The Tribune

THE Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA), in conjunction with regional affiliates - the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC) and the Certified General Accountants Association (CGA) of the Caribbean - has unveiled its third business seminar for 2012. Financial & Accounting Scandals - Identifying Red Flags and Lessons Learned, will be the theme of the one-day seminar to be held on Wednesday, March 28, 2012, at the British Colonial Hilton. It is targeted at accountants and business practitioners who operate in environments where higher risks of fraud or irregularity exist. The lead presenter will be Karen Horcher, president of Hedge Rho Management in Vancouver, Canada. Ms Horcher is an internationally-recognised management consultant and trainer, who has written several books focusing on risk and treasury management. "We are extremely fortunate to have arranged for Ms Horcher to visit the Bahamas for the main purpose of making this presentation. In particular, she will deal with timely issues that directly impact all types of businesses, and attendees will hear the real reasons why major corporations like Enron, Worldcom and others collapsed, and what actions we as business persons in the Bahamas can and should take as preventive measures," said Julian Rolle, BICA president. The seminar will also explore past scandals arising from reporting irregularities, fraud and market crises and, in the aftermath, how departures from reality occurred and their ramifications, red flags and lessons learned.