E068: The Ethics Challenge: Ways to manage and What to watch out for
Programme Objective
The programme examines the ethical challenges confronting accountants, auditors and management over the corporate financial reporting process. It focuses on what accounting and finance professionals can do to drive organizational ethics, and the signs to watch out for which might lead to unethical practices and fraud. The programme will also present the underlying issues related to Ethics and Corporate Governance by the illustration of appropriate case studies. Some current issues relating to ethics such as whistle-blowing procedures and internal control weaknesses are also examined.
Programme Outline
1. Case studies of corporate fraud to illustrate ethics and corporate governance issues.
a) Capital market incentives and pressure
b) Executive compensation structure and incentives
c) Role of top management in driving organizational ethics.
d) Role of the board of directors.
e) Role of external auditors
f) Post-detection consequences
2. Detecting financial statement fraud – motivations and warning signals.
3. Internal control weaknesses.
a) Characteristics of firms with material internal control weaknesses.
b) Challenges arising when top management over-ride internal controls
c) Illustrative cases.
4. Practical implications:-
a) Who are the perpetrators?
b) Potential red flags
c) Fraud reporting mechanisms and whistle blowing
d) Is there an over-reliance on audits?
e) Vulnerability of small and mid-sized businesses
Intended For
A Foundation to Intermediate level programme intended for Accounting and Finance Professionals, Accountants in Business or for anyone who wish to broaden their perspective on issues related to ethics.
Competency Mapping
Category 2
Training Methodology
Lecture style, with Exercises/Case Studies
Programme Facilitator(s)
Lee Kin Wai
Dr Lee Kin Wai is Assistant Professor of Accounting at Nanyang Business School in Nanyang Technological University. He holds a First Class Honours Degree (with University Medal) in Accounting, MBA (distinction in finance) and PhD degree. He is a member of Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Singapore, Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants and American Accounting Association. Dr. Lee is the Vice-Chairman of the Shell Singapore Employees Union Cooperative Limited, a member of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Singapore and a member of Singapore Compact for Corporate Social Responsibility.
Prior to joining academia, Dr. Lee had extensive experience in accounting and finance and was the Group Accounting Manager in a publicly listed multinational corporation. Dr. Lee specializes in financial statement analysis, capital market research in accounting, corporate governance and valuation. His research on corporate governance and financial accounting standards has been published in international accounting and finance journals such as Journal of Banking and Finance, Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Journal of Accounting Auditing and Finance, Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies, Singapore Accountant and Accounting and Finance Journal and the business press such as Business Times and Straits Times. He conducts courses at the undergraduate and MBA levels, and in-house seminars for organizations such as Shell, Tyco, Singapore Association of Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and Asia-Pacific Bankers Club. In 2007, he received the Teacher of the Year Award for the MBA program. In 2010, he received the Teacher of the Year Award for the Accountancy program in Nanyang Business School.