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Satyam Computer Services, a leading Indian outsourcing company that served more than a third of the Fortune 500 companies, was at the heart of a huge 2009 fraud perpetrated through the significant inflation of earnings and falsification of accounts and assets for a number of years.  Chairman, Ramalinga Raju, resigned  in January 2009 after revealing that 94 percent or about $1.04 billion in assets were nonexistent and revenue was actually 20 percent lower than that reported.

Questions:

1. Who were Satyam’s auditors? What are some of the audit procedures that should have helped in the detection of this fraud?

2. What prior incident led to scrutiny of the company in October 2008?  What does this indicate to you about the corporate culture of the company?

3. Is Satyam still in business?  Provide a brief summary of its demise. What happened to the Satyam’s Chairman?

Sources:

Khanzode, R. (2010). Satyam Not out of Woods, Likely to Seek Time for Audited Results. The Financial Express, June 7. (Retrievable online at http://www.financialexpress.com/news/satyam-not-out-of-woods-likely-to-seek-time-for-audited-results/630308/)

Video (January 8, 2009). Satyam Auditor PwC Under Lens. (Retrievable online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_TvuhOtln0&feature=related)

 Timmons, H. (2009). Satyam Chief Admits Huge Fraud, New York Times, January 7 (Retrievable online at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/business/worldbusiness/08satyam.html)