Marvin G. Pickholz and Jason Pickholz
The last decade of the prior millennium witnessed many revolutionary, not evolutionary, changes in the way business is done and information is exchanged globally. The Internet has…
Abstract
The last decade of the prior millennium witnessed many revolutionary, not evolutionary, changes in the way business is done and information is exchanged globally. The Internet has changed and speeded up the ways we exchange and use information and the time necessary for doing so. This revolution has the potential to reshape the world we live in; to draw us closer together in a global community; and to allow businesses to sell products and services and to raise capital on a global basis simultaneously. Instantaneous satellite transmission of television news coverage informs us of critical events, including financial developments, in distant lands. E‐mail allows us to establish business and personal relationships and communicate ideas rapidly with foreign individuals. And we have also seen increased interest among businessmen and others in investing capital in foreign nations and in the securities of companies publicly traded in foreign or international markets. The Internet allows investors to create ‘chat rooms’ to exchange information and ideas about issuers.
In recent times, there has been some disquiet within certain sectors of the Singapore business community over the role of auditors in detecting corporate fraud. The cause of this…
Abstract
In recent times, there has been some disquiet within certain sectors of the Singapore business community over the role of auditors in detecting corporate fraud. The cause of this concern can perhaps be attributed partly to the Barings collapse in February 1995 and the subsequent suggestions that the auditors of the Barings subsidiary in Singapore, Barings Futures Singapore Pte Ltd (BFS), may have been negligent in their audit work. More recently, in mid‐1996, a substantial locally listed company, Amcol Holdings Ltd (Amcol), was placed under judicial management amid rumours alleging possible misdeeds by senior executives and directors. The Amcol saga has, once again, focused some attention on the role of auditors and their duty to detect fraud in company accounts.