You have been the manager of a local boutique for the past five years. Because of increased competition, you notice youre getting fewer customers. Despite all your attempts to attract new customers and cut costs, the stores profitability continues to decline. The boutique owner tells you that if this years profit is lower than last years, youll lose your job.

When preparing financial statements at the end of the year, you notice that this years profit is lower. You know that by purposely understating certain expenses, you can falsely report higher profits to the owner for this year. That will allow you to keep your job for at least one more year and look for a new job in the meantime.