Who knew how easy it is to steal? This course uses five recent employee theft cases to demonstrate the importance of internal controls and management oversight in the prevention of employee theft. A recurring theme in each of these cases is a lack of appropriate internal controls and a lack of management oversight. Program Level: Basic No prerequisites or advanced preparation required. CPE Credits: 1 Hour Field of Study: Auditing Delivery Method: QAS Self Study

Small business enterprises sometimes take the position that effective internal controls cannot be achieved. There aren’t enough employees for adequate segregation of duties. Many, if not most, have no internal audit function. However, even within the confines of these and other challenges, small businesses can achieve an effective internal control structure. To overcome an inability to segregate duties as well as other issues, small businesses must look for mitigating controls. The most pervasive mitigating control is the direct oversight of management. This oversight may take the form of financial statement review, approving disbursements, signing checks as well as other review processes. While there are other considerations as to whether the oversight of management may mitigate a lack of segregation of duties and other internal control challenges, if done correctly, this is one of the best ways to overcome these inherent issues. There are internal control fundamentals that are appropriate for small businesses. This course discusses fundamental operational and accounting controls and also reviews the optimal company culture for an effective internal control environment. Program Level: Basic No prerequisites or advanced preparation required. CPE Credits: 2 Hours Field of Study: Auditing Delivery Method: QAS Self Study

This course is based on two recent financial statement fraud cases; Dewey & LeBouef and ContinuityX. Dewey & LeBouef was a high-profile law firm that, at its peak, had over 3,000 employees and over 1,400 lawyers. It is alleged that personnel at Dewey & LeBouef made inappropriate financial adjustments starting in 2008 to meet its bank lending covenants and planned to conceal these adjustments from its “clueless auditor”. Dewey & LeBouef declared bankruptcy in 2012. ContinuityX was an internet services reseller that, according to an SEC complaint, fabricated 99% of its revenue. It was audited by a firm that was fined and disciplined by the SEC and the partner responsible for the audit was also fined and permanently suspended from practicing before the SEC. ContinuityX declared bankruptcy in 2013. Both cases involve financial statement fraud, auditor deception and some lessons to be learned. Program Level: Basic No prerequisites or advanced preparation required. CPE Credits: 1 Hour Field of Study: Auditing Delivery Method: QAS Self Study

The Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Rule requires reporting companies to disclose certain information. Generally, reporting companies must disclose their legal name, any DBA names, the address of their principal place of business in the U.S., jurisdiction of formation, IRS TIN or EIN as well as information concerning beneficial owners. There are rules and exceptions as to what constitutes a reporting company. A beneficial owners is any individual who exercises substantial control over a reporting company or one who owns or controls at least 25% of the ownership interests. Information disclosed about beneficial owners includes full legal name, date of birth, current address, and the number and image of either a U.S. passport, state driver’s license or other identification document issued by a state, local government or tribe. Once again, there are rules that help define who constitutes a beneficial owner. This course uses published guidance from FinCEN to provide an overview of the rules and reporting requirements. Program Level: Basic No prerequisites or advanced preparation required. CPE Credits: 1 Hour Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge Delivery Method: QAS Self Study

Simple fraud schemes that use social engineering techniques are gaining popularity in the United States. These schemes rely on trickery to persuade an unsuspecting employee to divert cash or sensitive information to the fraudster. This course examines techniques being employed such as email spoofing, phishing and vishing using actual recent cases and discusses techniques to minimize the possibility of this type of fraud in your organization. Program Level: Basic No prerequisites or advanced preparation required. CPE Credits: 1 Hour Field of Study: Auditing Delivery Method: QAS Self Study

The comparison of actual revenue or margin amounts to either budget or prior year results will generally result in a variance. This course demonstrates mathematical formulas to compute the amount of that variance that is attributable to pricing decisions, unit volume and product mix. In the case of margin variances, the calculation for product cost is an additional component. This method is an important tool to clearly and concisely explain revenue and margin variances to marketing, operations and executive personnel. Specific topics covered are the calculation of the price, volume, mix and cost components as well as an explanation of the concept of product mix. Applicable to CPA’s working in the manufacturing or distribution industry as well as CPA’s in public accounting who serve these industries. Program Level: Basic No prerequisites or advanced preparation required. CPE Credits: 2 Hours Field of Study: Accounting Delivery Method: QAS Self Study

This course discusses eight employee theft cases to demonstrate the importance of internal controls and management oversight in the prevention of employee theft. Some of the companies are large and some are small. Some are examined in detail while others are overviewed. Companies discussed: Sandhog Union, United Probation Officers Association, Ayer Family Trust, Craig Brothers Plumbing and Heating, Pet First Healthcare, Standford Financial Group, Woodruff Arts Center and Fry’s Electronics. Understanding the motivations and conditions that foster fraudulent behavior is essential for developing effective prevention strategies. A recurring theme in each of these cases is a lack of appropriate internal controls and a lack of management oversight Program Level: Basic No prerequisites or advanced preparation required. CPE Credits: 2 Hours Field of Study: Audit