Fraud Examination
AC 313
SYLLABUS
Central Methodist University
Graduate and Extended Studies
Online Programs
Last Revised 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MISSION STATEMENTS……………………………………………………………………………..3
YOUR INSTRUCTOR……………………………………………………………………………………4
COURSE INTRODUCTION
Course Description ................................................................................................ 5
Course Prerequisites ............................................................................................... 5
Course Objectives .................................................................................................. 5
Course Required Textbook and Readings .................................................................. 5
Course Special Requirements .................................................................................. 5
Course Announcements and Communication .............................................................. 6
COURSE ASSESSMENT
Grading Scale ....................................................................................................... 7
Grading Criteria .................................................................................................... 7
Grading Criteria Expectations .................................................................................. 7
Due Dates and Deliverables .................................................................................... 8
Late Work Policy ................................................................................................... 8
Instructor Academic Conduct Policy ......................................................................... 8
COURSE STUDY PLAN
Week One ..............................................................................................................9
Week Two ..............................................................................................................10
Week Three ............................................................................................................11
Week Four ..............................................................................................................12
Week Five ..............................................................................................................13
Week Six ................................................................................................................14
Week Seven ...........................................................................................................15
Week Eight .............................................................................................................16
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ............................................................................17
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MISSION STATEMENTS:
CMU: Central Methodist University prepares students to make a difference in the world by
emphasizing academic and professional excellence, ethical leadership, and social
responsibility.
Creed: The Central Methodist University community believes in seeking knowledge, truth,
and wisdom; valuing freedom, honesty, civility, and diversity; living lives of service and
leadership; and taking responsibility for ourselves and the communities in which we live.
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YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Instructor:
Instructor Name
Office:
Email:
Fax:
Phone: ###-###-#### (Office)
###-###-#### (Home)
###-###-#### (Cell)
Virtual Office Hours:
Let students know when you are available online
About the Instructor
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COURSE INTRODUCTION
COURSE
AC313—Fraud Examination
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course will cover all the major methods that employees use to commit occupational
fraud. Students will learn how and why occupational fraud is committed, how fraudulent
conduct can be deterred, and how allegations of fraud should be investigated and resolved.
Prerequisite: AC201, Junior or Senior standing, or permission of the instructor.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of the course, each participant should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the various foundational areas of importance to
fraud examination and forensic accounting

Demonstrate and understand the legal procedures that are frequently relevant to
forensic accounting work. Both criminal and civil procedures, with a special emphasis
on criminal procedures

Communicate and apply the basic and advanced fraud examination and investigation
processes, as it corresponds to the entire fraud investigation process: fraud
prevention, fraud detection, fraud investigations and the engagement process, the
fraud evidence collection process, physical, documentary, and observational
evidence, interview methods, forensic science and computer forensics, and fraud
reports, litigation, and the recovery process

Identify and communicate the specific areas of occupational and organizational
fraud: employee and vendor fraud, and financial statement fraud

Demonstrate an understanding of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and its impact on fraud
COURSE REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND READINGS
Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination
Author: William S. Hopwood, Jay J. Leiner, & George Young
Edition/Publisher: 2nd edition; McGraw Hill
ISBN: 978-0-07-813666-5
COURSE SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Materials will be posted on the AC313 course website through the student’s myCMU
account. Most of the assignments, activities, discussion forums and all exams will be taken
directly from the required textbook.
The Online Learning Center (OLC) follows Hopwood 2e chapter by chapter at
http://www.mhhe.com/hopwood2e, offering supplementary learning aid for students. The
OLC includes online quizzes, glossary and Power Point slides to help students study more
efficiently. I highly recommend you use this Web site to supplement you throughout the
course.
COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMUNICATION
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Generally speaking, instructor announcements or instructions are provided in the
announcements section of myCMU. That said, all students are responsible for having an
email address capable of sending and receiving messages. Students are expected to check
their email on a regular basis for course-related communications. It is the responsibility of
the student to let the instructor know his or her email address.
COURSE ASSESSMENT
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GRADING SCALE
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Percent
100-90%
89-80%
79-70%
69-60%
<60%
GRADING CRITERIA
Grades will be based upon the following:
Discussion Forum (7 weeks of discussion)
Exams (3)
Case Studies (4)
Review Questions (16 sets)
25%
40%
20%
15%
GRADING CRITERIA EXPECTATIONS
Online Discussion Expectations
Discussion is an integral part of the classroom experience. Individual participation and
contribution to online discussion sessions is encouraged and expected. Unless otherwise
stated, current topics for discussion will be posted on the myCMU discussion area generally
sometime during each weekend.
You will be expected to make at least three contributions to one or more available
discussion threads by midnight the following Sunday. In order to ensure the classroom
discussion gets started in a timely fashion, “initial responders” will be assigned. “Initial
responders” are responsible for starting off the discussion by posting a response to one of
the questions or topics posted.
Here are qualities of a full-credit student post (adapted from Sloan Consortium
http://www.sloan-c.org):
 Substantial – cites PowerPoint, textbook, or video segments
 Concise – focused response.
 Provocative – student asks a question to facilitate discussion
 Interpretative – expands concepts or connects ideas in new ways
 Timely – posted within set time limits
 Grammatical – free of writing errors
A student should not make all contributions in one or two days. In order to receive fullcredit for discussion, you are encouraged to participate in the discussion at various times
throughout the discussion week.
Written Assignment Expectations
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Written assignments should be written in 12 point, Times New Roman font using 1” margins
by the assigned date. Assignments should be submitted through myCMU unless otherwise
stated. On the header of each page, please include your name, course number and name,
and assignment name. On the footer of each page, please include a page number.
Acceptable file formats include Microsoft Word (.doc) or RTF (rich text format). Files
submitted in an improper format can’t be opened, therefore it can’t be graded. It is the
responsibility of the student to submit assignments in the proper file format.
Course Project Expectations
Test and Quiz Expectations
DUE DATES AND DELIVERABLES
All due dates and deliverable requirements will be posted on the course website and are
considered “firm.” Also note that any due dates and times are in central standard time so
please adjust accordingly. Any deviation in content or form should be discussed with the
instructor prior to the due date. Late and/or incomplete work will result in a significant
grade reduction. The only exceptions related to late work are covered under the Late Work
Policy below. Typically, graded assignments will be returned in 3 days.
LATE WORK POLICY
Late assignments will only be permitted in cases involving extreme hardship (e.g.,
unplanned change of employment, transfer, severe illness, accident, or death in the
immediate family). It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor prior to the due
date of such circumstances and to provide acceptable documentation. Late assignments will
be handled on a case-by-case basis. Due to the nature of the program and course you are
encouraged to work ahead as possible to avoid missing deadlines. The course should be
completed as scheduled, incomplete (“I”) grades will only be considered as a last resort
(See University Catalog Regarding Incomplete (“I”) Grades).
INSTRUCTOR ACADEMIC CONDUCT POLICY
Please include your personal plagiarism policy for this course.
COURSE STUDY PLAN – WEEK ONE
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READINGS:
Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, 2e
Author: William S. Hopwood, Jay J. Leiner, & George Young
Chapter 1, pages 3-10
Chapter 2, pages 15-38
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Biographical Sketch and Career Plans Assignment:
Please upload to the Assignments page under Week 1 a 2 page, 12 point font paper that
provides an autobiography along with an explanation of your future career plans (after
college).
Please note: This assignment is due Wednesday night at 11:55 pm. Failure to complete the
assignment by this deadline may result in your removal from the course for nonparticipation.
Review questions for chapter 1 (pgs. 11-13) and chapter 2 (pgs. 41-43); submitted through
AC313 course website under the “Assignments” section. Files should be uploaded as either
an .rtf or .doc file.
CH. 2 FALSE STATEMENT REVISIONS ARE PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Discussion forum:
Week #1 discussion forum-AC313 course website “Discussion Forum” (Please note that
there are two topics this week—both should be answered).
The assigned initial responder will be posted in the “Announcements” section of the course
website.
DUE DATES AND DELIVERABLES FOR WILL BE POSTED UNDER “ANNOUNCEMENTS”
SECTION OF THE AC313 COURSE WEBSITE
COURSE STUDY PLAN – WEEK TWO
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READINGS:
Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, 2e
Author: William S. Hopwood, Jay J. Leiner, & George Young
Chapter 5, pages 131-156
Chapter 6, pages 167-188
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Review questions for chapter 5 (pgs. 160-163) and chapter 6 (pgs. 189-190); submitted
through AC313 course website under the “Assignments” section.
Case Study #1-WALITAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY (Chapter 6, #44, pgs. 192-193);
a downloadable version is available on the AC313 course website under “Assignments.”
(The Assignment is also located on the Resources and Materials page of the course).
DISCUSSION FORUM:
Week #2 discussion forum-AC313 course website “Discussion Forum”
The assigned initial responder will be posted in the “Announcements” section of the course
website.
DUE DATES AND DELIVERABLES FOR WILL BE POSTED UNDER “ANNOUNCEMENTS”
SECTION OF THE AC313 COURSE WEBSITE
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COURSE STUDY PLAN – WEEK THREE
READINGS:
Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, 2e
Author: William S. Hopwood, Jay J. Leiner, & George Young
Chapter 7, pages 195-212
Chapter 8, pages 223-238
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Review questions for chapter 7 (pgs. 213-215) and chapter 8 (pgs. 239-242); submitted
through AC313 course website under the “Assignments” section.
Discussion forum:
Week #3 discussion forum-AC313 course website “Discussion Forum”
The assigned initial responder will be posted in the “Announcements” section of the course
website.
Exam #1-Chapters 1-2 and 5-6
Check “Announcements” on the AC313 course website for details of instructions
and availability.
DUE DATES AND DELIVERABLES FOR WILL BE POSTED UNDER “ANNOUNCEMENTS”
SECTION OF THE AC313 COURSE WEBSITE
COURSE STUDY PLAN – WEEK FOUR
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READINGS:
Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, 2e
Author: William S. Hopwood, Jay J. Leiner, & George Young
Chapter 9, pages 247-273
Chapter 10, pages 285-312
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Review questions for chapter 9 (pgs. 278-281) and chapter 10 (pgs. 313-316); submitted
through AC313 course website under the “Assignments” section.
Case Study #2-THE GREEN NATURAL WELLNESS COMPANY (Chapter 8, #50, pgs.
243-245); a downloadable version is available on the AC313 course website under
“Assignments” and also on the Resources and Materials page of the course. The completed
assignment should be uploaded to the Assignments page of the course.
DISCUSSION FORUM:
Week #4 discussion forum-AC313 course website “Discussion Forum”
The assigned initial responder will be posted in the “Announcements” section of the course
website.
DUE DATES AND DELIVERABLES FOR WILL BE POSTED UNDER “ANNOUNCEMENTS”
SECTION OF THE AC313 COURSE WEBSITE
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COURSE STUDY PLAN – WEEK FIVE
READINGS:
Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, 2e
Author: William S. Hopwood, Jay J. Leiner, & George Young
Chapter 11, pages 325-344
Chapter 12, pages 355-375
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Review questions for chapter 11 (pgs. 349-352) and chapter 12 (pgs. 375-379); submitted
through AC313 course website under the “Assignments” section.
DISCUSSION FORUM:
Week #5 discussion forum-AC313 course website “Discussion Forum”
The assigned initial responder will be posted in the “Announcements” section of the course
website.
Exam #2-Chapters 7-12
Check ‘Announcements” on the AC313 course website for instructions and details
of availability.
DUE DATES AND DELIVERABLES FOR WILL BE POSTED UNDER “ANNOUNCEMENTS”
SECTION OF THE AC313 COURSE WEBSITE
COURSE STUDY PLAN – WEEK SIX
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READINGS:
Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, 2e
Author: William S. Hopwood, Jay J. Leiner, & George Young
Chapter 13, pages 385-402
Chapter 14, pages 411-431
Chapter 15, pages 439-459
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Review questions for chapter 13 (pgs. 403-406), chapter 14 (pgs. 432-434) and chapter 15
(pgs. 460-462); submitted through AC313 course website under the “Assignments” section.
CH. 14 AND 15 FALSE STATEMENT REVISIONS ARE PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT!
Case Study #3-XYX Company (Chapter 15, #45, pg. 464); a downloadable version is
available on the AC313 course website under “Assignments” and also on the Resources and
Materials page of the course. Your completed assignment should be uploaded to the
Assignments page of the course.
DISCUSSION FORUM:
Week #6 discussion forum-AC313 course website “Discussion Forum”
The assigned initial responder will be posted in the “Announcements” section of the course
website.
DUE DATES AND DELIVERABLES FOR WILL BE POSTED UNDER “ANNOUNCEMENTS”
SECTION OF THE AC313 COURSE WEBSITE
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COURSE STUDY PLAN – WEEK SEVEN
READINGS:
Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, 2e
Author: William S. Hopwood, Jay J. Leiner, & George Young
Chapter 16, pages 469-502
Chapter 17, pages 511-533
Chapter 18, pages 541-571
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Review questions for chapter 16 (pgs. 504-507), chapter 17 (pgs. 534—537) and chapter
18 (pgs. 575-578); submitted through AC313 course website under the “Assignments”
section.
Case Study #4-XYX Company (Chapter 16, #57, pg. 508-509); a downloadable version
is available on the AC313 course website under “Assignments” and also on the Resources
and Materials page of the course. Your completed assignment should be uploaded to the
Assignments page of the course.
DISCUSSION FORUM:
Week #7 discussion forum-AC313 course website “Discussion Forum”
The assigned initial responder will be posted in the “Announcements” section of the course
website.
DUE DATES AND DELIVERABLES FOR WILL BE POSTED UNDER “ANNOUNCEMENTS”
SECTION OF THE AC313 COURSE WEBSITE
COURSE STUDY PLAN – WEEK EIGHT
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READINGS:
NO READINGS-LET’S WRAP-UP AC313!
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS:
Exam #3-Chapters 13-18. Check ‘Announcements” on the AC313 course website
for instructions and details of availability.
Course evaluations are available on the AC313 course website. Please take a few
minutes to complete the survey. We appreciate your feedback to continuously
improve the online learning experience at Central Methodist University.
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SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
APA Reference Guide
You may be asked to write a paper in “APA style”. If you are not sure what “APA style”
means, here are some reference sites



http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
http://apastyle.apa.org/
Depending on the requirements of your course, you should consider buying a book.
Accessing Library Databases
Central Methodist University provides a number of online databases which are available to
you for research and reference purposes. Since it is likely that you will not be on the
Fayette campus when you access this material, you will need to use your myCMU login and
password for access. For more information about how to access these online databases,
reference the “Contact Information” section of this document.
Discussion Forum Tips (adapted from
(http://community.flexiblelearning.net.au/TeachingTrainingLearners/content/article_4183.htm)
1. Give all postings a clear and relevant title. Avoid using vague or ambiguous titles
such as ‘News’, ‘Hi’ ‘Latest work’ etc.
2. Remember the human. When you communicate electronically, all you see is a
computer screen. You don't have the opportunity to use facial expression, gestures
and tone of voice to communicate your meaning (apart from using emoticons);
words - lonely written words - are all you've got. When you're holding a conversation
online -it's easy to misinterpret your correspondent's meaning. And it's easy to
forget that your correspondent is a person with feelings more or less like your own.
3. Respect other people's time. People seem to have less time than ever before and
have a lot of information to absorb. When you send e-mail or post to a discussion
group, you're taking up other people’s time (or hoping to). It's your responsibility to
ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted.
4. Know what you're talking about and make sense. Make sure your notes are clear
and logical and know what you are talking about. Be pleasant and polite. Don't use
offensive language, and don't be confrontation for the sake of confrontation.
5. Help keep flame wars under control. "Flaming" is what people do when they express
a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotions. Flames can be lots of fun,
both to write and to read. But Netiquette does forbid the perpetuation of flame wars.
Series of angry letters, most of them from two or three people directed toward each
other that can dominate the tone and destroy the camaraderie of a discussion group.
It's unfair to the other members of the group and it also can get boring very quickly
to people who aren't involved in them.
6. Be forgiving of other people's mistakes. When someone makes a mistake (even if
you feel strongly about it) think twice before reacting. Having good manners yourself
doesn't give you license to correct everyone else. If you do decide to inform
someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferable by private email rather
than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know
any better.
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