Speaker
Date
False Profits: A History of Accounting Scandals
From Enron to WH Smith, what can history’s biggest accounting scandals teach us about the numbers we trust today?
This online taster session from UCL School of Management’s Online MSc Strategic Accounting and Finance explores how major accounting scandals emerge, how they are detected, and why they continue to matter for modern corporate finance and financial reporting. Using a historical lens from the 1960s to the present day, the session will trace landmark cases – from high‑profile collapses such as Enron to more recent controversies like WH Smith – to show how financial reporting failures develop, are uncovered, and reshape market practice.
Led by Dr Danusia Wysocki, Senior Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in Financial Accounting and Reporting at UCL School of Management, the session will combine conceptual frameworks with real‑world case material drawn from her professional experience as a qualified accountant and business consultant. She will be joined by Professor Alan Parkinson, Director of Studies and Deputy Director (Education), and Professor Lynsie Chew, Academic Lead for the Online MSc Strategic Accounting and Finance, who will contribute additional perspectives on corporate finance, valuation, and studying these issues in an interactive online learning environment.
In this session, we will cover:
- How major accounting scandals since the 1960s have unfolded and been uncovered
- Common techniques, red flags and warning signs in financial reporting failures
- The impact of scandals on investors, creditors, employees and markets
- How these events have influenced today’s standards, regulations, and analytical practice – and what analysts and accountants still need to watch for
This session is ideal for prospective applicants to the Online MSc Strategic Accounting and Finance, and for students or early‑career professionals interested in financial reporting, auditing, corporate governance, or forensic accounting.
Speakers:
- Dr Danusia Wysocki, Senior Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in Financial Accounting and Reporting (session lead)
- Professor Alan Parkinson, Director of Studies and Deputy Director (Education)
- Professor Lynsie Chew, Academic Lead for the Online MSc Strategic Accounting and Finance
The content is drawn from the Online MSc Strategic Accounting and Finance and illustrates how the programme connects accounting and finance concepts to real business questions and decisions. There will also be time for Q&A at the end of the session.
Event details
Date: Thursday, 30 April 2026
Time: 13:00–14:00 (London time)
Format: Zoom
If you have any questions about the session or are having trouble registering, please contact the Student Recruitment Marketing team at mgmt.comms@ucl.ac.uk.
About the Online MSc Strategic Accounting and Finance
A key department of a globally top-9-ranked university (QS World Rankings, 2026), the UCL School of Management focuses its research and teaching on key areas of Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Analytics, preparing students to make an immediate impact in the business world.
The Online MSc Strategic Accounting and Finance at the UCL School of Management is designed for recent graduates and working professionals from a wide range of backgrounds who want to apply accounting and finance expertise to real management decisions. Delivered fully online and available full‑time or part‑time, the programme blends financial theory and concepts with practical applications, equipping you to support and lead strategic decision-making across sectors.
