Gotcha Ya’

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Four high-ranking federal lab workers found a way to turn “per diem” funds for a temporary assignment into a steady flow of extra income at taxpayers’ expense. Questions: 1. Explain “per diem.” 2. Based on the article, approximately how much money did each scientist receive fraudulently, per year? 3. How was the scheme discovered and… Read more »

Resume Padding

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On Monday, May 7, Yahoo apologized to its employees for discrepancies about its CEO, hired in January. Apparently, Scott Thompson, does not have a computer science degree after all, even though that information was included in an SEC filing and in several public bios about him. Questions: 1. If Thompson allowed false information about his… Read more »

Cooking the Books – TSA style?

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This week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released information about the Transportation Security Administration wasting taxpayers’ money; this time they point to a Texas warehouse holding more than 5,000 pieces of security equipment, valued at upwards of $180 million. Questions: 1. What percentage of equipment has been stored for more than one… Read more »

General Services Administration (GSA) Scandal

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A hearing on an extravagant government conference in Las Vegas will enter its second day on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, April 17. During Monday’s session, a House committee heard from officials accused of wasting taxpayer money on fancy meals and over-the-top entertainment. The GSA inspector general, Brian Miller, says he believes the behavior he uncovered… Read more »

Big News at Amazon: Fulfillment Robots

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Amazon.com Inc said on Monday it agreed to buy Kiva Systems Inc for $775 million in cash, a deal that will bring more robotic technology to the e-commerce company’s giant network of warehouses. Questions: 1. What other companies use this kind of robot technology? 2. Discuss the trend of Amazon’s fulfillment costs and what they… Read more »

Crime of Grime OR Sign of the Times?

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Tide is flying off the shelves, according to the Associated Press. Unfortunately, retailers are not seeing the profits from this familiar laundry soap. Instead, Tide has become a hot commodity among thieves at supermarkets and drugstores in at least some parts of the country. While the maker of Tide, Procter & Gamble, has been baffled… Read more »

Traveling Electronically Naked

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When Kenneth G. Lieberthal travels to China, he leaves his cellphone and laptop at home.  As an expert at the Brookings Institute, he instead brings “loaner” devices, which he erases before he leaves the United States and then wipes clean the minute he returns. In China, he disables Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, never lets his phone… Read more »

Audit Irregularities

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According to a report released on Feb. 15 in San Francisco county, about 400 recent foreclosures were determined to involve either legal violations or suspicious documentation.  This recent report suggests how pervasive foreclosure irregularities may be across the nation. Questions: 1.  What is the acronym for the mortgage database that was started in 1995 to track… Read more »

Watch that Password!

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Zappos began emailing its 24 million customers Sunday, advising them that its site had been hacked, and some customers’ personal details and account information likely stolen. Despite Zappos’ data breach notification to consumers, the company hasn’t yet answered several key questions, such as detailing when the data breach occurred, the length of time for which… Read more »

How do you lose $1.2 Billion?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized, Video Updates.

Three of MF Global Holdings Ltd.’s top executives said they didn’t know what happened to as much as $1.2 billion in client funds that went missing in the days before the New York-based brokerage filed for bankruptcy. Jon S. Corzine, former chairman and chief executive officer of the broker testified in Congress that he didn’t… Read more »