What is a good response to.... One method that is used to communicate financial statement information in a fraudulent manner is omitting liabilities. This involves intentionally failing to disclose or record liabilities on the balance sheet, making the company appear financially stronger than it actually is (Crumbley & Fenton, 2021). By understating the company's debts, management can mislead stakeholders into believing that the organization has better liquidity and solvency than it actually does, which may lead to inflated stock prices or better terms when seeking loans. The "M" this fraudulent activity falls under is Manipulation since it is an act of directly altering the financial statements to hide liabilities (Crumbley & Fenton, 2021). An infamous case involving the omission of liabilities is the Enron scandal. Enron used special purpose entities (SPEs) to move debt off its balance sheet, hiding significant liabilities from shareholders adn regulators (Thomas, 2002). This allowed the company to appear more profitable and less leveraged, ultimately misleading investors about its financial health. When the fraud was discovered, it led to Enron's collapse and the introduction of significant corporate governance reforms, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Bondarenko, 2024)

Auditing: A Risk Based-Approach (MindTap Course List)
11th Edition
ISBN:9781337619455
Author:Karla M Johnstone, Audrey A. Gramling, Larry E. Rittenberg
Publisher:Karla M Johnstone, Audrey A. Gramling, Larry E. Rittenberg
Chapter3: Internal Control Over Financial Reporting: Responsibilities Of Management And The External Auditor
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What is a good response to....

One method that is used to communicate financial statement information in a fraudulent manner is omitting liabilities. This involves intentionally failing to disclose or record liabilities on the balance sheet, making the company appear financially stronger than it actually is (Crumbley & Fenton, 2021). By understating the company's debts, management can mislead stakeholders into believing that the organization has better liquidity and solvency than it actually does, which may lead to inflated stock prices or better terms when seeking loans. The "M" this fraudulent activity falls under is Manipulation since it is an act of directly altering the financial statements to hide liabilities (Crumbley & Fenton, 2021).

An infamous case involving the omission of liabilities is the Enron scandal. Enron used special purpose entities (SPEs) to move debt off its balance sheet, hiding significant liabilities from shareholders adn regulators (Thomas, 2002). This allowed the company to appear more profitable and less leveraged, ultimately misleading investors about its financial health. When the fraud was discovered, it led to Enron's collapse and the introduction of significant corporate governance reforms, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Bondarenko, 2024)

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