Accounting Fraud

Accounting Fraud

In his article, "Fraud is more common than you think", Len Boselovic (2012) listed statistics of fraud cases of accounting from 2002 through 2010. Accounting is used in large and smaller businesses to organize and report all of the accounts of the company made during a specific time frame. The audience of a firm's accounts can differ, whether it be inside or outside of the business. Financial accounting is reported to outside audiences such as financial analysts or governmental agencies. Often times, fraudulence is committed in accounting reports and firms can get away with the crime for quite some time before it is recognized.

Reporter and editor, Boselovic, is known for his column in the newspaper, Pittsburg Post-Gazette. Many of his articles focus on business and usually targets new, current and aspiring business owners. This article focuses on any person working with or in the field of Accounting. This audience can include accountants and even owners of organizations or businesses. Boselovic attempted to inform his readers of the dangers of accounting fraud, how frequently it happens, and the effects of it on a firm's revenue.

This article is written formally, which reflects Boselovic's position as a reporter/editor. The author used a very ethical rhetoric as the language of the article. There were also many logos used. Boselovic (2012) reported that the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) "estimate the average business, nonprofit organization or government agency loses an estimated 5 percent of its annual revenue to fraud each year." This piece is packed with facts to deliver the truth about fraud cases. No emotion is used in the article, the evidence is the only tactic used to captivate the audience. Boselovic is not biased in any way due to the article being very logistic.

This article appealed to me because I am majoring in accounting. Before reading the article, I did not know that fraud was so common. This also makes me more aware to be careful, when I become an accountant, in my work so that I do not make mistakes and accidentally commit fraud in any way. This article also struck me as an inspiring business owner because I would also like to own my own bakery someday. As of now I do not know if I would do the accounting work for my bakery or if I would hire someone else. If I do hire someone else, I will make sure that the accountant that I hire is trustworthy, thanks to Boselovic's article.

Although this article was originally written in 2010, and edited in 2012, the information in the article is still relevant to today. Fraud in accounting reports is an ongoing problem that repeats itself, only with different firms as the victim. The relevance of the article's kairos in 2010, when fraud cases in the United States was over 50 percent out of 105 other countries, is relevant to today and