Frauds and manipulation in financial statements and opportunities for their relativization

Abstract

Financial reports represent the most efficient way to periodically present information on the company's operations to interested parties. The greatest responsibility for the quality of financial statements lies with the company's management and the persons in charge of compiling them. Presenting business results better than they are, the so-called make-up, by owners and managers, has led to many frauds and manipulations in the business of the company which found their expression in false financial reports. The loss of user confidence in the information presented in the financial statements has unforeseeable consequences for financial markets and the economy as a whole. A large number of examples of fraud and manipulation in financial statements indicate the importance of recognizing them and distinguishing them from technical and unintentional errors. In this paper, we strive to present the motives and goals of fraud and manipulation in financial statements, responsibility for the occurrence and shortcomings that led to embezzlement and abuse, and identify opportunities for their prevention and relativization.