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Accounting fraud and its detriments to the firm
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HealthSouth is a large healthcare company with many rehabilitative-type as well as outpatient facilities across the U.S. The company was involved in a major corporate accounting fraud scandal around 2003-2004. HealthSouth’s founder, Richard Scrushy, was indicted for using corrupt accounting practices and forcing others to alter books and overstate earnings. Scrushy’s fraudulent activities total in value up to as much as $4.6 billion. According to Walter Pavlo of Forbes, “CEO Richard Scrushy was the first executive to be tried under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for cooking the books” (2012). While many involved served prison time, Scrushy was acquitted of the accounting fraud, only to later serve time in jail for politically-related charges (Pavlo
Toni Marrison’s “Recitatif” describes his main characters, Twyla’s characteristic appearance on how Twyla seems to be happier on praising her mother’s beauty even she was abandoned. While in “Harrison” Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut defines as his hero who desires to change an equal society in which everyone is equal to anyone including physical appearance, such as beauty. Thus, both authors argue differently on beauty. Making everything and everyone to appear gorgeous could help to build a better society.
Science Fiction is a genre that has the ability to reveal the truth of the society and the dystopian elements that capture today's world. The real problems are shown as well as what important pieces are missing. Fahrenheit 451 forms the idea that our world today focuses on the unimportant and ignorant things in life causing people from this book lack some basic human rights. Additionally, in Harrison Bergeron, the public is forced to wear handicaps that hides their gifts they were born with. This world is forced to be equal and anyone who speaks out against it will be executed. Through the pages of Fahrenheit 451 and the Harrison Bergeron, the real flaws in today's society leading many people to have their freedoms diminished, or taken away are shown.
The theme of the “meaning of freedom” is a common theme between the two stories “A&P” by Updike, and Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut. In both stories, the characters are take different routes to rebel from the standards of society. In A&P, gender roles are heavy, and Sammy is expected to conform, but he does otherwise by leaving his job. Harrison Bergeron takes place during a time where the human population is expected to be equal, but Harrison steps beyond these limits. These characters show that conforming to society truly does not make you free, in fact it holds you back from your full potential.
What is power to a human? As time has gone by, there have been many forms of control and influence in the world. Many strive to achieve total rule over a society or group of individuals. Yet the question still presents itself to the average man. Why does man desire power so greatly even though there is visible trouble that follows? Shelley’s Frankenstein, Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, whether through the situation or the character themselves, depict the evils and hardships due to an imbalance and poor management of power.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty (Gandhi). The power society has over citizens is explored in the two texts Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. The story Fahrenheit 451 depicts firemen who start fires instead of stop them. In this society censorship is valued and books are a main reason firemen burn. Books give you knowledge and knowledge is power which is what this society tries to prevent. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” the topic similarly is about censorship in a more extreme way. People must wear masks and handicaps to prevent them from being different or unique. Intelligent people get a sharp noise in their ear every twenty seconds to prevent people from taking unfair advantage of their brains.
Paul Farmer was a kind, devoted doctor who sacrificed his life to help those in need in Haiti. His work involved curing sick people from tuberculosis (TB), making sure the disease did not spread, and making the towns in Haiti a better, cleaner place to live in. There were and still are many social injustices that Haiti is still struggling with today. For example, they have TB outbreaks because there’s no healthcare in the country for the poor. This has increased the outbreak of TB and many other diseases. Also, their poor living conditions aren’t sanitary thus increasing the probability for diseases to spread. There are many more social injustices in Haiti.
Society has developed throughout history into a seemingly equal; however, segregated commonwealth. In general, humanity may seem to have broken the nineteenth century class structure, nonetheless, there are situations today that still have deep roots in discrimination and apartheid. Advancement in both extremes can result in a catastrophe, therefore, it is inevitable that a balance must be reached. In the short stories “Totem” by Thomas King, and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, the theme of overdeveloped social beliefs have proven to be the most significant. In both stories, the author is trying to say that society is either too equal, such as in “Harrison Bergeron” or too contrasting such as in “Totem.”
Most of Scrushy’s alleged misconduct occurred prior to the enactment of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). To sum...
Throughout the past several years major corporate scandals have rocked the economy and hurt investor confidence. The largest bankruptcies in history have resulted from greedy executives that “cook the books” to gain the numbers they want. These scandals typically involve complex methods for misusing or misdirecting funds, overstating revenues, understating expenses, overstating the value of assets or underreporting of liabilities, sometimes with the cooperation of officials in other corporations (Medura 1-3). In response to the increasing number of scandals the US government amended the Sarbanes Oxley act of 2002 to mitigate these problems. Sarbanes Oxley has extensive regulations that hold the CEO and top executives responsible for the numbers they report but problems still occur. To ensure proper accounting standards have been used Sarbanes Oxley also requires that public companies be audited by accounting firms (Livingstone). The problem is that the accounting firms are also public companies that also have to look after their bottom line while still remaining objective with the corporations they audit. When an accounting firm is hired the company that hired them has the power in the relationship. When the company has the power they can bully the firm into doing what they tell them to do. The accounting firm then loses its objectivity and independence making their job ineffective and not accomplishing their goal of honest accounting (Gerard). Their have been 379 convictions of fraud to date, and 3 to 6 new cases opening per month. The problem has clearly not been solved (Ulinski).
On reading the excerpts by Peter Berger and C. Wright Mills, it is obvious that these two sociologists have very different methods as to how the practice of sociology should be conducted. While these two authors may differ in their various methods, they both have an underlying point that they are trying to make which can be made applicable in any person’s daily life.
Health care fraud cases continue to be problematic for health care systems and providers across the United States. According to Pozgar (2012), these cases not only pose financial burdens on the accused, but may also lead to unnecessary risks to patients. A violation against the Federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-33, is one example of health care fraud that often enters into a settlement agreement. It is important to mention violations against the Federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-33, often allude to physician kickbacks as well (a violation against the Anti-Kickback Statute).
Healthcare services have been on the rise for over 10 years now. According to a 2012 consumer alert, the industry provided $2.26 trillion in payments for more than four billion health insurance benefit claims in the year 2011(Fraud in Health Care). The bulk of the claims and the mainstream of fraud and abuse stem from the Medicare system professionals, who are knowledgeable about the process and persuade new clients into handing over their pertinent information in hopes of deception and illegitimate claims. Multiple and double billing, fraudulent prescriptions, are some of the major flaws in this organization that has made the healthcare services industry curdle. (AGHAEGBUNA, 2011) This is a non-violet crime and is often committed by very educated people including business people, hospital, doctors, and administrators.
I have read a report from the Department of Justice, claiming it has recovered over $3.7 billion from false claims last year; $2.4 billion of that coming from the health care industry. The $2.4 billion contributes to an overwhelming $56 billion, which the Department of Justice has recovered since 1986 (Justice Department, 2017). The article went on to identify which positions within the health care industry contributed to the false claims, including drug companies, physicians, pharmacies, laboratories, and hospitals (Justice Department, 2017).
The Adelphia Communications Scandal in 2002 dominated the corporate mainstream when the company’s management prepared financial statements that failed to represent the economic reality of the company by excluding billions of dollars of debt. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) calls the case “one of the most extensive financial frauds ever to take place at a public company” (Markon & Frank, 2002). At the center of the case is John Rigas, the founder, former chairman, chief executive of the company and the patriarch of the Rigas family. Also arrested are his sons, Timothy and Michael, both former executive board members, James R. Brown, former Vice President of Finance, and Michael C. Mulcahey, former Director of Internal Reporting. The lawsuit filed by th...
Through an organizational culture that focused on financial greed for self, illegal accounting practices, conflicts of interest partnerships, illegal business dealings, fraud, negligence, and massive corruption at all levels, the Enron scandal help to create new laws and regulations with stiff penalties if violated (Ferrell, et al, 2013). The federal government implemented the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) (Ferrell, et al, 2013).