After recently achieving your Chartered Accountant status you have secured a new role asSenior Accountant at TechNova Solutions in West Lothian, a fast-growing technology company that develops custom software solutions for businesses. The company has experienced rapid growth over the last two years and is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) in the next 12 months. You are pleased with your new role as it was a significant salary increase and comes with benefits such as eligibility for stock options. You are also hoping to buy your first home with your partner in Edinburgh in the next couple of years so are saving for a deposit. As Senior Accountant, you are responsible for overseeing financial reporting, reviewing budgets, and ensuring compliance with internal and external regulations. You are assisted by Amin Patel, a management accountant in the finance department, who has been with the company for five years. Amin frequently mentions how much they and other colleagues arelooking forward to the company going public, as they hold significant stock options.You are reviewing the company’s financial forecasts for the upcoming quarter. After analysing the data, you realise that the company's revenue projections are overly optimistic. Certain contracts that had been included in the revenue forecasts are not finalised and may fall through. Recognizing this, you adjust the revenue projections to a more accurate number.A few days later, Emile Jacobs, the CFO, reviews your adjustments. They ask you to increase the projected revenues back to the original number, stating:"We need to show strong financials to attract investors for the IPO. Those contracts will close soon enough, and we don’t want to spook potential investors by showing weak revenue growth."As part of the financial review, you also notice that certain expenses, such as software development costs and marketing expenses, have been recorded in this quarter. However, Amin Patel, your colleague, suggests that you move some of these expenses to the next quarter to help boost this quarter's earnings before interest and taxes (EBITDA). Amin tells you:"It’s not a big deal. The timing of expenses can be a bit flexible, and we’re all working toward the same goal of a successful IPO. The more profitable we look now, the better."As the year-end audit approaches, Stacey Wong, the external auditor from Price