Accounting scandals
In 2002, a wave of accountancy scandals broke in the United States. A number of leading companies have admitted to mis-stating their accounts, giving a misleading impression of their status. In public companies, this type of creative accounting can amount to fraud, and a series of investigations have been launched by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In several cases, the sums involved are in the billions of dollars.
Reported accountancy scandals in 2002 to date:
- Computer Associates
- Enron
- WorldCom
- Global Crossing
- Tyco
- Xerox
- Halliburton
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Qwest Communications
- Imclone Systems
- list others here
The Enron scandal has so far resulted in the near-collapse of the Big Five auditor Arthur Andersen, which is not expected to survive in the long term.
There is a general perception that there are other accountancy scandals waiting to be uncovered, and this has driven the U.S. and world stock exchange values down.
On July 9, 2002 George W. Bush, the first US President to hold an MBA, gave a speech about recent accountancy scandals that have been uncovered. In spite of its stern tone, the speech did not focus on establishing new policy, but instead focused on actually enforcing current laws, which include holding CEOs and directors personally responsible for accountancy fraud.
The BBC has reported that WorldCom has filed for bankruptcy protection, in the largest corporate insolvency ever.
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