The only textbook on forensic accounting specifically written to cover UK business practice, this accessible and comprehensive introduction uses stories of real-world frauds and practical case studies to help develop students' skills. Offering a detailed explanation of the process for defending against and investigating fraud within the UK, the text considers the legal and corporate governance framework in which fraudsters operate, as well as the psychology of their behaviour. The text also covers non-fraud aspects of forensic accounting, such as litigation support, dispute resolution, quantifying damages or compensation claims and acting as an expert witness.

"This is an impressive step in the development of company reporting. The proposed reporting system, based on business definition, business position, business reputation, and advanced cash flow, is actually a revelation. It shows a new way to expand today's business reporting systems, matching development trends in society. I see it as a welcome and even necessary step to bring company reporting in line with today's requirements."
--Pierre Berhin, international fund manager

"I just read Chapter Four . . . extremely interesting and very much in tune with the needs of companies today. Especially the parts about baseline reporting, business definition, and client relationships. It is amazing how many important international companies that I have done consulting for have such internal disasters going on and apply very little of the concepts that you speak of. I believe your book will be received very well and hopefully be placed on required reading lists for business students around the world."
--Christian G. Foucher, international business consultant performance management specialist

"A true enterprise risk management process. Not only should this book have an impact on how society and commerce look upon how we create, preserve, lose, or destroy value and how we account for our business activities, but also on the way we perceive and react to risks and opportunities. Through their teachings and business practices, the authors have significantly changed my own perception of the vast variety of factors and circumstances (risks) that may threaten the health and well-being of organizations."
--Per E. Aakenes, Chairman The Swedish Risk Management Association

"Accountingspecialists know that traditional accounting concepts are no longer adequate to describe today's companies, but for the most part they, and corporate managements themselves, have nothing to replace the current system. Now, along come Hans V. A. Johnsson and Per Erik Kihlstedt with Performance-Based Reporting, a clear and convincing description of why the old system can't work and what system can."
--Peter J. Wallison, Resident Fellow American Enterprise Institute

The successfully proven alternative system for relevant business reporting through performance management

Performance-Based Reporting shows businesses how traditional accounting fails to provide meaningful measures for performance and presents radically innovative and thoroughly tested methods for performance-oriented management, assessment, and reporting. Twenty-five years in the making, this helpful book also presents The Baseline Approach to management, assessment, and reporting--composed of eighty-percent accounting-free methods.

Performance-Based Reporting presents the culmination of intense experiments involving more than 1,500 businesses and over 4,000 executives. It definitively proves the need for new tools for realistic business planning and management in an unpredictable world. These tools already exist, and this helpful guide walks readers through the process of implementing them to help firms improve their ability to predict the direction they should take in the future.

Mutual-fund superstar Peter Lynch and author John Rothchild explain the basic principles of investing and business in a primer that will enlighten and entertain anyone who is high-school age or older.

Many investors, including some with substantial portfolios, have only the sketchiest idea of how the stock market works. The reason, say Lynch and Rothchild, is that the basics of investing -- the fundamentals of our economic system and what they have to do with the stock market -- aren't taught in school. At a time when individuals have to make important decisions about saving for college and 401(k) retirement funds, this failure to provide a basic education in investing can have tragic consequences.

For those who know what to look for, investment opportunities are everywhere. The average high-school student is familiar with Nike, Reebok, McDonald's, the Gap, and the Body Shop. Nearly every teenager in America drinks Coke or Pepsi, but only a very few own shares in either company or even understand how to buy them. Every student studies American history, but few realize that our country was settled by European colonists financed by public companies in England and Holland -- and the basic principles behind public companies haven't changed in more than 300 years.

In Learn to Earn, Lynch and Rothchild explain in a style accessible to anyone who is high-school age or older how to read a stock table in the daily newspaper, how to understand a company annual report, and why everyone should pay attention to the stock market. They explain not only how to invest, but also how to think like an investor.

A History of Corporate Financial Reporting provides an understanding of the procedures and practices which constitute corporate financial reporting in Britain, at different points of time, and how and why those practices changed and became what they are now. Its particular focus is the external financial reporting practices of joint stock companies. This is worth knowing about given the widely held view that Britain (i) pioneered modern financial reporting, and (ii) played a primary role in the development of both capital markets and professional accountancy. The book makes use of a principal and agent framework to study accounting's past, but one where the failure of managers always to supply the information that users' desire is given full recognition. It is shown that corporate financial reporting did not develop into its current state in a straightforward and orderly fashion. Each era produces different environmental conditions and imposes new demands on accounting. A proper understanding of accounting developments therefore requires a careful examination of the interrelationship between accountants and accounting techniques on the one hand and, on the other, the social and economic context within which changes took place. The book's corporate coverage starts with the legendary East India Company, created in 1600, and continues through the heyday of the statutory trading companies founded to build Britain's canals (commencing in the 1770s) and railways (commencing c.1829) to focus, principally, on the limited liability company fashioned by the Joint Stock Companies Act 1844 and the Limited Liability Act 1855. The story terminates in 2005 when listed companies were required to prepare their consolidated accounts in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, thus signalling the effective end of British accounting.

Globalization and the accompanying investment facilities available have resulted in rapid popularity for international financial reporting standards (IFRS). However, differences often exist in terms of what firms report, and once inconsistency between tax regulations and financial reporting regulations occur, differences between taxable and accounting practices are inevitable. This book introduces a new approach to corporate financial reporting by investigating goal incongruence (GING) in the context of the principal and agent (PA) setting. The authors argue that improving the method for the disclosure of information would not only increase the quality of corporate financial information and reporting but also reduce the possibility of any GING arising. This book presents the financial implications of international accounting and financial reporting standards (IAS and IFRS), presenting numerous real-life situations, cases, examples and implications to reveal how GING might influence the implementation of corporate financial reporting of profit volumes and sizes, which are the leading drivers of and widely accepted proxies for corporate financial performance.

This research monograph examines whether International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are interpreted and applied in a consistent manner within and across countries, and questions the implicit assumption that accounting convergence will automatically lead to comparability in financial reporting. Its review of the accounting judgment and decision making research published in the five top-tier accounting journals over the last forty years shows that there is a limited number of studies that have examined the importance of consistency in interpreting and applying a single set of accounting standards. Furthermore, the monographs and reviews on audit judgment and decision making research published over the years have strengthened this strand of research in auditing by providing insights and suggesting avenues for future research. However, limited comprehensive reviews have been published so far for the research undertaken in the domain of accounting judgment. This research monograph provides empirical evidence on the factors that act as constraints on achieving the objectives of convergence of financial reporting.

The International Financial Reporting Standards are quite different from other sets of accounting standards, and are fundamentally different from US-GAAP, in that they are based on principles, and not on detailed rules. "Financial Reporting under IFRS: A topic-based approach" offers a global perspective on IFRS by presenting the prescribed rationale and principles and illustrating them through numerous examples from large international companies. It aims to develop the fundamental skills necessary to read and use the information contained in all types of financial statements, through examples, activities, questions and answers.

The book is broadly divided into three sections. Section one examines the structure of the Balance Sheet and the Income Statement, their links and the accounting mechanisms used to prepare them. Section two deals with the identification, evaluation and reporting of Balance Sheet items. Section three covers the use of financial statements to analyze a firm's performance and its risks. Throughout the book special topics are covered, including Derivatives and Hedge accounting (IAS 39), Business Combination (IFRS 3) and Operating Segments (IFRS 8).

"Financial Reporting under IFRS" is ideally suited to the needs of students of accounting and financial reporting, but all users of financial statements, from creditors and investors to suppliers, customers, employees and governments will benefit from its concise, topic-based approach.

Praise for Fraud and Abuse in Nonprofit Organizations

"Gerry Zack’s book is a valuable resource for those who manage, audit, or investigate charities and other nonprofits. It is packed with information that can be used to reduce the high cost of fraud in this sector and to prevent the related reputational damage that can hurt a nonprofit’s ability to raise funds. This book can help ensure a nonprofit’s funds are used to help the needy and not wasted on lining a fraudster’s pockets."
–Toby J. F. Bishop
President & CEO, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

"This book should be required reading for all managers and boards of directors of nonprofits. No doubt, it will inspire many readers to take a fresh look at their organizations’ practices. Zack easily cuts through the fluff and zeroes in on the critical points. A rare find–an informative how-to guide for avoiding and detecting fraud, written in an easy-to-digest, conversational tone. Zack is a master at making antifraud and compliance issues interesting as well as informative. Great as a primer, refresher, and a reference to be consulted again and again. Following Zack’s advice has the potential for radically reducing the amount of fraud in nonprofits."
–Karla Snellings
Deputy Director, NW3C (National White Collar Crime Center)

In a climate in which public trust is at an all-time low, nonprofit organizations and their directors must take action to prevent fraud and abuse before their good name–and financial support–is damaged or lost forever. Fraud and Abuse in Nonprofit Organizations provides decision-makers with the most comprehensive, hands-on look yet at nonprofit fraud and abuse, and outlines a fraud awareness and deterrence system designed to uncover and stop financial dishonesty before its damage becomes irreparable.

A textbook that provides a coherent description of valuation models over a wide range of securities. Students can study both the theories and the practical implementations of the valuation models. Further, students can use the extensive Excel models applying to practical problems ( the cases) and exercises. The book is the only textbook that is supported by a complete set of excel models enabling students to use the models in 'real life' cases. This book combines the theories and case studies in one coherent treatment for the courses in securities valuation.

It is clear that value added methods provide relevant, useful information for financial analysis, market valuation, and financial decision making in corporate settings. Value added methods can be used in ratio analysis, in the determination of earnings as an earnings management tools, and can be substituted for earnings in equity valuation. When included in a wealth measurement it can vastly improve the quality of decision making. Riahi-Belkaoui covers these topics and more. His book is a probing, essential examination of what the latest value added methods are and what they can do, not only for accounting professionals but for academics and top corporate management as well.

Value added reporting is popular in most European countries and in New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia. Most emerging countries are using it too, or considering it. Riahi-Belkaoui explicates latest developments in value-added practice and research, first covering the meaning of the concept, the history behind value added's development and its implied advantages and disadvantages. He then covers the derivation of a value added report, using a fictional case and the resulting data, before moving to an overview of the empirical literature most concerned with value added in the United States. Documenting the overall behavior of the net value added earnings policy model, he lays the foundation for more contextually specific approaches and investigates the usefulness of the substitution of net-value added in equity valuation. The book concludes with an examination of whether accounting knowledge is associated with a decision maker's tendency to ignore value added in wealth measurement in favor of the profit concept. Riahi-Belkaoui draws heavily on his own important writings, to further illustrate and explain the methods and benefits of value added approaches in accounting and other forms of financial decision making.

All business organizations produce financial statements, and the information communicated (or hidden) in these is relevant to a wide range of users. After a number of recent financial scandals from banks to supermarkets, the need to fully understand financial statements has never been so imperative, and the topic itself so pertinent. With updated examples to reflect the current business environment, including new material on the ethical considerations, and a wider array of business examples, from retail to services and banks, O'Hare continues to demist financial statements for non-specialists. In this new and refreshed edition, he once again covers the topic in an accessible way and assumes no prior training or study in accounting. Offering a range of extra resources, including end of chapter questions, topics for further discussion and brimming with real-world examples, this concise new edition provides a comprehensive resource that will be welcomed by lecturers and instructors charged with delivering classes on financial statements.

All business organizations produce financial statements, and the information communicated (or hidden) in these is relevant to a wide range of users. After a number of recent financial scandals from banks to supermarkets, the need to fully understand financial statements has never been so imperative, and the topic itself so pertinent. With updated examples to reflect the current business environment, including new material on the ethical considerations, and a wider array of business examples, from retail to services and banks, O'Hare continues to demist financial statements for non-specialists. In this new and refreshed edition, he once again covers the topic in an accessible way and assumes no prior training or study in accounting. Offering a range of extra resources, including end of chapter questions, topics for further discussion and brimming with real-world examples, this concise new edition provides a comprehensive resource that will be welcomed by lecturers and instructors charged with delivering classes on financial statements.

"The budget and financial reporting processes are well known sources of frustration for most CFOs. Seeking a quick fix to the problem, the common solution is to pour more money into new and better software. This leaves the root cause, the inefficient and dysfunctional underlying processes and routines, unaddressed. As this book shows, substantial and sustainable improvements are only achieved through an holistic approach to process improvement, technology, strategy, and people."
–Tom Henry Knudsen
Executive Vice President, Telenor Eiendom Fornebu AS

Proven methods for improving efficiency

Corporations face a high turnover among financial managers, rapid changes in technology, lack of time and process redesign skills, and ongoing ambiguity about primary objectives behind the budgeting and financial reporting processes. Amid this frenzy, it is the fundamental efficiency of these processes that dramatically impact overall business performance. Process Improvement for Effective Budgeting and Financial Reporting provides financial managers with a compelling blueprint for increasing efficiency and eliminating waste of time and energy. Four operational experts lay out an 80/20 plan–improving 80% of processes in 20% of the time it would take to improve 100%–and explain a Business Process Improvement (BPI) plan that incorporates:

• The emerging trends affecting financial managers today
• Step-by-step process implementation
• Interviews with industry leaders, consultants, and managers who have successfully instituted BPI plans
• Appraisals of the available software that can help or hinder the process

There is no substitute for improved efficiency. CFOs, controllers, budget managers, and financial analysts will significantly benefit from adding this authoritative guide to their professional libraries.

Financial analysis is integral to business sustainability in determining an organisation's financial viability and revealing its strengths and weaknesses, a key requirement in today's competitive business environment. In a first of its kind, Financial Statements Analysis: Cases from Corporate India: evaluates the financial performance and efficiency of various corporate enterprises in India; presents actual case studies from eight core sectors (in manufacturing and services) - construction, cement, steel, automobile, power, telecom, banking, and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO); examines the financial statements on parameters such as financial ratios (profitability, solvency, and liquidity), while appraising their operating efficiency, market potential and valuation; and investigates their implications for larger decision-making and policy recommendations. It will be an important resource for scholars, teachers and students of business and management, commerce, finance, and accounting. It will also appeal to corporate trainers, senior executives and consultants in related fields.

Business sustainability has advanced from greenwashing and branding to being a business imperative. Stakeholders, including shareholders, demand, regulators require, and companies now need to report their sustainability performance. No longer is this a choice for businesses. A decade ago, fewer than 50 companies released sustainability reports, and now more 8,000 global public companies disclose sustainability performance information on some or all five economic, governance, social, ethical, and environmental (EGSEE) dimensions of sustainability performance, and this trend is expected to continue. Indeed, more than 6,000 European public companies would be required to disclose their environmental, social, governance and diversity information for their 2017 reporting year. However, the proper determination of sustainability performance, accurate and reliable reporting and independent assurance of sustainability information remain major challenges for organizations of all types and sizes. Through reading this book, you will: Identify sustainability strategies to create innovation in new products, services, energy-efficiency, environmental facilities and green initiatives. Understand the role and responsibilities of all participants in the corporate reporting process, including directors, officers, internal auditors, external auditors, legal counsel, and investors. See ways to improve public trust, investor confidence, business reputation, employee satisfaction, corporate culture, social responsibility and environmental performance. Learn all five economic, governance, social, ethical and environmental (EGSEE) dimensions of sustainability performance separately and their integrated and interactive effects on achieving the goal of creating sustainable value for all stakeholders, including shareholders. Learn how to adopt best practices in sustainability development and performance, and deliver effective integrated sustainability reporting and assurance.

Business sustainability has advanced from greenwashing and branding to being a business imperative. Stakeholders, including shareholders, demand, regulators require, and companies now need to report their sustainability performance. No longer is this a choice for businesses. A decade ago, fewer than 50 companies released sustainability reports, and now more 8,000 global public companies disclose sustainability performance information on some or all five economic, governance, social, ethical, and environmental (EGSEE) dimensions of sustainability performance, and this trend is expected to continue. Indeed, more than 6,000 European public companies would be required to disclose their environmental, social, governance and diversity information for their 2017 reporting year. However, the proper determination of sustainability performance, accurate and reliable reporting and independent assurance of sustainability information remain major challenges for organizations of all types and sizes. Through reading this book, you will: Identify sustainability strategies to create innovation in new products, services, energy-efficiency, environmental facilities and green initiatives. Understand the role and responsibilities of all participants in the corporate reporting process, including directors, officers, internal auditors, external auditors, legal counsel, and investors. See ways to improve public trust, investor confidence, business reputation, employee satisfaction, corporate culture, social responsibility and environmental performance. Learn all five economic, governance, social, ethical and environmental (EGSEE) dimensions of sustainability performance separately and their integrated and interactive effects on achieving the goal of creating sustainable value for all stakeholders, including shareholders. Learn how to adopt best practices in sustainability development and performance, and deliver effective integrated sustainability reporting and assurance.

As the monetary cost of fraud escalates globally, and the ensuing confidence in financial markets deteriorates, the international demand for quality in financial statements intensifies. But what constitutes quality in financial statements? This book examines financial statement fraud, a topical and increasingly challenging area for financial accounting, business, and the law. Evidence shows that accounting anomalies in an organization's financial statements diminish the quality and serviceability of financial information. However, an anomaly does not necessarily signal fraud. Financial statement fraud is intended to mislead shareholders and other stakeholders. In this book, elements that underpin diversity of accounting anomalies likely found in fraudulent financial accounting statements are revealed. Multiple research methods are used in the analysis of selected international fraud cases, each illustrating examples of financial statement fraud, including: revenue recognition, overstatement and/or misappropriation of assets, understatement of expenses and liabilities, disclosure fraud, bribery and corruption. Additionally, the phoenix phenomenon with regard to fraud in financial accounting is investigated. Drawing on documented observations of commercial and legal cases globally this study highlights the necessity for continued development of financial audit practices and other audit services.

Volume 25 features eight articles. In the lead article, Savannah Guo, Sabrina Chi, and Kirsten Cook examine short selling as one external determinant of corporate tax avoidance and find that short interest is negatively associated with subsequent tax-avoidance levels and this effect is incremental to other factors identified by prior research. Next, Mark Bauman and Cathalene Rogers Bowler examine the effect of FIN48 on earnings management activity, by focusing on changes in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance. In the third article, Anthony Billings, Cheol Lee, and Jaegul Lee study whether the lowering of dividend taxes as part of the U.S. Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 resulted in an increase in dividend payouts at the expense of R&D spending. The fourth article by Brian Dowis and Ted Englebrecht examines reasonable compensation in closely-held corporations and the impact of gender, political affiliation, and family makeup on decisions made in the U.S. Tax Court. Then, a practice-related study by Sonja Pippin, Jeffrey Wong, and Richard Mason reports on a survey of Americans living abroad on the impact of tax rules explicitly designed for these individuals. They find that Americans living abroad experience the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act as negatively impacting their lives. The next three articles in this volume have an international focus. Zakir Akhand investigates the effects of the corporate sector on the effectiveness of selected tax compliance instruments in the context of large Bangladesh corporate taxpayers. K-Rine Chong and Murugesh Arunachalam examine the determinants of enforced tax compliance behaviour of Malaysian citizens with trust in the tax agency assumed to be a mediating variable. Lastly, Bitzenis and Vasileios investigate the effect of the economic downturn in Greece on the factors determining the level of tax morale through primary data from a European Union funded research project on the Greek shadow economy.

In Time Series Analysis and Adjustment the authors explain how the last four decades have brought dramatic changes in the way researchers analyze economic and financial data on behalf of economic and financial institutions and provide statistics to whomsoever requires them. Such analysis has long involved what is known as econometrics, but time series analysis is a different approach driven more by data than economic theory and focused on modelling. An understanding of time series and the application and understanding of related time series adjustment procedures is essential in areas such as risk management, business cycle analysis, and forecasting. Dealing with economic data involves grappling with things like varying numbers of working and trading days in different months and movable national holidays. Special attention has to be given to such things. However, the main problem in time series analysis is randomness. In real-life, data patterns are usually unclear, and the challenge is to uncover hidden patterns in the data and then to generate accurate forecasts. The case studies in this book demonstrate that time series adjustment methods can be efficaciously applied and utilized, for both analysis and forecasting, but they must be used in the context of reasoned statistical and economic judgment. The authors believe this is the first published study to really deal with this issue of context.

This book provides an illuminating analysis of Internally Generated Goodwill from a strategic point of view. The author launches his strategic analysis from a foundational understanding of Internally Generated Goodwill as determined largely in relationship to intangible resources and competitive differentials. Arguing that intangible resources are at the origin of competitive differential--and accordingly at the origin of the achievement of economic profit--the author shows how Internally Generated Goodwill can be considered as the economic expression of competitive differentials and, therefore, as the expression of the greater firm s value that originates from those differentials.

In addition to offering this innovative theoretical framework, the author develops a variety of practical tools for generating value estimates and value breakdowns of IIG. The masterful analysis provided here focuses on developing methods for identifying the elements that compose IIG and on achieving an accurate estimate of its value, ultimately seeking to evaluate the limitations and advantages of the existing variety of approaches to analyzing the constituent parts of IIG and to devise accounting practices that will help academics and professionals alike to obtain more significant and lucid results.

Better Corporate Reporting outlines the latest frameworks for enhancing non-financial and sustainability reporting. It includes guides to: the International Integrated Reporting Council's new framework; the Global Reporting Initiative's G4 framework; and a detailed look at the concept at the heart of both of these new frameworks, materiality.

Financial analysis is integral to business sustainability in determining an organisation's financial viability and revealing its strengths and weaknesses, a key requirement in today's competitive business environment. In a first of its kind, Financial Statements Analysis: Cases from Corporate India: evaluates the financial performance and efficiency of various corporate enterprises in India; presents actual case studies from eight core sectors (in manufacturing and services) - construction, cement, steel, automobile, power, telecom, banking, and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO); examines the financial statements on parameters such as financial ratios (profitability, solvency, and liquidity), while appraising their operating efficiency, market potential and valuation; and investigates their implications for larger decision-making and policy recommendations. It will be an important resource for scholars, teachers and students of business and management, commerce, finance, and accounting. It will also appeal to corporate trainers, senior executives and consultants in related fields.

The rise of the British accountancy profession from the late nineteenth century to the present day, and the world-wide success of its accountancy firms, were to a large extent based on the growth of the audit function. This book explores the history of the audit process in Britain, demonstrating that the characteristic features of the auditing industry are a diversity in practice based largely on the different types of clients the auditors serve. The book examines the innovation that was brought about by the staggering developments in information technology which have been seen over the last few centuries. This comprehensive history will be a useful reference tool for accounting, business and economic historians and will also be an enlightening read for all those with an interest in auditing procedures.

The failure of current mechanisms to either predict the collapse of various companies or curb corrupt practises has kept the subject of external reporting to the fore. Is Fair Value Fair? Financial Reporting in an International Perspective contains contributions from many highly-respected individuals involved in external reporting, regulation and standard setting. Their contributions discuss the future of

• regulation
• application of standards
• supervision
• audit

The new IFRS regulations coming into force in 2005 are set to radically change the various methods of financial reporting. Is Fair Value Fair? fully prepares readers for these changes and is an invaluable tool for corporate financiers and institutional investors with an interest in the regulatory environment.

This timely handbook provides a current and comprehensive examination of integrated reporting, both practical and research-based. It offers insights and different perspectives from more than 60 authors, including representatives of the International Integrated Reporting Council, Integrated Reporting Committee of South Africa, professional bodies and audit firms, as well as leading academics in the fields of integrated reporting, sustainability reporting and corporate social responsibility. This collected work provides an in-depth review of the development of integrated reporting, with a focus on the interpretation and guidance provided by the International Integrated Reporting Council. It encourages the development of new thinking and research topics in the area of integrated reporting (such as links between integrated reporting and reports focused on financial and corporate social responsibility matters), as well as showcasing how integrated reporting issues are seen and practiced in different parts of the world. The chapters include reviews of the most recent research, practitioner viewpoints, conceptual pieces, case studies and disclosure analyses. Accessible and engaging, this handbook will be an invaluable overview for those new to the field or those who are interested in ensuring they are up to date with its developments, as well as those who are concerned with how to construct an integrated report.