4 6 Page Assignment 1

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4 6 Page Assignment 1

Case Study Analysis: Accounting Fraud at WorldCom

Knowing how to analyze a case will help you attack virtually any business problem. A case study helps you learn by immersing you in a real-world business issues—and makes you a decision-maker. A case presents facts about a particular organization and you must focus on the most important facts and use the information to determine the best (of multiple alternatives) course(s) of action to deal with the problems you identify.

A case study analysis must not just summarize the case. It should identify key issues and problems, and outline and assess alternative courses of action.

In this case, you will have an opportunity to analyze the factors that led senior executives at WorldCom to launch and sustain an accounting fraud. This case will give you an opportunity to look at the various controls that should have been in place and to analyze them.

In addition to the requirements for the analysis of a case study covered below, please specifically answer the following questions:

  1. What were the forces leading the senior executives to “cook the books”?
  2. What is the boundary between earnings smoothing or earnings management and fraudulent reporting?
  3. This fraud occurred in a major public company and went undetected for 3-4 years. How could this occur?

Required for the Analysis of a Case Study:

Provide a 4–6 page case study analysis using the following format:

Format: Must include these headers

  1. Title page
  2. Company and Situation: Describe the Company and Situation
    • To begin your case study analysis, discuss the critical incidents that have contributed to the current position of the company. Here you must identify the most important facts surrounding the case.
    • Does the problem or challenge facing the company come from a changing environment, new opportunity, a declining market share, or inefficient internal or external business processes?
  3. Strengths, Weaknesses and Alternatives: Identify Strengths and Weaknesses as well as Alternatives
    • Examine the value creation functions of the company and specify alternative courses of action.
    • List the courses of action the company can take to solve its problem or meet the challenge it faces. What changes to organizational processes would be required by each alternative? What management policy would be required to implement each alternative?

Remember, there is a difference between what an organization “should do” and what that organization actually “can do.” Some solutions are too expensive or operationally difficult to implement, and you should avoid solutions that are beyond the organization’s resources. Important: Identify the constraints that will limit the solutions available. Is each alternative executable given these constraints?

  1. Implementations: Analyze Implementations This portion of the case study analysis requires that you identify and analyze the structure and control systems that the company is using to implement its business strategies. Evaluate organizational change, levels of hierarchy, employee rewards, conflicts, and other issues that are important to the company you are analyzing.
  2. Recommendations: Make Recommendations The final part of your case study analysis should include your recommendations for the company. Every recommendation you make should be based on and supported by the context of your case study analysis, i.e., what you have already written.
  3. Additional Questions: Answer the additional questions as shown below. Each question should be placed in bold as header:
    1. What were the forces leading the senior executives to “cook the books”?
    2. What is the boundary between earnings smoothing or earnings management and fraudulent reporting?
    3. This fraud occurred in a major public company and went undetected for 3-4 years. How could this occur?
  4. References: Reference page

Access the case study template formatted in APA.

The case analysis should be a minimum of four pages, double-spaced. Check for correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and usage. Citations should use APA style. Your analysis of this case and your written submission should reflect an understanding of the critical issues of the case; integrate the material covered in the text and present concise and well-reasoned justifications for the stance that you take