Design and Validation of a Model of Fraud Risk Platforms in Companies Based on Managers’ Thinking Style

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Accounting, Qe.C., Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qeshm, Iran.

2 Department of Accounting, Ba.C., Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

10.22103/jak.2026.26325.4250

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to design and validate a comprehensive paradigmatic model that explains the underlying foundations of fraud-risk environments in organizations, with a particular emphasis on managerial thinking style as one of the most influential cognitive and behavioral components shaping fraud-prone conditions.
 
Method: A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed. In the qualitative phase, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 accounting and auditing experts and analyzed using the grounded theory method in MAXQDA, resulting in the identification of 22 main categories and 113 subcategories. In the quantitative phase, a questionnaire developed from the qualitative findings was administered to 384 professionals. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were performed using SmartPLS3.0. Instrument reliability was confirmed with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.97.
 
Results: The qualitative analysis yielded 22 core categories and 113 subcategories. Quantitative findings revealed that social factors within causal conditions, managerial thinking style as the central phenomenon, managerial incompetence in contextual conditions, and employee characteristics as intervening conditions exert the greatest influence on the formation of fraud-risk environments. Most of the key relationships in the proposed model were statistically significant.
 
Conclusion: Managerial fraud emerges from the interplay of structural, cognitive, cultural, and motivational factors. Strengthening internal controls, enhancing corporate governance, and improving managers’ ethical and cognitive competencies can substantially reduce fraud risk. The proposed model provides a reliable framework for fraud-risk assessment and for improving supervisory and auditing standards.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Accounting Knowledge

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Available Online from 27 January 2026

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  • Receive Date: 24 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 07 January 2026
  • Accept Date: 10 January 2026

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