Information Technology and Fraud – ACCT 660

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course explores how information technology may be utilized as a tool to prevent or detect fraud.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

The purpose of this course is to expose the student to the relationship between information technology and fraud as it relates to fraudulent financial reporting in the business environment.  The course will require that the student consider how information technology has historically been used to perpetrate fraud in specific companies.  In addition, methods of using technology to analyze historical data in order to detect fraud will be discussed.  This course is intended to provide an overview of these topics in order to prepare the accounting professional for a career in forensic accounting.

Course Assignment

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 750 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge supported by at least 3 scholarly references. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 250 words and be supported by at least 2 references.

Reading Outline Assignments (2)

The student will prepare a reading outline for each chapter of the textbook as weekly readings are completed. The outlines may utilize sentences, phrases, diagrams, and other useful information from the text. The objective of the outlines is to highlight and document key concepts from the reading that are useful for future use. The outlines must be detailed and must include substantive content from the text. Each chapter’s outline must be at least 1 page and double-spaced.

Individual Research Project Assignment

Each student will choose a company on which to focus his or her research. The company must be one in which fraud has occurred in the last 10 years as a result of the use of information technology. Information technology must have been used, at least partly, in the commission of the fraud.

Part 1 of the research project requires that the student provide an in-depth background of the company and the fraud itself, including how it was discovered and who was involved. At least 5 resources must be utilized for this section of the research project. Acceptable sources include news articles, government websites, and similar publications, due to the nature of the content being discussed, and Part 1 must be at least 2,000 words.

Part 2 of the research project requires that the student provide a discussion of what he or she might have done to detect or investigate the fraud identified, and how the biblical worldview impacts the approach to the case. At least 5 resources must be utilized for this section of the research project, which may include scholarly resources, the textbook, and Scripture, and Part 2 must be at least 2,000 words.