| CODE | ACC5217 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Forensic Accounting | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Accountancy | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit involves: - an introduction to forensic accounting, its nature and objectives; - a review of the forensic literature in accounting and related disciplines and its limitations; - an identification and differentiation of the various causes of financial statement fraud, their symptoms and implications; - an application of the major methods to investigate data so as to enable or facilitate fraud detection including the use of statistics, financial and non-financial information; - development of possible solutions, including controls to preventing fraud in organizations; - the optimal use of the accountant's expertise in fraud prevention and detection, including the approach to financial statement analysis. Study-Unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are to: - lay out the general circumstances leading to the occurrence of financial statement fraud as well as how such fraud may be instigated and rationalized; - explain the findings of major forensic research studies; - explain how financial statement fraud may be detected and investigated as well as illustrating by means of various examples how the appropriate processes may be implemented so as to prevent future recurrence; - familiarize students with how different forensic techniques may be effectively applied and with the legal framework within which such techniques may be so employed; - illustrate the implications of fraudulent behaviour and professional response to such behaviour. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - determine the causes and effects of financial statement fraud; - describe the principles and practices of the major techniques employed to investigate fraud; - assess critically the relevance and limitations of forensic accounting theories; - analyze the evidence resulting from empirical forensic research in accounting and related disciplines such as corporate finance and law. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - apply numerical skills to manipulate and interrogate data using the appropriate technology; - utilize various financial and management accounting skills to interpret both financial and non-financial information; - extract professionally from the appropriate data those factors leading to financial statement fraud and specify the nature of such fraud; - design and propose potential solutions to prevent fraud recurrence in varying situations; - build up and effectively report relevant information resulting from investigations. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Chew, B. (ed.) 2017. Forensic accounting and finance: principles and practice, London: Kogan Page. - Jones, M. (ed.) (2011). Creative accounting, fraud and international accounting scandals, Chichester: Wiley. - Taylor, J (2011), Forensic accounting, London: FT Prentice Hall. Readings set by Lecturer Supplementary Readings: - Jackson C.W. (2015). Detecting Accounting Fraud: Analysis and Ethics. London: Pearson. - Nigrini M. (2011) Forensic Analytics: Methods and Techniques for Forensic Accounting Investigations . London: Wiley. - Wiley D.D Dorrell and Gadawski G.A. (2012) Financial Forensics Body of Knowledge (2012). London: Wiley. - Rufus R. (2015). Forensic Accounting. London: Pearson Literature. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Rebekah Barthet Ian Bugeja Alan Duncan Craig |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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