Compare the existing internal control environment at Microsoft to its management’s responsibility for designing effective internal controls, outlined in Case 5 of Graduate Accounting Capstone Cases, and identify the deficiencies that existed.
Speculate on which types of internal controls could have been designed to detect the accounting irregularities, and provide at least two reasons why the internal controls in place at Microsoft were not effective in detecting the accounting errors. Provide specific examples.
Discuss the importance of senior management in setting the tone at the top for honesty and integrity within a company.
Identify at least two consequences of management’s not establishing a code of ethics, and describe the effect on the internal control environment. Provide examples.
