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Through our website, you can learn your rights as a taxpayer and parent as well as to which programs, monies and more you may be entitled...and why you may not be able to exercise these rights.

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Who We Are »
Betsy Combier

Help Us to Continue to Help Others »
Email: betsy.combier@gmail.com

 
The E-Accountability Foundation announces the

'A for Accountability' Award

to those who are willing to whistleblow unjust, misleading, or false actions and claims of the politico-educational complex in order to bring about educational reform in favor of children of all races, intellectual ability and economic status. They ask questions that need to be asked, such as "where is the money?" and "Why does it have to be this way?" and they never give up. These people have withstood adversity and have held those who seem not to believe in honesty, integrity and compassion accountable for their actions. The winners of our "A" work to expose wrong-doing not for themselves, but for others - total strangers - for the "Greater Good"of the community and, by their actions, exemplify courage and self-less passion. They are parent advocates. We salute you.

Winners of the "A":

Johnnie Mae Allen
David Possner
Dee Alpert
Aaron Carr
Harris Lirtzman
Hipolito Colon
Larry Fisher
The Giraffe Project and Giraffe Heroes' Program
Jimmy Kilpatrick and George Scott
Zach Kopplin
Matthew LaClair
Wangari Maathai
Erich Martel
Steve Orel, in memoriam, Interversity, and The World of Opportunity
Marla Ruzicka, in Memoriam
Nancy Swan
Bob Witanek
Peyton Wolcott
[ More Details » ]
 
The American Public Wants Integrity in Corporate Accounting

Financial statement fraud, integrity of financial information continue to be front-burner issues.(American Institute of Certified Public Accountants webcast series)

CPA Letter
Last year's financial failures highlighted some of the more egregious examples of corporate fraud. But they also brought to mind another concern: aggressive accounting. The entrepreneurial spirit of many fast-growing companies of the 1990s led some of them to use aggressive accounting, but in some cases, these methods clearly crossed the line. The result has been damaging, not just to the companies themselves but to the accounting profession, investors and the American economy.

In its continuing efforts to combat fraud, the AICPA is sponsoring a series of Webcasts to explore the difference between aggressive accounting and financial fraud (see "Fraud Webcast Series"). One issue to be discussed is improper revenue recognition, which accounts for roughly half of all financial statement fraud. Following are several of the more significant revenue recognition issues, some of which were discussed by Securities and Exchange Commission staff at the AICPA's recent SEC Conference.

* Recognizing revenue prematurely. Revenue generally should be recognized when title and risk of ownership have passed. Common fraud techniques include certain "channel stuffing" (for example, shipping inventory in excess of orders, or providing special incentives to customers to purchase more inventory than is now needed, in exchange for future discounts and other benefits), reporting revenue after goods are ordered but before they are shipped, improper year-end cutoff procedures, reporting revenue when significant services are still to be performed or goods delivered, and improper use of the percentage-of-completion method.

* Recognizing revenue that may not be earned. Common fraud techniques include reporting sales for bill and hold transactions, consignment sales and sales subject to other contingencies, sales with guarantees against losses and right of return, sales coupled with future purchase discounts or credits, and other side agreements that affect the substance of the transaction.

* Reporting sales to fictitious or nonexistent customers. This may include falsified shipping and inventory records.

* Sales to related parties in excess of market value.

* In exchanges of non-monetary assets, reporting revenue in connection with exchanges of certain similar non-monetary assets, such as indefeasible right to use (IRU) capacity swaps consisting of exchanges of leases, with no business purpose, and reporting exchanges of non-monetary assets at inflated fair values.

* Reporting peripheral or incidental transactions, such as certain nonrecurring gains, as sales revenue.

The AICPA urges its members in both public practice and industry to be mindful of these revenue recognition issues in carrying out their professional responsibilities, including performing their duties in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (such as SAS No. 99) and complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Members should refer to the AICPA's new Antifraud and Corporate Responsibility Resource Center at www.aicpa.org/antifraud, where they will find links to practice aids and additional fraud prevention information.

RELATED ARTICLE: Fraud Webcast Series.

To help CPAs in their fraud prevention efforts, the AICPA is developing a four-part Webcast series exploring how aggressive accounting issues can cross over into fraud. Planned for Apr.-July, topics include:

* Revenue Recognition: The Games People Play, covering such issues as channel stuffing and fictitious entries.

* The Games Continue: Expenses, Liabilities, Valuation and Journal Entries

* Stopping the Game: How to Set Up Fraud Prevention Programs and Controls

* In-Depth Study of New SAS 99 Requirements, discussing interview and brainstorming techniques, professional skepticism, tests of journal entries, and risks of management override.

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Identifying and Assessing an Organization's Vulnerability to Fraud

Tool to Assess Competencies


Understanding Management's Antifraud Programs and Controls


Skills and Techniques Required of a Fraud Consultant

Providing Expert Witness Testimony

 
© 2003 The E-Accountability Foundation