fraud files

For decades, U.S. companies doing business overseas have had to avoid falling afoul of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits the bribing of foreign officials. But in the past few years, such corporate misbehavior is receiving more attention and increased enforcement, which is making executives nervous.

When companies use the word "immaterial" to describe errors or irregularities in their previously reported numbers, what they're trying to say is that their mistakes involved such small amounts that they don't really matter. Too often, though, that's not really the case.