Leslie Fay Companies - 1023 Words

Leslie Fay Companies Paul Polishan apparently dominated Leslie Fay s accounting and financial reporting functions and the individuals who were his subordinates. What implications do such circumstances pose for a company s independent auditors? How should auditors take such circumstances into consideration when planning an audit? My question for the Leslie Fay Companies case focuses on the actions of Paul Polishan and the effect his self-established tyranny over the financial information of the Leslie Fay Companies would have on the auditing process. Paul Polishan, a 1969 accounting graduate, was hired by the Leslie Fay Companies right out of college. The Leslie Fay Companies made women s clothing, particularly focusing on†¦show more content†¦It is also a great deal more costly to all parties, the auditing firm and the client because it will be much more time consuming to check everything and because of the need for a much higher degree of thoroughness. If internal controls are incredibly bad or virtually nonexistent, then it is not even worth the time, effort, or hassle for an independent auditor to attempt to audit a company, such the Leslie Fay Companies. There is just too great a risk for the public accounting firm performing the independent audit to take the company on as a client. The threshold will be considerably lower and a whole lot more evidence will need to be gathered throughout the audit in order to meet this lower threshold. BDO Seidman, the public accounting firm who was the independent auditors for the Leslie Fay Companies, unfortunately, got the raw end of the deal having been caught up in this major accounting fraud, and signing off unqualified opinions for the Leslie Fay Companies falsified financial statements during the years the accounting fraud was taking place. The auditing program for a company such as Leslie Fay would have to be more carefully planned out. Each step of the auditing program would require a high level of scrut iny and have to be meticulously carried out to plan. I would say there has to be a focus on the firm inquiry of employees especially those under a man like Paul Polishan and a constant stand of self-independence, not allowing theShow MoreRelatedThe Leslie Fay Companies1891 Words   |  8 PagesThe Leslie Fay Companies, which is a manufacturer of women’s apparel, was founded by Fred Pomerantz. The company is based out of New York, and Fred Pomerantz made the company public in 1952. However, Fred Pomerantz ended up taking the company back to a private entity for a few years in the 1980’s due to a buy out from his son John Pomerantz. The Leslie Fay Companies became public again in 1986. After John Pomerantz had taken over the company, profits started skyrocketing even though theRead MoreEssay about Leslie Fay Case1029 Words   |  5 Pages ACCT 497 Writing assignment 1 Siqi Wang The Leslie Fay Companies Analytical Procedures Report Executive Summary After reviewing the Financial Report from The Leslie Fay Companies from 1987 to 1991, I made ratios of Balance Sheet and Income Statement to start with audit planning, which could help us make comparison directly. Also, the calculation of ratios in liquidity, activity, profitability and solvency contains in my report. The purpose of analytical procedures is to detect â€Å"red flags†Read MoreEssay about Leslie Fay Case663 Words   |  3 PagesThe Leslie Fay Companies Knapp Case 1. The financial statement items that I believe should have been particular interest to BDO Seidman are the inventory primarily and then the sales. BDO Seidman should have noticed that according the ratios, the sales were at a steady rate until the year 1991. The inventory of the company was also having issues with sales due to Leslie Fay not keeping up with the latest fashions and because of a slight recession. According to the ratios and common size statementRead MoreLeslie Fay1031 Words   |  5 PagesThe Leslie Fay Companies (Leslie Fay) was a designer specializing in women’s stylish dresses. The company was run by Fred Pomerantz and subsequently by his son, John Pomerantz. Both Pomerantz men were known for their lavish lifestyles and overbearing personalities. Fred had hired Paul Polishan right out of college in 1969 to join the accounting staff at Leslie Fay. Polishan would later go on to become the company’s CFO. Polishan, as it seemed, had an even mo re overbearing personality than eitherRead MoreCommon Sized Financial Statements For Leslie Fay1488 Words   |  6 Pages1. Prepare common-sized financial statements for Leslie Fay for the period 1987–1991. For that same period, compute for Leslie Fay the ratios shown in Exhibit 2. Given these data, which financial statement items do you believe should have been of particular interest to BDO Seidman during that firm’s 1991 audit of Leslie Fay? Explain. The Leslie Fay Companies Common-sized Balance Sheets 1987–1991 (in millions) ASSETS 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 Current Assets: CashRead MoreLeslie Fay case1100 Words   |  5 PagesLeslie Fay Case 1. After reviewing the common size financial statements and the key ratios of Leslie Fay, there some of the financial statement item that should have been of particular interest to BDO Seidman: 1).Sales: the sales has been growing steadily except the slight drop in 1991, which is contrary to the industry recession. 2). Inventory: Leslie Fay has been known for not catching up the fashion, there should be inventory write-off issue in the apparel industry, which havent been reflectedRead MoreAn Evaluative Report On Company Fraud2177 Words   |  9 PagesAn Evaluative Report on Company Fraud How does a company truly know if they have accurate check and balancing in place to detect malicious activity that may impact financial statements? The main obligation for the sufficiency and release in the company’s annual statements resides within the management of the company (Whittington Pany, 2014). It is a critical component, for management to have a strong financial management system that is documented, meaningful and well-considered accounting policiesRead MoreLeslie Fay Case2628 Words   |  11 Pages(Gupta, 2004). The financial ratios are then compared with the entity s ratios for prior periods as well as with ratios for other businesses in the same industry. A comparison with the industry ratios would have warned BDO of some irregularities in Leslie Fay s financial statements. BDO Seidman should have been interested some important ratios that would help in determining the accuracy of the financial statements that had been prepared by Polishan and his staff. The im portant ratios include the liquidityRead MoreEarnings Management Hw1040 Words   |  5 Pages1. What is earnings management? The companies use earnings management as a strategy by which they can easily control and manipulate their earnings to reach their pre-determined earning target. 2. Why do companies employ earnings management techniques? Accountants cannot predict every business structure, every new and innovative transaction. Therefore, they build up principles that allow for flexibility so that they can adapt to changing circumstances. However, people make use of that flexibilityRead MoreCost accounting chapter 12 answer key Essay6232 Words   |  25 Pagescompared to that of competitors. It is important when discussing performance measurement that the performance of the manager(s) be separated from the performance of the company (or business unit). Often, the managers might be performing well (poorly) although the organization is performing poorly (well). It is not uncommon for companies to place their best managers in units that are struggling. The balancing act firms must always perform when compensation is tied contractually to performance is between