The Division of Business and Management (DBM) held an academic workshop lecture on 2 April. Thompson-Hill Chair of Excellence, Professor of Accounting, and PhD Coordinator at the University of Memphis, Professor Zabihollah Rezaee, was the guest lecturer on forensic accounting and fraud.
Prof Rezaee has achieved many certifications and titles under his name and he is also the editor of the Journal of Forensic Accounting Research.
Prof Rezaee speaks of forensic accounting and fraud
He began his lecture talking about some scenarios that people have seen in movies about cross-examinations as it is not always what we see in movies between two representatives in court. He specified some details about fraud that students should know about, such as what defines fraud, how it affects a company, and factors that may lead to people to commit fraud.
Prof Rezaee provides several handouts of information for students to read
Prof Rezaee provided a skill set he believes that “any future successful accountant” should obtain. These skills are effective communication, interviewing skills, and problem-solving, along with some concepts of psychology.
He shared percentages of type of people make up society. Only 5-10% of people are always honest, while 1-10% of people are always dishonest, and 80-90% of people may commit fraud if any of these four conditions exist: a pressing financial situation, an opportunity, reasonable justification, or a lack of moral principle.
Both students and staff attend the guest lecture
The lecture finished with a Q&A session, where Prof Rezaee put his background and knowledge to work to answer the various questions asked by the attendees.
Reporter/Photographer: Marissa Furney
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He
(from MPRO)
