Financial statements which consist of objective, real and reliable information represent the key basis for making many business decisions. If, when writing financial statements, certain manipulation techniques are used for displaying the best possible results of transactions, the quality of financial reports will be endangered. Many financial frauds have led to a great mistrust in the system of financial reporting and the profession of accounting and auditing, which are often accused of the emergence of fraud and losing trust in the reliability of financial information by many users and economic decision makers. These are the reasons why the paper discusses the techniques of manipulation in financial statements, especially in balance sheets and cash flow statements, since these forms of manipulation are harder to detect and prevent when compared to manipulations of revenues and expenses in the income statement.
Purpose This study aims to investigate what are the capabilities and limits of external audit in detecting frauds in companies operating in the territory of the Republics: Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Design/methodology/approach In total, 51 certified auditors from Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were surveyed to analyze what are the most frequent warning signals of the existence of the frauds auditors encounter during the verification of company’s financial statements. Findings The study indicated that the auditors of the Republic of Serbia more often encountered groundless overstatement of revenues compared with other countries, while regarding manipulative representation of inventories, the largest mean value and median are still among the auditors of the Republic of Serbia. Practical implications Based on the research results, it can be concluded that it is necessary to expand the legal obligation and power of external auditors when, in financial statement auditing, they come to clear findings that indicate fraud. Expansion of external auditors’ powers would reduce their current limitations and expand the domain of action. Originality/value Limitations in external auditors’ work prevent the processing of frauds. However, auditors’ analysis of financial statements and pointing to potential irregularities can be a good manner for the early detection and prevention of frauds in company’s operations.
The emergence of internal control over specific segments of activities has been associated with management needs for evaluation of the consistency between the actual situation and development targets. Monitoring activities should enable detection and timely reaction to possible target-related deviations. While responding to complex market needs, companies are exposed to numerous internal and external influences, some of which may cause significant damage. Companies have realized that it is safer and cheaper to establish their own internal control systems in order to prevent such influences. The aim of this work is to show how the overall quality of control and company performance is improved through implementation of preventive methods by internal controls, and to indicate that a developed system of internal control represents a protective barrier against various kinds of data manipulation and fraud inside the companies. Special attention was paid to fraud in financial statements since it can cause the most serious damage leading to instability of the economic-financial environment.
Companies can use various manipulative techniques when preparing general-purpose financial statements in order to present better financial position and better performance. Fraudulent financial statements can lead their users to wrong decisions and, consequently, cause big losses and distort confidence in the financial reporting system. Therefore, it is important to timely discover and prevent financial reporting frauds. Timely detection of fraud is one of the key tasks of forensic accountants, who should pay attention to fraud indicators, i.e. warning signs of fraud. Warning signs are not evidence of fraud but point to the need for a more detailed investigation. The aim of the research in this paper is to examine whether there are warning signs and to understand the degree of fraud risk in financial reporting by analyzing financial statements of companies in the Republic of Serbia. The research is conducted on a sample of 42 companies. By applying the Beneish model, we find that the general fraud risk is not insignificant. Borrowing activities of companies are identified as a significant source of this risk, while forensic accountants should pay special attention to income recognition and accrual items, i.e., items related to recognition of income and expenses before or after cash inflows or outflows, including depreciation. Higher risk of fraud is identified in manufacturing companies and financial institutions than in trade and service companies. The research results indicate the need to strengthen the mechanisms of financial reporting control in the Republic of Serbia.
This paper explores the attitudes of the preparers of financial statements in the emerging economy of Serbia towards International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Our research shows that preparers are mainly satisfied with the quality of IFRS and the environment for IFRS application in Serbia and that they generally support the process of global convergence of financial reporting standards. Nevertheless, we find that there is a need to improve the environment for IFRS application in Serbia, and we identify areas that financial reporting regulators in emerging economies should address when attempting to improve the environment for IFRS application. Our research also shows that perceived IFRS quality is dependent on the preparer's experience in applying IFRS and his or her perceptions of the environment in which IFRS are applied. Perceived IFRS quality and attitudes towards the compatibility between IFRS and the environment for application of IFRS affect the level of support for the global convergence of financial reporting standards.
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