Identification of financial statement fraud in Greece by using computational intelligence techniques

The consequences of financial fraud are an issue with far-reaching for investors, lenders, regulators, corporate sectors and consumers. The range of development of new technologies such as cloud and mobile computing in recent years has compounded the problem. Manual detection which is a traditional method is not only inaccurate, expensive and time-consuming but also they are impractical for the management of big data. Auditors, financial institutions and regulators have tried to automated processes using statistical and computational methods. This paper presents comprehensive research in financial statement fraud detection by using machine learning techniques with a particular focus on computational intelligence (CI) techniques. We have collected a sample of 2469 observations since 2002 to 2015. Research gap was identified as none of the existing researchers address the association between financial statement fraud and CI-based detection algorithms and their performance, as reported in the literature. Also, the innovation of this research is that the selection of data sample is aimed to create models which will be capable of detecting the falsification in financial statements

Board independence and market reactions around news of stock option backdating

Board Independence, Option Backdating, G3, G34,

The Relationship Between Audit Committee Characteristics and the Level of Sustainability Report Disclosure

International audienceThis study examined the relationship between Audit committee (AC) characteristics and the level of sustainability report disclosure in gulf countries (GCC). We examined 59 listed banks listed during the period from 2013 to 2017. The results showed that AC size, independency of AC members and AC meetings have significant and positive impact on sustainability report disclosure. However, AC member’s financial expertise has negative and significant impact on the sustainability disclosure. The study provides insights about the level of sustainability reporting in GCC countries and how this kind of non-financial disclosure could improve through governance practices especially AC, which might be utilized by banks to explore how AC can and does play a role in contributing towards achievement of the sustainability disclosure

Board Composition and Its Heterogeneity

In this chapter, I analyze the relation between board composition (with a focus on the role of heterogeneity) and performance. Specifically, I introduce the two main theories that support this relation: the agency theory and the resource dependency theory [In the following chapters, other theories are investigated, i.e., stewardship theory, entrenchment theory, and upper echelons theory (UET)]. I also highlight the potential benefits and costs associated with the heterogeneity in the composition of the board. In the final part of this chapter, I introduce an innovative approach to studying heterogeneity and I create a three-dimensional approach for measuring it. Precisely, I identify as the previous research on this topic can be classified on the basis of three levels of heterogeneity studied, namely, “gender,” “social,” and “global” heterogeneity. The global heterogeneity can be split into three parts. First, the “social heterogeneity” that considers three elements: gender, age, and ethnicity. Second, the “occupational heterogeneity” that is composed of all the elements that characterize the professional and educational experiences of the board members, such as work experiences in particular sectors. Third, the “global heterogeneity” that merges both social and professional elements, usually by using multidimensional indexes

The genetic aetiology of childhood depression: a review

Background: We review the evidence for the familiality of major depressive disorder (MDD) and the genetic aetiology of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Methods: Databases and reference lists were searched for family, twin and adoption studies of childhood MDD and childhood depressive symptoms. Data from independent family studies that fulfilled specified inclusion criteria were pooled and odds ratios were calculated for top-down and bottom-up family studies. Results: Estimates of familial risk differ by control group and by study design (odds ratio range 1.70, 3.98). Twin studies show that depressive symptoms in young people are heritable although rater and measurement issues are important. Adoption studies show little evidence for a genetic influence on depressive symptoms. Conclusions: MDD in young people is familial although control group and study design affect the magnitude of the familial risk. Estimates of heritability from twin and adoption studies vary widely and few firm conclusions can be made regarding the genetic aetiology of depressive symptoms in childhood. Areas that require future work include the examination of rater effects, measurement issues, the effects of age and comorbidity and reasons for the discrepancy between twin and adoption findings

Anxiety and depression in psychosis: a systematic review of associations with positive psychotic symptoms

Objective: This review explores the influence of anxiety and depression on the experience of positive psychotic symptoms, and investigates the possibility of a causal role for anxiety and depression in the emergence and persistence of psychosis. Method: A systematic literature search was undertaken, producing a number of papers which comment on the links between anxiety and depression, and the experience of delusions and hallucinations. In addition, evidence which could contribute to our understanding of the causal role of anxiety and depression was highlighted. Results: The findings show that both anxiety and depression are associated in meaningful ways with the severity of delusions and hallucinations, the distress they elicit and their content. However, the cross-sectional nature of the majority of studies and the focus on certain symptom subtypes tempers the validity of the findings. Data from non-clinical samples, studies which track the longitudinal course of psychosis and those which examine the impact of anxiety and depression on the prognosis for people experiencing psychosis, offer some support for the possibility of an influential role for anxiety and depression. Conclusion: We conclude that anxiety and depression are related to psychotic symptom severity, distress and content and are also linked with sub-clinical experiences, symptom development, prognosis and relapse. These links may imply that anxiety and depression could be targets for therapeutic intervention. The article concludes with suggestions for further research, highlighting avenues which may circumvent the limitations of the body of work as it stands. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd