Nearly two-thirds of corporate controllers feel pressure to “cook the books,” according to a new international survey, and many of them feel that misrepresenting their company’s performance is just part of their job.
The survey, by FloQast, a provider of close management software for corporate accounting departments, found that 64 percent of controllers feel pressure to “cook the books,” with 10 percent of them stating it’s just part of their job.
The respondents were asked if they have ever felt pressure, either directly or indirectly, for financial reporting to be less accurate in order to produce a better view of company performance. Only 36 percent of the controllers surveyed by FloQast and Dimensional Research indicated they have never felt such pressure. Among the 64 percent who said they have felt pressure to misrepresent their company’s performance, 10 percent reported this is a regular part of their job.