Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of employee fraud, focusing on the banking industry in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach A major bank was selected for the case study analysis. The researchers used qualitative data analysis for the study. Content analysis of investigation reports and interviews of employees from different functional areas were used as the main data collection tools. Findings This study found that loans contracted by bank employees with huge repayment amounts put financial pressure on them to commit fraud. The study also found that inadequate controls in some areas of the bank can fuel the commission of fraud. In addition, aggrieved employees have a high propensity of committing fraud. Huge punitive consequences were noted to exist for employees who perpetrate fraud, and shareholders are also affected by the fraudulent behaviour of employees. Research limitations/implications Findings shown in the study confirm the hypotheses of the fraud triangle theory on the causes of fraud despite its criticisms. The findings are also consistent with extant studies on the antecedents and consequences of fraud. The use of one bank for the case study analysis as well as the three-year analysis period impose a limitation on the study. Future studies can explore fraud using other different theoretical lenses. Gathering data from more than one bank and for a longer period of analysis may provide more accurate results. Practical implications This study provides some recommendations for fraud prevention in the banking industry in Ghana. The major one is the need for the central bank to collaborate with financial institutions to set up an effective creditworthiness system that will aid the monitoring of activities of the banks. Banks should also ensure that systems of controls are reviewed regularly to identify and deal with fraud. Originality/value This study is original, as it focuses on an industry that is highly susceptible to fraud due to issues of confidentiality with data and with scanty literature on fraud.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of employee fraud, focusing on the banking industry in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach A major bank was selected for the case study analysis. The researchers employed qualitative data analysis for the study. Content analysis of investigation reports and interviews of employees from different functional areas were used as the main data collection tools. Findings This study found that loans contracted by bank employees with huge repayment amounts put financial pressure on them to commit fraud. The study also found that inadequate controls in some areas of the bank can fuel the commission of fraud. In addition, aggrieved employees have highly chances of committing fraud. Huge punitive consequences were noted to exist for the employee who perpetrates the fraud and shareholders are also affected by the fraudulent behaviour of employees. Research limitations/implications Findings shown in the study confirm the hypotheses of the fraud triangle theory on the causes of fraud in spite of its criticisms. The findings are also consistent with extant studies on the antecedents and consequences of fraud. The use of one bank for the case study analysis as well as the three-year analysis period imposes a limitation on the study. Future studies can explore fraud using other different theoretical lenses. Gathering data from more than one bank and for a longer period of analysis may provide more accurate results. Practical implications This study provides some recommendations for fraud prevention in the banking industry in Ghana. The major one is the need for the central bank to collaborate with financial institutions to set up an effective credit worthiness system that will aid the monitoring of activities of the banks. Banks should also ensure that systems of controls are reviewed regularly to identify and deal with fraud. Originality/value This study is original, as it focuses on an industry that is highly susceptible to fraud because of issues of confidentiality with data and with the scanty literature on fraud.

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The budget has been and continues to be a tool for effectuating fiscal policy goals of governments worldwide. The case of developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana is no exception. The arguments in support of systematised budgeting and budgetary control regimes in the public sector of economies, both developed and developing are overwhelmingly persuasive. The aforementioned arguments have been normalised in practice and application to the extent of being unfairly characterised as ritualistic in some cases. Interestingly however, inherent in the ritualistic nature of budgets are useful opportunities for leveraging on the strengths of budgeting and budgetary control for effective service delivery for value-for-money and value-for-many. Polemic evidence suggests that health service delivery remains a major challenge to many economies of the world, especially those of the developing world. This qualitative study relies on interviews and document reviews to analyse the practical challenges of budgeting and budgetary control from the perspective of a developing country, using the health service sector of Ghana as a case in point. The paper argues that harnessing the opportunities for improvement inherent in systematised budgeting and budgetary control could produce synergistic effects in the face of the apparent challenges.

International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) has become one of the popular tools implemented by governments to ensure greater transparency and accountability globally. This research assesses the impact of IPSAS adoption on transparency and accountability in the use of public funds in Liberia. A survey design using five-point Likert scale questionnaire was employed for collecting the data. Questionnaires were administered to accountants, auditors (private and state-owned), government departments and related public sector bodies within the Montserrado County of Liberia. The valid questionnaires were then analysed using descriptive statistics. The hypotheses were formulated and tested by means of analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a 5% significant level with the aid of Microsoft Excel 2013. The study finds that IPSAS adoption increases the level of transparency and accountability in the use of government funds. It further establishes that revenue leakage and inadequate disclosure of public expenditure impedes government commitment to ensure a transparent and accountable management of public funds in the country. Hence, the paper recommends that governments in developing counties should hasten in their transition to the accrual basis IPSAS.