do they help the process?
Methodology/approach
It is a qualitative exploratory study where structured interviews have been conducted with experts and practitioners in Islamic Ideological Council and Parliament.
Findings
The findings constitute a threadbare discussion of financial crimes which policy takes into account under Islamic law; along with the relevant ramifications and recommendations.
Research implications
It is suggested that the laws of Pakistan be studied taking Shariah density into consideration. Future research can focus on implementation of laws and policies as a factor improving governance.
Originality/value
This study is pertinent because financial crimes in light of Islamic law and public policy are not discussed in detail in previous research.
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This paper is intended as an overview and think piece, contributing to literature identifying accounting’s impact in making things knowable. Critical accounting research has…
Abstract
This paper is intended as an overview and think piece, contributing to literature identifying accounting’s impact in making things knowable. Critical accounting research has always sought alternative ways of understanding the discipline and the legacy is extended here by considering pathways forward. Accounting continually impacts public policy in what it privileges for selecting and in what it silences and neglects. Given that humans are meaning-making we have choices, and this essay interrogates accounting techniques operating as façades while disguising social impacts. Promoting qualitative accounting research that reimagines these complexities and considers moral contexts is the substance of this essay, for advancing the public interest in accounting.
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This paper aims to challenge some of the underlying concepts about causation of fraud and in doing so enriches knowledge and insight into the management of fraud.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to challenge some of the underlying concepts about causation of fraud and in doing so enriches knowledge and insight into the management of fraud.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is a part of fieldwork carried out in Indonesia.
Findings
Organisational fraud is an exceptional type of crime. Hence, the underlying antecedents and consequences of fraud in organisation are distinct from other crimes, especially violent crimes. The underlying logic in criminological and sociological theories and literature cannot fully explain the causal factors of fraud in the organisation. This leads to a theoretical discussion about the reconstruction of the fraud theory. Implications and suggestions for further studies are discussed in this study.
Originality/value
This study provides a new understanding of fraud and its antecedents and consequences. In doing so, it examines the long-standing debate in criminology and sociology about the theories concerning crime causation, as these areas provide the underlying logic of fraud theory.
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Alberto Clavería Navarrete and Amalia Carrasco Gallego
The purpose of this paper is to understand if forensic accounting techniques and tools could contribute to the deterrence of fraud in financial statements, considering the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand if forensic accounting techniques and tools could contribute to the deterrence of fraud in financial statements, considering the expertise of forensic accountant on ex post activities and that the traditional mechanisms to prevent this type of fraud have not been sufficient to stop the impact on companies, investors, auditors, employees and on society in general.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was carried out using a qualitative exploratory study with a phenomenological approach conducted through in-depth interviews with professional experts in the forensic field.
Findings
The findings confirm that the use of forensic accounting techniques and tools could contribute to the prevention of fraud in financial reporting not only when the risk of fraud has been materialized. Similar studies, about fraud prevention addressing the situation under a qualitative approach from the perspectives of its protagonists, have not been observed in the bibliographical review, so this research contributes to expanding the scientific research, the study and practice of forensic accounting.
Originality/value
From a business management perspective, this study contributes a paradigm shift from the traditional ex post forensic auditing activity toward an ex ante activity to improve management control systems within organizations anywhere in the world. Because this study is guided to prevent fraudulent financial statements, other fraud categories such as misappropriation or corruption could be addressed in other studies and various countries.
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Mark Eshwar Lokanan and Indy Aujla
The purpose of this paper is to argue for an integrated explanation of financial fraud. Greater emphasis must be placed on the structural and situational factors that are the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to argue for an integrated explanation of financial fraud. Greater emphasis must be placed on the structural and situational factors that are the elements of fraud risks and fraud.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a review of the literature on the explanation of financial fraud. Both micro- and macro-theoretical explanations of fraud were analysed to allow for a broader picture of the types of individuals that were involved in fraud, the rules governing their conduct and the types of law they broke.
Findings
The main reason why people commit fraud is that their crime propensity interacts with the elements present in criminogenic environments. Indeed, because most of the research on structural theories of fraud focuses on general criminality, not much has been done in the area of financial fraud. More research needs to be carried out to excavate the subterranean cluster of narrative on fraud risks and fraud.
Research limitations/implications
To address the future contingency of fraud risks, the paper adopted a similar position of prior accounting research on financial crimes. The structural explanation of fraudulent behaviour considers individuals’ actions to be less the result of individual deviance and more the cause of societal forces. Structural theories take into consideration the individual psychology of the offenders and position it to reflect the various realities – institutional, structural and cultural life – they are caught up in. Future research must endeavour to address these concerns.
Originality/value
The manuscript is among a new stream of literature that addresses the structural elements of financial fraud.
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Purpose: This study is concerned with media representation of crime in the Israeli press. It examines the pattern of offenses reported in two daily newspapers of seemingly…
Abstract
Purpose: This study is concerned with media representation of crime in the Israeli press. It examines the pattern of offenses reported in two daily newspapers of seemingly different characteristics, the “elitist” Haaretz and the “popular” Israel Hayom. Methodology/approach: Crime reports appeared in the news pages during November 2016 were content analyzed in both newspapers by using a coding scheme, which operationalized several variables relating to type of crime, characteristics of offenders and victims, and court proceedings. Findings: Violent and sex offenses featured disproportionately in the news reports in both newspapers, while conventional property offenses were under-reported relative to their prevalence in official crime statistics. In terms of the characteristics of offenders and victims, the vast majority of offenders portrayed in crime stories were adult Jewish males. Women were more likely to appear as victims of crime rather than perpetrators, and more likely to appear as victims of sex offenses rather than other offenses. Research limitations: This study was based on an analysis of crime stories which appeared in two newspapers during one-month period of time. Future research should extend the sample size and collect data from a longer period of time and from additional media outlets. Originality/value: Media coverage of crime stories has not yet been researched in Israel. Beyond the interest in the Israeli case or the potential contribution to comparative global knowledge, the value of the study may lie in expanding the lens of scholarship of media’s construction of crime.
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The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to assist in finding solutions for the growing moral and social issues of financial crime plaguing corporations today.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to assist in finding solutions for the growing moral and social issues of financial crime plaguing corporations today.
Design/methodology/approach
Methodology includes the synthesis of existing theories in economic sociology and criminology to “diagnose” and “treat” the existing flaws in corporate structures that have led to malaise and malfeasance. Theories include differential association, self‐control, and control balance, taking into consideration the characteristics of individuals and corporate structures.
Findings
Findings suggest that corporate structure has to be critically scrutinized and changes implemented, including close examination of informal and formal communication and salary structures.
Practical implications
This paper suggests concrete strategies and policy changes for regulators, corporate decision makers, and academics.
Originality/value
The synthesis of existing theories in white collar malfeasance and crime provides a template to increase corporate social responsibility and promote policy/regulatory changes in the current economic climate.
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