Corporate fraud will come under the spotlight at a free University of Queensland-hosted public forum on Thursday, August 12 at 6pm.
The forum, to be held at the Auditorium, Level 19, Central Plaza 1, corner Queen and Creek Streets, will examine Ethics in Business – the battle to prevent unconscionable corporate behaviour.
Guest speakers are Dr Ned C. Hill, Dean, and Dr W. Steve Albrecht, Associate Dean, of the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University (BYU), USA.
During the past two to three years, several high-profile fraud and other ethics violations around the world have resulted in a loss in confidence in capital markets and in business, and nearly US$15 trillion in lost market value.
Dr Hill and Dr Albrecht will describe and evaluate elements that came together to create the “Perfect fraud storm” and which brought about the demise of major companies like HIH, Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing, and Adelphia.
They will review ways in which the USA, Australia and other countries have dealt with these problems and provide some analysis of their adequacy in preventing future occurrences of these types. Drs Hill and Albrecht also will offer insight into the nature of “good” ethics and how it can be legitimised by government, taught by universities and practised by business.
In a September 2003 article, “Recruiter’s Scorecard” in The Wall Street Journal, BYU was ranked #26 among the world’s 50 most prestigious graduate schools of management in the world. BYU also was honoured as #2 among “Top Schools for Recruiting Ethical Graduates.
Dr Hill became dean of the Marriott School of Management in 1998. He is a widely published author and frequently invited international speaker in the areas of corporate governance, ethics in management, treasury management, electronic commerce and personal finance. He has addressed professional audiences in China, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Korea, the Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, Jordan, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Canada, and the USA.
Dr Albrecht, associate dean of the Marriott School of Management, has published more than 100 articles in professional journals and numerous books on fraud, personal finance, and accounting. He has consulted for more than 65 organisations, including British Petroleum, Bank of America, General Motors, IBM, the United Nations, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and was an expert witness in 26 major fraud cases, the largest involving US$2.8 billion. He has been recognized by Accounting Today as one of the top 100 most influential people in accounting and serves on audit committees and directors’ boards of five private and public companies.
Brigham Young University is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in Provo, Utah, it is the largest privately-owned institution of higher education in the United States of America.
Free parking is available for the public forum. People wishing to attend should contact UQ Protocol and Ceremonies, telephone 07 3365 7045.
Media: For further information contact Chris Cooper at telephone 0403 056285 or Jan King at UQ Communications, 0413 601 248.
