Financial Times Publishes Shenandoah Teaching Case on the Limits of Financial Reporting
Mulyadi, Anwar and other Shenandoah business faculty published across variety of sites
The Financial Times has published a new business school teaching case study by Shenandoah University School of Business faculty members Martin Mulyadi, Ph.D., CGMA, Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. Endowed Chair in Accounting, and Yunita Anwar, Ph.D., Lillian Cook Braun Endowed Chair in Accounting. The case, “The First Brands Group collapse: Could — or should — the books have flagged the risks?”, appears in the FT’s “Special Report: Business School Debates” and provides a global platform for Shenandoah’s teaching scholarship. It demonstrates the societal impact of the university’s thought leadership by bringing academic rigor to one of the year’s most complex, real‑time corporate finance stories.
Drawing on publicly reported facts, court filings, and peer‑reviewed research, the case frames a current dilemma in financial reporting and private‑market finance: whether users of financial statements could — or should — have identified the scale and risks of off-balance-sheet working‑capital structures. It examines how accounting presentation interacts with cash‑control arrangements, collateral priority, audit scope, and board oversight.
“This case study is designed to highlight the dilemma: how can a company’s true liabilities be hidden, and what are the limits of financial reporting?” said Dr. Mulyadi. “We present the facts around off‑balance‑sheet financing and the governance failures documented in filings and reporting, making it an ideal case for a global debate.”
By appearing in the FT’s “Business School Debates” series, this work places Shenandoah’s teaching scholarship before a global community and advances conversation on issues that shape markets and society. The full case study is available to Financial Times subscribers.
Mulyadi was also featured recently in a HuffPost article about what affects a person’s credit score. He addressed how paying off a credit card can lead to a score’s temporary decline, noting that the trigger is the account’s closure, not the payment itself. He also shared his expertise in a WalletHub post about loud budgeting, in which people avoid overspending by talking about how they can’t afford to spend more. As for Dr. Anwar, she was featured in WalletHub’s piece about budget percentages.
Two other Shenandoah University School of Business faculty members have also been featured on WalletHub recently: Chair of the Division of Sport Management & Esports and Assistant Professor of Sport Management David Eyl, J.D., offered some expert thoughts on Discover it Cash Back and the best sports cities in the United States. Meanwhile, Professor of Management J. Seth Chatfield, Ph.D., weighed in for an article about the states that vaccinate the most.
