Occupational fraud is a growing business risk that is causing greater financial losses in small businesses than large businesses. Business owners lose approximately 5% of their revenues due to occupational fraud. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by some business owners of small restaurants to reduce occupational fraud. The fraud triangle theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Three small restaurant owners from Puerto Rico participated in face-to-face, semistructured interviews to reveal their successful strategies to minimize fraud. The data collection process also included business documents and researcher observations that assisted in establishing methodological triangulation. Using Yin's 5-step process, data were coded and analyzed to identify emergent themes. The primary emergent themes obtained from data analysis revealed that owner monitoring, analytical procedures, and segregation of duties are effective strategies to minimize employee fraud. Participants revealed that the implementation of these strategies may reduce organizational losses associated to fraud. The findings of this study may contribute to social change by reducing fraud activities, business failures, unemployment level, and criminality rate while promoting trust between community members and their institutions.

<p>China and France have both adopted the International Standards on Auditing (ISA). Thelargest firms in auditing and accounting in the world, known as Big Four, are established inFrance as well as in China. Auditors from those firms apply procedures that have beenharmonized worldwide within Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and Ernst &Young. When it comes to audit, French auditor and Chinese auditor talk the same language,use the same software, boundaries seem to be knocked over. On the other hand, what BigFour firms are not able to standardize is the culture of their auditors. Does auditor’s culturemay shatter all efforts that have been put to deliver the same services throughout the world?Does auditor’s culture may call the work of the International Auditing and AssuranceStandards Board (IAASB) into question? Do either French or Chinese auditors enable ahigher audit risk to the audited client? Many other questions could be raised about the effectof cultures on the audit process.</p><p>The purpose of this research is to explore, measure and analyse the cultural impact on theaudit process. In order to highlight the difference(s) of the audit outcome due to culture,countries have to exemplify a certain numbers of cultural differences. China and France havebeen chosen because their belonging to the Eastern and Western clusters, and as we know,Eastern and Western countries have substantial cultural differences (Hofstede, 2001).According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Individualism (versus Collectivism) andUncertainty Avoidance are the two dimensions that get the higher cultural differences whenhe compares Chinese and French Culture. We want to discover how Chinese and Frenchauditors rely on analytical procedures and assess audit evidence and internal controlenvironment. We want to study if their audit results reflect the cultural differences betweenChina and France based on the two cultural dimensions.</p><p>In order to manage our empirical research, we use a sample of 28 Chinese auditors and 14French auditors. We use primary data collection through our design questionnaire. Theauditors’ answers were analysed using a quantitative approach to reveal the eventual existenceof a connection between the auditor’s cultural background and how the audit process iscarried out.</p><p>Our findings about cultural differences within Big Four companies are not so categorical. We did not find significant differences regarding Chinese and French auditors’ culture. However,Chinese auditors appear to have a higher willingness to refuse a misstatement in the client’s financial statements, due to collectivism cultural dimension, than French auditors. Auditors from both countries assess in similar way audit evidence, but they do not consider of the same importance some components of the internal control environment. French auditors considerof greater importance components that can directly influenced the accuracy of the accountingreporting process, because an individualism society as France tends to “encourage”accounting and cut-off errors within organizations.</p>

China and France have both adopted the International Standards on Auditing (ISA). Thelargest firms in auditing and accounting in the world, known as Big Four, are established inFrance as well as in China. Auditors from those firms apply procedures that have beenharmonized worldwide within Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and Ernst &amp;Young. When it comes to audit, French auditor and Chinese auditor talk the same language,use the same software, boundaries seem to be knocked over. On the other hand, what BigFour firms are not able to standardize is the culture of their auditors. Does auditor’s culturemay shatter all efforts that have been put to deliver the same services throughout the world?Does auditor’s culture may call the work of the International Auditing and AssuranceStandards Board (IAASB) into question? Do either French or Chinese auditors enable ahigher audit risk to the audited client? Many other questions could be raised about the effectof cultures on the audit process. The purpose of this research is to explore, measure and analyse the cultural impact on theaudit process. In order to highlight the difference(s) of the audit outcome due to culture,countries have to exemplify a certain numbers of cultural differences. China and France havebeen chosen because their belonging to the Eastern and Western clusters, and as we know,Eastern and Western countries have substantial cultural differences (Hofstede, 2001).According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Individualism (versus Collectivism) andUncertainty Avoidance are the two dimensions that get the higher cultural differences whenhe compares Chinese and French Culture. We want to discover how Chinese and Frenchauditors rely on analytical procedures and assess audit evidence and internal controlenvironment. We want to study if their audit results reflect the cultural differences betweenChina and France based on the two cultural dimensions. In order to manage our empirical research, we use a sample of 28 Chinese auditors and 14French auditors. We use primary data collection through our design questionnaire. Theauditors’ answers were analysed using a quantitative approach to reveal the eventual existenceof a connection between the auditor’s cultural background and how the audit process iscarried out. Our findings about cultural differences within Big Four companies are not so categorical. We did not find significant differences regarding Chinese and French auditors’ culture. However,Chinese auditors appear to have a higher willingness to refuse a misstatement in the client’s financial statements, due to collectivism cultural dimension, than French auditors. Auditors from both countries assess in similar way audit evidence, but they do not consider of the same importance some components of the internal control environment. French auditors considerof greater importance components that can directly influenced the accuracy of the accountingreporting process, because an individualism society as France tends to “encourage”accounting and cut-off errors within organizations.

Auditors use substantive analytical procedures to make assertions about the adequacy and appropriateness of client balances. The analytical procedure process consists of auditors creating independent account expectations and corroborating unusual fluctuations through obtaining and evaluating additional audit evidence. Prior analytical procedure research has found that knowledge of clients' unaudited account balances biases auditors' expectations towards the current year figures. However, this research has failed to examine the impact of biased expectations on the subsequent stages of analytical procedures. This dissertation assesses the full impact of biased account expectations on auditors' use of analytical procedures. I experimentally test the hypotheses of my dissertation through administering an experiment to senior level auditors. After inducing an account expectation bias that favors the client account balance in half the participants, I examine the auditors' cognitive investigation into an unusual account fluctuation. The results indicate that a biased account expectation negatively affects auditors' judgment quality. In particular, a biased expectation leads auditors to favor hypotheses and additional information that supports the proposition that the client's balance is reasonably stated. Alternatively, auditors with unbiased account expectations are more willing to consider all hypotheses and are able to identify the most pertinent additional information to the decision task. As a result of the different decision strategies employed, auditors who form unbiased account expectations are significantly more likely than auditors with biased account expectations to identify the correct relationship among the underlying data and the proposed hypotheses during a substantive analytical procedure.

There is considerable evidence in the audit literature that even though auditors usually identify the relevant information needed to propose and select the correct cause of an unexpected fluctuation, they frequently do not propose the correct cause, and even when they do propose the correct cause, they often fail to select it. I suggest that working memory limitations might be a factor contributing to this analytical review paradox. Consequently, this study investigates whether two new decision aids, designed from Cognitive Load Theory, reduce auditors' cognitive load during analytical review, freeing cognitive resources for problem solving, and ultimately leading to improved auditor analytical review effectiveness. My first decision aid, an activity relationship diagram (ARD), gives the auditor a graphical depiction of common accounting relationships. My second decision aid, a pattern-consideration aid (PCA), automatically recalls and textually displays the auditor-identified relevant information cues. In an experimental setting, I find that auditors who rely on either decision aid significantly improve their analytical review effectiveness compared to auditors who conduct analytical review unaided. However, contrary to my predictions, auditors who rely on both decision aids do not outperform auditors who rely on only one decision aid. Although I find empirical evidence that cognitive load is negatively related to analytical review effectiveness, I do not find evidence that my decision aids reduce cognitive load.

Informed economic decisions are made on the basis of accounting data. It is therefore crucial to have rigorous and scientific approaches for measuring, modelling and forecasting accounting numbers. Dr Falta's research was motivated by two observations. Firstly, in accounting practice, decision-making often relies on subjective quantifications and forecasts of business activities and, thus, does not account for uncertainty in a rational way. Secondly, there are some academic foundations for statistical approaches to accounting, yet none has been developed carefully enough for results to penetrate and to contribute to practitioners' needs. Dr Falta applied components of mathematics, statistics, econometrics, finance and computing to aspects of accounting and auditing. He developed an enhanced framework for scientific measurement of business process costing and recording accounting transaction data. This has enabled a better understanding of risk in accounting-based decision-making. His research is being incorporated in projects with the Royal Australian Navy and SunWater.

Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à la problématique de l’intégration de capteurs plasmoniques performants et bas coût sur des dispositifs de type smartphone, en vue d’applications de diagnostic biomédical. A cette fin, nous proposons deux biocapteurs « smart ». Premièrement, un système de détection colorimétrique à base de nanoparticules d’or est mis en œuvre pour détecter de l’ADN. Le système intègre une détection synchrone logicielle mise en œuvre au sein du smartphone, où les signaux physiques transitent par la voie audio. Le processus de diagnostic prend moins de 15 minutes pour une limite de détection de 0.77 nM, approximativement 6 fois meilleure que la sensibilité usuelle d’un spectromètre UV-Vis conventionnel, à temps de mesure identique. Dans une seconde partie, un capteur à résonance plasmon de surface en configuration de Kretschmann, se distinguant par une sensibilité à la phase optique, est développé. Le design monolithique et compact repose sur un interféromètre à dédoublement latéral et une modulation de phase. Le contrôle et la lecture du prototype s’effectue également par smartphone. La modulation de phase est de type sinusoïdale et une sensibilité importante est obtenue, autour de 2,3 10-6 RIU avec une dynamique de 7 10-3 RIU, chiffres obtenus pour une puce optique standard et un temps d’intégration de 100 ms. Ce second dispositif est ensuite testé pour la détection de protéines (Troponine I cardiaque), en fonctionnalisant la surface par ADN Tro4 / In this thesis, we investigate the possibility and potential for integration of portable optical biosensor for diagnostic purposes. To this end, we propose two “smart” biosensor systems. In the first part of this thesis, a DNA biosensor combining single-wavelength colorimetry and digital Lock-in Amplifier within a smartphone is proposed. Utilizing full advantage of audio channel and digital signal processing capacity of a smartphone, we have built a handheld DNA AuNp colorimetry biosensor. Based on the results, the diagnostic process takes only 15 minutes of reaction time while offering a limit of detection around 0.77 nM which is 6 times better than a desktop UV-Vis spectrometer.In second part of the thesis, a Shearing interferometer based Surface Plasmon Resonance (SiSPR) biosensor is proposed. SiSPR allows for phase sensitive detection on conventional Kretschmann configuration. Its monolithic design reduces optical parts, costs and allows portable application. The essence of SiSPR is a reflective layer in addition to plasmonic layer. To extract phase information from SiSPR, a sinusoidal phase modulation is achieved by modulation of the laser injection current. For a 100 ms measurement and a standard optical chip, the sensitivity of the SiSPR is around 2.3x10-6 RIU with a dynamic range of 7.0x10-3 RIU, which is better than amplitude SPR devices. Finally, Tro4 DNA surface modification on the SiSPR chip is demonstrated for future cardiac Troponin I diagnostic

“Some numbers really are more popular than others.” Mark J. Nigrini (1998a:15) The above idea appears to defy common sense. In a random sequence of numbers drawn from a company’s financial books, every digit from 1 to 9 seems to have a one-in-nine chance of being the leading digit when used in a series of numbers. But, according to a mathematical formula of over 60 years old making its way into the field of accounting, certain numbers are actually more popular than others (Nigrini, 1998a:15). Accounting numbers usually follow a mathematical law, named Benford’s Law, of which the result is so unpredictable that fraudsters and manipulators, as a rule, do not succeed in observing the Law. With this knowledge, the forensic accountant is empowered to detect irregularities, anomalies, errors or fraud that may be present in a financial data set. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Benford’s Law as a tool for forensic accountants. The empirical research used data from Company X to test the hypothesis that, in the context of financial fraud investigations, a significant difference between the actual and expected frequencies of Benford’s Law could be an indication of an error, fraud or irregularity. The effectiveness of Benford’s Law was evaluated according to findings from the literature review and empirical study. The results indicated that a Benford’s Law analysis was efficient in identifying the target groups in the data set that needed further investigation as their numbers did not match Benford’s Law. / MCom (Forensic Accountancy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

“Some numbers really are more popular than others.” Mark J. Nigrini (1998a:15) The above idea appears to defy common sense. In a random sequence of numbers drawn from a company’s financial books, every digit from 1 to 9 seems to have a one-in-nine chance of being the leading digit when used in a series of numbers. But, according to a mathematical formula of over 60 years old making its way into the field of accounting, certain numbers are actually more popular than others (Nigrini, 1998a:15). Accounting numbers usually follow a mathematical law, named Benford’s Law, of which the result is so unpredictable that fraudsters and manipulators, as a rule, do not succeed in observing the Law. With this knowledge, the forensic accountant is empowered to detect irregularities, anomalies, errors or fraud that may be present in a financial data set. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Benford’s Law as a tool for forensic accountants. The empirical research used data from Company X to test the hypothesis that, in the context of financial fraud investigations, a significant difference between the actual and expected frequencies of Benford’s Law could be an indication of an error, fraud or irregularity. The effectiveness of Benford’s Law was evaluated according to findings from the literature review and empirical study. The results indicated that a Benford’s Law analysis was efficient in identifying the target groups in the data set that needed further investigation as their numbers did not match Benford’s Law. / MCom (Forensic Accountancy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Submitted by Ana Hilda Fonseca (anahilda@ufba.br) on 2016-08-31T12:55:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação de Vitória Regina B. Soares.pdf: 4140552 bytes, checksum: cfbde6e68fae6f80c2843951ea61ffde (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vanessa Reis (vanessa.jamile@ufba.br) on 2016-09-02T15:48:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação de Vitória Regina B. Soares.pdf: 4140552 bytes, checksum: cfbde6e68fae6f80c2843951ea61ffde (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-02T15:48:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação de Vitória Regina B. Soares.pdf: 4140552 bytes, checksum: cfbde6e68fae6f80c2843951ea61ffde (MD5) / CNPq / Para aumentar o nível de automatização no desenvolvimento de procedimentos analíticos em sistemas de análises por injeção sequencial foi proposta uma rotina em linguagem QuickBasic que permitia incorporar a etapa de otimização multivariada como uma das etapas do processo analítico, simplificando o gerenciamento do sistema. A rotina foi desenvolvida para sistemas de análises por injeção sequencial, uma vez que esta estratégia de análises em fluxo pode executar diferentes procedimentos sem reconfiguração do sistema. O processo automatizado de otimização, calibração e medida foi aplicado para as determinações espectrofotométricas de ferro total e de captopril em medicamentos, empregando os métodos da 1,10-o-fenantrolina e do acoplamento com o radical iminoquinona, respectivamente. Para rotina de otimização desenvolvida foi selecionado o sinal líquido como resposta e a intervenção do operador se restringiu a selecionar as variáveis do sistema sob otimização, definir os domínios experimentais de cada variável e escolher o desenho experimental a ser executado. Entretanto, caso as condições ótimas não fossem encontradas no domínio experimental selecionado a rotina foi programada de modo a sugerir ao operador os deslocamentos que deveriam ser feitos nos domínios experimentais. Os fatores investigados para a determinação de ferro total em amostras de fortificantes foram os volumes amostrados dos reagentes e a vazão da solução transportadora, enquanto que para o captopril foram investigados os volumes amostrados dos reagentes, a acidez da solução do oxidante e da solução da amina aromática, além da vazão da solução transportadora. Nas condições otimizadas os graus de sopreposição de zonas para ambos os procedimentos variaram entre 0,79 e 1, indicando a eficiente mistura das soluções das amostras e reagentes no percurso analítico. O procedimento SIA otimizado para a determinação do teor de ferro total em fortificantes apresentou baixa dispersão (<2%), limite de quantificação de 1,43 mg L-1 , com consumo de 0,7 mg de 1,10-o- fenantrolina e 6 mg de ácido ascórbico por determinação. A freqüência analítica foi de 60 determinações h-1 e os resultados obtidos para diferentes amostras de fortificantes foram comparados com o mesmo método em batelada e não apresentaram diferenças significativas para 95% de confiabilidade. Trinta determinações de captopril em produtos farmacêuticos por hora de trabalho foram executadas pelo procedimento de análise por injeção seqüencial otimizado consumindo 0,15 mg de sulfato de N-N-dimetil-p-fenilodiamina (DMPD) e 4 mg de FeCl3.6H2O por determinação. Faixa linear de trabalho entre 2,65 e 100 mg L-1 e boa precisão (ca. 1%) foram também obtidas. Os teores de captopril em amostras de produtos farmacêuticos foram determinados pelo procedimento proposto e os resultados, quando comparados com o método iodométrico de referência, não apresentaram diferenças significativa para 95% de confiança / A QuickBasic routine was proposed to increase the automatization in the development of analytical process for sequential injection analysis system in order to permit the inclusion of multivariated optimization as one of the steps of analytical process leading to simplify the system management. The routine was developed for sequential injection analysis once this flow analysis strategy can perform diverse analytical procedures in the same manifold. The automatized process for optimization, calibration and measurement was applied to determine the total iron concentration in pharmaceutical formulations by 1,10-o-phenantroline spectrophotometric method, as well as captopril in pharmaceutical formulations based on coupling reaction with iminoquinone radical. Sensitivity (net signal) was selected as dependent parameter for the optimization step and the analyst action was limited to select the parameters to be optimized and the experimental design to be used as well to define the experimental domains of all parameters. A decision of the analyst was also expected in the cases where the optimal conditions were not attained in the domains previously selected and, once new domains are suggested by the software, a new sequence of experiments will be carried out with human agreement. Aliquots volumes of reagents and carrier solution flow rate were the parameters evaluated for total iron determination in supplements, while the acidity and volumes of reagents solutions and the flow rate of carrier solution were optimized for captopril determination flow procedure. For both analytical procedures in the optimized conditions the index of zone overlapping was varied from 0.79 and 1, suggesting an efficient mixture of solutions in the analytical path. The optimized SIA procedure for total iron determination in supplement samples has low dispersion (<2%), limit of quantification of 1.43 mg L-1, leading to consume 0.7 mg of 1,10-o-phenantroline and 6 mg of ascorbic acid per determination. An analytical throughput of 60 determinations h-1 was estimated and no significant difference (95% confidence level) was observed by comparing the results obtained by the flow method in optimized conditions and those obtained by the spectrophotometric procedure in batch mode. Thirty captopril determinations in pharmaceutical formulations per hour were carried out by employing the optimized sequential injection analysis procedure, consuming 0.15 mg of N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) and 4 mg of FeCl3.6H2O. Linear range from 2.65 to 100 mg L-1 with high precision (ca. 1%) was also obtained and no significant differences (95% confidence level) were observed by comparing the optimized flow procedure with the iodometric reference method.