Senior Editor
D. Larry Crumbley

Louisiana State University
Department of Accounting
3106A Patrick Taylor Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Phone: 225-578-6231
Fax: 225-578-6201
dcrumbl@lsu.edu
 

Editor
Tanweer Hasan

Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: 847-619-4886
Fax: 847-619-4852
thasan@roosevelt.edu


Volume 2: No. 1, January-June, 2010

Table of Contents

Fair Value Measurement: Practical Guidance and Implementation Mark L. Zyla, 2010, 443 pp. John Wiley Hoboken, N.J.	Welcome to the new world of accounting! While financial statement preparation once focused on historical cost information, accounting now involves a judgment as to the fair value of assets and liabilities. This book demystifies this topic, offering a nuts–and–bolts guide dedicated to equipping corporate management, valuation specialists, and auditors of the most recent developments in preparing financial statements using fair value measurements. This straightforward book covers the best practices on measuring fair value in a business combination and how to subsequently test the value of these assets for impairment. Mark Zyla clearly shows his experience in this subject, filtering complicated insider concepts into easy–to–understand information on the valuation specialist′s function, the many new FASB pronouncements involving fair value, and the accounting and auditing requirements for fair value reporting. The author instantly familiarizes the reader on the ins and outs of fair value financial disclosure, with coverage of: The history behind fair value accounting and the impact of the current economic crisis. Fair value measurements in business combinations and subsequent testing for impairment. The nature of intangible assets. The cost approach. The market approach. The income approach. Advanced valuation methods for measuring the fair value of intangible assets. Measuring the remaining useful life of intangible assets in financial reporting. Fair value measurements under IFRSs. Disclosures in fair value measurements.
Scientific Examination of Documents: Methods and Techniques David Ellen, 3rd Edition, 2006, 234 pp. CRC Press 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742	It takes the proper application of the appropriate methods to either confirm or disprove the authenticity of a handwriting sample that appears on a document. The conclusion may mean substantiating a person’s intent and preventing a fraud. Revised and expanded to reflect the most recent innovations in the field of forensic document examination, this third edition explains the various methods used to scrutinize documents in question. This essential, cutting-edge book begins with an assessment of handwriting techniques, the accidental and deliberate modification of handwriting, and the proper collection of samples. It also reviews traditional and modern typewriting technologies, as well as the analysis of photocopies, incidental marks, the functions of photography in document examination, and courtroom applications.
The Big R: A Forensic Accounting Action Adventure Larry Crumbley, Doug Ziegenfuss, John O’Shaughnessy, 2nd Edition Carolina Academic Press 700 Kent Street Durham, N.C. 27701 919-489-7486, 919-493-5668 Gperkins@cap-press.com	This novel is a supplementary book to be used near the end of a forensic accounting, an internal auditing (IA), an auditing, or fraud examination course. The novel could be used in a graduate investment class, also. This FA novel would be ideal for a MBA course or a finance course that has light coverage of accounting, or could be used in FA's in-house training programs. An external auditor interested in outsourcing or co-sourcing an internal auditing function should read this book. This instructional novel mixes baseball, forensic auditing, serial killers, fraud, risks, chemical and biological agents, and scuba diving to get a better way of learning forensic auditing. A certified internal auditor, a forensic accountant, and a FBI agent work together to find serial killers striking at baseball parks. The killers are able to frame Milt Pappas, a former Chicago Cubs pitcher, as the person responsible for the terror. In 1972, Milt Pappas came within one out pitching a perfect game, but according to Pappas, the umpire called at least two strikes balls, resulting in the twenty-seventh batter walking to first base. That umpire was killed in the novel. So put on your baseball cap and pull on your baseball spikes. Enjoy the thrills, excitement, and humor of 17 unique events in baseball history as told to you in an exciting historical fiction. The plot is breathtaking as serial killers strike with impunity. Watch a FBI agent, an internal auditor of the New York Yankees, and a forensic accountant stalk the killers as baseball is traumatized by grizzly murders in various baseball parks.
Criminal Interrogation and Confessions Fred E. Inbau, et al., 4th Edition Jones and Bartlett Publishers 40 Tall Pine Drive Sudbury, MA 01776	The authors present techniques that are based on actual criminal cases and have been used successfully by thousands of criminal investigators. This practical, step-by-step text is built around basic psychological principles and examines interrogation as a nine-step process that is easily understood. In this fourth edition you will find: A new chapter addressing the timely issue of distinguishing between true and false confessions. A new chapter presenting specific guidelines on how to offer effective court testimony with respect to interrogation and confessions. Presentation of laboratory and field research conducted in the area of behavior symptom analysis. Discussion and responses to defense experts’ criticisms of contemporary interrogation techniques.
Cyber Crime Investigator’s Field Guide Bruce Middleton, 2nd Edition, 2005 Taylor & Francis Group P.O. Box 409267 Atlanta, GA 30384-9267	Many excellent hardware and software products exist to protect our data communications systems, but security threats dictate that they must be further enhanced. Many laws implemented during the past 15 years have provided law enforcement with more teeth to take a bite out of cyber crime, but there is still a need for individuals who know how to investigate computer network security incidents. Organizations demand experts with both investigative talents and a technical knowledge of how cyberspace really works. This second edition provides the investigative framework that needs to be followed, along with information about how cyberspace works and the tools that reveal the who, what, when, where, why, and how in the investigation of cyber crime. This volume offers a valuable Q&A by subject area, an extensive overview of recommended reference materials, and a detailed case study. Appendices highlight attack signatures, UNIX/Linux commands, Cisco PIX commands, port numbers targeted by trojan horses, and more.
Money Laundering: A Concise Guide for all Business Doug Hopton, 2006 Gower Publishing Company Suite 420 101 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05401-4405	Around the world, anti-money laundering regulations and legislation have become one of the weapons of choice of governments that are fighting global terrorism and criminality. Within the UK, the latest regulation, The Money Laundering Regulations 2003, have extended the range of businesses covered by the Proceeds of Crime Act to include solicitors, lawyers, estate agents and, in effect, all companies involved in consultancy or business services. The complexity of the new law and the lack of any case law asks more questions about the responsibilities of these companies and their liabilities. Doug Hopton's highly practical guide explains the basis of International Law, regulations and standards in this area and how they effect businesses, and provides down-to-earth advice on the basic rules of good business management: know your client, know your business (and your client's business), which will help companies understand what procedures to establish, and how and when to report suspicious activity. The author explains the basis of money laundering and how it works, along with the development of the law and regulations around the world, and how other countries' laws can have an effect on companies in the UK.
Novel and Conventional Methods of Audit, Investigation and Fraud Detection Chetan Dalal, 2008 Commerce Clearing House Support@cchindia.co.in	This author offers an insightful and descriptive account of the frauds, accounting irregularities and methodologies to detect them by using a combination of novel and conventional audit approaches. The methodologies are clearly and vividly described with extensive case studies and examples. The objective of this book is to provide a practical approach for investigation not only to auditors but for any person entrusted with the task of investigating a white collar crime. The book intends to provide greater awareness of the existence of possible frauds and an insight into structured as well as uncommon methods of fraud detection. It attempts to bring together in one place case studies of certain typical frauds that have been researched and adapted from real life situations. The key features of the book include Use of figures, drawings and anecdotes to illustrate concepts. Illustration of the interplay between fraud detection and audits. Case studies of industry-specific (telecom, banks, insurance, entertainment, etc) risks. Model documents and samples to illustrate cases of forgery and manipulation. Model and sample of investigation report. Scientific as well as judgment-based approach to fraud investigation and audits. Use of advanced and more sophisticated audit techniques - such as CAAT, data mining, etc, and fraud detection in a computerized environment. Examples of use of handwriting and signature analysis in cases of forgery.
The Economics of Information: Lying and Cheating in Markets and Organizations Ian Molho, 1997 Blackwell Publishers 350 Main Street Malden, MA 02148	Information is a key issue in decision making in economics and business. Being ‘in the know’ confers strategic advantages to people, allowing them to lie and/or cheat on their uninformed opponents. However, it is possible that all sides end up worse off in such situations, compared with the likely outcome under full information. This text is designed to take students through the key issues to give an understanding of the impact of imperfect and asymmetric information in an economic context. At each stage Molho analyses and explains the key points using clear models that set the outcome under imperfect information against that under full information. The book is divided into four major sections covering: Adverse selection. Signalling. Moral hazard. Mechanical design under imperfect information. Each section also covers experimental studies that test the predictions of theory. This text is aimed mainly at undergraduate students and gives an accessible introduction to this crucial area of economic theory.
The Investigative Reporter’s Handbook: A Guide to Documents, Databases, and Techniques Brant Houston, 5th Edition, 2009, 608 pp., $55.95 Bedford/ St. Martin 75 Arlington Street Boston, MA 02116	Forensic accountants can learn from investigative reporters and vice versa. A forensic accountant is a detective that understands accounting. An investigative reporter is a detective that understands research and communication. Published with Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. (IRE), this handbook is the best-selling classroom and newsroom classic. Useful as a textbook in advanced journalism courses and as a reference for professional journalists, this book shows students how to use fundamental news reporting and writing skills like gathering sources, tracking information, and interviewing to pursue investigative stories in a variety of beats -- from the government and education to healthcare, the environment and real estate. In addition to discussing the latest techniques and challenges in the profession, the fifth edition is now thoroughly streamlined, making it easier to locate the resources that investigative reporters need to get the story. Good research tool for a forensic accountant.
Investigative Journalism Hugh de Burgh, 2nd Edition, 2008 Routledge 270 Madison Avenue New York, N.Y. 10016	Investigative journalism has helped bring down governments, imprison politicians, trigger legislation, reveal miscarriages of justice and shame corporations. Even today, when much of the media colludes with power and when viciousness and sensationalism are staples of formerly high-minded media, investigative journalists can stand up for the powerless, the exploited, the truth. The author provides an unrivalled introduction to this vital part of our social life: its origins, the men and women who established its norms and its achievements in the last decades. Two chapters describe the relationships with the law, bringing us up to date, and others deal with the professional techniques, the sociology and the teaching of investigative journalism. A further new chapter examines the influence of the blogosphere on investigative journalism. The case studies of the first edition have been supplemented by new chapters: the investigators and methods which revealed the subcontracting of the torture of Iraqi prisoners; how the murder of Stephen Lawrence was treated in the Daily Mail; the tabloids and their investigations; BBC Panorama.
Watchdog Journalism: The Art of Investigative Reporting Stephen J. Berry, 2009 Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue New York, N.Y. 10016	This book takes readers into the world of Pulitzer Prize reporting. Drawing from intriguing interviews and archival research, author Stephen J. Berry reveals the drama of the job and the passion of its practitioners as he narrates the back stories of six investigative projects that earned the craft's most coveted honor. Rather than focusing solely on huge assignments that are out of reach for everyday journalists, the book explores stories that could emerge on the beat in "Anywhere, USA." Each chapter provides a fascinating case study that covers interviewing, working sources, ferreting out records, and dealing with partners and editors. This case-study approach details the genesis, development, and outcome of these stories, offering students a chance to see how journalists view their roles as public watchdogs and as professionals competing in an increasingly profit-centered environment. The text also discusses how crucial it is for journalists to follow a model of performance and ethical reporting standards in order to advance the role of journalism in our society.
Computer-Assisted Research Nora Paul and Kathleen A. Hansen, 2007, 210 pp. Investigative Reporters & Editors 138 Neff Annex Missouri School of Journalism Columbia, MO 65211 info@ire.org	Most commercial database services, ones to which you would have dialed out using a modem to a proprietary server in the past, now have a Web version. Because of this change, much of the references in this guide are to Internet/ Web resources. The section on commercial database services (most on the Web) will detail some of the changes that have happened in the marketplace of large data archives and the contents and uses of these types of services in reporting and research. But because changes in these services are ongoing and the pricing options they offer are vast and convoluted, this book does not go into much detail about those aspects of the services. This guide focuses on the tools and resources of the Internet, for the most part, and try to make comparisons between Internet-accessible resources and the “traditional” information services of the past.
The Evolution of American Investigative Journalism James L. Aucoin, 2007, 242 pp. University of Missouri Press Columbia, Missouri 65201	Beginning with America’s first newspaper, investigative reporting has provided journalism with its most significant achievements and challenging controversies. Yet it was an ill-defined practice until the 1960s when it emerged as a potent voice in newspapers and on television news programs. James L. Aucoin provides readers with the first comprehensive history of investigative journalism, including a thorough account of the founding and achievements of the group called Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE).
HealthSouth: The Wagon to Disaster Aaron Beam and Chris Warner, 2009, 208 pp. Wagon Publishing Fairhope, AL 36532 ISBN: 0-9796284-8-2	Suppose your boss, saddled with the realization that the Street expectations cannot realistically be met, asks you to creatively “fix the numbers.” It’s the toughest decision you’ll ever make, and one where the easiest way out could be the most difficult, given the circumstances. Caught squarely between greed and fear, Aaron Beam did the unthinkable. Beam takes the reader from HealthSouth’s humble beginnings, through its meteoric rise to its disastrous revelation, subsequent trial and his three-month incarceration in a federal prison. Moreover, he reveals the nature of the fraud and the true personality of the driving force behind HealthSouth – Richard Marin Scrushy. Scrushy was one of the most enigmatic, nefarious characters of the State of Alabama has ever produced – a hard-charging, unscrupulous visionary whose caustic, Machiavellian approach ensured HealthSouth’s success, and oddly, his predictable fall as the company’s benevolent dictator.
Anatomy of a Fraud: From Detection to Prosecution Stephen Pedneaut, 2010, 194, $49.95 John Wiley & Sons Hoboken, N.J.	Most fraud cases, especially thefts and embezzlements, never make it into the public eye. Those that do grab the media's attention merely report the end result of weeks, months, and even years of investigative procedures. For experienced and inexperienced fraud professionals alike, there is little available to keep abreast of the latest fraud tactics. Providing unparalleled insights into what takes place during a fraud investigation, this book is a valuable resource for a fraud investigator, auditor, or if you simply suspect fraud may be occurring in your organization and aren't sure what to do. This book is a fascinating, insider look at a fraud investigation, designed to help you better understand fraud detection, investigation, and prevention—from the inside out. No detail is too small here, with consideration given to sometimes-overlooked details, including: How does a case come to light in the first place? Who are the individuals behind the scene putting the case together, sifting through ledgers, cancelled checks, and other records that comprise a mountain of evidence? Who handles all the information, and where is evidence stored? Who are the witnesses, and how can you know if the suspect acted alone or with the assistance of an accomplice? If computer forensics is involved, how can you extract the most evidence from the suspects' computers?
Auditing and Assurance Services K.L. Hooks JohnWiley & Sons, 2011, 926 pp. 111 River Street Hoboken, N.J. 07030-5774	Provides an up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of the integrated audit. The author presents auditing from the perspective of an integrated audit complying with the requirements of SOX and PCAOB. Excellent chapters on “Audit Planning and Risk Assessment” and “Understanding Internal Controls over Financial Reporting and Auditing Design Effectiveness.” Contains seven pages on forensic auditing and five pages on fraud.