The WorldCom Fraud © 2003‚ 2005 by the AICPA This presentation is intended for use in higher education for instructional purposes only‚ and is not for application in practice. Permission is granted to classroom instructors to photocopy this document for classroom teaching purposes only. All other rights are reserved. Copyright © 2003‚ 2005 by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants‚ Inc.‚ New York‚ New York. WorldCom’s Background • Awoke the sleeping giant by leading the telecom
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Examining a Business Failure: WorldCom WorldCom was one of several large companies that failed because of inadequate organizational leadership‚ fraud‚ conspiracy‚ falsifying documents‚ and embezzlement. WorldCom has been classified as being “one of the biggest corporate scandals in Unites States history” (Zekany‚ 2004‚ p. 101). In 2001‚ the company’s financial condition began to decline due to the slowing telecommunications industry‚ which eventually put pressure on the company’s executive
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WorldCom Case Study Update 20061 by Edward J. Romar‚ University of Massachusetts-Boston‚ and Martin Calkins‚ University of Massachusetts-Boston Read the original case. In December 2005‚ two years after this case was written‚ the telecommunications industry consolidated further. Verizon Communications acquired MCI/WorldCom and SBC Communications acquired AT&T Corporation‚ which had been in business since the 19th Century. The acquisition of MCI/WorldCom was the direct result of the behavior
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the executives employed at WorldCom. Before 2002‚ WorldCom was one of the top telecommunication businesses in its industry because of many acquisitions obtained by the company. Due to the increased popularity of the internet and the acquirement of UUNet and MCI Communications‚ WorldCom share significantly increased. According to Moberg and Romar (as cited in Browning‚ 1997) "By 1997‚ WorldCom’s stocks had risen from pennies per share to over $60 a share." WorldCom had become an attractive investment
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the actions taken by WorldCom managers not detected earlier? What processes or systems should be in place to prevent or detect quickly the types of actions that occurred in WorldCom? The first reason is that both internal audit and external audit of WorldCom were not performing their role as intended. Generally‚ internal audit mainly focus on the reliability of financial reporting and the effectiveness of operations‚ and reports directly to the Board of Directors. In WorldCom‚ however‚ internal audit
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[1] What business was WorldCom in? WorldCom was in the business of telecommunications. Where was WorldCom located? WorldCom was located in Clinton‚ Mississippi. Who was the CEO? The CEO was Bernie Ebbers. Who was the CFO? The CFO was Scott Sullivan. What are the names of the two members of the internal audit staff who worked with Cynthia on their secret investigation? Gene Morse and Glyn Smith What made the internal auditors think that possibly there was a need to investigate WorldCom’s
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Enron and WorldCom FIN/486 December 22‚ 2014 Enron and WorldCom In 1998‚ Waste Management executives acknowledged earnings misstatements of approximately $1.7 billion. With the help of the Arthur Anderson accounting firm‚ Waste Management shareholders lost more than $6 billion dollars (CNN‚ 2001). The Waste Management corruption ushered in a series of corporate scandals into the new millennium. Enron and WorldCom were only two of many ethical and accounting violations that prompted new legislation
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WorldCom Scandal A summary of WorldCom fraud would include having to describe the greed that would eventually destroy one of the largest communications companies in the United States and world. A humble motel owner‚ Bernard Ebbers took a small long distance company in 1983 and turned it into one of the most successful businesses in the country. It was not so much the business operations that caused the company to grow but the aggressive acquisitions that made the company grow. In its day‚ CEO Bernard
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fraudulent accounting practices that led to the collapse of Worldcom. Other objectives of this paper will be to demonstrate how these activities were able to go undetected. Also‚ what motives drove the individuals involved to commit these acts. And finally the ethical accounting issues involved. Worldcom got its start as a small discount long distance provider in Mississippi. Founded by Bernard Ebbers and a number of others the idea for Worldcom was simple‚ buy long distance services from larger companies
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WorldCom Scandal Formerly known as WorldCom‚ now known as MCI‚ this U.S.-based telecommunications company was at one time the second-largest long distance phone company in the U.S. Today‚ it is perhaps best known for a massive accounting scandal that led to the company filing for bankruptcy protection in 2002. In 1998‚ the telecommunications industry began to slow down and WorldCom’s stock was declining. CEO Bernard Ebbers came under increasing pressure from banks to cover margin calls on
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